Red and Blue Bubbles
Before you ask…yes, this is another molecular gastronomy recipe. The technique I used is called “reverse spherification”, and was based on Surprise Bubbles.
The fascinating thing is that this technique is so simple that these colored bubbles were mainly made by my niece and nephew, 14 and 11 years old…
They had so much fun making and then eating these popping bubbles filled with grape juice…more specifically white grape juice. Initially we started with the non-color ones (original color of the white grape juice). Since it was kind of hard to see and manipulate the translucent bubbles, we decided to color them by adding a few drops of food coloring into the alginate solution. Erica chose red and Nick blue…and off we went, each one with their bowls of colored alginate bath and water…I played with the non-color ones.
They first removed the frozen half sphere from the freezer and dropped in the alginate bath for 3 minutes. Then they scooped the bubbles from the alginate bath and placed them into a bowl of water to remove the excess alginate. After “collecting” lots of bubbles we just ate by “popping” one at the time in our mouth…a very fun experience, especially because these bubbles were like 0.3oz size and you sure feel the bubble exploding in your mouth and the refreshing juice.
Ingredients:
½ cup white grape juice or any juice of your preference 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon calcium lactate
400 ml of filtered water 2 g sodium alginate
Method:
Prepare the alginate bath by mixing the sodium alginate in water, until the sodium alginate is totally dissolved. You can use an immersion blender. Once the sodium alginate is dissolved, let the solution rest in the refrigerator for approximately 24 hours or until all the air bubbles disappear.
A few hours (or 24 hours) before the spherification, mix the grape juice with sugar and calcium until the calcium is dissolved. Carefully spoon in a silicon mold and freeze.
Drop the frozen juice in the alginate bath and let it sit for 3 minutes.
Scoop the bubbles using a slotted spoon and rinse them in a bowl of water.
Remove from the water and they are ready to be served. If you enjoy this Molecular Gastronomy recipe you might want to check on Spherical Yogurt or Honey Caviar. Did you know that “spherification” is simply a gelling reaction between calcium and alginate which is a gum like substance removed from brown seaweed. So by adding calcium, we just replace what the manufacturers removed from the seaweed, therefore the gelling texture.
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Tangerine Chiffon Cake After purchasing many of the tangerines, known as cutie I found myself with too many tangerines in the fridge. So I decided to make a cake using the fresh squeezed juice from the tangerines. You can substitute with orange juice or even lemon juice.
In order to keep the cake light, I used sour cream frosting and garnished with honey caviar. The cake turned out awesome, the slightly citrus flavor of the tangerine, the tartness of the sour cream and the sweetness of the honey caviar were just a perfect and delicate balance in my palate.
Oh! Be aware that this recipe is for a small cake, 6 inches cake size…
Ingredients:
Chiffon Cake
2 eggs, separated 51 g cake flour 5 tablespoons sugar ¼ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon baking powder ¼ cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 2 tablespoon canola oil ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Sour Cream Frosting
1 cup sour cream 3 to 4 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Pre-heat oven to 325F.
Cover a 6 inch round pan with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt, baking powder together, whisk to make sure all the ingredients are combined thoroughly.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy. With the mixer running, slowly rain in the remaining 2 tablespoon sugar. Continue to beat the whites until stiff peaks form when the beater is lifted. Set aside.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until pale yellow add the vegetable oil slowly and then the vanilla extract. Continue beating until the mixture turns slightly thick. Pour the egg yolks into the dry ingredients, mix gently and add the tangerine juice and Grand Marnier. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until completely smooth.
Fold the beaten whites into the rest of the batter by gently spooning one-third at the time. Fold in the white slowly and carefully using a spatula. Be very gentle as you fold in the whites so you not deflate them. Gently fold in the remaining third of the whites. Spoon or gently pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 minutes at 325F and then 3 minutes at 300F, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove from heat and invert the pan over an inverted cup. Set the pan aside in a quiet place until cooled completely, approximately 1 hour.
