Classic Peach Cobbler

I feel like this summer has passed by so quickly. It's already the end of August! With the end of summer, you get peaches. Peaches and nectarines are transitioning out, but are still in season. They're going to be well prices and flavorful. I tossed a few peaches with some brown sugar, spices, and topped with with a flaky pie dough. It's a southern classic that praises the end of summer and sings in the new season.

Peach Cobbler (serves 2-4)
3 Peaches
2 tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Clove
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ginger
1 tbsp Corn Starch
pinch Salt
1/2 stick Cold Butter
3 oz Flour
pinch Salt
1 oz Cold Water

1. Peel peaches and cut into a large dice, about 1 inch thick
2. Toss the peaches in brown sugar, spices, salt, and corn starch. Allow to sit.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
4. Cut butter into small dices.
5. Place butter into a mixing bowl with flour and salt. Mix with a paddle attachment until the butter is broken down and flaky. If you don't have a mixer, you can use your fingers to press the butter and rub it together to break up the pieces.
6. Add the water to the flour mixture and allow it to form a loose dough.
7. Wrap the dough and allow to chill for about 30 minutes.
8. Place the peaches into a small cast iron skillet or a casserole dish.
9. Roll out the dough into a disk that covers the skillet.
10. Brush the dough with egg wash (1 egg, a little water, salt) and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cut a few slits in the top to vent.
11. Bake the cobbler for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown.

The warm spices bring fall to your palate with the cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger. It's juxtaposed with bright peaches. The flaky crust is the best pairing for the warm peaches, and it's even better complimented with ice cream.

This is best served warm, just a few minutes out of the oven. I like spooning a generous portion onto a plate with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I would definitely suggest you try this out before summer leaves us for the year!

Sung and Joseph Wedding

I was given the privilege of being a part of this couple's special day! Sung approached me about making a cake and some mini cupcakes for their wedding day. I was able to work with her to figure out what exactly they were looking for.

In the end, the cake turned out great, and Sung and Joseph loved the flavors. They went with a vanilla sponge with a light chocolate filling. I made a light chiffon cake with an airy chocolate mousse for them to enjoy.

The design of the cake perfectly accompanied the decor of the church, and fit the theme of their event altogether. A big thank you to Chil studios for sharing their photos from the day with me. You can see more from Sung and Joseph's wedding on their [website].

Congratulations to the new couple! I hope that you are blessed with a fruitful marriage. Again, thank you for letting me be a part of your day!

If you would like a delici-owh-so catered event, you can click the contact tab above. I'd love to be a part of your next event!

Easter Egg Macarons

Happy Easter! I had a busy Sunday- starting at 6AM to prepare Easter brunch at the hotel, and then leading to a 4pm service at 4pointes church. It was a refreshing service filled with celebration and remembrance.

I brought some Easter egg-shaped macarons to church with me, and they were a big hit! These macarons are festive, delicious, and adorable! It's made almost the same way as any macaron, with a slightly different piping technique.

Vanilla Orange Easter Egg Macarons (makes about 30)
 Shells
100 g Almond Flour
120 g Confectioner's Sugar
50 g Granulated Sugar
70 g Egg Whites (2 large whites)
Orange and Red Gel Color

1. Pulse almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor until very finely ground. Be careful not to grind too long, because it will release all of the oils, ruining your final product.
2. Sift the powder with a medium-mesh sieve.
3. Place the particles that are too large to fit through the sieve back into the food processor, pulse, and sift again. Throw out the excess pieces.
4. In a grease-free bowl, place your egg whites and sugar. Allow to sit for a few minutes to begin to dissolve.
5. Use grease-free beaters on high speed to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Add in the gel color. You want a very full color because the added almond flour and sugar will dull the color.
6. Use a rubber spatula to fold the powdered sugar and almond flour into the meringue until the batter moves slowly, like lava. If you run your spatula through it, it should fall together after 5-7 seconds.
7. Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip (3/8 inch). 
8. Pipe rounds that are about an inch apart onto a nonstick baking mat (silpat) that is placed onto a cookie sheet. 
9. Do this by holding the bag straight up about half an inch above the silpat, applying pressure to the bag until about 3/4 inch in diameter, and then lessen the pressure as you drag backward. Once you reach the desired length, quickly move the bag in the opposite direction that you dragged it, to leave a smooth edge. Make sure there is enough space to spread.
10. Rap your cookie sheet/sheet pan on the table a few times to make sure there are no bumps on the macaron shells.
11. Let rest until dry to the touch (about 30-45 minutes, longer on rainy days).
12. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. If you have a convection oven, use convection.
13. Bake macaron shells on the second shelf of the oven for 14-17 minutes, until they do not wiggle when nudged.
14. Remove from oven and allow shells to cool completely before removing from the silpat.

