Tarte au chocolat blanc caramélisé et aux clémentines

 

J’ai fait cette magnifique tarte au chocolat blanc caramélisé et aux clémentines de Ricardo pour clore le temps des fêtes. C’était délicieux! (Et puis c’est drôle, parce que je pensais à Chère Sœur et à sa maisonnée, qui sont amateurs de chocolat blanc; je me trouvais justement chez eux le lendemain, et ils ont fait les bonbons aux patates de Ricardo, qui étaient aussi sur ma liste! Très sucrés, un peu comme l’intérieur des œufs Cadbury, mais vraiment très bons!)

Pour cette recette, ça vaut la peine d’acheter un chocolat blanc végétalien, pour éviter le lactose. J’ai fait caraméliser le chocolat blanc pendant 30 minutes (au lieu de 40) et j’ai trouvé ça un peu trop brun à mon goût; je le ferais moins longtemps la prochaine fois.

Pour faire les meringues, il faudrait tracer des cercles sur l’envers d’un papier parchemin, ce serait mieux que de les faire à main levée comme moi! Je trouve que les miennes étaient un peu trop grosses. Bien sûr, une fois que les meringues sont sur la tarte, elles vont ramollir. C’est très joli pour décorer, mais si vous allez manger la tarte sur quelques jours, il vaut mieux conserver les meringues dans un contenant hermétique à la température de la pièce.

Quant à la garniture, je pense que je m’en tiendrais à des arilles de grenade au lieu du sarrasin caramélisé. Ce serait plus simple, plus joli et plus è mon goût, mais c’est tout-à-fait subjectif.


Pour les meringues au cacao
160 g (¾ tasse) de sucre
3 blancs d’œufs, tempérés
1 c. à soupe de cacao, tamisé

Pour la croûte au chocolat
150 g (1 tasse) de farine tout usage non blanchie
25 g (¼ tasse) de cacao, tamisé
¼ c. à thé de sel
115 g (½ tasse ou 1 bâton) de beurre sans lactose, ramolli
45 g (1/3 tasse) de sucre à glacer
2 jaunes d’œufs, tempérés

Pour le crémeux au chocolat blanc caramélisé
250 g (9 oz) de chocolat blanc sans lactose, haché
2 c. à thé de gélatine
3 c. à soupe d’eau froide
2 tasses de crème sans lactose

Pour le sarrasin caramélisé (voir note plus haut)
1 c. à soupe de miel
45 g (¼ tasse) de sarrasin grillé (kasha)

Pour la garniture
3 clémentines


Pour les meringues au cacao
Placer la grille au centre du four. Préchauffer le four à 200 °F. Tapisser une plaque de cuisson d’un tapis de silicone ou de papier parchemin. (Je vous dirais même de tracer vos cercles sur l’envers du papier parchemin, pour pouvoir faire des meringues de la bonne taille.)

Dans la partie supérieure d’un bain-marie, chauffer le sucre et les blancs d’œufs en remuant au fouet jusqu’à ce que le sucre soit dissous. Retirer le bol du bain-marie.

Fouetter la préparation de blancs d’œufs au batteur électrique jusqu’à ce que la meringue soit complètement refroidie et jusqu’à l’obtention de pics fermes (l’utilisation du batteur sur socle facilite l’exécution de cette étape). Incorporer le cacao en fouettant de nouveau.

Transvider la meringue dans une poche à pâtisserie munie d’une douille unie. Façonner de petites meringues directement sur la plaque.

Cuire au four 2 heures ou jusqu’à ce que les meringues soient sèches et se décollent facilement. Éteindre le four et laisser sécher 2 heures en laissant la porte du four entrouverte à l’aide d’une cuillère de bois. Retirer du four et laisser refroidir sur la plaque. Les meringues se conservent 3 semaines dans un contenant hermétique à la température ambiante.

Pour la croûte au chocolat
Dans un bol, mélanger la farine, le cacao et le sel.

Dans un autre bol, crémer le beurre et le sucre au batteur électrique. Ajouter les jaunes d’œufs, un à la fois, et mélanger jusqu’à ce que le mélange soit lisse.

À basse vitesse ou à l’aide d’une cuillère de bois, incorporer les ingrédients secs en mélangeant jusqu’à ce que la pâte soit homogène. Répartir la pâte uniformément dans un moule à tarte à fond amovible de 23 cm (9 po) de diamètre et 2,5 cm (1 po) de hauteur. Presser fermement la pâte dans le fond et sur la paroi du moule. À l’aide d’une fourchette, piquer le fond de l’abaisse. Réfrigérer 30 minutes.

