Tag Archives: dessert recipes

Chef Michelle’s Rich Trini Rum Cake

by on September 22, 2017 in Chef Michelle Sohan, Chef of the Month, Uncategorized

fruitake.jpgThis cake is very popular in the Caribbean and especially in Trinidad, where it’s been the traditional flavor for wedding cakes for many years! It lasts very long when stored in an airtight container, so cakes weighed a ton! Recently, however, mainly the top tier is kept with traditional rum cake. It is a cherished treat for Christmas time, for all the office parties and family get-togethers, and given even as presents. It can be decorated with candied fruits, glazed with royal icing, and very good when covered with fondant.

Ingredients for Cake Mix:

454g butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar

2 tsp almond essence

2 tsp baking powder

6 eggs or 3 cups apple sauce

2 cups browning

1/4 cup candied orange peel

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp nutmeg

*2 cups pureed fruit mix

1 cup rum (leave out if you don’t want alcohol)

Ingredients for Fruit Mix:

Prepare in advance by marinating in 6 cups cherry brandy (use a berry juice if you want to keep it free of alcohol).

1 lb currants

1 lb raisins

1 lb cherries

1 lb prunes

Directions:

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together.

2. Cream butter and brown sugar, then slowly add eggs.

3. With the mixer on medium speed, add dry ingredients in 4 parts until fully blended. Do not overbeat.

4. Add the browning and the fruit puree mix, fold in with a spatula.

5. Pour into a greased and floured 8” tin about ¾ full. Bake at 250F for about 1 ½ hours. It will still be moist when a stick is inserted, but the sides will aleady start to release from the pan.

6. Pour the cup of rum and cover with aluminum foil until it cools.

This cake tastes better as it ages, and you can continue to moisten with extra rum as desired. Also served very nicely with a brown butter rum sauce and a scoop of homemade coconut ice-cream!

Connect with Our September Chef of the Month:

Website: BakeryTreatz

Instagram: @bakerytreatz

Chef Marcela’s Honey Mascarpone Mousse

by on June 22, 2017 in Chef Marcela Ferrinha, Chef of the Month, Recipes, Uncategorized

2420538.jpgBeat the summertime heat and sadness with this sweet treat. Impress both your friends and clients alike by serving this simple but flavorful dessert after dinner. The mixture of honey and vanilla sweetness is perfect for the season. So go sit outside and enjoy the warm Summer nights while enjoying this delightful dessert!

 

Honey Mascarpone Mousse

Ingredients:

3 sheets of gelatin

8oz of mascarpone

1 cup of heavy cream

5oz of honey

1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 cup of heavy cream, whipped to soft peak

Directions:

1.If using a hotel pan, lightly spray it with baker’s joy and line with parchment paper. Lightly spray the parchment.

2.Bloom gelatin in cold water.

3.In a saucepan, combine the mascarpone, half of the cream, the honey, and vanilla. Heat until the mascarpone has completely melted (you may need to whisk it a little).

4.Add gelatin and transfer to a bowl. Cool until barely warm to the touch.

5.Whisk the second amount of cream to soft peaks and whisk into the mascarpone hone mixture.

6.Pour into pans and let it set for at least 4 hours.

Connect with Our June Chef of the Month:

Website: http://www.thesweetbrigadier.com/

Facebook: The Sweet Brigadier Chocolate Truffles

Instagram: @fashionpastrychef

Twitter: @SweetBrigadier

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Guest Recipe: Chef Ana Birac’s Planika Mousse, Jam and Candied Planika

by on March 30, 2017 in Chef Ana Birac, Chef of the Month, Chef Uniforms, Recipes, Uncategorized

Ana Recipe _ edit.jpg

We will be finishing off the month of March with a sweet treat from our September 2016 Chef of the Month, Ana! As our first international chef from Croatia, Ana shared amazing flavors and techniques with us last year and this recipe is no different! If you are in need of a new dessert idea or want to try something fresh this recipe will not disappoint. It brings together flavor, elegance, and flair.

Planika is a Croatian seasonal fruit that grows in autumn. It looks very much like cherry tomatoes with small bubbles. It tastes something like a mixture of strawberries and raspberries. If you can’t find planika near you, substitute strawberries or raspberries for this recipe.

