Flan à l’ananas

2 cups of milk
1 1/2 lb of canned pineapple cut into 1 inch wedges

3 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp of vanilla extract
2/3 cup of sugar
1 Tbsp of corn starch
2 Tbsp of heavy cream

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Scatter the pineapple wedges in a straight-sided 10 inch baking dish and bake them for 10 minutes or until dry.
  • Scald the milk over high heat. Cover and reserve.
  • Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, cornstarch and heavy cream.
  • Gradually add in the warm milk.
  • Pour the custard mixture over the pineapple wedges.
  • Bake until golden for about ?? hour.
  • Serve warm.
  • Praline can be sprinkled over the surface of the flan, about 10 minutes before the
  • end of cooking time, for additional flavor and decoration.

Flan

4 whole eggs
4 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla or vanilla beans

Caramel

1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water

  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Beat eggs lightly and mix with the sugar.
  • Scald the milk and add the vanilla beans. Set aside.
  • Make caramel: In flan dish put ?? cup of sugar and the water. Boil down until caramel is formed. Spread it around the dish.
  • Add the milk to the eggs and sugar and pour into the caramelized flan dish.
  • Cook at 350°F for 1 hour (bain marie) or until a knife inserted in the middle of the flan comes out clean.
  • You can decorate the flan with chantilly made with whipped cream and sugar.

Crème Opéra

Serve 8 to 10 people.

4 whole eggs
8 egg yolks
4 cups milk boiled
1/2 cup sugar + 2 Tbsps
1 vanilla bean

Caramel

1 cup of sugar
1 cup of water

  • Make caramel by boiling water and sugar together until golden brown.
  • Pour into a 8 cup ring mold and tilt the mold to coat the sides.

Decoration

1 cup of whipping cream
5 or 6 meringues, crushed
1 lb of large strawberries, sliced and macerated in rum

  • Preheat oven to 350°F
  • Warm the milk with the vanilla bean and leave to infuse for ?? hour.
  • Beat eggs and egg yolks lightly with the sugar
  • Add milk and strain, if necessary, into the caramel lined mold
  • Cook at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes (bain marie).
  • Cool completely, preferably overnight.
  • Turn the custard into a serving dish.
  • Whisk the cream until stiff and place half in a pastry bag with a small rosette tube.
  • Fold the crushed meringues into the remaining cream and put in the center of the custard.
  • Decorate with fresh strawberries and pipe stars of cream over the meringue and cream mixture.
  • Serve very cold.

Crème d’Homère

Use a 6 inch charlotte mold or soufflé dish.

1/2 cup of sugar
4 Tbsp of water
1 1/2 cups of sweet white wine

Generous 1/3 cup of clear honey
Pinch of cinnamon, and a strip of lemon peel
6 eggs

  • Preheat oven to 325°F
  • Place the sugar and water in a small pan or directly in your charlotte mold if it can bear the direct heat.
  • Boil the syrup until it turns a rich brown.
  • Tilt the mold carefully to coat the sides. Be careful, as the mold gets very hot.
  • Put the wine in a pan with the honey, cinnamon and lemon peel.
  • Heat slowly until the honey has dissolved completely. Allow to cool slightly.
  • Beat the eggs lightly, then pour the honey mixture on to them whisking all the time.
  • Pour into the caramel lined mold.
  • Stand the mold in a bain marie and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  • To test if the mixture is cooked, insert a knife that should come out clean.
  • Allow to cool in the mold and when completely cool, turn out into a serving dish

Crème brûleé

Like just about everything in cooking, the success of this Burnt Cream depends on the quality of the ingredients. If you can, buy farm eggs and really good cream.

1 quart of heavy cream
1/2 cup of sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp of vanilla extract (you can also used 1 vanilla bean)
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar

  • Preheat the oven to 300° F
  • Prepare a large tray or roasting pan that can accommodate 6 shallow baking dishes.
  • If vanilla bean is used, cut it lengthwise and scrape out the tiny black seeds and combine with the cream in a heavy saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil, remove from the heat and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.
  • If vanilla extract is used, mix it with the sugar in a medium-size bowl and combine with the egg yolks. Set aside.
  • In the meantime scald the milk. Add it slowly to the egg yolk mixture.
  • Pour the cream and egg yolk mixture into the shallow baking dishes.
  • After putting the tray in the preheated oven, add enough boiling water to the tray to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. This is called a bain-marie.
  • Bake for ?? hour or until the mixture is set in the center but still trembling.
  • Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  • Remove from the refrigerator; sieve the brown sugar evenly over the top of the baked cream.
  • Glaze under the broiler until the sugar forms a crust. Stay close to be ready to remove it as soon as needed.
  • Return the custards to the refrigerator for 15 minutes before serving.

