Technicolor Kitchen - English version

The posters for “Nymphomaniac” were released days ago and everyone is talking about them; I have zero interest in watching the movie because I did not like “Antichrist” and “Melancholia”. Many people I know tell me I should watch “Dancer in the Dark” because they’re sure I would love it but I really don’t feel like it – those other two movies made me quit Lars Von Trier, if not for good, for a real long time. The same happened with Michael Haneke – I felt so sick and miserable after watching “Funny Games U.S.” that up to this day I haven’t watched “Amour” yet – and several people I know have told me that the movie is great and that they’re sure I would love it, but I guess I’ll wait another couple of years to do that as I have the feeling I’ll cry my eyes out with Emmanuelle Riva.

While I’ll avoid those directors’ films like the plague, there are others whose work drawn me immediately (can’t wait to watch “Girl Gone” and “The Wolf of Wall Street”, for example). And when it comes to baking the feeling is the same: I shy away from Jamie Oliver’s baking recipes most of times (that banana bread scarred me for life), while I’ll gladly try any recipe by Martha Stewart – they work every time and taste great. Here, I’ve paired Martha’s lemon cake with another baking force’s frangipane filling, the amazing Flo Braker, and it was a match made in food heaven: the cake turned out delicious and moist. One piece of advice, though: just make sure both the bowl you’re mixing the batter in and the Bundt pan are big enough because this cake is huge. :)

Frangipane ripple lemon cake
adapted from two great sources: Martha Stewart's Cakes and Baking for All Occasions

Frangipane filling:
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
½ cup almond paste – I used homemade, recipe here
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened

Cake:
3 cups (420g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 ¼ cups (450g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of 3 large lemons
1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons limoncello (optional; if using, add another tablespoon of flour to the 3 cups listed on the recipe)
6 large eggs
1 cup sour cream*
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Make the filling: in a food processor, combine the almond meal, almond paste and sugar and process until well mixed. Add the egg and butter and process until smoothly blended. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cake batter (my food processor is broken, so I made the filling using an electric mixer).

Now, the cake: preheat oven to 180°C/350°C. Butter and flour a standard 12-cup Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar and zest on medium-high until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; mix in lemon juice, vanilla and limoncello (if using).
With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture in three parts and sour cream in two, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix just until incorporated (do not overmix).
Remove the frangipane from the refrigerator. Spoon about 2 cups of the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Spoon half of the frangipane in dollops over the center of the batter, and then spread it over the cake batter avoiding the center tube and sides of the pan. Spoon half of the remaining batter evenly over the filling. Spoon the remaining frangipane over the batter, spreading it evenly. Spread the remaining batter over the top and spread evenly.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 55-60 minutes (if cake browns too quickly, tent loosely with aluminum foil). Let cake cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. (To store, wrap cake in plastic, and keep at room temperature, up to 3 days.) Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

* homemade sour cream: to make 1 cup of sour cream, mix 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream with 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk until it starts to thicken. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 1 hour or until thicker (I usually leave mine on the counter overnight – except on very warm nights – and it turns out thick and silky in the following morning; refrigerate for a creamier texture)

Serves 10-12

Sometimes I get mad at things that usually do not bother other people; for instance, I hate it that some incredible movies go straight to DVD here in Brazil, after I’d waited forever to see them on the big screen: that has happened quite frequently lately – “Take Shelter”, “Jane Eyre”, among others – and it was the case with “Hanna”. It is such a shame that not many people have heard of such an amazing film: brilliant script, great music, and the cast...

