What Is Pâte à Choux?

Pâte à Choux

The dough of pâte à choux is a thick paste made of water, butter, flour, and eggs — it's thicker than a batter, but not quite as stiff as a dough. It's typically piped into different shapes, and then either baked or fried. When heated, the liquid from the water and eggs quickly evaporates in the hot oven and creates steam. This makes the paste puff up as it bakes, ultimately creating a crisp, golden outer shell with a hollow, airy center.

Ways to Use Pâte à Choux

• Profiteroles and cream puffs: Pipe or scoop out a small portion of the choux paste (usually about the size and shape of a ping-pong or golf ball) and either bake plain or with a sugary disk of short dough on top. Fill cooled profiteroles with Bavarian cream or whipped cream. Top plain puff with chocolate glaze or confectioner's sugar.
• Eclairs: Pipe choux paste with a pastry bag fitted with a plain or star tip. Pipe "fingers" that are about 4 to 5 inches long, 2 inches apart. Glaze the tops with chocolate and fill with whipped or pastry cream.
• Paris Brest: Pipe choux paste in a ring. Once baked and cooled, halve horizontally with a serrated knife before filling with pastry cream and dusting with confectioner's sugar.
• Gougères: Mix grated Gruyère into the pâte à choux before piping to make savory, cheesy puffs. (Note: They will not rise like profiteroles.) Great as a canapé!
• St. Honoré Cake: The base of this stunning cake is made of a circle of puff pastry with a ring of pâte à choux piped around the edge. After baking, top the "cake" with whipped cream and a ring of cream puffs.
• Croquembouche: Make this show-stopping dessert by dipping pastry puffs in caramel and then stacking them in a dramatic cone-shape. The towering confection is usually then wrapped in spun sugar.

Spice of the Day: Cloves

Cloves cure toothaches, scent the closet, and repel moths, colonists looked to whole cloves for these things. They grow only near the sea, particularly in Zanzibar, Madagascar, and the West Indies. Their scent can be detected at sea even before land is sighted.

Carrot Cake

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground clove
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup grated carrots (roughly 2-3 carrots)
• 1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, liquid drained
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup raisins

Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the carrot cake

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of two 8-inch round cake pans (1 1/2 inches deep) with parchment paper then lightly grease with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat together on medium speed the sugar, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture on low speed then add in the carrots, pineapple, coconut, walnuts, and raisins (do not overbeat the batter or you may end up with a tough cake).
4. Divide the batter between the two cake pans and bake 28-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes then invert the cake pans. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For frosting and assembly

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until creamy and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the buttermilk and vanilla then beat another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. If the cake layers are not flat, trim some of the cake off of the top until flat. Place one cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Slide pieces of parchment or wax paper underneath the cake for easy clean up later. Spread some of the frosting on top of the cake for the filling. Top with the remaining cake layer. Spread a thin layer of frosting all over the cake, sealing in the crumbs (don't use more than half of the frosting). Refrigerate 15 minutes.
3. Finish covering the cake with the remaining frosting. Carefully remove the paper pieces. Refrigerate until the frosting is firm. Store the cake covered in the refrigerator. For best results, let the cake sit at room temperature 15-30 minutes before serving.

Spice of the Day: Cinnamon

Cinnamon, an appetite stimulant, cinnamon has been used as a perfume and in sacred oils for anointing. In folklore, sniffing cinnamon was said to cure the common cold. Cinnamon sticks (the bark of the cinnamon tree, native to Ceylon) were used by colonial Americans as a digestive aid, and to flavor or “mull” cider.

Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls

3 1/2

to 4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1/3

cup granulated sugar

1

teaspoon salt

2

packages regular or fast-acting dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)

