Welcome back!  Today, we have a recipe for fruitcake! Yes, it's a fruitcake, but it's not the classic American kind with the strangely colored fruits; this is actually what a fruitcake should be like - completely natural-looking, full of fruit, and delicious. If you're one of those fruitcake-haters (which is reasonable considering how weird they are), this recipe is certain to change your mind about the dessert! French Fruitcake Ingredients: 1 stick butter 1/4 cup sugar 10 grams honey 2 eggs 120 grams cake flour 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 200 grams mixed dried fruit (raisins, prunes, black currants, peach, apricot, cherry, etc.) 1/4 cup rum (or brandy/Grand Marnier) Directions: The day before, prepare your dried fruits by cutting the bigger pieces into even chunks and then soaking them in rum. In a bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until it is fluffy and pale. Add in the honey and mix it in. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and mix evenly. Sift the cake flour and baking...

 Welcome back!  Today, we have another classic French dessert: the Madeleine! These are instantly recognizable by their distinct shell shape, and they are very popular! The texture is like that of a sponge cake, though it seems to be a little denser, like the Financier, which is actually a similar dish, though the procedure varies quite a bit. What's most interesting is all the legends surrounding the origin of the dish; it has a long history and there's a lot of mystery behind it... Madeleines Ingredients: 3 eggs 1/2 cup sugar 1 tablespoon honey 150 grams cake flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 150 grams butter, melted and cooled to room temperature Flavoring ingredients (pick one) 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Zest from 1 lemon Zest from 1 orange Directions: In a bowl, crack in the eggs and whisk using an electric mixer, slowly adding in the sugar, until the mixture is pale and thick. This will take about 4 minutes. Add the honey and mix. Sift in the cake ...

Welcome back!  Today, we have an interesting French dessert: Far Breton! It hails from one of the most interesting regions of France, Brittany, which is known for its very distinct culture and language, as the residents descended from the British isles rather than the mainland. For Britons, "far", or actually "farz", refers to a flan-like dish. This version, which is traditional to the region, features plums soaked in alcohol, with armagnac being a popular choice. Far Breton Makes a 10" by 8" dish Ingredients: 3 eggs 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract A pinch of salt 2 cups milk 120 grams flour 4 tablespoons butter, melted 24 prunes 1/2 cup rum Directions: Prepare the prunes by soaking them in the rum. You'll want to leave them in the rum for 2 to 3 days for the flavor to get in. If you don't want the alcohol flavor, you can soak the prunes in hot water for maybe 30 minutes and they'll be soft enough. In a bowl, crack in the eggs and whis...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another variation on the financier ! This time, we're adding a little bit of matcha to add a spin on the flavor. However, unlike our previous Chocolate Financiers , the flavors of the matcha and the inherent almond flavor of the financier do blend, and actually complement each other quite well. It's an interesting fusion of French baking and Asian flavors. Matcha Financiers Makes 9 financiers Ingredients: 60 grams powdered sugar 30 grams almond flour 25 grams cake flour 5 grams matcha powder 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 2 large egg whites (about 60-65 grams) 50 grams brown butter 1 teaspoon honey Directions: Prepare the brown butter, following the instruction on the recipe here . Beat the egg whites until smooth. Add the honey into the egg mixture and mix until smooth. Sift the cake flour, almond flour, baking powder, matcha powder, and sugar into a bowl. While mixing, slowly pour the sifted dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Again, while mixing,...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another classic French dessert: Clafoutis! This is actually a really simple recipe that brings out the flavor of your fresh cherries, while the batter supports the flavor and texture. It is traditionally made with black cherries, but many other varieties can be made with different fruits, depending on what you have. However, then it becomes a flaugnarde , which is basically the same thing. Clafoutis Makes a 9" tart Ingredients: 300 milliliters milk Half a vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) 3 eggs 1/4 - 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup flour 1 tablespoon kirschwasser (optional) 400 grams cherries, pitted Directions: Prepare the vanilla milk: Pour the milk into a pot Cut the vanilla pod half in half again, but lengthwise this time (so two long strips). Scrape the seeds into the milk, but also put the pods into the milk. Put this milk on the stove on low heat and stir gently until it starts to bubble around the edges of the pot. Cool to room temperature an...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a new variant on our Financier recipe: this one's chocolate! Financiers are really supposed to have that distinct almond flavor, and the chocolate kinda covers that up, but it's still a good recipe nonetheless, because who doesn't like chocolate? It still retains a similar texture, like a lighter, fluffier cake, but with a nice, rich chocolate flavor. Chocolate Financiers Makes 9 financiers (we have a Lekue 9-cavity mold) Ingredients: 60 grams powder sugar 15 grams cake flour 15 grams cocoa powder 40 grams almond flour 1 teaspoon espresso powder A pinch of salt 50 grams brown butter 20 grams dark chocolate 2 egg whites Directions: Sift/mix the sugar, flours, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt together. Beat the egg whites until smooth. Add it into the dry mixture. Melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, prepare the brown butter. Make sure both of them stay hot. Pour the butter into the chocolate and mix evenly. While still hot, pour the chocolate/b...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a great recipe for a classic French treat: crepes! This one features a tasty citrus sauce that is also infused into the crepes itself. Crepes are traditionally served on Candlemas, or La Chandeleur , which is now known as National Crepe Day in France! They are honestly super versatile, because they're really just thin pancakes, you can top them with anything, sweet or savory! Orange Crepes Makes about 8 9-10" crepes Ingredients: Crepes: 2 tablespoons brown butter 2/3 cup milk 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 eggs 1 cup flour 2 tablespoons sugar A pinch of salt 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier Sauce: 2 oranges Zest from 1/2 orange 1 cup orange juice 3 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier Directions: Prepare the batter: Put all the ingredients underneath "crepes" in a blender. Blend until the mixture is smooth. You could also use an electric mixer if you don't want to use a blender. Put it in the fridge for at le...

