A Workout, Science Lesson and Decadent Dessert All-In-One: Chocolate Chantilly Cream

Chantilly Cream is sort of like chocolate mousse. Smooth, light and sinfully rich. The crazy thing is, there is only two ingredients necessary to make this dessert: chocolate and water. 

Now, you may have heard that chocolate and water are mortal enemies, the water causing the chocolate to sieze up and become grainy when in contact with it...

but that is not always true. Watch this super informative video and find out why.

Pretty cool huh? Now you can pass chemistry, I think.

Another great thing about this dessert is the room it leaves for the quality of the chocolate to speak for itself. The deliciousness of this dessert will depend greatly on the quality of chocolate you are using. It will taste really good with average chocolate, but out-of-this-world with top notch chocolate.

This Chocolate Chantilly also leaves room for creativity! You could add a number of things to accent the chocolate flavor. Just make sure if you're adding any sort of liquid flavoring, you are subtracting an equal amount of water from the recipe. I added some Cointreau and orange zest, but you could add chili powder, cinnamon, Chartreuse.... the possibilities are endless! Also, you can eat it by itself or use it as a filling for a cake; it is super versatile.

So I have hit on the dessert and science aspect of this post, but what's this about a workout? Well, if you whisk by hand you are bound to end up with some pretty toned triceps because it takes A LOT of whisking! However, it is kinda rewarding to watch it progress in thickness until it reaches the perfect consistency. Which, by the way, should look something like this.

Here is the recipe! Enjoy!

Chocolate Chantilly

Recipe adapted from Herve This & Heston Blumenthal, viacafefernando

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 9.35 ounces (265 grams) bittersweet (%70 cocoa solids) chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup (240 ml) water

Directions

1. Place a large mixing bowl on top of another slightly smaller one, filled with ice and cold water (the bottom of the large bowl should touch the ice). Set aside.
2. Put chocolate and water (also liquor or spice if you’re using) in a medium-sized pan and melt the chocolate over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixing bowl sitting on top of ice and water, and start whisking with a wire whisk (or an electrical hand-held mixer) until thick. Watch the texture as you whip and make sure not to over-whip as it will make the mousse grainy. If the mousse becomes grainy (which is possible at your first try), transfer it back into the pan, reheat until half of it is melted, pour it back to the mixing bowl and whisk again briefly.
4. Divide into four serving cups and serve immediately or refrigerate overnight to serve the next day. 

Galette Des Rois (Kings Cake)

The Galette des Rois is typically a French tradition to celebrate l'Epiphanie: the day when the three kings came to pay their tribute to baby Jesus. In French those wise men go by Les Rois Mages (the Magi).


On the day of the Epiphany, families share a Galette des Rois, a flaked pastry pie filled with frangipane, a smooth buttery mixture of almond cream and pastry cream.

Some families celebrate with the Galette des Rois on the 6th and some on the first Sunday in January. But it's mostly considered fine to celebrate it all through the month of January, which is why I am celebrating now.


Another fun thing about the Galette des Rois, apart from how delicious a warm buttery almond pastry tastes on a rainy morning, is the traditional game that goes with it. Because hidden inside the Galette is a small little trinket or dried bean, I actually used a dried banana chip because it is what I had on hand, that when found bestows upon its owner the rights to the throne, aka they get to be king for a day! Paper crown and all.

Galette des Rois

*adapted from Chocolate Zucchini 

Ingredients

Pastry:

• (17 2/3 ounces) all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen

Crème d'amande:

• (9 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 125 grams (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
• 130 grams (1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon) almond meal
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• good pinch sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 drop almond extract
• 1 tablespoon liquor of your choice, such as Grand Marnier or rum

For the eggwash and glaze:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar

Accessories:

- 1 porcelain trinket or dried bean

- Paper crown

Directions

1. Prepare the crème d'amande.
Beat the butter until creamy, but avoid incorporating air into it. In a bowl, combine the sugar, almonds, hazelnuts, corn starch, and salt. Stir with a whisk to remove any lump. Add to the creamed butter and mix until smooth. Add the almond extract and orange flower water, then the eggs, one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.


