These are delicious. The dough is a bit time consuming, but easy to make. Think of a mix of a brioche dough and a buttery waffle dough and you got it right! YUM

Liege Belgian Waffles:
4 1/2-5 c flour
1 1/2 T instant dry yeast (if using active make a sponge first)
2 T honey
pinch of salt
1/4 c hot water
3/4 c hot milk
2 eggs
2 t baunilla
2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
1 cup Belgian pearl sugar (I like the larger sized ones-see picture)

You can do this by hand, but I suggest using a mixer with the dough hook.

Add 4 cups of flour (reserve 1 cup for later), yeast, honey, salt, water, milk and mix until combined. Then add eggs, baunilla and if needed another 1/2 c of flour. Mix for about 5 minutes. You want a soft, wet bread dough texture. After all combined add butter 1 tablespoon at a time until it mixes all with the dough and if needed the rest of the flour. You may need to add even more flour, but don’t go crazy or it will be too hard of a dough. The final dough will be a wet, soft bread dough texture.  The butter will give a nice shine to the dough. Just like brioche. Cover it and let it sit room temperature for 2 hours.

After the 2 hours, punch the dough to release some air. Then let it sit again overnight in the fridge.

The next day, bring dough to room temperature and add the pearl sugar (very important step). Mix in the sugar gently, folding the dough into the sugar. It is a lot of sugar. Cut into ball sizes (about 12-14 depending on the size you want)

Let is sit for another 15 minutes and the cook it on your waffle iron.

Make sure you use a Belgian waffle iron. It is a bit deeper than the normal waffle iron and that will help so the waffles aren’t too hard.

There are many ways to serve it. You can eat it just like it is, or spread some biscoff, nutella or a combination of both. It is also delicious with fresh fruit and cream!

Enjoy!

I love fresh peaches! But a good peach pie is also fun to make and the family enjoys it quite a bit! This pie crust is flaky and tasty. It will for sure be a hit at your next pie making experience!

• 3 pounds peaches, sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons flour

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 stick plus 1 tbsp chilled butter, cut into pieces
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
. 1 beaten egg
• 1 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Stir in 2 tbsp flour to help absorb juices. Let stand, stirring occasionally.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, work in the shortening and 1 stick of butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of the ice water over the flour mixture, stirring gently with a fork. Continue adding the water just until the dough holds together. Don`t mix it too much or it won’t be as flaky. Shape the dough into a ball and divide it into two discs, one slightly larger than the other.
3. Place the smaller disc on a sheet of waxed paper, and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 12-inch circle. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, dust it lightly with more flour. Lay a 9- to 10-inch pie pan face-down on top of the circle; flip the pan over and remove the paper. For the top crust, on a sheet of waxed paper roll out the other disc to form a 14-inch circle. Do not roll the dough more than necessary.
4. Add the peach filling, and dot with 1 tablespoon butter.

Lift the waxed paper with the remaining crust and flip it over the filling. Peel back waxed paper. Trim the edges of the crusts and pinch together the top and bottom crusts. Brush the pie with the egg Sprinkle with sugar. Poke fork holes or cut vents in the top crust. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

3 cups sugar

1 1/4 cup groselha

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 cups water

1 t vinegar

Red food coloring (optional)

Mix sugar, groselha, and water in saucepan. Boil mixture until reaches hard crack (300ºF), then immediately add red food coloring and vinegar ,stir. (be careful, this is very hot)

While your mixture is boiling,wash and dry your apples, and spear with the sticks.

When liquid is ready, quickly  dip the apples, twisting to cover, and set on a greased cookie sheet.

ps: You can also skewer some grapes and dip them in the syrup.

I know it is getting cold outside, but ice cream is always a must.  My cousin shared this recipe with me this week and I wanted to share with you. It is super easy and delicious!!! Enjoy

Homemade Ice Cream (easy)

1 can sweetened Condensed Milk
1 can crème de leite (table cream)
1 pkg Jell-O (any flavor) this one was cherry

Make Jell-O according to package instructions. Usually it asks for 1 cup of hot water, dissolve the jello package, then add 1 cup of cold water. (option, you can also use juice instead of water)

After you have this mixture, put it in a blender, add crème de leite and sweetened condensed milk. Blend until it all comes together. about 2-3 minutes Pour liquid into a freezer safe container. Freeze it for 5 hours or overnight.

