Nervousness sets in

I am nervous. I just committed to baking a birthday cake for Lisa's surprise party. I'm not sure if it's wise to try out a new recipe.

Lemon Lavender Cookies

Easter is just around the corner, which also means Spring is here. Spring conjures up images of baby animals - chicks, bunnies, lambs. I wonder if it's true if baby animals are always born in Spring like I always see in kids' story books. Sasha was born at the beginning of winter though. Speaking of baby animals. Here's a nugget of information. When I was little, I used to think that cats married dogs, lions married tigers, chickens married ducks. I remember this had to do with some jigsaw puzzle my mum bought for me from Scotland, but I cannot recall why I made this association. I can almost imagine Alvin shaking his head in disapproval and disbelief now......

Back to baking. I decided to make some little lemon lavender chick cookies today. I am still not used to the taste of lavender in my food - I feel like I'm eating soap or body lotion. But then again, I've never really liked the scent of lavender. Give me rose anytime.

Lemon Lavendar Cookies
Adapted from Baking Illustrated

Makes about 4 dozen

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest + 2 tablespoons juice from 1-2 lemons
2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2” cubes
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a big food processor, process the sugar, lemon zest and lavender until the sugar looks damp and the zest and lavender are fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then add to the sugar mixture; pulse to combine, about 10 1-second pulses.

Scatter the butter pieces over and pulse until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal, about 15 1-second pulses. In a measuring cup, beat together the lemon juice, egg yolk and vanilla. With the machine running, add the juice mixture in a slow stream (should take about 10 seconds) and continue processing until the dough forms into a ball, 10 to 15 seconds longer.

Turn the dough and any dry bits onto a clean work surface and gently gather into a ball. Working quickly, roll the dough flat. Center the dough on a piece of parchment or plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Chill the dough until firm and cold, about 45 minutes in the freezer or 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

Take dough out of refrigerator and remove the dough from its wrapper. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place the shapes on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1″ apart. Bake until the centers of the cookies just begin to color and the edges are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes (but then again every oven is different, so watch carefully), rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Cool on sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla, Salted Caramel and Chocolate Mousse

Ryan and Katie came over for dinner today. I had wanted to make a dessert which required much more work, but I wisely decided against it because I was also preparing a full dinner (french onion soup, chicken cordon bleu and wild mushroom risotto). I had bought 8 little glass cups from Merida, Mexico at approximately $0.80 each (what a steal!) and have been dying to use them, so I was so happy to come across this recipe. I now regret not getting more glassware from the Mexican corner shop. Dang.

Vanilla, Salted Butter Caramel and Rich Chocolate Mousse
Adapted from Helen Dujardin

Serves 4 to 6 depending on the size of your ramekins

For the caramel:
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fleur de sel or fine sea salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons unsalted butter

For the chocolate:
3 1/2 oz dark semisweet chocolate

For the vanilla mousse base:
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon powdered gelatin, sprinkled over 3 tablespoons water
1 cup heavy cream

Prepare the caramel:
Place the sugar and water in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Continue to cook until caramel in color. Remove from the heat and add the salt, heavy cream and butter. Stir with a wooden spoon until completely smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

Prepare the chocolate:
In a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate until smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Prepare the mousse base:
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until very pale. In the meantime, in a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk and the vanilla bean (split open and scraped over the milk) to a boil. Slowly pour the milk over the yolks, whisking constantly. If you are using an electric whisk, be careful not to over-whisk. You do not want the mixture to become too airy. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium low heat and cook until the cream coats the back of a spoon (as if making creme anglaise). Keep a close watch - you want to make sure that the cream is smooth. If the egg starts to cook and clump together, strain the mixture or start all over again. Add the softened gelatin and stir until melted completely into the cream. Let cool to room temperature. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the cooled cream base. Divide the base into three equal portions (one will stay untouched).

Assemble:
Add a couple of tablespoons of the base to the caramel to lighten it a bit and stir with a spoon. Gently fold the rest of the portioned mousse base into the caramel with a spatula. First, layer the vanilla mousse, followed by the caramel mousse. Refrigerate for 45 minutes and let the mousse set. Then spoon in the chocolate mousse. This is to prevent the denser chocolate mousse from sinking to the bottom of the ramekins. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Inspiration

I was inspired to start this blog after watching the movie Julie and Julia. Like Julie, I've never really quite seen any of my non-work related projects to completion. I blame it on the lack of focus. I have a short attention span, and get distracted easily. And I make too many excuses. I had planned to get this blog up and running long ago. But I had no camera to take great photos. And I had no html expertise. And I had no one to eat the goods I baked. And the list goes on. I'm hoping this blog will be a good way to keep me accountable to myself.