Ingredients

0.25kg Puff Pastry ≈ 8.8 ounces

0.5kg Planika ≈ 17.6 ounces

0.5kg Sugar ≈ 17.6 ounces

0.1kg Honey ≈ 3.5 ounces

0.25L Sweet Cream ≈ 1 cup

0.2L Yogurt ≈ 4/5 cup

0.1kg Butter ≈ 3.5 ounces

0.1L Triple Sec ≈1/4 cup

0.2L Prosecco ≈ 4/5 cup

0.2L Rum ≈ 4/5 cup

 

Directions:

  1. Roll out one thin crust of a puff pastry. Bake it in the oven about 15 minutes at 200⁰C (400⁰F). Leave it aside to cool down.
  2. Put water to boil. Add about half of planika and throw it in the boiling water and blanch for about 3 – 5 minutes (until if softens).
  3. Take it out and blend it. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  4. During that time mix sweet cream with 0.1kg (3.5 ounces) of sugar, honey and yogurt and keep mix it until you get nice and firm mixture, but it must be soft enough to mix with a spatula.
  5. Add cold planika and stir well.
  6. Spread that mixture over cold puff pastry and put it in the cooler for a couple of hours.
  7. While your cake is cooling down, take one clear pan and melt the butter and add in (0.2kg/7 ounces) of sugar.
  8. Mix it well until the sugar completely melts, then add in Triple Sec and Prosecco and cook until the alcohol evaporates.
  9. When that happens mix in the rest of planika and cook until planika falls apart. Then strain it through a sieve and leave it in the fridge until if firms up a little.
  10. Caramelize (0.1kg/3.5 ounces) of sugar.
  11. Add in Rum and mix it until you get a nice thick mixture. When it cools down, throw in the rest of planika and then roll it in the sugar.
  12. Move it from freezer to the fridge 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Do you want to be featured as our next ChefUniforms.com Chef of the Month? Apply here.

Chef Alekka’s Ode to the South Pralines

by on February 16, 2017 in Chef of the Month, Recipes

pralinesOur featured recipe of the week is a sweet southern treat. Did you know? Pralines first originated in France and were brought over by French settlers to New Orleans, Louisana. This praline recipe by our Chef of the Month Alekka is a delicious take on the American Southern praline.

Chef Alekka lived in Atlanta, Georgia from 1996-2001 and says,”I was the assistant pastry chef for a restaurant group there. I learned so much during my time there. These classic southern pralines are great crumbled on vanilla ice cream or you can dip half of them in tempered dark chocolate.”

Ode to the South Pralines

~for about 2 dozen

Ingredients:

2 cups light brown sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup unsalted butter
2 ½ cups pecans, halves or pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Combine light brown sugar and evaporated milk in a sauce pan, boil, bring to soft ball stage.*
  2. Add butter and pecans, bring back to a soft ball stage while stirring.
  3. Remove from heat, add vanilla and beat until mixture begins to thicken.
  4. Drop by teaspoons on sheet pans lined with silicone mats.
  5. Let set and cool before serving; store in air-tight container.

*Soft Ball Stage for Candy Making using cold water test: 235 F to 240 F (118 C to 120 C)
A small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft, flexible ball, but flattens like a pancake after a few moments in your hand.

Get in contact with Chef Alekka and visit her shop Give Me Some Sugar if you’re in the Chicago area so you can learn how to make these amazing treats!

Website: Give Me Some Sugar 

Facebook: Give Me Some Sugar

Instagram: @givesugar

Twitter: @ChefAlekka

Chef Alekka’s Chocolate Espresso Brownies

by on February 9, 2017 in Chef Alekka Sweeney, Chef of the Month, Recipes, Uncategorized

brownies2.jpgThis recipe comes from our February Chef of the Month, Alekka Sweeney. Valentine’s Day is approaching and we all like to take this time to indulge in some dessert. This recipe caters to anyone with a sweet tooth and love for all things chocolate. Take a break from your New Year’s diet and enjoy the finer things in life… and one of those things is sugar!

Chocolate Espresso Brownies

Yields 32 brownies

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter

5 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon instant-espresso powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup 64% Chocolate pistols (I prefer Valrhona)

Directions: 

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 15- by 10- by 1-inch baking pan with foil, allowing 2 inches of foil to hang over ends of pan, and grease foil well (except overhang) with 1 tablespoon butter.
  2. Melt remaining 11 tablespoons butter with unsweetened chocolate in a large metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove bowl from heat and whisk in sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt (mixture will be grainy), then add eggs 1 at a time, whisking after each addition until batter is smooth.
  3. Toss together flour and chocolate pistols in another bowl and add to batter, stirring until just combined.
  4. Spread batter evenly in baking pan and bake in middle of oven until top is firm and edges just begin to pull away from sides of pan, about 20 minutes –be careful not to overbake.
  5. Cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes, then carefully lift brownies from pan by holding both ends of foil and transfer to rack to cool 10 minutes more. Cut into 32 squares and lift brownies off foil with a spatula.

Love this recipe? Get in contact with Chef Alekka and visit her shop Give Me Some Sugar if you’re in the Chicago area so you can learn to bake like a pro!

Website: Give Me Some Sugar 

Facebook: Give Me Some Sugar

Instagram: @givesugar

Twitter: @ChefAlekka

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