* spoilers *

Cate Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses – I love how versatile she is, and here, as one of the villains, she’s fabulous: the tone of her voice, the color of her hair, the way her eyes move... Fantastic. Eric Bana proves that good looks and talent can go hand in hand: he won my heart a long time ago playing the Hulk – I know that not everyone liked Ang Lee’s version of the hero, but I did; Bana played Banner as a very contained man, which is the perfect counterpoint to his explosive alter ego. He’s played a perfect Henry VIII and will play another King – I’m looking forward to it. Tom Hollander, so brilliantly playing a villain that looks he has come out of a cheap 1970s movie. And Saoirse Ronan... she’s the soul of the movie and having watched “Atonement” and “The Lovely Bones” I expected a lot from her, but she transcends as Hanna – the physicality of the role seems to be something quite difficult to accomplish, but what really stunned me was how perfectly she portrays Hanna’s emotions, her discovery moments: the first time seeing a plane or listening to music – the way her eyes shine... Her performance is poetic.
I’ve been telling everyone I know to watch “Hanna” as soon as possible and now I am telling you, too. :)

***

I really don’t mind doing the dishes but I hate washing the food processor parts: I usually cut my fingers while washing the blade and that sucks. Therefore, when I grab the food processor to make pastry, sweet or savory, I double the amount and freeze some – that is what I did when I made the chocolate crème brûlée tartlets, and a couple of weekends after that I used the frozen amount to make these delicious frangipane tartlets, courtesy of the always wonderful Jamie Oliver.

Cherry jam frangipane tartlets
slightly adapted from the amazing Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes: A Revolutionary Approach to Cooking Good Food Fast (mine was bought aqui)

6 small deep shortcrust pastry cases*
1 egg
1 cup (100g) almond meal
100g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
finely grated zest of ½ orange
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup cherry jam, or your favorite flavor

Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Put the 6 pastry cases on a baking tray. In a medium bowl, make the frangipane: combine the egg, almond meal, butter, sugar, zest and vanilla and mix everything together. Spoon a small teaspoon of jam into each pastry base. Top with a heaped teaspoon of frangipane, add another small teaspoon of jam, then finally another heaped teaspoon of frangipane. Put the tray in the oven on the middle shelf and bake until the filling is puffed and golden, about 20 minutes
Serve them warm or at room temperature, with whipped cream or crème fraîche.

* I used this recipe to make the tartlet cases; baked them in 1/3-cup (80ml) capacity muffin pans (as described here) and got 8 tartlet cases; I halved the recipe above and it was enough for the 8 tartlet cases

Makes 6

I love almonds – they’re my favorite nut. But for far too long I avoided recipes that called for almond paste because I’ve never seen the ingredient around here. Then it suddenly hit me: if I made eggnog from scratch for a pound cake recipe, why not almond paste? I do not know why it took my brain so long to come to that conclusion. :)

The homemade almond paste – recipe from this gorgeous book – is smooth, delicious and can be kept in the freezer for a good while. And if you’re not convinced of making your own almond paste yet, take a look at this chocolate cake. ;)

Speaking of avoiding things, I’ve heard some people are avoiding "The Artist" because it’s: a) a silent movie, b) a b&w movie, c) a silent and b&w movie. I feel sorry for those people, really do. Because they’re missing a spectacular film, so beautifully made, with fantastic performances – I left the theater completely in love with both Berenice Bejo and Jean Dujardin – and a great story. Something I’d never seen before, so moving and entertaining at the same time. But what do I know, right? I’m just a girl who likes to bake (frangipane ripple) cakes. :)

Frangipane ripple chocolate pound cake
from the always delicious and never failing Baking for All Occasions

Frangipane filling:
1/3 cup (33g) almond meal
½ cup almond paste – I used homemade, recipe follows
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened

Cake:
260g cake flour*
¾ cup (68g) unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
280g (10oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (240ml) whole milk, room temperature

Make the frangipane: in a food processor, combine the almond meal, almond paste and sugar and process until well mixed. Add the egg and butter and process until smoothly blended. Cover and refrigerate while you make the cake batter.
Make the cake: preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C/325°F if the pan has a dark finish). Butter and flour a 10-cup capacity Bundt pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
In the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Gradually add the sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. On medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. On the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Scrape the sides of the bowl again.
Remove the frangipane from the refrigerator. Spoon about 2 cups of the cake batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly. Spoon half of the frangipane in dollops over the center of the batter, and then spread it over the cake batter avoiding the center tube and sides of the pan. Spoon about 1 ½ cups of the batter evenly over the filling. Spoon the remaining frangipane over the batter, spreading it evenly. Spread the remaining batter over the top and spread evenly.
Bake the cake for about 60 minutes or until risen, the top springs back when lightly touched and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 15-20 minutes, then carefully unmold onto the rack. Cool completely.
Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 12-15

Homemade almond paste
from the beautiful Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Traditions from Around the World

1 cup (100g) ground almonds
1/3 cup (46g) confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg white, lightly whisked
½ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Let paste come to room temperature before using it.