Sour Cream Frosting
In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients. Assembly:
Cover the cake with the sour cream frosting. Refrigerate for approximately 2 hours.
Garnish with honey caviar.
Serve cold
If you enjoy this simple recipe for tangerine chiffon cake you might want to check on Chiffon Cake with Lemon Curd or Chocolate Chiffon Mini Cupcake.
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Raspberry and Marshmallow Cupcakes
If you are craving for sweet, I mean really sweet dessert this is perfect for you… the combination of raspberry jam and the gooey marshmallow can really kill your craving for sugar in no time. Since I always try to cut sugar from recipes that I follow, I must admit… after one of this mini cupcakes every living cell of my body will be asking for insulin…so be prepared.
This recipe was adapted from Desserts Magazine Issue 25 for the devil’s food cake and the Fluffy Marshmallow was taken from the issue 29.
Next time making this cupcakes, I will use the regular size cup, so the ratio of raspberry jam and cake will be lower, therefore not overwhelmingly sweet, but it is up to you and what you and your family like.
Ingredients:
Devil’s Food Cake
½ cup natural cocoa powder ½ boiling water ¼ cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ stick butter ½ sugar 1/3 cup sugar ¼ cup canola oil 2 large eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour ¾ teaspoon baking soda
Fluffy Marshmallow
3 large egg white ¾ cup sugar 2 tablespoons golden syrup Pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
Devil’s Food Cake
Preheat oven to 350F In a medium bowl combine the flour and baking powder, and sift twice. Set aside.
In another bowl place the cocoa powder and add the boiling water, mix well and then add the milk and the vanilla extract. Beat the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly pour the oil and mix until well combined Add the eggs, one at the time, until a smooth texture.
Add 1/3 of the flour mix to the butter/egg mixture until well incorporated. Add approximately ½ of the cocoa mix to the batter, and mix lightly until combined. Repeat the previous steps until the lst 1/3 flour mix.
Spoon the batter into cupcakes cases.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
Remove and let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack.
Fluffy Marshmallow
Place all the ingredients in a heatproof bowl and place the bowl over a sauce pan of boiling water. Whisk using a stand mixer until frothy and slightly opaque, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and continue to whip on high speed until the mixture turns white and thick and holds its shape.
Assembly
Use a cupcake corer of a knife make a deep opening in the center of the cupcake.
Spoon the raspberry jam into each opening.
Frost the cupcakes with the fluffy marshmallow using a piping bag or spatula. If desire torch lightly the marshmallow but be careful with the cupcake liners. If you enjoy this cake, you might want to check on Chiffon Black Forest Cake or the Chocolate Cake with Ganache and Fresh Raspberries.
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Maple Candied Walnut
Your family will love these slightly sweet and crunchy snacks made with maple and walnut…totally addictive! Again, I see myself stuck with lots and lots of walnut…yes, they are from Costco, so in order to make them more attractive I coated them with a layer of sweet using maple syrup. They turned out delicious, crunchy and slightly sweet. These walnuts are great by itself or on top of any salad.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup sugar 4 cups walnuts (approximately 14oz) ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Method:
Preheat oven to 300F.
In a small pan, place the maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Turn the heat to medium low until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract, stir gently.
Pour the maple syrup mixture over the walnut. Spread the walnut on the silicone liner, making sure that the walnuts are not clustered. Bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven. Let it cool completely and store in an air tied container. If you like this simple recipe for Maple Candied Walnut you might want to check on Roasted Cinnamon Almonds.
Did you know that consumption of walnuts has been well evaluated for the wellbeing of the heart? It has been published in many studies that walnut can lower your overall cholesterol and LDL (bad cholesterol).
Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful day! Green Beans with Mochi Balls
This is very typical Asian sweet, it can be served as dessert or as snack. It is soupy and contain mainly green beans, barley and little balls of glutinous flour know as mochi.