Placer la grille au centre du four. Préchauffer le four à 400 °F.

Couvrir la croûte d’une feuille de papier parchemin et y déposer des pois secs (ou de céramique). Cuire au four 18 minutes. Retirer les pois et le papier de la croûte, puis poursuivre la cuisson au four 2 minutes pour bien assécher la croûte. Laisser refroidir complètement sur une grille. Réduire la température du four à 250 °F.

Pour le crémeux au chocolat blanc caramélisé
Déposer le chocolat sur une plaque de cuisson antiadhésive ou tapissée d’un tapis de silicone.

Cuire au four 40 minutes (je recommande moins longtemps) en prenant soin de bien le mélanger à l’aide d’une spatule toutes les 10 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’il soit de couleur caramel. Transvider le chocolat dans un bol.

Déposer le moule à tarte sur une plaque. Réserver.

Dans un petit bol, saupoudrer la gélatine sur l’eau. Laisser gonfler 5 minutes.

Dans une casserole, porter la crème à ébullition à feu moyen. Retirer du feu. Verser sur le chocolat caramélisé. Ajouter la gélatine et remuer au fouet jusqu’à ce qu’elle soit complètement dissoute. Passer la crème au tamis directement dans la croûte. Réfrigérer 3 heures ou jusqu’à ce que le crémeux soit pris.

Pour le sarrasin caramélisé
Tapisser une plaque de cuisson d’un tapis de silicone ou de papier parchemin.

Dans une petite poêle antiadhésive à feu moyen, cuire le miel de 1 à 2 minutes. Ajouter le sarrasin et mélanger à l’aide d’une cuillère de bois pour bien enrober chaque grain du miel. Répartir le sarrasin sur la plaque. Laisser refroidir complètement. Le sarrasin caramélisé se conserve 1 semaine dans un contenant hermétique à la température ambiante.

Pour le montage
À l’aide d’un zesteur, prélever de longs zestes fins sur les clémentines. Réserver.

Sur un plan de travail, peler à vif les clémentines. Composter les pelures. Lever les suprêmes des clémentines.

Au moment de servir, décorer la tarte de quelques meringues, de sarrasin caramélisé, de zestes et des suprêmes de clémentines.

Ginger Sesame Pineapple Beef

 

I made this ginger sesame pineapple beef a while back, and it was delicious! I mean, it was so good that even the Fox finished his plate.

The recipe calls for homemade sweet Thai chili sauce and gave directions. I used less actual chili sauce than called for, and halved all the amounts and still had enough for the recipe. The quantities below are mine.

The original recipe called this a “20-minute dish” and, while I do not remember how long it took me to make, I do know that it was way more than 20 minutes. Plan accordingly. Serve with rice or your favorite equivalent.

For the homemade sweet Thai chili sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. chili sauce (I used sriracha)
1 tsp. lime zest
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 ½ tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 ½ tsp. grated ginger
1 small clove grated garlic


Shake ingredients together in a glass jar.

For the ginger sesame pineapple beef
1 ½ lbs. ground beef (or chicken or pork; I used 2 lbs. beef)
black pepper and Korean chili flakes
2 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup pickled ginger (or 1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger; I used the latter)
1 ½ cups broccoli florets
1 ½ cups fresh pineapple chunks
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
¼ cup Thai chili sauce (see above)
¼ cup chopped green onions
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
4 Persian cucumbers, chopped
2 cups cilantro, chopped
½ cup Thai basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

In a large skillet, combine the beef, black pepper, and chili flakes. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, garlic, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes, until the butter browns and the beef gets crispy.

Mix in the broccoli and ¾ cup pineapple. Pour over the tamari, sweet chili sauce, and 1-2 tablespoons of ginger juice from the pickled ginger. Cook until the sauce coats the beef, 2-3 minutes. Mix in the green onions and sesame seeds. Remove from the heat.

In a bowl, toss ¾ cup pineapple chunks with the cucumbers, cilantro, basil, lime juice, and peanuts.

Serve the beef and broccoli over bowls of rice. Top with the pineapple herb salad. Add the chopped green onions, and if desired. Enjoy!

Zotter Chocolate

I tried some chocolates from Zotter Chocolate a few months ago, and I went back for more. They are an organic, fair-trade, bean-to-bar company and they have a lot of options that are vegan (ergo, lactose-free) and/or low-sugar. 