Makes ¾ cup dense, smooth paste

Trying to organize – at least a little – my CD collection I found this CD: I bought it in 1996 because of 3-4 songs but a couple of days later all the tracks had become favorites of mine – and still are. I absolutely love Erasure and even though I hadn’t listened to this CD in several months I instantly started singing along each and every song.

That kind of feeling is what made me want so badly to cook or bake something from "Feast" – despite having bought the book in 2007 I don’t use it very often, but I get something delicious every time I do; These bars are no exception.

Bakewell slice
from Feast: Food to Celebrate Life

Base:
1 ½ cups + 1 tablespoon (220g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (47g) icing sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup (226g/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and chopped

Frangipane filling:
2/3 cup (150g/1 1/3 sticks) unsalted butter
4 eggs
¾ cup (150g) superfine sugar
1 ½ cups (150g) almond meal
2/3 cup (80g) flaked almonds
1 heaping cup jam

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x30cm (8x12in) metal baking pan, line with foil, leaving an overhang in two opposite sides. Butter the foil as well.
Start with the base: put the flour, icing sugar and salt into a food processor and blitz to combine and remove any lumps. Add the butter and process again to get a crumbly mixture that’s beginning to come together. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press into the base of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Make the topping: melt the butter and set aside. Put the eggs, sugar and almond meal into the bowl of the food processor. Process until smooth.
Lightly toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan. Set aside.
When the base is cooked, remove it from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Spread the jam evenly over the base. With the processor motor running, pour the slightly cooled melted butter down the funnel into the other ingredients and process until smooth. Pour it over the jam layer and top with the toasted almonds. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan, over a wire rack. Cut into slices to serve – it’s best warm, but it tastes delicious at room temperature as well.

Makes 16

I have the terrible habit of watching movie trailers way before they premiere only to get anxious for months (depending on the movie it arrives here in Brazil months after their premiere in the U.S.). I know it’s self- inflicted pain, but I cannot help it. Luckily there are times when things can be done to ease the anxiety a little: I got so blown away by “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trailer that I began reading the book the day after that.
Just like these tartlets: I saw the recipe last Friday and baked them on Saturday morning. :)

Plum and frangipane tartlets
slightly adapted from here

Pastry:
2 2/3 cups (374g) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1 cup (2 sticks/226g) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
1 large egg
4 tablespoons ice-cold water

Frangipane:
200g unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200g) superfine sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups (200g) ground almonds

Filling:
5-6 ripe plums, each cut into eighths*, stones removed

To serve:
icing sugar, for dusting
whipped cream

For the pastry, place the flour and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and process in short bursts until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the water. With the motor running, add egg water mixture and process just until the dough comes together.
Turn it onto a large piece of plastic wrap, form into a disk and wrap well. Refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.
For the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Crack the eggs into the bowl one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the ground almonds and mix well until combined. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; lightly butter eight 8cm tartlet pans with removable bottoms. Roll dough thinly between two sheets of lightly floured baking paper – if dough gets too soft, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Line each tartlet pan with the dough and trim away any excess; prick the dough all over with a small fork and place the pans on a baking sheet.
Spoon the frangipane into the tart cases so that it comes about halfway up the sides**. Smooth over the surface with a spatula and cover the frangipane evenly with the plums.
Bake for 20-25minutes or until the pastry is crisp, filling is golden and the fruit is tender.
Remove the tartlets from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with whipped cream.