2. Roll out the puff pastry.
Divide the puff pastry in 2 equal pieces, and roll each one out to form a rough circle a little larger than 12 inches in diameter. Use a sharp knife and an upturned plate of the right dimension to cut a neat 12-inch circle out of one, and a slightly larger one with the other, adding, say, 1/4 inch all around the edge of the plate.


3. Assemble the galette.
Place the smaller of the two circles on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small bowl, combine the egg yolk with a tablespoon water (or milk, if you have it handy) until smooth. Using a pastry brush, brush the outer rim of the dough lightly with the eggwash by a width of about 1 inch. Make sure not to wet the actual edge of the dough, or it will impede its rise.


Pour the crème d'amande in the center and spread it out inside the eggwash ring with a spatula.


Place a dried bean, or the trinket of your choice, in the crème d'amande -- not in the center but closer to an edge, or your knife will keep running into it when you divide the galette. And if it is an elongated shape, make sure to orient it straight toward the center of the galette, again, to minimize the possibility of you hitting it with your knife. Press it down gently to bury it.


Transfer the second round of dough precisely on top of the first, smooth it out gently over the crème d'amande to remove any air pocket, and press it down all around the sides to seal.



4. Score the galette.
Using the back of the tip of your knife, draw a decorative pattern on top of the galette. I chose to make a sun pattern: you start from the center and draw an arc to reach the edge of the galette in a single, smooth gesture, exercising just enough pressure to score the dough without piercing it. You then turn the galette ever so slightly, draw a similar arc nested in the first one, and repeat until the entire galette is scored.


Holding your knife upright, blade down, and using the dull side of the blade, push the dough inward where each sun ray ends, to create a festooned pattern.


Brush the top of the galette lightly with the eggwash: again, make sure it doesn't drip over the edges, or the eggwash will seal the layers of the puff pastry in this spot and it won't develop as well. Let it rest a minute then brush it lightly again with the eggwash. (As you can see on the picture below, my eggwash pooled a bit around the bulge of the crème d'amande, which resulted in a darker coloring around the sides; I didn't mind, but I'll be more careful next time.)


Using the tip of your knife, pierce 5 holes in the top dough -- one in the center, and four around the sides, piercing through the pattern you've drawn -- to ensure an even rise.


Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet or a tart pan with a removable bottom, and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.


5. Bake the galette.
Preheat the oven to 360°F. Insert the galette in the middle of the oven and bake for 30-35 min, until puffy and golden brown.


In the final minutes of baking, combine the tablespoon of confectioner's sugar with a tablespoon very hot water. When the galette is done, remove it from the oven, brush it across the top with the syrup, and return it to the oven for a minute; this will give it a shiny finish.


Place on a rack to cool completely (it will settle as it cools) and serve at room temperature or still warm out of the oven.

LOVE,

I Can't Wait For Ice Cream Bar

Three words: Ice Cream Bar. Two More Words: Can't Wait.

Check out more on the new Cole Valley throwback to the soda jerk here.

Oh Snap (Crackle & Pop) It's Cocoa Krispie Mousse

Inspired by Momofoku's Milk Bar cereal milk dessert phenomenon, I bring you Cocoa Krispie Mousse. It tastes just like the milk you get after you polish off a bowl of this chocolate crispy crack, which if you've had it you know is delicious. 

It's a pretty simple recipe too, though there are multiple steps. Give it a shot!

Cocoa Krispie Mousse

(adapted from Rasberri Cupcakes, serves 6)

Cereal Milk Mousse Ingredients

3 cups Cocoa Krispies

2 cups whole milk

1 1/4 tsp powdered gelatine

Pinch of salt

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 cup heavy cream

Topping Ingredients
1/2 cup heavy cream
100g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces
Extra Cocoa Krispies to top off


Directions

Preheat the oven to 275°. On a lined baking tray, toast the cereal for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a sealable container, combine the toasted cereal and milk. Let steep for 20 minutes, then strain into a measuring cup; the mixture should yield about 1 cup of 'cereal milk'.