Take it out of the freezer and beat it using a mixer until nice and fluffy. I used a wire mixing attachment,but I recommend starting with a paddle attachment then once soft change to the wire.

It is super easy and you can vary the flavor using different jello flavors.

Brigadeiro is a basic yet very popular Brasilian candy. It is comparable to chocolate truffles. It was created in the 1940s and still popular today. This recipe is a twist on the original Brigadeiro.  Instead of chocolate flavor it is made with lemon.  The citrus contrasts the sweetness of this candy in a very delicious way. Hope you try it out!

Lemon Truffles

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 T butter

100 grams white chocolate (cut)

1 egg yolk

1 T powder milk

2 T lemon zest

10 ml lemon juice (fresh and strained)

In  a sauce pan mix all ingredients and cook it, mixing the entire time, on medium heat until it thickens and starts to bubble in the bottom of the pan. Take it off the heat and put into a plate. Let it cool, wrap it and refrigerate for 24 hrs.

Next day you can roll it any size you would like. It makes about 50-60 small brigadeiro balls (about 1 teaspoon size).  A trick I have been using is to use a little bit of cold water to wet my hands prior to rolling the candy.  It is quite sticky and if you don’t use some thing like butter or water, you are not going to be able to roll them properly.  I prefer the water method to the butter because the water doesn’t add any more flavor to the candy where the butter may add a little bit.  You don’t want you hands totally wet, just a little. You will see what I mean once you start rolling it and you will find what works best for you.

Here is a picture of my set up. My candy plate, my bowl of cold water, my crust (chocolate shavings) and the final plate.

I like to rolls these lemon truffles into white chocolate shavings.  I use a microplane and shave the chocolate very fine, almost like a powder.

This gives a delicate crust to the candy.  You could also use milk chocolate, or crush some lemon drops (hard candy) to put on the outside.

Enjoy!

It has been a while but I wanted to come here and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and share this fun idea.

I bought this cake mold, you all know how I love cakes…  It is silicone and super easy to use. You can also use it for Jell-O, chocolates, or molding other types of food besides making cakes. I recommend if you want an easy, quick, cute and festive dessert for Christmas. Thanks everyone for this year and hope 2014 is a better one 😉 Love
Ale

Pavê is a classic Brasilian dessert. It differs in flavors just like a trifle would.  It is made with a combination of layers of cookies, cakes, fruits, creams.   What I like most about them is the possibility of creativity.

We had a Brasilian party a couple months ago in my neighborhood and I made these 4 different types of paves by simply changing the cookies and fruits that go inside.  I will post all of them here. Hope you enjoy it.

PAVE DE AMENDOIN (peanut pavê)

This is a little less creamy as the usual pavês, however it is one of the favorites in our family.

3 c sugar

2 egg yolk

300 grms butter

2 can media cream (crème de leite/table cream)

2- 3 T sweetened condensed milk

bolacha maisena

milk

500 grms toasted peanuts (grind)

Beat together the sugar, yolks and butter, until it becomes light and fluffy.  Fold the table cream and sweetened condensed milk. (set aside)

Assemble:

Dip the cookies into the milk and layer with the separated cream and nuts.  One layer of the cookies (bolacha maisena), thin layer of the cream, sprinkle toasted grinded nuts on top. Keep doing this until you use all the cream. End with the nuts.

Refrigerate overnight.

