I made some Apple Ginger Jam for next week’s Tigress’ Can Jam (here’s the jam recipe), and I started thinking of various things I can do with it. Well, besides spreading it on a toasted bagel. Here’s the first thing I thought of: Apple Cream Napoleons With Dulce De Leche. Sinful, ain’t they?

I can not tell a lie. I was inspired by this blog post by my friend Jim at Oxford Falls. I read that, and the inspiration light bulb went off over my head. Also, I was in the middle of making jam at the time.

Apple Cream Napoleons With Dulce De Leche
(makes 6)

Ingredients:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry
4 oz. cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
4 Tbs. Apple Ginger Jam (or your favorite jam)
1 recipe dulce de leche (follows)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400º.

Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature for about 30 minutes. On a floured surface, gently unfold and roll it out to a square, roughly 13″ x 13″. Now, you’re not going to get a perfect square – who’s kidding who, here? – so take a knife or a bench scraper and square it off to 12″ x 12″. I really did use a measuring tape that I keep in a kitchen drawer just for the purpose. Seriously.

With the knife or bench scraper, cut 12 squares about 3″ x 3″ and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. I left mine puffy, but if you prefer your squares a bit flatter, dock them by poking them a few times with a fork. Brush each square with a bit of water and sprinkle with sugar of your choice (I used demerara). Bake for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool (which will take only a few minutes).

In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a spoon until fluffy. Add the jam and stir to combine. Spread this mixture on half of the puff pastry squares and top each with a plain square.

Serve as is, or drizzle (okay, I used a heavy drizzle) with warmed dulce de leche.

Dulce de leche is a rich milk caramel sauce, hugely popular in the Spanish-speaking world, and a flavor that’s becoming more and more popular here in the U.S. Heck, even the Girl Scouts have a dulce de leche cookie! The secret’s out and you can make your own at home. Spread it on your toast, spoon it over ice cream, drizzle it over fresh fruit or just about any plain dessert you want to make a little extra-special.

Making the dulce de leche is the easiest thing on the planet, but it does take a bit of advance planning, attention, and care.

Dulce De Leche

Ingredient:

1 or 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

Preparation:

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Remove any labels and put the unopened can(s) of sweetened condensed milk in the pot of boiling water, reduce heat slightly so that the water continues to boil a bit less violently. Allow to boil for 2 hours, taking care to keep the water level over the tops of the cans at all times. Keep a kettle of hot water available to top off the pot when the water level drops.

Notice I said “when the water level drops.” It will. Check on the pot every 15 – 20 minutes and top off the pot when needed. Do not allow the pot to boil dry, as it’s possible that the can(s) could explode. I’ve never had it happen to me, but I’m paranoid. A little paranoia is never a bad thing.

Remove the can(s) from the water and allow to cool before handling. If not using right away, you should probably mark the contents on the can. I keep mine in the refrigerator, just to be on the safe side (see previous paragraph regarding “paranoia”). Once opened, you should transfer it to a sealable container and refrigerate. It’ll keep for months unopened, and weeks after opening… if it actually lasts that long!

When you want to use some, open a can of your now-dulce de leche, spoon some out into a microwave-safe bowl. It will be really thick. Microwave on high for 15 seconds, give it a stir, and microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat if necessary to get the spreadable or drizzly consistency you need. It will set up once cooled, so save this step for the last moment before serving.

If you have Dulce De Leche on hand, you’ll never be at a loss for a last-minute dessert. And with the holidays approaching, expect the unexpected!

Any questions?

Dulce De Leche

When we decided that the food for Mom’s 90th birthday party was going to be Italian, my brain skipped ahead to dessert. Oh, sure, there would be birthday cake, but I wasn’t going to be the one to make it. I know my limitations and cake decorating is definitely not in my skill set!

There had to be more, though. I had tiramisu on the brain. But it had to be tiramisu that could travel. This was going to be a roadshow, after all. The party would be at my brother’s house, so I didn’t have to cook and clean for company. Smart, eh?

Inspiration hit: Cream puffs! I’d made them before – some years ago – and knew that they’re way less complicated to make than they appear. Another perfect party finger food – no utensils required to eat them. Not to mention, dressed to impress.

