I had a few weeks withour atually bake anything. Dont get me wrong, i would love to bake something sweet like everyday but with my lack of time, ingredients, money you know all important things i cant bake as i want. Yesterday i discover that i have all those ingredients and started to Bake something. Real easy and totally "scrumptious"
I must say that a couple of weeks ago i started you watch "Downton Abbey" I trully love to see and read oldfashion novels where rich people lives in old houses and talk with words like "Lovely" and "Breathtaking" while finds the love of their lives and "Downton Abbey" was a perfect to live an alternative life as a Count who drinks everyday his tea with a splash of lemon juice and cream. that's why i felt this inpiration to create something that it will be delicious for the Tea Time. My Cinnamon and Orange Ladyfingers.
Valentine's Day is just around the corner, i can see that the foodie blogs, the pinterest boards and the twitter ads are bursting with hearts, chocolate Everywhere, Red and pink food coloring on top of everything. It's all about Valentine's day. And Of course to be a Hip and Cool Blog i have to came up with a few treats to share on V-Day. By the Way, we're on February that means that our friends from the other side of the world are celebrating their New Year. The Chinese NewYear. I live in Venezuela and i must say that our chinese comunity it getting bigger and bigger so what better way to celebrate that mixing those celebrations with a batch of Cute little V-day Fortune Cookies.
If you wanna be my lover, you gotta love to eat...
Isn't how goes that pop song?, well it is true. If you dont love eating you cant be with me. I mean, food for me is important but dessert is even important for me. Dessert can make that 2 persons falls in love, can make kids smile, makes someone feel special. It is the reason that i love to cook sweet dishes. Create instant happiness for others. Except for me! This bring instant unhappiness to me. Well at least my latest dessert project Macaroons does.
The very first time i saw those little cookies called "Macaroons" was on a cookbook 3 years ago. In that book i saw those adorable mini cookies, with different flavours and fillings and an endless posibilities to add flavours on it. I though "Javi, You really needs to learn how to make Macaroons"
Later, when i start to writte on this blog i said to myself "What a great way to start my blog by doing macaroons, dont you think?" So i spend half of my salary on ingredients to make distintic macaroons like, french vanilla, chocolate with Limoncello, Brandy, Cardamom, Brazilians nuts, and other very expensive things. I study like a mad man looking recipes from all the web to make the "Perfect Macaroons" and well the result wasn't how i expected. It is SO FREAKING HARD!!!
My first batch, Burned! Problem? Oven too high. The second Batch went Dry, WAY dry. Sahara desert Dry. The third batch it looked good at sight but the i realize that all of them were hollow on the inside and that's how i decides to quit on them. Until yesterday when i try to get back to the horse and see what i can do.
I try to make it simple, so i choose a classic chocolate macaroon. I measure, follow exactly the recipe until my worst fear "the macaronage" in that step is when i try to be the most methodic person on the planet! Well as you can see i failed again. It doesn't form that little distintic "foot" on the macaroon it also they are flat. as you can see but the taste went perfect (at least) that's why i named "Wannabe Macaroons" (Also because i was listening the Spice girls)
Hope the next time i can actually bake some Perfect Macaroons...Tell me, have you done macaroons before? what is your secret?
A Broken Oven made that my sunday night depressing, and a sad sad week, but i said a couple of weeks ago that my commitment with this blog is going to be complete, So i went to my father house for bake my adorable"Black Tea with Milk chocolate cookies" and guess what, They came Perfectly. Normally they are golden with little black dots, but i decide to add few green food coloring to the mix to have a fun and vibrant green colour. Between my family and friends were some mixed opinions about this cookies. My dad Said that the tea flavour was intense but not outshine the milk chocolate, My cousin said that the cookies had a buttery flavor that goes well with the tea and rux, my co-worker said that the cookies taste so well by itself, there's no need to dip them on chocolate. My oppinion was that i felt that were a little salty for my taste... i think my tonge is quite broken too.
I eat a some while i was re-reading the ending of my "Pride and Prejudice" Zombie version book, and of course that i made a couple of extra cookies inspired by the protagonists on my book. I could actually imagine Mr Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet eating this cookies at the afternoon with a snokey cup of Earl grey tea while they talking about the better way to kill a zombie. *Sigh* I think i got a little bit nolstalgic about it.
Also i must say that my adventure with the "cameo cookies" were a totally FLOP, i try to make the silhouettes with black colored milk chocolate but the only thing that i did was a mess. Certainly i need to practice more with the chocolate if i wanna do fantastic creations dont you think?
If you wanna do a batch of this cookies i have linked the recipe right upthere, and i'm eager to see the reactions about it. I'm also highly recomend the "Jane Austen feat Seth Grahame-Smith" Book, it's refreshing but also very clasical, just like me.
PS: I think that a great way to enjoy your cookies and your book is listening music that goes with them, That's why i leave here a Recomendation that i been hearing for a couple of months. It's a Greek Swing band that i must say it's amazing. This song will makes you feel like you're at a 1940's tea party with the Darcys and the Zombies.
Hey, Sunday again.. and it suppose to be a day for sharing a Recipe with all of you guys but i'm experimenting some bad Luck over here. You see, I think that my oven has past away or something, it's not working and i feel quite sad in this very moment. In honor to finished "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" book, I was going to make some "Black Tea and Milk Chocolate Cameo Cookies" I mean, If that book have a flavour it will be an earthy flavor like Black tea with milk, Sweetened with a hint of honey. And that is what i'm trying to portrait on this recipe. A cookie that when you get the first bite and find the soft hints of the black tea and the floral touch of the honey you can say "Wow, It's like having the tea time"
I find this recipe on a blog that i must say have the most beautiful photos that i've seen on my freaking life... I feel amateur in front of that blog. (Well, I feel amateur on front of a Thousand blogs over here) But i saw that recipe and i felt in love of that idea. Tea in a cookie? You can bet. Besides i get also inspired by the book, and when i try the cookies for the first time i was finishing to read the book. So i feel that it was faith, having a tea cookie when i was reading an alternative book about a british writter who used to love tea.
No picture this time, but i'm going to leave the Recipe for you guys to try it. Then you can tell me what do you think about it.
1 lg. egg yolk 1 tsp. vanilla 2 Tbsp. honey 220 gms all-purpose flour 2 tablespoon of Black Tea. (About 4 or 5 tea bags) Pinch of salt Egg white for brushing outside of cookie dough.
Cream the butter and sugar until pale in color and light and fluffy. Add in the egg yolk, mix to combine. Add in vanilla and honey, mix until smooth.
Add all the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated but do not overmix as to prevent a tough dough. Turn the dough out onto a wax paper and roll into a 2 inch log. Wrap the log and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Remove the dough from the fridge, Brush the outside of the cookie log with egg white, and cut slices that are about 1/2 Inch Thick. Place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until the centers are set, rotating the trays halfway through the cooking time. Let them sit on the trays for at least 10 minutes to cool, and then transfer them to cooling racks.
To decorate just melt 100 gms of Milk Chocolate and dip a cookie.
It supposed to be "Cameo Cookies" I did the Cameo Detail with white chocolate and a little brush but without the photos i can't explain very well how i made the Cameo details. So i feel so bad about it.
