Few things woo me back into the kitchen like candy making. Not only is it fun and delicious, when making candy I always have this devious, subversive feeling come over me. As though I've thwarted some natural law by bringing the special, highly rationed substance CANDY into existence with my own humble hands.

I've gone totally scatterbrained in the kitchen. I'm starting to cook like my sister, who is famous in the family for baking purple chocolate chip cookies without the aid of any food coloring. How exactly that happened remains a mystery.

I can't seem to read recipes correctly. I find myself omitting key ingredients and steps. My custards magically curdle, my ganaches crack, I neglect to remove the desiccant packet from freeze dried fruits before grinding them.

I'm spacing out, putting things in the freezer that should be in the refrigerator and vice versa.

I think I ruined a 3lb box of cream cheese...

Happy Monday, everyone!

We're making candy today, and unlike last week's marshmallows these are vegan/vegetarian friendly. Fruit gelées is something that I've long wanted to make for the blog but it involves one rather pesky ingredient: Pectin.

Since not all pectins are created equal, you often see recipes will call for a specific brand or type (like apple) when making gelées. Rarely does one find a recipe that calls for a generic powdered fruit pectin, the type one might find at a corner grocery store. And of course, using gelatin as the gelling agent was off the table, as it doesn't produce the ideal texture in these fruit candies.



What I needed was a reliable recipe that had a chance of working with ordinary powdered fruit pectin and finally, I've found one to share with everyone today.

I'm not sure about other food-bloggers, but I am always on the lookout for new cookbooks.

After spending 5-6 hours a day in the kitchen, I often need something new and exciting to drag me in again the next day. New cookbooks keep me inspired, baking and blogging.

Every now and then, I stumble across a really unique cookbook, one that will be supplying today's recipe. The simply titled "Marshmallows: Homemade Gourmet Treats".

Chocolate again today! In fact, we're making candy bars at the Humble household.

Over the last year I've noticed an increasing number of custom candy bars being offered online. Candy makers have finally put a choke hold on chocolate lovers by offering to craft their ultimate, personal chocolate bar. Who can resist that?

Chocolate, any way YOU want it. To think, for so many years I raged at the world for denying my cravings for chocolate with chili and gummy bears. Now the retail market is finally reaching out to me and my bizarre cravings.

Of course, making personalized chocolate bars is something that we've had the ability to do for ages. It doesn't require a lot of specialized equipment, just a little time, a lot of chocolate and a dash of know-how.


S'mores Chocolate Bars
this should yield 2-3 bars, depending on your mold's dimensions
1/2 pound milk chocolate
1 jar marshmallow fluff
dozen graham crackers

Special tools:
chocolate bar mold
kitchen torch (optional)

The first thing you need to do when making candy bars is temper the chocolate. This is where the science comes in. When you buy a good quality bar of chocolate or a molded chocolate from a candy shop you'll notice it has a nice hard, glossy finish and will break with a clean snap. Tempering is the process that creates this finish. Without it, you'll have a whole host of problems: The chocolate may never set up at room temperature. It may become hard but will look dull and blotchy. You can have blooms of fats and sugar on the surface of the candy. Worst of all, the chocolate might not pop out of your mold.

That's bad.

To prevent this you need to coax the cocoa fats into a specific structure that stabilizes the chocolate. This is done by regulating the chocolate's temperature and rather than write endlessly on how to do this, I'm going to post a video and then go do some laundry. Blogger cop-out for sure, but hey... I don't have any clean towels.





Thank you Jacques!

So, once you have your bowl of tempered chocolate you're ready to start candy making. The easiest method of making custom candy bars is to fill the mold 3/4's full and then poke any dried fruits, nuts, confections, cookies, cereals etc into the wet chocolate and allow to set.

So if this method of making the candy bars seems a little overwhelming or bothersome, you can still jab mini marshmallows and graham cracker chunks into the chocolate to make a simplified version of this candy bar.

Now onto making this S'mores Candy bar:



Ladle in the tempered chocolate and fill the mold. Grab a chef knife or large spatula (the sort you use to frost cakes) Turn the mold over the bowl and tap the back of the mold with the back of your chef's knife to remove the excess chocolate. This will create a hollow chocolate shell to contain all the s'more goodness. Allow the remaining chocolate in the mold to set until firm and glossy.