1

cup milk

1/4

cup butter or margarine (1/2 stick), room temperature

1

large egg

Cooking spray to grease bowl and pan

Filling

1/2

cup granulated sugar

2

teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4

cup butter or margarine (1/2 stick), room temperature

1/2

cup raisins, if desired

1/4

cup finely chopped nuts, if desired

Glaze

1

cup powdered sugar

1

tablespoon butter or margarine, room temperature

1/2

teaspoon vanilla

1

to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions 

• 1 In a large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the salt and yeast with a wooden spoon until well mixed. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until very warm and an instant-read thermometer reads 120°F to 130°F. Add the warm milk, 1/4 cup butter and egg to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape batter from side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula, until flour mixture is moistened. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape bowl. With a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until dough is soft, leaves side of bowl and is easy to handle (dough may be slightly sticky). 
• 2 Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Place dough on floured surface. Knead by folding dough toward you, then with the heels of your hands, pushing dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue kneading about 5 minutes, sprinkling surface with more flour if dough starts to stick, until dough is smooth and springy. Spray a large bowl with the cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready if an indentation remains when you press your fingertips about 1/2 inch into the dough.
• 3 In a small bowl, mix 1/2 sugar and the cinnamon; set aside. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch pan with the cooking spray. Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Gently push your fist into the dough to deflate it. Pull the dough away from the side of the bowl, and place it on the floured surface.
• 4 Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup butter over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture, raisins and nuts. Beginning at a 15-inch side, roll dough up tightly. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal edge. Stretch and shape roll until even and is 15 inches long. Using a sharp serrated knife or length of dental floss, cut roll into 15 (1-inch) slices. Place slices slightly apart in the pan. Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap.
• 5 Move the oven rack to the middle position of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove rolls from pan; place right side up on a cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes.
• 6 In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk so glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Over the warm rolls, drizzle glaze from the tip of a tableware teaspoon, moving the spoon back and forth to make thin lines of glaze. Serve warm.

Spice of the Day: Cardamom

Spice of the day is Cardamon.  Cardamom, related to Ginger, was used in old recipes for pickled vegetables, fruits, and herring, custards, spiced wines, liqueurs, and in sauerbraten.

Orange Cardamom Cookies

1. • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
   • 1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
   • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
   • 3/4 cup sugar
   • 1 large egg yolk
   • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
2. • Equipment: a 3-inch round or 2 3/4-inch square cookie cutter
   • Garnish: citrus icing (optional); food coloring (optional); decorative sugar (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Make dough:
   1. Whisk together flour, zest, cardamom, and salt.
   2. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in yolk and cream. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches just until a dough forms. Quarter dough and form each piece into a 6-inch disk, then chill, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, until firm, 2 to 3 hours.
2. Cut and bake cookies:
   1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
   2. Roll out 1 piece of dough between sheets of parchment paper into an 11-inch round (1/8 inch thick). Slide dough in parchment onto a tray and chill until firm, about 15 minutes.
   3. Cut out as many cookies as possible with cookie cutter (chill dough again if necessary), reserving and chilling scraps. Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined large baking sheet, arranging them 1 inch apart.
   4. Bake until edges are golden-brown, 9 to 12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes, then slide cookies, still on parchment, onto a rack to cool completely.
   5. Make more cookies with remaining dough and scraps (reroll only once) on cooled freshly lined baking sheets.
   6. If icing cookies and coloring icing, transfer small batches to small bowls, 1 for each color, and tint with food coloring. Spoon each color of icing into separate sealable bags, pressing out excess air, and snip an 1/8-inch opening in 1 bottom corner of each bag. Pipe icing onto a plate to test consistency. If too thick, thin a small batch with a few drops of orange juice.
   7. Decoratively pipe icing onto cookies, then sprinkle with decorative sugar (if using) and let dry completely, about 1 hour (depending on humidity).

Spice of the Day: Anise

Today's Spice is Anise.  Anise, considered good for digestion, Anise was common in cough drops and in flavoring homemade spirits and tonics. In 13th-century England, the tax on anise paid for repairs to the London Bridge.

Anise Cookies

Ingredients

* 1 cup butter, softened 

* 3/4 cups sugar 

* 1 teaspoon anise extract 

* 1 teaspoon lemon extract 

* 3 cups flour 

* 3 teaspoons baking powder (Yes, really. These guys will puff up. And they are supposed to be airy, almost like a biscuit, but not quite.) 

* 1/4 teaspoon salt 

* 3 eggs 

Glaze Ingredients: 

* 1 cup powdered sugar 

* milk (eyeball it, no specific measurement, you choose your consistency) 

* colored sprinkles 

Procedure

* Pre-heat oven to 350 F. 

* Beat together butter and sugar until creamy. 

* Stir in anise and lemon 

* Add eggs. Blend. 

* Add dry ingredients - blend together. 

* The dough should be almost crumbly, but when you roll it in your hand it stays together. 

* Form dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (Try not to get much bigger than 1 inch) 

* Bake for 15 minutes.

* Cool and glaze.