Cigarettes

5 Tbsp of butter softened
1/2 cup of sugar + 1 Tbsp
4 large egg whites
2/3 cup of flour
1 tsp of vanilla extract

  • Mix sugar and butter together
  • Slowly add the egg whites without beating
  • Sift the flour in the mixture
  • Add vanilla and refrigerate for 5 minutes
  • Prepare a pastry bag with the large tube and fill with the batter from the refrigerator
  • Preheat oven at 400 °F
  • Spread small circles on a greased cookie sheet leaving plenty of room for spreading.
  • Bang the cookie sheet on a hard surface to flatten the batter
  • Cook until brown around the edges

Tuiles

6 ounces of sliced and blanched almonds (150 g)
1/2 cup & 3 Tbsp sugar
2 large egg whites
1 whole egg
2 Tbsp of flour

  • Preheat oven at 400°F
  • Mix the egg and the egg whites without beating. Add the sugar and the almonds.
  • Gently mix in the flour.
  • Let rest 20 minutes
  • Line a large cookie sheet with butter and flour.
  • Drop a tablespoon of mixture on the cookie sheet for each cookie. Leave plenty of space in between.
  • With the back of a fork spread the almonds flat to keep the cookies very thin.
  • Bake at 400°F until brown.
  • Gently lift the soft cookies with a wide spatula and put them on any round surface to cool. This gives them their shape (french bread pans are ideal cooling racks).

Mon gateau au chocolat

Serves 8 to 10.

12 oz of bittersweet chocolate (preferably Lindt or Tobler)
2/3 cup of unsalted butter
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
5 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup of unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp of confectioner’s sugar for decoration

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
  • Combine the chocolate, butter and granulated sugar in the top of a double boiler placed over simmering water.
  • Melt over medium heat, stirring until the ingredients are blended.
  • Set the mixture aside to cool.
  • Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate. Whisk in the flour.
  • Beat the egg whites in a large bowl just until they form firm peaks; do not overbeat.
  • Add one third of the egg whites to the chocolate batter and mix vigorously.
  • Gently fold in the remaining whites. Do not overmix, but be sure no streaks of whites remain.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until cake is firm and springy, about 35 to 40 minutes.
  • Cool on a rack for several hours before unmolding.
  • This cake is traditionally served without icing. But, you may dust it with confectioner’s sugar for a finishing touch.

Mami’s Cheesecake

Crust

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup of soft butter

  • Mix well and put it in the bottom of a spring form pan
  • Press for firm crust

Filling

24 ounces soft cream cheese (3 packages)
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
2+ tsp of vanilla
1 tsp almond extract

  • Cream together until well mixed
  • Add the four eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg
  • Add vanilla and almond extract
  • Pour into pie crust and bake 45 minutes at 350°F or until firm
  • Take out of the oven and let cool for 15 minutes
  • Turn oven to 450°F

Cake topping

2 cups of sour cream
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
a bit of almond extract

  • Mix well
  • Spread on cake and bake 10 minutes in the 450°F oven
  • Pass knife around edge of spring form pan before unmolding
  • Serve with cherries jubilee, raspberries, raspberry coulis, or strawberries

Raspberry coulis

Raspberry coulis can be make with one package of frozen raspberries, the strained
juice of one lemon, and half a cup of sugar. Run in food processor and pass through a
fine sieve.

Apple Crisp

Granny Smith apples
1 stick of butter
2 handfuls of cornflakes
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 Tbsp of cinnamon in water (to make a paste)
Then, up to a 1/4 cup of water

  • Drop cinnamon mix on rough cut Granny Smith apples, and mix well
  • Drop apples into the pan, then top with cornflakes and brown sugar
  • Then cut 1 stick of butter in small pieces over the top
  • Cook at 375F for about 45 mins; it should be crisp on top, with the apples partially melted