Meanwhile, spoon your marshmallow cream onto a plate or bowl and grab your kitchen torch. Toast the surface of the cream and then stir. Repeat several times until the cream has the flavor of toasted marshmallow. (You should be able to get the same effect using your oven's broiler, just watch it carefully.)

Allow the marshmallow cream to cool completely before the next step.



Spread a layer of cream into your set chocolate mold. Press a single layer of graham crackers down onto the cream.

Pour a layer of tempered chocolate on top to seal the candy bar. Tap the bar on the counter to release any air bubbles and then scrape off the excess with the back of a chef's knife.



Allow the chocolate to set completely before un-molding. Breaking and eating.

Enjoy!

Yesterday was a marathon of cooking, cleaning, and candy making. All to recreate a dessert I enjoyed while in London.

I admit it requires some effort to make all the components from scratch, but is was worth it. Honeycomb ice cream is awesome. Or, as it is called in New Zealand, Hokey Pokey. Over in my neck of the woods, the Hokey Pokey is a dance for the young and uncoordinated. I think I prefer the ice cream version as, unlike the dance, there are few embarrassing memories associated with the ice cream.

For anyone unfamiliar with honeycomb or hokey pokey ice cream, it contains bits of a light airy toffee. This gives the ice cream a wonderful caramel crunch. With the cookies and a drizzle of caramel sauce, it is even better.

I'm going to help myself to a bowl later today. After I go be an adult and take on the laundry monster. (sigh)

So today's dessert is made up of four parts.

1. Honeycomb candy
2. Vanilla Ice Cream
3. Butter Cookies
4. Caramel Sauce

If making each component from scratch seems overwhelming, that's okay. Even writing out the instructions for all this seems a little overwhelming. So, do feel free to substitute danish butter cookies, store bought caramel sauce or even good quality vanilla ice cream. After all, you can always sprinkle the candy on top of your scoops.

You can also pace yourself and make some of the components in advance. The butter cookie dough can be kept chilled or frozen before slicing and baking and the caramel keeps well in the refrigerator.

So, lets get down to this monster post, starting with the honeycomb candy...

Some recipes for this candy use a lot of of honey. However all that fructose will make the candy hopelessly hygroscopic (it will absorb a ton of moisture from the air and turn quickly into a sticky mess). The amount of honey called for here isn't much, but it provides a good balance of flavor for the candy-chemistry trade-offs. It won't turn to goo and you'll still be able to smell the warm honey throughout the cooking process and you will taste it when you are finished.

Honeycomb candy
yields enough to make your dentist send me hate mail
400g granulated sugar
20g honey
30g light corn syrup (or invert/golden syrup)
80g water
1 tablespoon baking soda

Ready a heat safe pan with a little nonstick spray.

Combine the sugar, honey, light corn syrup and water in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling stop stirring and wash down the sides of the pot with a damp pastry brush. Continue to cook over medium-low heat until the sugar begins to caramelize (turn a light blond color). Cook until it darkens just a little bit (a light gold color). Watch it carefully, if it gets too dark your candy will be bitter.


Add the baking soda and mix quickly using a whisk. The candy is going to foam up and triple in volume. Working quickly, pour the fluffy mixture into your prepared pan.



Allow it to cool completely before breaking and storing in an air tight container.




Vanilla Ice Cream with Honeycomb
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
1 cup (250ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
2 cups (500ml) heavy cream
pinch of salt
1 good quality (moist) vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
6 large egg yolks
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup crushed honeycomb candy

In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, 1 cup (250ml) of the cream and the salt. Place the pan over medium heat. Cook until very warm but not boiling. Add the seeds of the vanilla bean and the bean itself to the pot. Cover and remove from heat. Allow the mixture to steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Whisk the 6 egg yolks together in a medium bowl. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the medium sauce pan and place over medium heat.

Stir the mixture constantly, scraping the bottom, until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Strain the custard through a mesh strainer and add the remaining cream. Stir in the vanilla extract. Pick the vanilla bean out of the strainer and return it to the custard.