Their classic dark chocolate was really, really good. A great flavor, and very smooth – that is clearly quality stuff! 

The fruit-sweetened chocolate was too bitter for me, but I liked the maple sugar one. I also tried their candied ginger in coconut couverture, which was delightful, though I wouldn’t call it chocolate. Still good! 

For Christmas, I tried a few seasonal bars: coconut marzipan (in which the coconut was a bit too flaky for me); a tangerine, matcha and coconut bar (which was delightful); and holiday cheer, which was a cranberry ganache covered in dark chocolate. I loved that one! I also got a raspberry-coconut candy bar, which was made with vegan white chocolate and dried fruit powder. It was very pink and had a bright fruity flavor, which was sweet but not overpoweringly so. 

All in all, I really enjoy Zotter chocolates!

Black-and-White Sesame Tarts

 

Several years ago, I read an article about the restaurant Elske in Bon Appétit, and immediately noticed the recipe for black-and-white sesame tarts. It’s more involved than I typically go for, and black sesame paste remains a specialty ingredient, but since I had bought some (see black tahini and poppy seed swirls as well as sweet potato and black sesame marble bundt cake), I knew that I had to make these already!

A few words of warning… I couldn’t find halva in stores, so I ended up getting some online; I won’t name the brand, but it was well-rated. However, the consistency was that of brown sugar, not at all what I was expecting! I would have been much better off with something by Hebel & Co, like this awesome peanut butter and chocolate crisp halva cocreated by Molly Yeh. I highly recommend it, I have only good things to say about that one!

I used bittersweet chocolate instead of milk chocolate, and that’s what I wrote below. Also, my black tahini was much stiffer than my white tahini, so I left the black tahini pudding at room temperature before piping it into the tart shells. Finally, a very important detail: I had enough filling to make about 18 tarts, but the recipe says the yield is 12 tarts. Just plan to make extra dough so you can have extra tarts, you won’t regret it!

In short, these tarts are so much work, and they are also so, so good! Worth it.

For the puddings
¼ cup cold water
1 tsp. unflavored powdered gelatin
4 oz. lactose-free white chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup regular (white) tahini
4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup black tahini
kosher salt
1 1/3 cup lactose-free cream
1 cup lactose-free whole milk
½ cup granulated sugar, divided
8 large egg yolks

For the tart shells and assembly
2 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground allspice
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pink kosher salt
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the surface
11 Tbsp. chilled lactose-free butter, cut into pieces
5 oz. halva, crumbled
faky sea salt (I used vanilla fleur de sel)


For the puddings
Place water in a small bowl and evenly sprinkle gelatin over. Let sit until gelatin is softened, 10–12 minutes.

Meanwhile, place white chocolate and regular tahini in a medium bowl, then place dark chocolate and black tahini in another medium bowl. Add a pinch of salt to each bowl and set side by side. Bring cream, milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and a big pinch of salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Vigorously whisk egg yolks and remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar in a third medium bowl until pale yellow and thick.

Remove saucepan from heat and very slowly drizzle about 1 cup hot cream mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk egg mixture into remaining cream mixture in saucepan. Set saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thick enough to hold the marks of the whisk, about 3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat and add gelatin mixture; whisk until dissolved.

Strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl (you should have about 4 cups), then divide between the 2 bowls filled with tahini and chocolate. (If you have a kitchen scale and want to be exact, measure out 12 oz. custard per bowl.) Let warm custard sit on top 5 minutes so the heat slowly melts the chocolate.

Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), blend white chocolate mixture until smooth and incorporated. Repeat with milk chocolate mixture (no need to wash blender). Cover each one with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface and eliminating air bubbles, and chill puddings until set, at least 4 hours.

Remove puddings from fridge, uncover, and whisk vigorously until smooth. Transfer each pudding to a piping bag; twist ends of bags to seal and secure with rubber bands. Cut off tips to create about a ½"-wide opening on each bag.

Slide both filled bags side by side into a third piping bag. Simultaneously apply slow, even pressure to filled bags to push puddings into third bag in equal amounts so that they are side by side. Slide out filled bags as they empty and you fill the third bag. Once the third bag is about three-quarters full, remove original bags. Twist end of bag with both fillings and secure with a rubber band. Repeat process, emptying original bags into a fourth bag, twist end to close, and secure with a rubber band. Chill bags at least 1 hour to allow pudding to firm up again. (Puddings can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.)

For the tart shells and assembly
Beat eggs, egg yolks, and corn syrup in a small bowl with a fork until no streaks remain.

