High Tea at Teazone

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Bonjour!

It's been far too long since I've done a post of something other than food I made myself. So I'm showing you guys my pictures of the high tea I did a few days ago.

I had been looking forward to it for months, and finally managed to squeeze an afternoon in for it.

Teazone is a tea place in my city, Maastricht here in the Netherlands.
It makes lots of English cakes and scones. And has an impressive 50+ tea choices.

Our high tea had 4 courses.
Every course was accompanied with a delicious different tea.


We started with a plateau of sandwiches; salmon, tuna, egg salad, olives & chicken.



The teapots were so precious!
And the hourglass informed if your tea was ready to drink.



This mini quiche was so incredibly delicious.
The fork is a dessert fork, so it might give you an idea of how teeny the quiche was!




And for the final course we had the dessert tray which featured:
a carrot cake, cheesecake, apple tart, brownie, truffle, powdered hazelnut cookie, chocolate chip cookie... per person!




I felt so sated afterwards!
But so worth it!

Hope you're having a pleasant afternoon and a good start to the year!

My Instagram Photos From December

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My Christmas...







New Year's Celebrations...




The Rest of the Month...







I normally save these posts for my other blog, but I'm taking things a bit slower with FrenchMadame.com
so I decided to posts last month's Instagram photos on Paris Pastry :)

There is a lot of food involved after all.

And you might find it interesting to view something other than foodie pics.

Hope you all are having a fabulous start of the new year!

Love, Daniëlle
 Ps. Follow me on Instgram! Username: DanielleTdd

The Best Recipes of 2012!

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Hydrangea Cake




Strawberry Macarons




Oreo Owl Cupcakes




Angel Food Cake with Strawberries & Cream




Piña Colada Cupcakes




The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies




Lemon Meringue Cupcakes




Drømmekage - Danish Dream Cake




Rose Buttercream Cake




Easter Carrot Cake




Schnecken - German Cinnamon Buns




Maple Pancake Cupcakes




Valentine's Day Cake Pops




Neapolitan Cake




I've been so busy already in 2013, I almost forgot to do a round-up of my
favorite recipes of 2012. Almost.

So here they are! The hydrangea and rose cakes take trophies in the looks-
department, but my personal favorite, one that I have baked many time for
friends and family, is the Danish Dream Cake.

Enjoy!

Moelleux au Chocolate / Chocolate Lava Cake with Salted Caramel

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That ooey, gooey filling you see is caramel. Salted caramel. Made with fleur de sel salt. Or "caramel salé" as the Frenchies call it. Wrapped around a 60% cocoa dark chocolate wall... *swoon*


I made these after a long and challenging day at school and I thought to myself, "life is good". How can it not be? I lose myself completely when I'm baking, my focus is all on the food I'm preparing and no other thought enters my mind.


While I normally don't watch many cooking programmes on tv, other than Nigella Lawson's (who can change the channel when this goddess is on?!), I saw an episode of Rachel Khoo's 'The Little Paris Kitchen'. And my first thought was, "darn you Rachel Khoo for stealing my tv-show idea!". The whole Parisian-themed cookshow is a secret dream I've had for many years. But I can't stay mad for long because she does show some interesting dishes.


After watching one episode I was inspired to make Oeufs en Cocette, see picture here. And now I'm making the moelleux au chocolate with salted caramel filling. Both recipes were very, very good. Rating: 5 out of 5.


Behold this video I made of my molten chocolate cake:



(next time, I promise to stop using my phone to take videos and use a real camera instead!)



Moelleux au Chocolat: Rachel Khoo - Little Paris Kitchen

Ingredients: makes 5 to 6
For the salted caramel filling:
- 150g white sugar (½ cup)
- 150ml double cream
- 1 teaspoon salt, preferably fleur de sel

For the sponge:
- 150g dark chocolate
- 85g unsalted butter (⅓ cup)
- 170g light brown sugar (¾ cup)
- 85g all-purpose flour (¾ cup)
- 6 large eggs
- Cocoa powder, for sprinkling