Place this bowl into an ice bath and stir until cool. Cover and chill the mixture in the fridge until very cold.

When you are ready to churn, remove the vanilla bean. Add the mixture to your ice cream maker and chill according to the manufacturer's instructions.

In the last few minutes of churning, add the honey comb. When finished spoon the ice-cream into a storage container and freeze until solid.




Turbinado-Sugar Butter Cookies
adapted from Simply Ming
yields 2-3 dozen cookie sticks
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup + tablespoon granulated sugar
pinch salt
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup turbinado sugar (also called 'raw' sugar)

In the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg yolk and vanilla, beating until combined.

Stop the mixer, add the flour and then mix on low speed until the flour is completely moistened and the dough comes together in a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper. Form into a foot-long log. Wrap in the paper and then flatten with a rolling pin until it is roughly 1/2"-3/4" thick. Chill the dough until firm.

When firm and ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325°F.

Pour the turbinado sugar onto a small plate and set aside. Unwrap the dough from the parchment and using a sharp knife cut 1/4" thick slices from the log. Dip one side of the cookies into the sugar and place, sugar side up, onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.




Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.




Warm Caramel Sauce (Recipe posted here)

To assemble the dessert... does this really require instructions? Anyway, warm the caramel sauce in the microwave (or gently on the stove top). Scoop the ice cream, drizzle with caramel and serve with the butter cookies.


Enjoy!

I've been itching for a little candy making lately. However, whenever I post candy on the blog I spend a lot of time in the comments answering questions and discussing the science behind candy making.

I told myself that the next time I made candy for NSHP, I was going to take some time to talk about sugar and the science behind candy making. So I made some lollipops last Friday, probably the simplest and cutest candy someone can make at home and wrote a post on sugar, science and lollipops.

Yum!

Well sorta. The post got totally out of hand. Epic baking nerdery.

I had to rewrite the whole thing because I was just rambling on and on about chemistry, fructose grannies, sucrose dance parties and molecular peer pressure.

It was long and well, it was a bit weird.

Okay, a lot weird.

So I rewrote it over the weekend (why Friday's post never came to be), stripping it down to the two issues that usually come up in candy making:

"My candy crystallized! What should I do differently?"

To which I usually give the stock answers of washing down the sides of the pot, don't stir after a certain point, keep seed crystals away from your syrup and use some corn syrup.

Then I get this question:

"I don't have or can't use corn syrup, what do I do?"

There are options, but it takes explaining. It can be hard to sum up in a little comment, so that is basically what I am going to write about today:

Crystallization and what alternatives are out there for folks who cannot find, or do not wish to use corn syrup.




The Basics:

When you cook a sugar syrup, the water boils away and the sugar concentrates. As the sugar concentrates the temperature increases. This is why we use temperature (not cooking time) to determine if the syrup is ready to make a batch of taffy or a batch of toffee. The higher the temperature, the more concentrated the syrup, the firmer it will set when cool.

Unfortunately, the more concentrated the sugar the higher the risk of crystallization. Eventually it will get to a point where basically all you have to do is look at it funny and BAM (channeling Emeril today it seems) you've created a batch of woefully gritty candy. Of course this is a bit of an exaggeration, but when you're dealing with a highly saturated solution it really doesn't take much.

How does one prevent this? Well this is where things can get a bit long, there are both methods and ingredients that can assist in preventing crystallization. To keep things brief we're going to stick to interfering agents (ingredients).



The common means of preventing crystallization in candy making are glucose, fructose and fats.

Think of sucrose molecules as puzzle pieces. Pieces to the least puzzling puzzle ever, since they all align perfectly with each other. Now, glucose and fructose... well they're not part of the puzzle set and basically gets in the way of the sucrose pieces (hence the term interfering agents). The sucrose has a hard time aligning with other sucrose molecules if there is a glucose molecule between it and its sucrose buddy. In candies like caramels, butter (fat) plays a similar role.

My go-to interfering agent is glucose (corn syrup) when making candy. It is readily available in the U.S. and inexpensive (in bulk). If you're not able to buy corn syrup or don't wish to use it there are options for substitution. However it is important that your substitution be primarily composed of glucose or a mixture of glucose/fructose.