This is one of the food that I love and amazes me that my husband enjoys it… very much…I say that because this is so “Asian”…even many Asian people do not care for it, let alone people that was never exposed to it…
I must admit that the concept of sweet bean soup with mochi. Mochi? Yes, this gooey sticky little balls floating in a not so appealing murky, brownish, greenish color soup…and served iced, cold or warm? Yes, it might be troublesome for some people to accept hehehe! That is why I was so surprised that my husband embraced this dessert/snack so fast and often asks me to make it.
I have been cooking this for a while and it is perfect at any season of the year…I serve it cold/iced during summer and warm during winter. I often have the little mochi balls in the freezer…so when need I boiled them for a few minutes and it is ready to go.
In this particular recipe I added barley and use coconut sugar to sweeten the green bean soup, but you are free to use whatever kind of grains and sugar.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup dry green beans (mung beans) 1/3 cup barley Coconut sugar to taste
Fresh made or frozen mochi balls. Method:
Wash the green beans and soak in water overnight. Do the same with the barley.
Place the bean and the barley in a thermo cooker and follow the instruction, making sure that the beans are fully cooked and soft. In case you do not have a thermo cooker please do the following:
In a big pot add the green bean and barley with water, about 1 ½ in above the bean. Cook until the beans have soften.
Add more water and coconut sugar to your taste. You can adjust the thickness of the soup according to your taste.
Cook the mochi balls accordingly, drain and put in the bean soup, or if you want to serve them cold, rinse the mocha balls with cold water and then add to the bean soup. I hope you are dare enough to try this simple recipe for Green Bean Soup with Mochi…and hey, you might find out that you like this.
If you enjoy this recipe using glutinous flour you might want to try this Asian inspired Brazilian snack,Mochi Cheese Balls.
Did you know that the bean sprouts that you often see in Asian groceries are germinated from mung beans? Moreover, the starch extracted from these beans is used to make the bean thread or glass noodles, which are popular in Asian cuisine
Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful day! Florentines Cookis
Apparently these cookies have its origin in Italy. Generally these cookies can be in a form of cookie or bar containing mainly two layers; one of baked pastry and another one of sticky nut with or without candied fruit. After searching for one recipe with ingredients that I had handy, I adapted this one from Desserts Magazine. The buttery orange pastry layer combined with the sticky nut on top is just amazingly delicious. I urge you to give this recipe a try; I can guarantee that you will not regret…the only problem is that you must have a very strong will to not finish it all in one day.
As I mention, this recipe is based on the one published in Desserts Magazine and I made suitable changes to the palate of my family. Changes were done in order to decrease the sugar and butter content by increasing the ratio of almond.
Ingredients:
Pastry layer 2 cups all-purpose flour ¾ tablespoon baking powder 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature Pinch of salt ¼ cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon orange zest 1 medium egg, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Almond layer ½ cup sugar ½ stick unsalted butter 2 tablespoon honey Pinch of salt ½ cup heavy cream 16oz of slivered almond
Method:
In the mixer, place the butter, flour, baking powder, salter, sugar and orange zest. Using a paddle, mix until crumble like texture. Add the egg and vanilla extract until a dough forms. Wrap the dough and place in the refrigerator for approximately 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350F. Transfer the dough to a lightly flour surface and roll out the dough to about 1/8 in thickness. Transfer the dough to a ¼ sheet size baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until slightly golden color.
In the meantime prepare the almond layer by placing the sugar, butter, honey, salt and heavy cream in a small pan over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the almond and mix gently until a uniform mix. Remove from the heat.
Pour the almond mix on the pastry layer, by smoothing evenly. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 330F and return the cookies to the oven for another 15 minutes. Make sure to not over bake the cookies.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cut out into squares once the cookie is completely cool.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Before I forget…
Did you know that almond is considered one of the most nutritious nuts? Almonds are high source of vitamin E, calcium, magnesium and potassium. Moreover, they contain protein, high in fiber and low in sugars.