Place 1/2 cup cereal milk in a medium bowl. Sprinkle powdered gelatin on top. In a small saucepan, scald 1/2 cup cereal milk with the salt and sugar. Whisk hot milk into the cool milk until the gelatine is dissolved. Chill until almost set (about 20 min or so, if it gets lumpy just whisk it).


Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold it into the almost-set gelatine mixture. Pour mixture into 6 small serving glasses. Chill in the fridge while preparing the topping. 


Put chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Place 100ml cream in a small saucepan on medium-low heat and just bring to the boil. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and leave to sit for a minute to allow chocolate to melt. Use a whisk to mix, ensuring that it is smooth and all the chocolate has melted.


Leave to cool for about 5 minutes. Carefully pour a thin layer of the chocolate mixture over the top of each mousse glass. Sprinkle a layer of cocoa pops over the top. Chill until set, at least 2 hours. Best served on the same day to ensure cereal layer is still crunchy.

More Like 'Open Your Pie Hole'

Ok, so pie is super trendy. I think we can all agree to that. And so is brown paper, letterpress, craftsman chairs and tables and all that jazz. And I am fine with it and all, but not if the product is severely lacking but people continue to eat at that institution because it is cool.

I am happy to report that that is not the case at The Pie Hole in Downtown LA. At least that is my assessment after one slice of Maple Custard Pie.

The pie was a little pricey for one small slice, but the flavor was great and I am guessing the quality of the ingredients used was the main perpetrator of the higher price tag. 

It was so sweet, smooth and comforting. The type of pie you want a hot black cup of coffee with. That is, if it wasn't 80 degrees outside like it is in LA and if coffee didn't do a total number on your body like it does on mine. 

Not to mention, the pie and whole experience was even sweeter because I got to share it with my good friend Allyse who I hadn't seen in far too long.

If you are downtown, I suggest you go grab a slice, 'open up your pie hole' and let me know how there other varieties match up.

Happy Eating!

Christmas Cookies 2011. It's The Best Day Of The Year!

Picture this: an explosion of cookies, flour, icing and sprinkles everywhere. And I mean everywhere! On the table, on the floor, in my hair, on the dog and a ton in my tum tum. This is what the Kinney household kitchen looks like every year about the week before Christmas when we bust out all our Christmas cookies. It is a time honored mother daughter tradition and I'm sure Tom and Donna would agree that, "It's the best day of the year!"

My mom does most of the baking and I do most of the decorating, aside from my "Christmas In One Bite Cookies" which I invented last year and renamed this year to "Christmas Explosion Cookies." Recipe here. 


In all honesty, my mom does most of the work, and I am pretty thankful for that because I definitely could not do it. I am talking 8-12 different types of cookies in two days! My main responsibility is beautifying our sugar cookies, which is by no means a walk in the park either. I spent 5 1/2 hours last sunday decorating them all! with a little help from my friend Anna and a smidgen of help from our husbands. 


But I love it, and in no way am I complaining. It is a great outlet for my creative Spidy Senses which are usually tingling out of control this time of year.


And so we arrive at the point of my post: The 2011 Kinney/Waidley Christmas Cookie Expose.

I always include a couple of pop culture references from the year. With that said, how could I not include these two..

Know who they are? Maybe the close up of the Mrs.' dress deigned by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen will clue you in.

Kate and William of course. 

This next reference won't be so easy though. It is not the subject of the cookie who is famous, but what she is wearing. Pay special attention to the pattern on the dress, the iconic pattern that landed this designer a collab with Target that crashed their website this year b/c of the traffic created by crazed online shoppers.

I give you Missoni Gingerbread Woman, complete with cat eye sunglasses.