I've seen folks suggest substituting sucrose based syrups for corn syrup in candy making, however this will not fulfill corn syrup's roll in prevent crystallization. You're just adding more sucrose puzzle pieces to the mix and that will only make those crystallization crazed sugar molecules more happy.

So when choosing a substitution, read the labels and think about the chemistry.

This is a quick and dirty run down of sweeteners in various syrups. Probably inaccurate because the internet lies to me, but it will give you a rough idea of what you're dealing with.

Honey: 40% fructose, 30% glucose, 1% sucrose, 9% bee spit
Maple Syrup: primarily sucrose
Corn Syrup (not high fructose): primarily glucose
Agave Nectar: 50-90% fructose 8-20% glucose
Brown Rice Syrup: 45% maltose*, 3% glucose, 52% maltotriose* (*glucose gone wild)
Simple Syrup: primarily sucrose
Golden Syrup: roughly half fructose and glucose and half sucrose
Inverted Syrup: glucose and fructose

Not all of these sweeteners are equal when it comes to candy making. When looking for an agent to help prevent crystallization, obviously you will want to avoid sucrose as it isn't going to do much to prevent crystallization.

One will also need to be mindful of how hygroscopic (how much water it absorbs from the atmosphere) the sweetener is, depending on the candy you're making. A sweetener with a lot of fructose (which will wick moisture at even a low relative humidity) can make hard candies that can quickly become gummy and sticky. This is also why one needs to be mindful of the humidity when making candy as all sugars are hygroscopic to some degree. Unless somehow, you're working with a low hygroscopic sweetener like isomalt, you shouldn't make candy on humid days.

Of all of the syrups listed above, you can make the last of them (Invert Syrup) at home from plain ol' sugar. Meaning it it can be made by almost anyone anywhere.

So today, for this candy post I'm going to put aside my ameri-centric corn syrup and cook with the more universal inverted syrup.



Inverting Sugar:

The regular sugar (sucrose) is really just two simpler sugars linked (glucose and fructose). If you separate them, then you are creating fructose and glucose, the interfering agent needed to prevent crystallization.

There are a few ways to invert sugar:

-- Method 1: Invertase.
This is an enzyme that breaks down sucrose into an inverted sugar syrup (fructose and glucose). Those gooey chocolate covered cherries you like? Invertase. Soft creamy Junior mints, Cadbury eggs, Caramello bars? Those are invertase too. It is a little O-C(fructose) bond cleaving powerhouse and how most commercial invert sugar and gooey treats are made.

It can be difficult to find Invertase in the retail market, though specialty shops that cater to home candy makers will carry it. One can also find it online--along with practically everything else under the sun--at Amazon.


-- Method 2: Acid.
No, not 'ahhh my skin' kind of acid. The decidedly less cool types, like lemon juice, which don't produce any ahhhhh's or flailing, unless squirted into the eyes. Citric acid, ascorbic acid, potassium bitartrate (cream of tartar) are other acids that are used to accelerate the conversion of sucrose to invert sugar.

(Technically, one doesn't need any of these to create an invert sugar syrup. You can create a small amount of inverted sugar just through the process of simmering a simple sugar syrup. However it is generally done with assistance as it is far more efficient.)



I tested two batches of invert syrup, as I had never used it before in candy making and I wanted to be certain it worked. I made one batch with lemon and one with cream of tarter. They both worked well in the lollipop recipe (which happens to be a great test for these syrups as lollipops are highly prone to crystallization without an interfering agent).

Invert Sugar Syrup Recipe
2 cups (410g) sugar
1 cup (236ml) water
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice OR 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Combine your ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Once it boils, stop stirring and wash down the sides of the pot with a damp pastry brush to remove any crystals from the side of the pan. Allow the pot to boil undisturbed until it reaches 230°F and then remove from heat.

Allow the syrup to cool a bit and then pour into a heat safe container (mason jars or Italian caning jars work great). You can store it tightly covered in your refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Now you can make lollipops!