 PAVE DE CHOCOLATE

1 pkg bolacha maisena de chocolate

milk (just to wet the cookies a little bit)

2 sweetened condensed milk

2 c milk

2 T corn starch

4 eggs

4 T cocoa powder

4 T sugar

1 can table cream (crème de leite)

Cream 1:

in a sauce pan at medium heat, mix 1 sweetened condensed milk can, 1 c milk, 1 T corn starch, 2 egg yolks. cook until it thickens. set aside

Cream 2:

in a sauce pan at medium heat, mix 1 sweetened condensed milk can, 1 c milk, 1 T corn starch, 2 egg yolks and 4 T cocoa powder. cook until it thickens. set aside

Cream 3/top:

beat the egg whites with sugar until hard peaks. Fold in the table cream

Assemble:

Layer cookies (dip them in the milk first), cream 1, cookies, cream 2, cookies, cream 1, cookies, cream 2, cookies cream 3 . Top with chocolate shavings or sprinkles

PAVE ROCHER

1 box lady finger cookies

2 1/2 c milk

4 T cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 T corn starch

1 can sweetened condensed milk

15-20 Ferrero rocher

3 T sugar

1 can table cream (crème de leite)

12 oz chocolate (milk or dark)

1 c cream

Cut the Ferrero rocher and set aside.

Mix 1 c milk and cocoa and dip the lady finger cookies.  Layer the booton of your serving dish. I also did the sides.

In a sauce pan at medium heat mix the remaining 1 1/2 c milk, sweetened condensed milk, egg yolk, corn starch. Cook until it thickens, about 10 minutes.  Set aside

In the mixer beat the egg whites with sugar until hard peaks. Fold in the can of table cream.

Melt the chocolate add cream to make a ganache

Assemble:

Lady fingers, cream, cut Ferrero rocher.

Top with the egg white mixture.  After it is cold top with ganache and decorate with Ferrero rocher.

PAVE DE PESSEGO

2 sweetened condensed milk

2 c milk

3 egg yolks

3 T corn starch

This is a must at our house during Thanksgiving Dinner. Hope you like it as well!

Recipe addapted from America’s Test Kitchen: Pumpkin-Bourbon Cheesecake with Graham Pecan Crust.  I really enjoy this recipe. I don’t use bourbon as the original recipe asks. I do add a little more vanilla and sometimes mapple syrup instead of the bourbon.  It turns out delicious!!!

Crust:

3 ounces graham crackers

3 T sugar

2 ouces pecans

1/2 t ground ginger

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t ground cloves

4 T butter, melted

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Pulse crackers, nuts, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with rubber spatula until evenly moistened. Turn crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using hand, spread crumbs into even layer. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom, then use a soup spoon to press and smooth crumbs into edges of pan. Bake until fragrant and browned about the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.

Filling:

1 1/3 c sugar

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ground ginger

1/4 t ground cloves

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/4 t all spice

1/2 t salt

15 ouces can pumpkin

1 1/2 lb cream cheese (room temperature)

1 t vanilla

5 eggs

1 cup cream

1/4 c bourbon (optional)

Bring about 4 quarts water to simmer  in stockpot. Whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside. To dry
pumpkin: Line baking sheet with triple layer of paper  towels. Spread pumpkin on paper towels in roughly even layer. Cover pumpkin with second triple layer of paper towels and press firmly until paper towels  are saturated. Peel back top layer of towels and discard. Grasp bottom towels  and fold pumpkin in half; peel back towels. Repeat and flip pumpkin onto baking  sheet; discard towel.

In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese  at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater  and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula. Add about one third of
sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute;  scrape bowl and add remaining sugar in two additions, scraping bowl after each  addition. Add pumpkin and vanilla and beat at medium speed until combined,  about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add 3 eggs and beat at medium-low until  incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl. Add remaining 2 eggs and beat at  medium-low until incorporated, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl. Add heavy cream  and bourbon and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds. Using rubber  spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand.

Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square  doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped  springform pan in roasting pan. Pour filling into springform pan and smooth
surface; set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about  halfway up side of springform pan. Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly  when pan is shaken, and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on  instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours. Set roasting pan on  wire rack and use paring knife to loosen cake from sides of pan. Cool until  water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath,  discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3  hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours  or up to 3 days.

TO SERVE: Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan  bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving platter. Let cheesecake stand at  room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Brown  Sugar  Cream (delicious)

1 cup cream

1/2 c sour cream

1/2 c brown sugar

1/8 t salt

2 t vanilla

In bowl of standing mixer, whisk heavy cream, sour cream,  brown sugar, and salt until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate  until ready to serve cheesecake, at least 4 hours or up to 24, stirring once or
twice during chilling to ensure that sugar dissolves.