Instructions:
- Firstly make the caramel sauce, as it needs to cool before you can use it. Coat the bottom of a heavy-based saucepan with the sugar (don't throw all of it in just yet!). Turn on heat, and as soon as it begins to caramelize, add more sugar, and so on. This will prevent the caramel from forming lumps. Once you've used all of your sugar and the caramel is a dark amber color, stand back and add the double cream. It is best if the double cream is at room temperature so the caramel will not harden immediately. If this happens, turn on the heat again. Add the salt. Pour salted caramel in a small bowl and let cool.
- In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter. Combine flour and light brown sugar in a medium bowl. Slightly whip the eggs before adding them to chocolate mixture and stirring vigorously. Add the eggy chocolate mixture to the flour/sugar. Mix well.
- Coat 6 ramekins with butter. Then add a teaspoon of cocoa powder in each ramekin and coat entirely, tapping out excess.
- Fill the ramekins ⅔ full with chocolate mixture. Place them in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes. This will ensure that the center stays uncooked when baking.
- Once the chocolate batter is cold, put the salted caramel in a piping bag and pipe a doll-up of caramel into the center of each chocolate-filled ramekin.
- Bake at 180˚C/350˚F for 15 minutes. When the outside is soft but firm to the touch, and the inside is still wobbly, that's when they're done. Turn them upside down on a plate and be bedazzled!






Rachel Khoo preparing the dish:

Happy 4th Birthday to Me! Luscious Chocolate Raspberry Cake

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It's this blog's 4th blogoversary!!!
Celebration time!



And I've made something very special. A luscious chocolate raspberry cake. Two beautiful dense chocolate cakes, put together with a delicious raspberry jam filling and a gorgeous chocolate buttercream frosting (it's the frosting that makes this special!) is what my little blog deserves today. Okay. What I deserve today. I'm actucally amazed that I've been baking and blogging through countless books and recipes and haven't gain a ton of weight. I'm praying this will not eventually catch up with me.

I made the Valentine's Day poll winner. I always love baking things for Valentine's Day because it makes me celebrate the day in a far less commercial way. And an excuse for chocolate is always good. I raved about this chocolate frosting on Twitter and Vine: it is the BEST chocolate frosting ever! The secret is cream cheese and sour cream, along with real dark chocolate. In fact, the chocolate frosting is so good, it slightly overpowers the raspberry filling. But that's okay. I have other plans for the raspberry filling soon. Stay tuned! Rating: 5 out of 5.






Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks, plus 1 large egg white, room temperature
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup packed light-brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup best quality raspberry jam

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350. Coat an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Cut an 8-inch round of parchment paper, and place in bottom of pan. Coat parchment with cooking spray. Dust with flour, tapping out excess; set aside.
- Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
- Put chocolate, ¼ cup milk, the granulated sugar, and 1 egg yolk into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until thickened; set aside.
- Put butter and brown sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth. Mix in remaining yolk. Reduce speed to medium-low. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with ¼ cup water, remaining ¼ cup milk, and extracts. Mix in chocolate mixture.
- Beat egg white to soft peaks; fold into batter with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 20 minutes. Run a knife around edges of cake to loosen; turn out onto rack. Remove parchment; let cool completely.
- Using a long, serrated knife, halve cake horizontally. Place bottom half, cut side up, on a cake stand; spread with 1 cup frosting or raspberry filling. Top with remaining half; spread frosting over entire cake.


Old-Fashioned Chocolate Frosting: MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- Pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
- ⅔ cup sour cream

Instructions:
- Sift sugar, cocoa powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
- Put butter and cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high until fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add sugar mixture. Mix in chocolate and sour cream. Use immediately!



4 years ago, I published my first recipe online!
I baked colorful, heart-shaped Valentine's Day cookies. Click here to read the post!

It's Bigger Than Just School Lunch

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As many blog posts as I have written bemoaning school lunches and nutrition for kids, it's refreshing to share good news. Here's an updated menu with the proposed USDA changes for better nutrition for school meals. It's much improved and I was even surprised to see jicama on the ingredients list.
What I like most about it is that it is a bit realistic. It's healthier swaps for things kids have been eating. What I would call "transitional foods." There's a chance kids will actually eat part of these lunches. Much of the rationale used to block school food changes hinged on precisely that: kids won't eat healthy foods. There is more waste. It won't work. And, frankly, they are right. If kids won't eat these items at home, how can we expect them to at school?
It's like a chicken and egg thing. Or a chicken nugget and egg mcmuffin thing. Do kids eat poorly because they get junk food in schools every day, or do kids eat junk food every day so they will only eat junk food in schools?
I've read with envy all the amenities and fresh food that Alice Water's and Co. have implemented in Berkeley schools along with their Edible Schoolyard program. I think about that program, even as I am applauding these hard-won changes. But,read this article in Grist about just how well the kids in Berkeley are eating and what they are not eating. Do they eat a better diet and non-processed foods than other kids? Yes. But, even with all the advantages, frankly the kids still aren't eating as well as they could.