Lollipops are so simple. Really, you don't even need a recipe for them. They're one of the things that I just throw together in a pan just eyeballing the ingredients to make sure the ratios are roughly right. However, I probably can't get away with that kind of instruction on the blog so I'll post a recipe:



Not So Humble Lollipops
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup invert syrup or corn syrup
food coloring and flavoring

Additional supplies: lollipop sticks and molds*, candy oils or flavoring extracts.

*You have the option of pouring the lollipops or using a lollipop mold. I have molds but I prefer the slightly irregular charm of poured lollipops. Molds do make the process easier, particularly if you don't have a perfectly level heat safe surface to pour onto. I used a very lightly oiled marble pastry slab or when needed, some space on my granite counter tops. Molds can be greased with a little nonstick spray too if you're worried about them sticking (though they usually pop out with a little flex).

(If you're using a mold, make sure it isn't a chocolate mold. Some chocolate molds look similar to hard candy molds (round, slot for a stick etc) but they cannot withstand 300°F molten sugar. If in doubt look at the color: Clear molds are usually for chocolate, opaque white molds are usually for hard candy. I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule of thumb but so far, it has worked for me.)

Combine the sugar, invert syrup (or cornsyrup), and water into a small heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once boiling stop stirring and wash down the sides of the pot with a damp pastry brush to remove any sugar. Clip on your candy thermometer and watch it simmer. At about 260°F add a few drops of gel food coloring to the mix, no need to stir it in, the bubbling action will take care of that. Continue to cook over medium until the temperature reads 300°F (hard crack stage) and remove from heat.

Add your flavoring now and stir it in (standing back as it may steam up a bit). For this recipe it will take roughly one dram of candy flavoring oil or a 1-2 teaspoons flavoring extract. What type of flavor will determine exactly how much (peppermint and cinnamon are generally much stronger than other flavorings).

Now pour the candy onto your prepared surface, working carefully as sugar burns are not fun. This isn't something that you should do with dogs, children, or marbles underfoot. You can either pour the lollipops onto the sticks or place the stick into the syrup after you've poured it. I prefer the latter as it creates a rounder lollipop, though it can be tricky to pour lollipops and insert the sticks (giving them a little twist to coat them) before the syrup hardens so consider recruiting an extra set of hands for this.




For the molds, insert your sticks into the slots and then pour in your candy. That's it.

Give your candy some time to cool (10-20 minutes) and then try to pop them off the surface or out of the mold (don't use the stick to pry them out). As soon as they're completely cool, individually wrap them in cellophane and tie them securely with a decorative twist tie or ribbon. This will prevent them from absorbing moisture.

They should keep a few days like this depending on the humidity.

Enjoy!

Hung over from eating all your kid's Easter candy? I am... blasted Cadbury Eggs! Don't worry, I've got a little sugar 'hair of the dog' to sooth you.

Hazelnut Paris Brest

No, not breast. What sort of blog do you think this is? Brest, the town in France.

There is a cycling event--one of the oldest events of that type still routinely run--from Paris to Brest and then back. The Paris-Brest is also a pastry created to commemorate the event in the late 1800's and is said to resemble the tire of a bicycle.



Or perhaps the round trip between the cities... whatever. To me, it just represents happiness. Which is what results when you consume such a light and creamy pastry laced with praline.

So. Good.

Traditionally, the pastry it is made with almonds, but we're going to use hazelnuts today.

I was inspired by the recipe in Luscious Creamy Desserts, though I admit that apart from the idea and the praline, I used little else. Creamy Desserts uses a milk pâte à choux, a recipe I've never had much luck with, so I went with the traditional flour, water, butter, eggs choux. I also used my ol' reliable pastry cream recipe.



A quick warning: Making this dessert is a bit of a marathon, so keep that in mind before attempting. While each of the component parts are not terribly difficult, there are so many that it can require some stamina.

Lets start with the praline.



Hazelnut Praline
adapted from Luscious Creamy Desserts
1 cup hazelnuts
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon corn syrup (liquid glucose)
1 pinch salt

Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Arrange the nuts on a baking sheet and toast for roughly 10-15 minutes until fragrant and they take on a light golden blush.

When done remove as much of the seed coat as you can (I rub the cool nuts between my palms) don't fuss over this step too much. Some seed coat on the nuts isn't the end of the world.

