A hearth, a stone, a lime, a bone - it's witchcraft

Here is a layout of my process & approach to cooking / baking. Most of my recipes come from an amalgamation of my own technique and the education of other bakers & cooks. Anything I pulled directly from another recipe is credited - as it is simply done well by someone else. Enjoy.

MASA CHIFFON

DULCE DE LECHE

BASIL LIME OIL

 Recipe 04  |  08 / 20 / 2024

This is dubbed a "snacking cake" as they call it. The morning sweet & the afternoon treat.

MASA HARINA CHIFFON - Recipe by Teresa Finney
I used an aluminum jello baking mold for cake - you can find a plethora on Etsy. There are some safety concerns in terms of coatings on these old pans so buyers be wise.
Not recommended for heavy use. 

DULCE DE LECHE
1 can condensed milk
1/2c milk

Set the convection oven to 425 degrees,
Empty can & 1/2c milk into a glass pie baking dish & cover in foil,
Create a water bath - with a large piece of bakeware or skillet w/ high sides, place the pie dish inside - fill the water line halfway up the pie dish,
Bake for 30-45 minutes, checking every so often for coloring *be careful when you lift the foil to use tongs as the steam will burn
The consistency should be a thick pancake syrup for pouring on the cake - whisk in a tbs of milk at a time to reach consistency if too thick,
Let cool to room temp

BASIL LIME OIL
1/2c fresh basil leaves
1 medium lime - zested & juiced
1/4c grapeseed oil

Gently pulse basil leaves with grapeseed oil until it takes on a beautiful light green hue in a small food processor. *If you over pulse the oil will take on a brown hue as it breaks down the herb (a mortar and pestle will work well),
Strain basil out of oil in a sieve,
Add juice & zest of lime to oil, whisk to incorporate

ASSEMBLY
Place cooled cake on stand of choice and drizzle room temperature dulce de leche, whisk oil & pool generously on top.

BUTTERMILK CITRUS
MOLD CAKE

 Recipe 03  |  04 / 01 / 2024

CANDIED GRAPEFRUIT PEEL
2 grapefruit 
1c granulated sugar
1c water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees,
Use a peeler to take the rind off from the top of citrus to navel, try and get as long on strips as possible, Then slice your peel into 1/4in strips. ( I left the rough edges to maximize peel usage and minimize waste but you can square them off),
Blanche the peel in a pot of boiling water to reduce bitterness - place in a pot of cold water then bring to a boil for 3 minutes (you can continue this process one to two more times but I prefer a bitterness to mine so I only complete one cycle),
Strain out peel and rinse in cold water,
Create simple syrup by combining water and sugar on the stovetop med-high heat to a gentle boil until sugar is dissolved, add peel to coat and reduce to low heat for 10 minutes, Drain off leftover sugar,
Transfer peels to parchment paper lined sheet pan and place in the oven for 2 hours or until they reach the desired color


CITRUS BUTTERMILK LOAF - Recipe by Emma Christensen
I love this recipe because it comes with instructions on substitutions and variations, which is important to a home cook. 
Notes - Use neutral oil vs. olive or butter. The neutral will be the best flavor and will retain a bit more moistness in the pan,
When loaf is cooled it should be slightly domed over the pan. Gently use a bread knife, with the top of the pan as a guide, to slice the "cake top" off, you will use these as your test cake pieces for glaze : )

SOUR GRAPE MOLASSES & GRAPEFRUIT GLAZE
1 tsp sour grape molasses
2 tbs grapefruit jucie
1 c powdered sugar (sifted)

Whisk in grapefruit juice & grape molasses to powdered sugar until combined into Butterworth's pancake syrup consistency,
Taste adjustments: I prefer a less sweet glaze, so sometimes I substitute a couple of tablespoons of cake flour for powdered sugar to produce enough glaze with less sugar. However, the sugary glaze will become less potent once combined with the cake so don't overthink the singular component without the whole. I will often test some of the glaze on my cake tops to see if it's correct. 