He just plain old pissed me off, so yeah... that happened.

My mod take on the snowman.

A psychotically happy teddy bear and his friend flakey.

Ooooo, creepy.

And lastly, an ode to San Francisco. As the song goes, "If you're going to San Fran-cisco, make sure frosty has a flower in his hat."

Merry Christmas everybody! And to all a good night.

A Sticky Christmas: Sticky Toffee Cheesecake & Sticky Toffee Sour Cream Pancakes

There's something about Sticky Toffee Pudding that makes me want to watch this scene over and over again...

shout Cheerio and watch 7 straight hours of EPL soccer with a Santa hat on.


But since I made Sticky Toffee Pudding last year around the Holidays, I wanted to try a twist on the British classic. Make that two twists: Sticky Toffee Cheesecake and Sticky Toffee Sour Cream Pancakes.

The great thing about these two recipes is that a lot of ingredients you use for the first (including the Bourbon Caramel sauce), you can use in the second. Less waste and more deliciousness= a win, win. 


Both are pretty sweet, but tis the season eh? The cheesecake is rich, full and warm with a little bit of bite from the gingersnap crust. The Sour Cream Pancakes are super moist and delightfully satisfying on a cold winter morning. Not to mention, the Bourbon Caramel Sauce that goes on top of both is through-the-roof. 


Please enjoy one if not both this Holiday Season.


Sticky Toffee Cheesecake
Makes one 9-inch cheesecake
adapted from spicy ice cream


Ingredients


Cheesecake 

• 1 x 250g packets gingersnap biscuits 
• 125g butter, melted 
• 2 x 250g packets cream cheese at room temp 
• 200ml sour cream 
• 100g brown sugar 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 eggs at room temp


Sticky Date Mixture 


• Melted butter, to grease 
• 1 cup chopped de-seeded medjool dates 
• 1/3 cup bourbon 
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 


Bourbon Caramel Sauce 


• 1 cup pouring cream 
• 60g butter, chopped 
• 1 cup brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons bourbon 
• Big pinch sea salt 


Directions
1. Brush a 9 inch spring-form pan with melted butter to lightly grease. 


2. Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely crushed. Add the butter and process until combined. Transfer to the prepared pan and press firmly over the base. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. 


3. Place the dates and bourbon in a saucepan over low heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Place into a food processor with 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and pulse until it becomes a smooth mixture. Set aside. 


4. Preheat oven to 320°F. 


5. Place the cream cheese, sour cream and brown sugar in the bowl of stand mixer and mix until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined. 


5. Pour half the cream cheese mixture onto the prepared biscuit base, then spoon in the sticky date filling. Swirl with a skewer and then pour the remaining cream cheese mixture on top. 

6. Bake for about 40min - 1 hour or until just set. Turn oven off and cool inside with the door ajar, for 1 hour. Place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight to chill. 


7. To make bourbon caramel sauce, place the cream, butter, sugar, bourbon and sea salt in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, bring to the boil and cook for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Set aside and allow to cool.


8. Serve with caramel sauce on top. Save the rest of the caramel in the fridge for the pancakes. Reheat the sauce before serving.

Sticky Toffee Sour Cream Pancakes
Makes 8-10 pancakes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/ 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chopped Medjool dates to taste, about 1 cup
• Butter
• Caramel Bourbon Sauce from recipe above

Directions
1. Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat; you want it to slowly get nice and hot.


2. Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in the bottom of a medium bowl. Dump the sour cream in on top and stir it together very gently; it’s okay to leave the texture a bit uneven. Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and stir them into the sour cream mixture until just combined. Add in the chopped dates to your liking and fold to incorporate, once again, being careful not to over-mix. 


3. Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your skillet or griddle and pour the batter in, a scant 1/4 cup at a time. Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, or until bubbles appear all over the surface, flipping them carefully and cooking for about a minute on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.


4. Serve in a stack, topped with the Caramel Borubon sauce. No need for syrup, really.