Spray a wide shallow heat proof bowl with a little nonstick spray and place the nuts inside. Now you're ready to start making the candy

Over medium heat, combine the remaining ingredients into a small heavy bottomed sauce pan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then allow it to boil untouched. You can wash down the sides of the pan occasionally with a damp pastry brush.

Now stare at your sugar. Yes, stare at it for roughly 10-15 minutes (don't rush it by turning up the heat). The water is going to boil away concentrating the syrup and then the sugars will begin to caramelize. This last step occurs quickly, which is why you must watch it. The length of time between the a perfect praline and a mess of burnt sugar isn't long, so don't be tempted to step away from the stove. When the sugar starts to take on color, give the pot a gentle swirl to keep the color uniform. When the sugar turns a medium amber color pull it off the heat and immediately pour it over the nuts in the bowl.

Once cool you can break it into chunks. Place those chunks into a sturdy zip top bag and smash them into smaller bits with a rolling pin. Then grind the bits into powder in your food processor.

Store the powder in an air tight container in your freezer (it won't keep at room temperature). This recipe won't require all the praline, but you'll find that it has plenty of uses (from topping ice cream to adding a sweet crunch to homemade chocolates).



Don't be intimidated by the french name, making choux is really quite simple (I was making choux before I could drive a car). With this base you can create cream puffs, eclairs and any number of other goodies.

Pâte à Choux
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter (cut into pieces)
1 cup flour
1 cup eggs (roughly 4 large eggs)

Bring the butter and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the flour all at once. With a wooden spoon vigorously stir the mixture. It will start out as a sticky mess but will turn into a glossy lump of dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a bowl and beat using hand beaters (you can also you use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) for a minute on medium speed to cool the dough a bit. Then add the eggs, one at at a time, beating on high speed to incorporate. Once the dough goes from wet and slippery to sticky, you can add the next egg. (Some folks prefer to do this entirely by hand, however the rise from the choux will not be quite as good.)

Once you've added all the eggs you can add the dough to your pastry bag. I'm using an Ateco 809 to pipe these, if you don't have that large of a tip, go ahead and use a Ziploc bag with a cut corner (you'll want an opening almost an inch in diameter).

Pre-heat your oven to 425°F and line two sheet pans with parchment. You'll want to pipe 8-10 circles onto the sheets (you can trace the rim of a 3" glass on the paper as a template), remembering that the rounds will expand quite a bit during baking.

Once the oven is preheated, place a pan inside and reduce the heat to 350°F and allow to bake for 30-35 minutes.

Once done, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack immediately to cool.

When cool, cut the rings in half (if there is any moist uncooked pastry inside, remove it) and you're ready to fill with your hazelnut praline cream



Hazelnut Praline Cream
pastry cream adapted from Baking and Pastry: Mastering the Art and Craft
320 mL whole milk
75 grams granulated sugar
28 grams unsalted butter
28 grams cornstarch
113 grams of eggs (roughly 2 large eggs)
5 mL pure vanilla extract

2 cups (480mL) heavy cream
roughly 1 cup of hazelnut praline powder (more or less to your taste)

Combine 240mL of the milk and 33 grams of the sugar into a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add the butter and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk the cornstarch with the remaining milk and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until completely smooth.

When the milk comes to a boil remove from heat immediately and pour a third of the hot milk into the bowl with the eggs and cornstarch while mixing with the whisk. Return this mixture to pan with the remaining hot milk and set over medium heat stirring constantly with the whisk.

Cook the mixture until it comes to a boil, has thickened and the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture.

Pour the mixture into a stainless steel bowl set into an ice bath and allow to cool, stirring occasionally.

Once the mixture is cool, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks and then gently mix one third of the whipped cream into the pastry cream along with the praline powder. Fold the remaining cream in until no streaks remain.

Pipe the mixture into your pastry and place the second half on top.

Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and a sprinkling of the praline powder.



Mr. Humble ate half of them while I was photographing. I kept having to rearrange the shoot to make up for the lack of pastries I had in the background. He wants me to make them again... ugh. Maybe for his birthday.

Maybe.