* I sliced each plum into sixteenths, so the slices would be thinner and more delicate; 3 plums were enough for 2/3 of this recipe
** there was ¼ cup of frangipane left, and I was very generous filling the tartlet cases with it

Makes 8 tartlets – I made 2/3 of the recipe above, used 9cm tartlet pans and got 12 tartlets

There’ someone you all know that is so obsessed with lemons that when she’s not making lemon cookies or lemon cakes there’s a lemon tart coming out of her oven. :D

Maybe because I am crazy for lemons I did not think this tart was lemony enough, but a friend of mine loved it and felt the lemon flavor even though I did not tell her there was any in the dessert. Now it’s up to you: if you’re like me, add a little lemon zest in the filling as well. ;)

Lemon frangipane tart
from Donna Hay magazine

Pastry:
1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoons (225g) all purpose flour
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (78g) icing sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon iced water

Filling:
100g unsalted butter, softened
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (112g) caster sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 ¼ cups (125g) almond meal (finely ground almonds)
¼ cup (35g) all purpose flour
¼ cup flaked almonds

Place the flour, butter, sugar, salt and zest in the bowl of a food processor. Process in short bursts until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
While the motor is running, add the egg yolks and water. Process just until the dough comes together. Turn dough into a lightly floured surface and gently bring together to form a ball. Using your hands, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll dough between two sheets of lightly floured baking paper – if dough gets too soft, refrigerate for 5 minutes. Line a lightly buttered 22cm loose-bottomed tart pan with the pastry. Trim edges with a knife and prick the base with a fork. Freeze for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Line the pastry with a piece of buttered foil and fill with baking weights/dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, carefully remove the weights/beans and the foil, then bake for another 10 minutes or until the pastry is light golden.
Make the filling: place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the egg and egg yolk and beat until smooth. Stir through the almond meal and flour until well combined. Spoon mixture into pastry case and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the almonds and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the filling has puffed and turned golden. Allow to cool in the pan.

Serves 6-8 – I made 2/3 of the recipe above and used a 30x10cm (12x4in) pan

Paula has posted about something I completely relate to: the kitchen gadget addiction. I know that many of you reading me now can relate to it as well. :D
Inspired by her gorgeous chocolate tartelettes, I decided to put my tartlet pans into some good use, too.

My first thought was the strawberry tart my mom used to make for me as a kid – the filling is the one I used in this banana pie – but the idea of mixing frangipane and strawberries won me over.

Strawberry frangipane tartlets
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

Sweet pastry:
180g unsalted butter, at room temperature
40g pure icing sugar, sifted
2 egg yolks
250g all purpose flour

Frangipane:
125g icing sugar, sifted
125g almond meal
125g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
25g all purpose flour

Topping:
90g strawberry jam, thinned with water, plus extra to serve
1kg strawberries, hulled (4 punnets)*

For sweet pastry, beat butter in an electric mixer until even in texture (3-5 minutes). Add icing sugar and mix to just combine. Add egg yolks and 1 ½ tablespoons water and mix to combine. Sift flour onto a work surface and make a well in the centre. Add butter mixture to well and gradually work in flour to form a dough. Knead several times with the heel of your hand until smooth – I added 1 ½ tablespoons of flour here, because it was too sticky.
Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm (3-4 hours). Roll pastry on a floured surface (I did this between two sheets of baking paper) to 5mm thick and use to line six 12cm-diameter buttered tart pans or one 20cm-diameter tart pan. Prick dough with a fork and refrigerate until firm (2-3 hours).
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Using buttered foil, blind bake tartlets until golden (20-25 minutes). Remove foil and set aside.

For frangipane, combine icing sugar and almond meal in a bowl. Set aside. Beat butter in an electric mixer until fluffy (3-5 minutes). Add almond mixture and mix well to combine. Add eggs and yolk, then flour and mix to combine. Fill pastry shells with frangipane to 5mm from top (there may be some left over)**. Bake until golden and centre springs back when lightly touched (10-12 minutes; time may vary for 20cm tart). Allow to cool, then brush with jam.

Thinly slice strawberries lengthways, horizontally then divide among tartlets. Drizzle with extra jam and serve.

* I halved the recipe and 250g strawberries were enough

** I divided all the frangipane among the tartlets; it puffed while in the oven but didn’t spilled over

Makes 6 – I halved the recipe, used 9cm tart pans and got 8 tartlets