Welcome back!  Today, we have an interesting French cake: Financiers! Financiers have a couple of origins; some say it comes form the traditional gold bar-shape of the cake while others say it was popular among the financiers  in Paris who worked what could be considered the French version of Wall Street. Whichever it is, there is no doubt about the interesting texture of this recipe! It's typically a little hard on the outside but soft and light on the inside. It also seems to harden when you chill it, changing the consistency considerably. It's something that really needs to be experiment with to find the perfect version! Financiers Makes 9 financiers (we have a Lekue 9-cavity mold) Ingredients: 60 grams powdered sugar 30 grams almond flour 30 grams cake flour 1/8 teaspoon baking powder 2 large egg whites (about 60-65 grams) 50 grams brown butter (this is essential for getting a good flavor) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon honey Directions: Beat the egg whites a little so tha...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a classic: Apple Pie? Not quite the American dessert, this is a French style apple tart that is actually much different from your standard apple pie. It consists of a custardy filling known as pastry cream, used in cream puffs (though we added more flour to make it thicker so it doesn't fall apart as a pie) and the like, and a layer of apples on top. You could substitute the apples for other fruits like peaches or pears, but apple is the classic way to go.  Apple Tart with Creme Patissiere Makes a 10" tart Ingredients: Crust: One Basic Pie Crust You could use an Almond Flour Pie Crust if you wanted. Filling 2 cups milk 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 cup cake flour 2 tablespoons corn starch 4 egg yolks 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean 2 apples, thinly sliced Juice from 1 lemon Directions: Add pie weights and pre-bake the crust at 375°F for 20 minutes. Don't forget to poke some holes into the crust! Prepare the filling: T...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another delicious fruity tart, this time with pear! This tart uses a frangipane  for the filling, which is an almond custard that's sweet and nutty. It's used notably in king cake, eaten during Epiphany and Mardi Gras. This specific tart is also known as tarte bourdaloue , named after the cafe where it was first made, likely with this iconic design. French Pear Tart Makes a 10" tart Ingredients: 1 pie crust (you can also use an almond flour crust ) 1/2 cup butter, softened 60 grams (1/2 cup) confectioner's sugar 2 eggs 1 cup (110 grams) almond flour 2 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 tablespoon dark rum 3 Bartlett or Anjou Pear, ripe but still firm Juice from 1 lemon Directions: Bake your pie crust at 375° for 20 minutes with pie weights. In a bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the butter and sugar together. Crack in one egg at a time and mix. Add in the vanilla extract and rum and mix. Add in the almond flour and flour. Onc...

Welcome back!  Today, we have another tasty galette, this time, with cranberry and apple for the filling. Once again, this free-form dessert is a great way to make a pie that looks a little more rustic. It also features a fruit that is not as popular: cranberries, which I mentioned before that they are almost all used for cranberry juice, probably because they're not the greatest tasting raw. Nonetheless, this is still a great tasting galette! Cranberry Apple Galette Ingredients: 1 Basic Pie Crust 6 ounces cranberry preserves 2 large apples (we used the Sweetango variety, any crisp apple should work) Juice from 1/2 lemon 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon flour 1/2 cup fresh cranberries Turbinado sugar to sprinkle Egg for egg wash Directions: Slice the apples, about a quarter inch thick, and add the lemon juice, sugar, and flour into the apples. Take the pie crust out and roll it out into a 12" circle. Take the cranberry preserves and spread it on the pie crust. Leave about 1 1/2...

Welcome back!  Today, we have a great galette recipe! Galette is just a general term for various round, freeform pies with this type of crust that folds inwards, creating an interesting container for the filling. This is not to be confused with Breton galettes, which have the same idea shape-wise, but are more like pancakes or crepes and are often savory unlike other galettes which are usually sweet. Overall, they're meant to look a little messy in terms of appearance, but that's part of the dish, and it still tastes great! Pluot Galette Makes a 9" galette Ingredients: One Pie Crust Filling: 1 cup (95 grams) almond flour 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg, beaten (portion out 25 grams for the first step) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 large pluots/6-8 plums (about 1 1/4 pounds of fruit) 1/4 cup sugar Juice from 1/2 lemon Zest from 1 lemon 1 tablespoon flour A little turbinado sugar Directions: Mix together almond flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 25 grams of the egg. The rest of the egg will be us...