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Jelly Shots
I have been under some stress lately and really was not in the mood for baking…but did want to do something easy and cute for Valentine’s Day. Besides we were having a family gathering to celebrate the Chinese New Year at my mom’s. I ended up making cheese balls and these jelly shots. I got the idea from Basic Jello Shots Recipe. Honestly, this is the first time that I tasted jelly shots…after a while testing the optimal ratio concentration of vodka and juice I almost forgot about my distress…but please, do not add any vodka if you plan to serve this jelly to kids…I made two batches, one for the adult taste and the other one for the kids.
The ratio of juice and vodka or distilled spirit is up to your discretion and I will not judge you for that…I decided to go with 1 part of vodka with 3 parts of juice. This jelly shots were a lot of fun! Next time, instead of using flavored red color gelatin, I will use fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries, pineapple…the kids love it!
Before I forget…
Happy Chinese New Year to all of you that celebrate! Now, back to the recipe… Ingredients:
Red color flavored gelatin of your preference, 3 oz Any light color juice, I used Trader’s Joe White grape at least 16 oz 2 envelopes of Knox gelatin, unflavored Vodka, flavored vodka or any other distilled spirit
Method:
For the red color gelatin, follow the instruction described on the box of the gelatin and refrigerate in a square or rectangular container, with approximately ¼ inch depth. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Two hours later or next day, prepare the juice gelatin.
Pour approximately 4 oz of the juice of your preference in a bowl and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the juice and let it stand a minute or so, until all the gelatin has been absorbed by the juice.
Heat up the remaining juice, pour the hot juice over the gelatin and stir until is completely dissolved. The liquid should be clear without any particles.
In case you prefer to add vodka, replace juice with whatever amount of vodka or distilled spirit of your preference. I added 12 oz of juice and 4 oz of pear flavored vodka.
Set the juice gelatin until totally cold. In the meantime, remove the flavored red gelatin and place in a warm water bath to release the gelatin from the container. Flip the gelatin into a flat surface and with the help of a cookie cutter, cut the gelatin and gently place the red gelatin molds into a container that you want your final gelatin.
Once you finish all the cutting, gently pour the cold juice gelatin over the mold and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
To serve, place the gelatin in a warm water bath, and flip on a plate.
Serve cold.
Did you know that some scientists claim that gelatin can promote joint health? Moreover, there are some scientific evidences that gelatin taken orally can benefit fingernail and even prevent hair loss in men and women.
Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!
Almond Cookies These cookies are great, they are crusty on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. You will need only 4 ingredients, it is dairy and gluten free…and so simple to make. The ingredients are the same as for marzipan or almond paste, only in different ratio.
I love these cookies at any time with coffee, tea or just as a little snack. They make awesome little gifts, especially during this time of the year.
Ingredients:
14 oz blanched almond 1 ½ cup powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar 1 egg white 2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg yolk from the egg white used above (store in the refrigerator) Method:
To blanch the almonds, place almonds in a bowl and pour boiling water to cover the almonds. Let the almond sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the water and rinse under cold water. Drain the almonds and slip the skin off. Let them dry completely using.
Place the almond in the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times until fine ground. Add the sugar and continuo to pulse until finely ground. Add the egg white and the almond extract, pulse again until a ball forms (sort of).
Remove the ball from the food processor bowl and make a ball. Split the ball into two pieces and wrap the one and set aside.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. Set aside. With the other one, make a ball and roll with a roller pin into about ½ in thickness. Cut out the dough with the cutter of your choice, make it small, and set them o the baking sheet, just a little apart of each other. Repeat with the second ball of dough. Once all the dough is cut out, uncovered 6 to 7 hours or overnight.
After the cookies have set and dried out, preheat the oven to 400F.
Gently mix the egg yolk and brush the cookies with it. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes until the top slightly golden.
Let them cool on the wire rack and store in an airtight container.
If you enjoy this simple recipe for Almond Cookies you might want to check on the Roasted Cinnamon Almond from Color Your Recipes.
Did you know that almonds are rich in vitamins and minerals? Almonds are cholesterol free and contain unsaturated fat, which can help reduce your risk for cardiovascular disease.
