Tag Archives: blog

Apple braid puff

Posted on March 9, 2015 | 2 comments

Following the pear tart i made two weeks ago, i found myself exploring more fillings for the puff pastry. Having the dough ready made (knowing that It’s not difficult to make at all, but time consuming), It doesn’t need too much pastry skills, it just takes someone who loves “les viennoiseries”.

This apple braid is the kind of sweet that i like albeit not too sweet. The combination apple cinnamon has it all!

To make this braid you need:

400g puff pastry
2 red apples (gala), core removed, washed and sliced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Mix apple with sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and set aside. Preheat oven to 180°C.

Roll the pastry dough into a 30 cm x 30 cm square. Lightly divide it (without cutting) into 3 equal rectangles. Using a rotary cutter or simply the pizza cutter cut about eight strips, on the side rectangles. Leave the center rectangle intact. Remove the corner sections from each of the 4 corners strips.

Spread the apple cinnamon in the center section of the pastry. Fold the top flap down over the filling. Start by folding the top right strip over the filling slightly diagonal and press lightly to adhere. Then fold the top left stripe in the same manner. Repeat with the remaining strips until you reach the end, but before folding the last two strips make sure you folded the bottom flap.

Whisk the egg with one tbsp of cold water and brush the top of the braid then sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 20 mns or until golden and flaky.

This pretty braid is served any time of the day, for breakfast or dessert, warm or cold, with juice or even ice cream.

If you like this post give it some likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More posts yet to come, stay tuned!

2 Comments

Posted in dessert

Tagged apple, apple cinnamon, blog, braid, cinnamon, how to do, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pastry dough, puff pastry, recipe

Romano and pineapple salad

Posted on February 19, 2015 | 1 comment

I heart salads! It’s my staple option at any time of the day. Salads are so versatile, catering to all tastes and satisfying the cravings.

I believe there is no single ingredient from the food pyramid you can’t stir in. Personally i like adding fruits and nuts.

For this fool proof salad you need (yield 2-3 portions):

mix green leaf (arugula, red oak, green oak and frisé), 200g
handful walnut
shaved aged romano cheese, about 50 g
3-4 slices fresh pineapple

You can use any type of green leaf of your choice. If you’re not fan of the sharp and piquant flavor of aged romano cheese, you can replace it with parmesan and it can still do the balance with the pineapple.

For the dressing you need:

3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp brown sugar

Isn’t so inviting? Indulge in this healthy and succulent dish and do not hesitate to unleash your creativity to come up with your own signature salad.

1 Comment

Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged blog, blogger, brown sugar, dressing, green leaf, green leaves, how to do, jaymmy, lemon, marmite et ponpon, mayonnaise, orange, pineapple, recipe, romano cheese, salad, walnut

Pear cannelle puff pastry tart

Posted on February 5, 2015 | 3 comments

It’s not so hard to live a delicious life. Not all seductive deserts need a lot of efforts, skills, ingredients or money. This impressive tart is served on your table in less than 20 minutes and cost me only 5$

This is my favorite desert, every time we dine at Paul, there is a small place reserved in my stomach for a pear cannelle tart. I am not a sweet lover, but this tart is exactly what i fancy; balanced flavors and not too much sweet. I decided to make it myself at home, the result was too much to resist!

For this quick and easy desert you need:

1 sheet of puff pastry (to fit a pan of 22cm)
3 pears sliced
2 tbsp or almost 30g butter melted
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven on 180ºC. Lay the puff pastry sheet in the pan and torn the edges.

Combine the butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon, mixing well. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the top of the puff pastry.

Layer the pear slices on top of the puff pastry covering all the surface. Brush the top of the pears with the remaining butter mixture, and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Trust me your house will be full of aroma, so tempting to abstain yourself from. I was thinking how to resist having my first piece until i take pictures for the post.

This is my piece

this is 10 seconds later

And this is my second one 🙂 Try it warm or cold at any time of the day!

3 Comments

Posted in dessert

Tagged blog, brown sugar, cannelle, cinnamon, how to do, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pear, puff pastry, recipe, tart, vanilla extract

Savory spinach feta cheese quiche and a must have crust recipe (pâte brisée)

Posted on January 29, 2015 | 7 comments

Pâte brisée is a rich buttery and crumbly texture crust made with just 5 ingredients; Butter, flour, salt, sugar and ice water. The high ratio of butter to flour gives the pastry its crumbly texture. This dough is ideal for savory pies, tarts and quiches. It can be made by hand or food processor, but the most important is to not over or under work the dough beside using cold butter and cold water.

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
220g high quality unsalted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup ice water

Mix dry ingredients, add the butter already cut in small cubes and pulse (or mix by hands) until it just started to come together then add the ice water slowly to bind the ingredients together. Do not over work, you are not aiming to form a solid ball of dough here.

I admit it took me time to master this shortcrust dough, it’s a bit tricky and i know lots of you prefer buying it ready made. But trust me when you avoid these two mistakes you will enjoy making it at home. Two problems lead to failure:

If you over work the butter into the flour, it will cause the butter to coat the flour that will not absorb enough water, resulting a fragile dough that breaks apart.
If you under work the butter into the flour, too much water will be needed to get the ingredients come together. Here we have a tough dough because too much gluten was formed.

Let your dough rest in the fridge for an hour, this will allow the gluten in the flour to relax and the butter to chill. Roll it out about 2cm larger than your pan and gently lay it in the pan (I used a 28 cm pan) and trim the excess on the edges. Pinch it with a fork before baking!

Today i am baking spinach feta cheese quiche, for this you need:

600g chopped spinach
200g feta cheese
1 cup cream
1 big onion diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onion with olive oil until tender and fragrant. Add the chopped spinach (thawed if frozen) and cook together for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cream and combine all well. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper then add to the mix.

I like to precook the crust for 15 minutes on 180ºC before pouring the mix on it. Once it’s spread evenly, sprinkle on top the feta cheese. Bake for 30 minutes on 180ºC or until the skewer comes out clean.

Bon appetit!

7 Comments

Posted in main dish

Tagged all purpose flour, blog, feta, ingredients, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pate brisee, quiche, recipe, savory, shortcrust dough, spinach, unsalted butter

The Horse – personalized baby welcoming decorations

Posted on January 22, 2015 | 4 comments

The blessing that i’ve been waiting for is just here, before time, in a hurry as much as i was to be promoted to aunt. A bundle of joy arrived to fill our family with love, a best friend to my son.
Congratulations to proud new parents George and Desi, may this miracle be the beginning of many more to come.
I always wondered how could my heart be enough to hold many big loves, certainly i need a second one. But the truth is you made my heart bigger, my precious nephew Markus.

Power, grace, beauty, nobility, strength and freedom are the common symbolic meaning of the horse in different cultures. Green promotes balance, harmony and growth. A beautiful combination to welcome a more beautiful Markus.

If you are expecting a baby in 2015, year of the horse (chinese astrology), let your welcome be as meaningful and special as the symbol of the horse.

You can implement the horse on bigger scale to create a simple yet elegant welcome door sign. The sky is the limit, you can be as creative as you wish and add many items as per your taste.