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Come on over to the new blog and check out this recipe for Mango Ginger Overnight Donuts!

Kelly Poindexter, the pastry chef…no, no scratch that – the world’s BEST pastry chef! Hey, a girl can dream, no? So, after a year of kneading, whisking, flouring and rolling, I’ve graduated from the Escuela de Gastronomia del ISMM with a title of Pastelero Profesional (Professional Pastry Chef). I’m absolutely over the moon about my accomplishment, although it now leaves me with that burning question: What next? Will I look for a job as a pastry chef here in Argentina? Maybe it’s time to go back to the US? So many choices, and all I want to do is celebrate.

And what better way to celebrate than with a champagne mousse? This mousse is very easy to make, and the taste of champagne is subtle but just enough. I highly recommend to play around with different citruses. Orange, grapefruit, mandarine, they really bring out the flavor and pop of the champagne. You’ll need to let this mousse sit for at least 4-6 hours in the cold before serving, so plan ahead! It also freezes beautifully.

I wanted to pair my mousse with a blueberry sauce, which at the last minute I folded into some softly-whipped cream. BAD idea. Not only did it dilute the intense blueberry flavor, it also floated unevenly to the top of the mousse. Next time, I’ll just put the sauce on after the mousse is nice and cold.

Champagne mousse

250 cc. champagne or sparkling wine

1/2 squeezed grapefruit

80 grams of egg yolk

125 grams of sugar

10 grams of powdered gelatine

300 cc of heavy whipping cream

Make a sabayon:

Mix the yolks, sugar, 200 cc. of the champagne and the grapefruit juice in a heatproof bowl.

Beat continuously over a bain-marie, until thickened. You can test if it’s done by inserting a wooden spoon into the sabayon and drawing a line on the back of the spoon with your finger. The mixture shouldn’t drip down the line you just created.

Set aside to cool.

Beat the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks have formed.

Dilute the gelatine in 50 cc. of champagne, it always helps me to zap in the microwave for 2 seconds. Add diluted gelatine to the sabayon.

Fold in the whipping cream.

You’ll want to put this in it’s final mold immediately, before the gelatin sets.

Some suggestions on presentation:

Wide martini classes with slices of strawberry and a thin cookie.

Make a single layer of vainilla cake in a springform pan and when completely cool, top it with the mousse and put into the refrigerator. Top with fresh blueberries.

One of the most difficult things about being an American living in the Southern Hemisphere and reading food blogs is the opposite seasons. While everyone in the North is blogging about and posting pics of tree-ripe peaches, green, tender asparagus and juicy raspberries, we in the South, are freezing our butts off and trying to find more uses for oranges and grapefruit.

But summertime in Buenos Aires has finally arrived! And with the hot weather, we also have an abundance of beautiful cherries. Ripe, dark, sweet and juicy. Perfect for a summery breakfast.

Now, I really don’t like to turn my oven on in the summer, but this quick recipe has minimal oven time and minimal supervision. Just set the timer and leave the room. In 18-20 minutes you’ll have a beautiful, puffy cherry clafoutis.

Some recipes suggest eating the clafoutis fresh from the oven, but personally, I like it at room temperature – I feel like the vanilla flavors come out more, and you won’t burn your mouth with bubbling cherry juice.

Clafoutis is easy to whip up, and the texture is like a dense flan – which makes for an indulgent breakfast or snack. You can also bake these up in individual molds and serve them for brunch, just be sure to keep an eye on them in the oven.

Cherry Clafoutis Recipe

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C)

Cherry Clafoutis Batter:

1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 tablespoosn (25 grams) sugar

3/4 cup (180 ml) milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until smooth. Set aside to rest.

Cherries:

3/4 pound (350 grams) fresh sweet cherries, pitted

1 tablespoon (13 grams) butter

1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar

Melt butter in oven-proof 9-inch (23 cm.) skillet. Add cherries and sauté until soft, about two minutes.

Sprinkle cherries with sugar and cook until the sugar has dissolved.

Pour the batter over the cherries and bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown and puffy.

My Grandma, Suzanne Kagan

Everyone loves their grandma, there’s no denying that. Their cooking is always the best, they know exactly what to say to cheer us up, grandmas and they are sweetest and cutest people we know. Luckily, I’ve been blessed with a fantastic grandma.

You see, my grandma is not a typical grandma. She is a cool grandma. She texts, she has Facebook, and she swears sometimes (don’t deny it granny, I’ve heard you!) She also happens to be a fashion designer, jewelry maker and amazing cook. You can check out and purchase her fancy purses on Etsy. She’s pretty much the star of the family.