When ready to serve cheesecake, add vanilla and beat mixture  with whisk attachment at medium speed until small bubbles form around edges, about 40 seconds; increase speed to high and continue to beat until fluffy and
doubled in volume, about 1 minute longer. Spoon cream on individual slices of  cheesecake

I love to spend time with the kids in the kitchen. It is fascinating to see their faces light up when they make a dish or help cook. This recipe was Andrew’s first cake. (made by himself).  It is a basic chocolate cake very common in Brazil. I remember making this cake with my mom…

Nega Maluca (Chocolate Cake)

For the Cake:

3 c flour

2 c sugar

4 eggs

1 c oil

1 c chocolate nesquick

1 c warm water

1 T baking powder

For the Syrup:

1 c chocolate nesquick

1 c sugar

2 T butter

1 c milk

Instructions:

For the cake:

Mix all of the cake ingredients but the baking powder together in a large bowl. Mix very well.  Then add baking powder to mix.

After it comes together, transfer to a prepared cake pan. (great video with baking tips and such)  Bake at 350 until done.  To test I usually insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake. It will be done when tooth pick comes out clean.

For the Syrup:

In a sauce pan add nesquick, sugar, butter and milk. Let it come to a boil. Set aside.

Pour the syrup while cake still warm.  I usually poke the cake all over, then pour the syrup until it looks nice and moist.  I also like to sprinkle chocolate jimmies on top.  YUM

Kat of The Bobwhites was our August 2012 Daring Baker hostess who inspired us to have fun in creating pate a choux shapes, filled with crème patisserie or Chantilly cream. We were encouraged to create swans or any shape we wanted and to go crazy with filling flavors allowing our creativity to go wild!

Pate a choux

½ cup butter

1 cup  water

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

Line at least two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper, or grease pans well.

Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F.  In a small saucepot, combine butter, water, and salt.  Heat over until butter melts, then remove from stove. Add flour all at once and beat, beat, beat the mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pot. Add one egg, and beat until well combined.  Add remaining eggs individually, beating vigorously after each addition. Resulting mixture should be somewhat glossy, very smooth, and somewhat thick.

Using a ¼” (6 mm) tip on a pastry bag, pipe out about 36 swan heads.  You’re aiming for something between a numeral 2 and a question mark, with a little beak if you’re skilled and/or lucky. Remove the tip from the bag and pipe out 36 swan bodies.  These will be about 1.5” (40 mm) long, and about 1” (25 mm) wide. One end should be a bit narrower than the other. Bake the heads and bodies until golden and puffy.  The heads will be done a few minutes before the bodies, so keep a close eye on the baking process.  Remove the pastries to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before filling.

Assembly

1.  Take a swan body and use a very sharp knife to cut off the top 1/3rd to ½.

2.  Cut the removed top down the center to make two wings.

3.  Dollop a bit of filling into the body, insert head, and then add wings.

Vanilla Crème Patissier

1 cup whole milk

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

6 Tbsp. sugar

1 large egg

2 large egg yolks

2 Tbsp.unsalted butter

1 Tsp. Vanilla

Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup of milk. Combine the remaining milk with the sugar in a saucepan; bring to boil; remove from heat.

Beat the whole egg, then the yolks into the cornstarch mixture. Pour 1/3 of boiling milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly so that the eggs do not begin to cook.  Return the remaining milk to boil. Pour in the hot egg mixture in a stream, continuing whisking.  Continue whisking (this is important – you do not want the eggs to solidify/cook) until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.  Pour cream into a stainless steel/ceramic bowl.  Press plastic wrap firmly against the surface. Chill immediately and until ready to use.

Chantilly Cream

1 cup cold heavy cream

2 tablespoons confectioners’ (powdered) sugar

Chill medium mixing bowl and whisk in freezer for 10 minutes before beginning. In chilled bowl, whisk cream until it begins to foam and thicken. Add sugar and continue to whisk just until soft peaks form. Do not over-whip.

For my swans I mixed some of the Chantilly cream in to the Vanilla Creme Patissier. It made the Creme lighter and delicious!