ASSEMBLY
Place cooled loaf on cake stand of choice and drizzle room temperature glaze, decorate with cooled candied peel, rose petal optional

PINK

PEPPERCORN

HOT COCOA

 Recipe 02  |  02 / 14 / 2024

8 crushed pink peppercorns‭*‬‭ ‬
1 tbs Guittard unsweetened natural cocoa‭ ‬
3 oz sweet creamer‭ (‬I use Chobani‭)‬
4 oz milk of choice

ASSEMBLY
Blend cocoa‭ & ‬half pink peppercorns w‭/ ‬steamed milk‭ & ‬creamer‭ (‬if you're not lazy‭, ‬which i am‭, ‬run the cocoa through a sieve‭),‬
*‬optional‭*‬‭ ‬Frothy art‭ (‬I have no skill‭, ‬so i just dollop foam‭ & ‬swirl marble style‭),‬
Sprinkle remaining peppercorns in confetti fashion‭.‬

‭*‬Crush w‭/ ‬mortar pestle‭, ‬but side of knife should do the trick

OOLONG ANGLAISE
STRAWBERRY WHIP
FILLED CHOUX HEARTS

 Recipe 01  |  02 / 14 / 2024

OOLONG ANGLAISE
1/4 c  oolong osmanthus tea‭ (‬via: Teawaves‭, ‬cA‭)‬
1/2 tsp  vanilla paste‭ (‬can sub extract‭)‬
1/2 c ‭ ‬milk
1/2 c‭  ‬heavy cream
3  egg yolks
1/4 c granulated sugar‭ ‬

The night before combine/infuse your‭ ‬milk‭ & ‬cream w‭/ ‬tea‭ & ‬vanilla in airtight container‭ - ‬refrigerate for 24hrs‭,‬
Create a large bowl of ice with a smaller bowl nested inside‭ ‬‭(‬for cooling anglaise‭),‬

After 24hrs strain your tea out in a mesh sieve‭,‬
Then heat your infused milk in a small saucepan‭, ‬
Bring to a boil‭ - ‬then remove from heat‭ & ‬let cool for 10‭ ‬minutes‭,‬

In a separate saucepan‭, ‬whisk egg yolks‭ & ‬sugar together‭,‬
Then begin to steadily pour warm milk into yolk mixture‭,‬

Turn on heat to medium‭ & ‬continue to whisk yolk‭, ‬sugar‭ & ‬milk for 5-7‭ ‬minutes‭ (‬i know you're tempted to walk away but the milk‭ ‬will burn‭ & ‬you will be sad‭),‬
Whisk constantly until it looks almost the desired thickness‭ ‬(‬I like a syrupy thickness‭) & ‬remove from heat‭, ‬

Let rest for 1-2‭ ‬minutes in warm pan then transfer to nested ice bath bowl‭ & ‬cool completely‭ (‬typically it will thicken a bit as‭ ‬it cools so I always like my whisked consistency to be a bit runnier than desired result‭),

Transfer to serving dish‭, ‬serve room temp or warmed


CHOUX PASTRY‭  - recipe by‭: Mark bittman‭, ‬NYT *‬see notes on bake in assembly

STRAWBERRY WHIP FILLING
1 pint  strawberries
1 tsp  vanilla paste
2 tsb  granulated sugar
3/4 c‭  ‬heavy cream

Wash‭ & ‬chop strawberries‭, ‬
Combine into food processor or blender w‭/ ‬vanilla paste‭ & ‬sugar blend until completely smooth‭ (‬really go for it‭) & ‬set aside‭,‬
Whip cream w‭/ ‬a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form‭, ‬
Fold in strawberry w‭/ ‬spatula or whisk until combined

ASSEMBLY
Pipe choux on lined sheetpan in favorite shape‭, ‬atleast 1‭"‬‭ ‬thick by‭ ‬‭.‬5‭"‬‭ ‬height to create a better puff and fill size‭,‬
Bake for 20‭ ‬minutes‭, ‬then continually check every 5‭ ‬minute after‭, ‬remove when lightly golden

Gently cut choux in half w‭/ ‬bread knife‭,‬
Spoon or pipe strawberry filling into choux‭ & ‬create sandwiched pastry
Finish w‭/ ‬warmed anglaise‭ & ‬some dried floral sprinkle‭,‬ if you're into that kinda thing