When I was a little girl, I loved her for her endless supply of cookies at Christmas time and when she dressed me up like a doll with the clothes she sewed herself. As a teen, we bonded over iced coffees, thrift shopping and “making beads” as we’d call it, or as my grandpa would call it – covering the dining room table and floor in crystals of all shapes and sizes. Now as an adult, I start to see my grandma as the incredible woman she is: an entrepeneur, an amazing chef, an artist, a diva and an endless source of motivation and inspiration.

To honor her and all grandmothers, I asked her to answer a few questions and also share one of her and my favorite recipe: Secret Kiss Cookies. My grandma got this recipe from her neighbors while living in Milwaukee, WI and has been making them every single year since 1966! This recipe is definitely a family tradition and favorite.

Interview with my Grandma, Suzanne Kagan

When did you start cooking and why?

I cooked with my mother when I was small and enjoyed learning new recipes.

You cook a lot of healthy food and pay attention to what you put in your body. Do you feel this makes a difference in the way you feel? 

I do pay attention to what I put into my recipes and it does make a difference on the way I feel…using less sugar, salt and fats help keep us healthier.

You are a lady of many talents and interests, where do you find your inspiration (and energy!) for new projects?

I love to keep busy and got inspired from my mom and grandmother when it came to cooking and sewing. I love going out and looking for new ideas and that keeps me inspired and energized. You helped too, when the two of us got together and started making the pretty jewelry. One exciting project just leads to another. I’m still looking and finding new things to make. It never ends and you feel a satisfaction when you finish a new project.

What is your favorite thing to cook?

I love to make soups, but I think my favorite is desserts, especially during the holidays!

Who inspires/has inspired you in your life?

As I said, my mother and grandmother got me started and it just goes on down the line and makes me proud when I see how you have been so inspired to keep this love of cooking A family tradition ….you especially keep me inspired with your new and inventive ways and methods .. You make me proud.

Thanks granny, you make me proud too!

Secret Kiss Cookies

Hidden behind Retiro, on a dusty gravel road off of the Avenida Libertador, you’ll find the atelier of Argentine artist Carlos Regazzoni. Reggazoni creates majestic sculptures using discarded parts from the train tracks.

Walking down the abandoned path gives you the feeling of being in an different world, where steel giants rule.

I happened to stumble upon this atelier by chance, during a Sunday bike ride. Just goes to show, you can never know what to expect in Buenos Aires.

A few months ago, I tried my hand at making these amazing salty, chewy caramels from David Lebovitz. It was my first time making candy and even *gasp* using a candy themometer! Which really can be quite scary and takes a lot of practice balancing between a themometer, spatula and boiling pot of sugar.

The first batch turned out like a burnt, caramel sucker. I had over-cooked and the sugar formed a hard, hard mass. The second batch was better, but this time under-cooked and as a result a bit too soft. I decided to call off my candy-making days for a while because, quoting the great Forrest Gump, candy-makin’ is tough.

Until I found the recipe for a salted-caramel sauce that is easy and addicting. I’ve been using it for everything, on top of ice cream, sandwiched between cookies, drizzled on upside-down apple cake and in my most recent venture, as the filling for some very delicious chocolates. Or you can just eat it with a spoon directly from a bowl…not that I’ve done this…

If you’ve never had salty caramels, don’t be afraid. There’s nothing better than the sweet toffee notes and little spikes of salty goodness rolling all over your tongue. You’ll be hooked for life on salty sweets.

Salted Caramel Sauce from Smitten Kitchen

Makes about 1 1/3 cups

1 cup sugar
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) salted butter
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
1/4 tsp. sea salt for sprinkling or more to your liking!

Melt the sugar over medium heat ( I choose to take my time and cook at a lower temperature for longer in order to avoid burning the sugar) whisking the sugar so it cooks evenly. If you get little chunks of sugar sticking together, don’t worry, as the mixture heats up the will dissinegrate, but you smush them up a bit to help with the process.

The sugar will liquify, cook this liquid until it reaches a dark copper color. Add the butter all at once, and keep whisking. Turn off the stove and add the heavy cream, careful it foams. Whisk until all ingredients are incorporated and you have a smooth sauce.

Pour into jar, bowl or use immediately. Sprinkle with a little bit of seasalt and enjoy!

Cleaning tip: boiling water cleans up any hardened sugar!