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Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the longest time I wanted to bake using browned butter…and did not know what to bake until I thought…why not use the brown of the butter for the chocolate chips cookie? And it was exactly what I did. I just could not believe the aroma that came from browning the butter…I felt like drinking the melted butter…of course I did not, but the smell was very inviting. It is a very simple recipes, very similar to the recipe of my chocolate chips cookies (well, I did not have enough brown sugar, so completer with what I had with regular sugar) and added an extra step for browning the butter, but let me tell you, well worth the extra pan that I had to wash.
Before I forget, I just added a new page, TRAVEL. There you can find pictures from our recent travels, if you are interested in seeing it…be warned, it is kind of long, so get some popcorn and a drink
Now back to the recipe…
Ingredients:
½ cup (1 stick) butter 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 1 large egg 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda 2/3 cup chocolate chips 2/3 cup chopped walnut
Method:
Place the butter in a small pan on medium heat. Let the butter melt by stirring frequently, once the butter melts and begins to foam, continue to cook until brown specks start to form. Be careful so you do not burn it. The butter will have a wonderful nutty aroma. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.
Preheat oven to 3500F degrees.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer cream together the browned butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Combine dry ingredients to the creamed butter. Stir in the chocolate chips and the walnut. With the help of two spoons, spoon the dough on to a wax paper, cover cookie sheet or a silicone mate, 1 inch apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or just until edges are slightly brown.
Makes two dozen cookies.
Did you know that browned butter is “beurre noisette” in French? It means hazelnut butter and it is often used in French pastry production. The process of browning the butter starts with placing the butter in heat until the butter melts and begins to foam. The color will be from a yellow to golden tan to a toasty brown. Brown butter is very versatile and can be used wherever butter is used.
Thank you for stopping by Simple Recipes and have a great week!
Simple Flan I know, I know there are hundreds of recipes for flan and here I am sharing another one…but trust me, this recipe is very simple and only requires a few ingredients. Moreover, I can assure you that whoever tries this flan will fall in love with it. It is not overwhelmingly sweet and the texture is silky and creamy. There are no words to describe it! It is true that it is loaded of calories, but we need to indulge ourselves once in a while right?
You can bake the flan in small size ramekins or when going to a potluck, I like to bake the flan in a pyrex form. Everytime that I am going to a potluck party and do not know what to bring…or do not feel like cooking/baking…flan is the solution. It is simple,easy and enjoyed by all…Okay, enough of bragging about this flan, let’s go to the ingredients and method.
Ingredients:
Caramel ½ cup sugar Enough water to dissolve the sugar, approximately ¼ cup
Flan 1 can of condensed milk (NOT evaporated milk) 3 cans of skim milk (measured by the condensed milk can) 5 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Method:
Caramel
In a small pan place the water and the sugar, mix until the sugar is dissolved. Boil the sugar mix until the water is totally evaporated and the sugar is thick and brown. Do not mix while it is cooking otherwise the sugar will crystallize. Carefully pour the caramelized sugar into the ramekins and gently rotate the ramekin so the caramel is evenly spread. Let the sugar cool down and set the ramekins aside.
Flan
In a blender add all the ingredients listed under “flan”, make sure that it is well mixed. Pour into the ramekins where the brown sugar is already hard. The flan mixture will be liquidy at this stage. Bake the flan in water-bath (banho-maria in Portuguese) for approximately 1 to 1 ½ at 275F. The top will be slightly golden and when gently shaken, the flan in ramekins will feel settled.
Let it cool completely and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Before serving, place a plate larger on top of the ramekin and in one movement, flip the ramekin carefully on a plate. Tap on the ramekin a couple of time and the flan will slide on the plate together with the caramel sauce
Garnish as desired and serve.
If you enjoy this simple flan recipe you might want to check on a richer version of flan recipe.
Did you know that flan recipes are found as far back as ancient Rome and is was originally a savory dish? The word “flan” is derived from the Latin “flado”, which means flat cake.
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