The trick would be in the flavorings. How to get that feeling of eating tiramisu – coffee dipped ladyfinger base, marsala cream, and chocolate surface in a cream puff. I settled on flavoring the pate choux (the pastry) with coffee. That would be easy enough. And since I was already making a batch of ricotta pastry cream for cannoli (that’s another post), why not just modify that?

Knock me over with a feather – it worked! Mom even insisted that I set a few aside for her to take home, so she could enjoy them without a bunch of people looking over her shoulder. If that’s not a 5-star review, nothing is!

Tiramisu Cream Puffs (makes 30 pieces)

For the pate choux:

1 cup water
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 Tbs. instant coffee or instant espresso
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3-4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 425º F.

In a non-stick saucepan, bring the water, butter, coffee, salt, and sugar to a boil. Add the flour and remove from heat. Stir with a wooden spoon and return the pan to the heat (medium-low), continue to stir until all the flour is incorporated and it becomes a ball.

Place the dough into a mixing bowl and allow to cool for 4 or 5 minutes. Using an electric mixer, add 3 eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next one. The batter should be thick, but should fall from the beaters smoothly. If the batter isn’t falling from the beaters, add the 4th egg. (I used all 4 eggs). Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, or load it into a plastic bag and snip one corner.

Prepare a couple of baking sheets by lining them with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pipe the batter into 1-1/2″ rounds about 2 inches apart. Get a glass of water, and with either a pastry brush or your finger, dip into the water and knock down the peaks on the tops of your puffs.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425º, then reduce heat to 375º and bake for an additional 20 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, poke each one in its side with a sharp paring knife. This allows the inside of the puffs to dry as they cool, preventing gumminess. Allow to cool completely.

For the filling:

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup + 1 Tbs. granulated sugar (divided)

2 tsp. vanilla (divided)

1/8 tsp. salt

3 large egg yolks

1/4 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup whipping cream (heavy or regular)

Cocoa powder or melted bittersweet chocolate for topping

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, mascarpone, 1/4 cup of the sugar, 1 tsp. of the vanilla, and the salt, using an electric mixer, until smooth.

In the top of a double-boiler (or using a heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water), whisk the egg yolks, 1/4 cup sugar, and Marsala, continuously, until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then add to the cheese mixture, beating until smooth and completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whip the cream with the remaining 1 Tbs of sugar and 1 tsp. of vanilla until stiff peaks form. Stir the whipped cream into the custard mixture, until well blended and smooth. Load the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip.

Insert the tip into a puff (preferably using the slit you already made in the puff – if you can find it), and fill each one with the cream.

You’ll probably have a little cream left over, but, you know, isn’t that what a spoon is for?

For topping, you can either sift cocoa over the tops or melt some bittersweet chocolate, and dip the top of each puff in it.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to several days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!

Print this post for your Moleskine journal!

Lured in by @Vindee, @lifesafeast, and @ShelleyBakes, – new friends of mine on Twitter – I accepted the challenge to bloggers and Twitterers all over the world to attempt to make that delicate filled sandwich cookie, the French macaron.

Not to be confused with the macaroon, the French macaron is an airy cookie made of meringue and ground nuts. Sandwich a yummy creamy filling between two of them and you have the macaron.

Making macarons is not as easy as it sounds, and in the end, I must admit defeat. As in de feet. A proper macaron has a smooth, crispy outer shell, a chewy interior, and a rough”foot” from which it rises a bit. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

I ain’t got no feet. But they are delicious!

Pistachio Macarons with Chocolate Almond Butter Cream – 3rd attempt

Hazelnut Macarons with Coffee Cream – 4th attempt

And you know what? I’m good with that. My second attempt (failed for other reasons) was a recipe for chocolate macarons out of A Passion For Chocolate by Maurice and Jean-Jacques Bernachon (adapted by Rose Levy Bernabaum for the American kitchen). In a photo illustrating their macarons – guess what? – no feet! But as MJ said when I gave him one to taste: “They don’t need feet to get ‘em to my mouth.” I love him. Anyways…

So, whether to blame the humidity, oven temperature(s), or any of the other minute variables, I can’t tell. And under the circumstances, I’m not going to share these particular recipes. But do visit Jamie at Life’s A Feast and see how she and other food bloggers (in whose company I am most humble) who took up the Mac Attack challenge, did!