I <3 lobster bakes

I <3 Boston cream pie

I <3 Boston streets

I <3 fall in Boston

I <3 Boston brick

I <3 Boston

The time has arrived! The much-anticipated Buenos Aires Cookie Club #2 will be held on Sunday, December 9th, 2012.

To get more details and sign up for the event, please visit our Facebook page! You can also read a fanastic write-up in the Argentina Independent about the event.

If you can’t make it to the event and still want cookies, no problem! I’ve been practicing all sorts of cute decorated sugar cookies (see the Day of the Dead cookies above) and they are available for order. Order a dozen today and share with your friends! Stay tuned for some new and very, very cute cookie shapes that I’ll be selling at the San Telmo market, as well as the Underground Market. I’m talking cookies so cute that you won’t want to eat them, but they taste so good that you’ll just have to.

Viva los cookies!

This must-needed change came in the form of a bottle of rose-water extract and a request from NOLA chef for profiteroles to serve as a dessert at her weekly Mexican pop-up night at Tout le monde café.

I had never played with rose water before, mostly because I have traumatic childhood memories of a strongly-perfumed rose soap, but I won’t bore you with that story. Rose water is strong and must be used sparingly. A little goes a long way. It’s got an amazingly fresh and floral (duh) flavor that complements perfectly fresh fruit. I chose to go with strawberries since they are in season right now.

There’s a few ways you could infuse this dessert with the rose water…you could mix it directly in with the strawberries, but I wanted to complement the strawberries, not muddle the flavor. So, I added a few drops to my whipped cream. Rose water also goes amazing with dairy, so this was the perfect highlight to the light, fluffy cream. I think the addition of some cardamom seeds would have really taken this dessert to this next level, but I had left them at home, so I’ll have to try next time!

These rose water profiteroles with strawberries were the perfect finish to Liza’s spicy mexican food, which is seriously the best Mexican in Buenos Aires. It’s not only the food that’s great, but the vibe a Tout le monde on Thursday is a mixture extranjeros and locals, munching tacos, bobbing heads to the punk/hip hop/jazz that Liza herself regulates from the kitchen, between tossing meat into a blazing pan with one hand and directing the kitchen like an orchestra master with a pair of kitchen tongs in the other hand.

It’s always a nerve-wracking experience being in someone else’s kitchen. Different rules, different utensiles, different speeds. One slip-up and you could have the chef threatening to kill you, trust me – I worked as a waitress and was threatened many times in the heat of a dinner rush. But Liza kept her calm, still smiling as she showed me the proper way to chop cilantro. By the end of the night, I was putting together taco orders like a pro.

From both a client’s and a backstage helper’s point of view, I can say with all confidence that Tout le monde is the place to be on Thursday night!

Come around every Thursday, as Liza changes up the menu with a different weekly dish and dessert.

Rose water whipped cream

whipped cream always has a ratio of 100% heavy cream to 30% sugar, so adjust this recipe to your needs!

200 gr. heavy cream

60 gr. sugar

few drops of rose water, start with a bit and taste it as you add more

Beat ingredients until soft peaks form, use immediately.

Strawberries for profiteroles

1/2 kilo of strawberries, hulled and chopped in small pieces

4-5 tablespoons of sugar, depending on how sweet your strawberries already are

big squeeze of lemon

Mix all ingredients and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Pâte à choux

1/2 cup (65 grams) flour

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) (57 grams) butter

1/2 cup (120 ml) water

2 eggs 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Mix flour, sugar and salt in seperate bowl.

Boil water and butter. When water is boiling, remove from heat and throw the flour mixture in all at once.

Return to heat and stir continously until a ball forms and the dough starts to dry out a bit and leaves a skin on the bottom of the pan.

Transfer to another bowl and let rest until lukewarm, or you could beat the dough a bit to release the steam.

Mix up your eggs and little by little add the egg mixture to the dough. You may not need to use all of the eggs. The way you can tell your mixture is ready is by pinching a small piece of the dough between your thumb and forefinger and then pulling your fingers apart, if the dough snaps, it needs more egg, if it forms a long string without snapping too soon, it’s ready!

Pipe or spoon onto a baking sheet.

Depending on size, let bake until they are puffed up, then turn down the heat to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and let bake until golden brown.

I recently got back from a weekend getaway to Wisconsin, which was filled with beer, cheese, sunshine and family. If you’ve never been, these images will surely give you an idea of the paradise that lies beyond the cornfields…

I <3 Farms

I <3 brats.

I <3 apples.

I <3 cheese.

I <3 autumn.