Pulse powdered sugar, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, kosher salt, and 2¾ cups all-purpose flour in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until largest pieces are the size of a pea. With the motor running, stream in egg mixture; process until dough forms a single mass around the blade.

Transfer dough to a work surface and knead a couple of times to work in dry bits. Divide in half and form each into a ½"-thick disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Let 1 disk of dough sit at room temperature until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Roll out between 2 sheets of parchment paper dusted with all-purpose flour until 1/8" thick (dust with more flour as you work if needed). If dough becomes difficult to handle, slide onto a baking sheet (with parchment) and chill a few minutes before proceeding.

Here, the original recipe recommended a 4” round cookie cutter, but I recommend 4 ½”. Using cutter, punch out 6 rounds; save scraps for another use. Working one at a time, firmly press rounds into jumbo muffin cups, working into corners and up sides. Press out any creases so pastry is smooth and an even thickness all over. Prick bottoms of crusts in several places with a fork and freeze until firm, 10–15 minutes.

Bake crusts, rotating halfway through, until golden brown, 15–20 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat process with remaining disk of dough.

Scatter halvah across bottoms of crusts. Snip a ¾"-wide opening from tip of fuller bag of puddings. Applying slow, even pressure and twisting top of bag as you go, pipe puddings in a swirl pattern to fill each crust; start at edges and work your way toward the center. When pudding runs out, continue with remaining bag. Sprinkle tarts with sea salt just before serving. (Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled. Crusts can be baked 1 day ahead; store tightly wrapped at room temperature.)

Oatmeal Banana Bread

 

I made these oatmeal pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips and found them alright, but they annoyed me from the start because they were originally billed as “flourless pumpkin muffins” even though the recipe has you put oat flakes in a blender. Which means you’re basically making oat flour, so while the muffins are wheat-free, they don’t qualify as flourless in my opinion. But anyway, I felt like I hadn’t gotten my fill of oatmeal and chocolate chips, so I made oatmeal banana bread with chocolate chips. The kids really liked this one!

(As an aside, as I type this, I can’t help but notice that on the original post, Walmart says one could purchase all the ingredients for US$41.95, which seems absolutely outrageous to me. Obviously, you have to buy a package of flour or cinnamon and then only use a bit for the recipe, but… man, inflation!)

I used 1 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour instead of a mixture of all-purpose white and whole wheat flour.

⅔ cup all-purpose flour
⅔ cup whole-wheat flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. salt
⅔ cup old-fashioned rolled oats plus 1 Tbsp., divided
1 ½ cups mashed ripe banana
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup lactose-free plain whole-milk yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
¼ cup canola oil or other neutral oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg, at room temperature
⅓ cup dark chocolate chips (60-70%) plus 1 Tbsp., divided (I would use ½ cup + 1 Tbsp. next time)

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Lightly coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; line with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides of the pan.

Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and 2/3 cup oats together in a medium bowl.

Combine banana, brown sugar, yogurt, oil, vanilla and egg in a large bowl; stir until well mixed.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; stir until just combined. Stir in 1/3 cup chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon each chocolate chips and oats. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes (I baked mine 55 minutes and should have baked it a bit longer, but I think I had more banana purée than called for). Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack, about 35 minutes. Using the parchment overhang, remove the bread from the pan and serve.

Turkey Taco Bowls

I made this turkey taco bowl to take on the plane with me in January. It was the first time I was taking a meal with me, but I loved it! The meal itself was great, the avocados were still green, and I also liked being able to have a leisurely connection during which I wasn’t running around looking for, and overpaying for, fast food. This makes about 4 servings. (My dessert was Belvita sandwich cookies with chocolate filling.)

2 Tbsp. oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 large red onion, sliced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbsp. taco seasoning (I use this recipe)
28 oz. diced tomato, drained
2 cups rice, cooked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn
1 jar salsa
1 lime, sliced into wedges
lactose-free sharp cheddar cheese, grated
fresh cilantro, for garnish
(I added an avocado, cubed and tossed in lemon juice)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the peppers and onions and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened. Remove from pan, set aside.

Add ground turkey to hot skillet. Break apart with a wooden spoon to separate.

Season with taco seasoning, stir, cooking until meat has browned and cooked through.

Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

To assemble the taco bowls, add a base of rice to 4 food storage containers. Top each with a scoop of black beans, corn, salsa, cheddar cheese, cooked peppers and onions, and taco meat. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.

Store in the refrigerator (and enjoy any extras immediately). Can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.