We're winning in our schools. Which is incredibly important for kids whose best meals and main nutrition for the week come from our school lunch program. Let's not stop here. 
Let's keep fixing school lunches.Let's fix lunch at home. Let's help others get access to affordable, healthy foods.Let's make healthier choices in quick serve restaurants. Let's tackle junk food marketing to kids.Let's tackle our whole food system that's designed around commodity crops for animal feed and processed foods.
Let's tackle our own kid's eating habits at home.

A bit of history for perspective:

The first school lunch programs were created by teachers and moms. They often included things like a garden on site and even a cow for fresh milk.

The first school lunch legislation was passed in 1946. The program was not designed as a way to help feed hungry kids alone. It was also established to use surplus agricultural commodities which in turn kept food prices from crashing. The program was funded with $10 million per year in 1946 dollars (114.6 million today) to feed 6.7 million children. Today's budget is $11 billion annually to feed 31 million kids daily.

What are "surplus agricultural commodities?" Commodities may not sound much like food, but historically this meant the basic items produced from a farm; corn, wheat, soy, rice, meat, milk, eggs, fruit and vegetables. Not so much now, but we'll get to that in a later lesson.

In many ways, the 1946 legislation was well-intentioned if not fairly administrated. Okay, it sounded good at least.

Here's a few other quotes from the 1946 legislation that might make us all yearn for the good old days, or at least the old days of good lunch as it was promised:

• "The need for a permanent legislative basis for a school lunch program, rather than operating it on a year-to-year basis, or one dependent solely on agricultural surpluses that for a child may be nutritionally unbalanced or nutritionally unattractive, has now become apparent."
• "It is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress, as a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food ..."
• "The educational features of a properly chosen diet served at school should not be under-emphasized. Not only is the child taught what a good diet consists of, but his parents and family likewise are indirectly instructed."

While it may seem like some of our lunch items around today have enough preservatives to have endured since 1946, the lunch program then contained a lot fewer processed foods. It was 1946 after all. Here are the 1946 recommendations for a typical meal per child:
Milk, whole, 1/2 pint Protein-rich food consisting of any of the following or a combination thereof:

• 2 oz. Fresh or processed meat, poultry meat, cheese, cooked or canned fish
• Dry peas or beans or soy beans, cooked, ½ cup
• Peanut Butter, 4 tbsp.
• Eggs, 1

Raw, cooked, or canned vegetables or fruits, or both, ¾ cupBread, muffins or hot bread made of whole grain cereal or enriched flour, 1 portion
So, at least 66 years ago, folks knew that our country's future was linked to healthy children. That not all agricultural commodities are healthy foods. And that the meal provided should be exemplary of what families should eat at home. The meal was also based on whole foods; milk, protein, vegetables, fruits and whole grains.

Delicious Butterscotch Brownies and Happy New Year's Eve!

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I was browsing all the delicious foodie pics on Instagram and a batch of butterscotch brownies caught my eye. Brownies never look very pretty; they're dark, have an uneven texture and often times are badly sliced. But they water my mouth anyway! I made a butterscotch sauce filling by melting butter and adding brown sugar. The butterscotch sauce went into the brownie batter and created this delicious, very delectable brownie dough =) I couldn't stop licking it! I may have overcooked them slightly, as I wanted to go for a more fudgy type of brownie rather than what I ended up with, a cakey brownie. But delicious all the same! Rating: 4.5 out of 5.




Butterscotch Brownies: adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients for brownie batter:
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Ingredients for butterscotch filling:
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (or dark)
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter.

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Butter lining (not overhang).
- Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Add eggs in chocolate mixture, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
- Make butterscotch filling: melt butter in a saucepan and add brown sugar. Let it come to a boil, then turn down the heat and add the butterscotch filling to the brownie batter. Mix well.
- Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.



I made these brownies a few days ago. By the time it's new year's eve
they will be all completely devoured of course.

As a Dutch tradition, I'm baking oliebollen tonight filled with apples
and rum-soaked raisins. I posted the recipe last year, click here.




Happy new year's everyone! Hope you go out with a big bang!