Buttercream Filling
1 Egg White
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Butter 
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 cup Orange Juice

1. Fill a pot with some water and begin to boil.
2. Place the egg white and sugar into a medium sized, heat proof, grease-free bowl. Place the bowl on top of the pot of boiling water.
3. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved (110 degrees F). Check by rubbing the mixture between your fingers to feel for sugar granules.
4. Mix on high speed to make a meringue.
5. When cool to the touch, add softened butter and mix until it comes together.
6. It will break apart and look like scrambled eggs. Continue to mix until it becomes a soft paste.
7. Add the vanilla extract.
8. Reduce orange juice in a frying pan until it becomes thicker- it will look like a puree or sauce.
9. Place the frying pan into the refrigerator to cool the orange reduction.
10. Add the orange reduction to the buttercream and whip until completely incorporated.  The buttercream may become broken like scrambled eggs again, but it will come back together.


Assembly
1. Pair the shells by size. You should have about 20 pairs of shells.
2. On the surface of the bottom of the shell, place a small pinch of apple butter in the center. It should be enough for a small surprise. 
3. Put the buttercream into a piping bag with the same tip that you used to pipe the macarons.
4. Pipe the buttercream so that it is covering about 1/2 of the surface of the bottom of the shell.
5. Put the pairs together to create a "sandwich". 
6. Place in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to develop.

7. Melt white chocolate and pipe designs onto the macarons. Place them back into the fridge to set up.
8. Let the macarons come to room temperature before you serve them.

These macarons are interesting and fun. They're a great play on the classic creamsicle, with a fun twist. The piping technique takes a few tries to get just right, but it's worth practicing! How cute are these? Once again, Happy Easter everyone!

Plum Hand Pi(e)

Happy belated Pi Day! It was an exciting one this year (one in a hundred). We got to experience 3/14/15 9:26:53! I realize this is a nerdy thing to be excited about, but how could you not be excited when you get to celebrate with PIE!

This week, I made some mini hand pies. A hand pie is basically a small handheld pocket made with pie dough and filling. Plums are starting to get closer to coming into season. You can find some popping up at grocery stores, though they'll probably be underripe. These plums are great for baking! The hard plum becomes soft when baking, without becoming soggy or releasing too much liquid.

The flavor of the plums after being baked is sweet and tangy, and the texture is tender, without becoming mushy. It compliments the flaky pie dough very well.The pastry cream is a quick addition that adds a balance and sweetness to the savory pie crust. Cinnamon-ginger sugar is the perfect note of warmth to finish the pie.

Plum Hand Pie (Makes 15)
Pie Dough
1 stick Butter
6 oz Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 oz Ice Cold Water

1. Cut the cold butter into small cubes (1cm x 1cm).
2. Put the pieces into the flour and salt. Make sure each cube is coated.
3. Press the butter to flat pieces.
4. Rub the butter between your fingers to make flakes. Continue until the butter chunks are about the size of a lima bean.
5. Create a well in the center of the flour and pour your cold water into it.
6. Bring your flour towards the center of the well a little bit at a time, until it is completely incorporated.
7. Flatten your dough slightly and wrap it in plastic. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, until it is chilled.

Vanilla Pastry Cream
1 cup Milk
1 tbsp Butter
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
2 tbsp Corn Starch
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1. Put 3/4 cup of milk into a pot with the butter.
2. Add half the sugar to the milk in the pot, and the other half into a bowl with the remaining milk.
3. Add yolks and corn starch to the bowl with the 1/4 cup of milk. Whisk to make into a slurry and combine well.
4. Heat the milk in the pot until it is scalding. Pour slowly into the bowl, while whisking. Pour the mixture back into the pot.
5. Whisk the mixture on low heat until it thickens. The mixture will boil, and the starchy flavor will cook out.
6. Immediately pour the mixture into a bowl or onto a plastic lined sheet and cover with plastic touching the custard.
7. Place into the refrigerator until completely cool.

Assembly
Pie Dough
Pastry Cream
3 Plums
1 Egg
1/4 cup Sugar
Cinnamon
Ginger

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Slice plum into thin slices. You do this by cutting in half and removing the pit. Then, cut slices no more than 1/4 inch thick.
2. Roll the pie dough until very thin- no more than 1/8 inch. Be sure to flour your surface often, to prevent sticking.
3. Use a round cookie cutter to cut 3-inch circles. Remember you will need 2 circles for each pie.
4. You can re-roll your dough once, but then will have to rest the dough again.
5. Whisk an egg with a little water to make a quick egg wash.
6. On a baking sheet lined with foil, set half of the pie dough circles about 3 inches apart. Put the other half of the pie dough into the fridge to cool.
7. Brush the circles with a light coating of egg wash.
8. Use a spoon to spread a thin layer of pastry cream on the center of the dough disk. Place some plum slices onto the center.
9. Mix sugar with a little ginger and cinnamon to taste. Sprinkle the sugar onto the plums. 
10. Remove the other half of the dough from the fridge and use a sharp knife to cut out a pattern. This is a vent hole to allow the steam to escape.
11. Place the top circle onto the other dough disk and use a fork to seal all the way around. You do this by pressing the fork onto the edges.
12. Brush a light coat of egg wash over the top and sprinkle with the sugar mixture.
13. Bake the plum hand pies in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Rotate the pan halfway through baking.
14. Allow the pies to cool slightly and serve warm.

Sorry to everyone who has been waiting for a new post for a while! I have been so occupied with work, as well as other things that have come up keeping me from posting! I really have missed it, and I am excited to be back! I hope everyone had a great pi day, and I look forward to next week! Until then, don't forget to share! :)