Learn How to Make Whipped Cream

(with the best ever whipped cream recipe)

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Pour whipping cream into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add sugar and vanilla.
2. Beat with a hand mixer on high until the cream starts to stiffen up. You’ll notice that at first everything will flow around the beaters for a bit, then the whole thing will suddenly seize and begin to clump together at about 30-45 seconds. This is where you should stop – your whipped cream will still be light and airy at this point. If you beat it for two long, you’ll end up with butter! Which can be nice, but not for topping ice cream or piping onto cakes.
3. Feel free to add a little more sugar if you like your whipped topping recipe even sweeter. Be sure to add just a few tablespoons as a time, and it’s very easily to make this recipe too sweet. If that happens, just add more heavy cream and keep beating.

How to make Pastry Cream

Pastry Cream Recipe, or Crème Pâtissière

This recipe makes about 2 cups of pastry cream

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups of milk, divided
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise down the middle
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 6 large egg yolks
• A few cups of cold water
• A few cups of ice
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup of butter, at room temperature (1/2 a stick)

1. Combine heavy cream with 1 cup of milk in a medium saucepan (reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of milk). Using a butter knife, scrape the tiny seeds out of the vanilla bean and add them to the cream mixture, tossing the scraped pod in as well.
2. Bring the cream to just a simmer, then remove from heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Fish out spent vanilla pod and discard.
3. Combine sugar and egg yolks in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to ensure the sugar is dissolved.
4. Halfway fill a large bowl with cold water and add a few handfuls of ice to make sure the water is very cold. Keep more ice handy in case what you’ve added to the bowl melts.
5. In a cup, combine cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 cup of milk, stirring with a fork until cornstarch is completely dispersed. Make sure there are no lumps along the bottom of the cup, hiding anywhere in the corners, lest you end up with lumps in your pastry cream. In case you were wondering, this is called making a slurry.
6. Place the saucepan containing the cream mixture over a medium heat. Again bring the cream just to a simmer, making sure not to bring it to a full boil. Once you see bubbles begin to form around the edges of the saucepan and a fair amount of steam beginning to rise from the cream’s surface, remove it from the heat.
7. Slowly pour the hot cream into the sugar and egg yolks, whisking constantly. The goal here is to add the hot cream slowly enough that the eggs don’t scramble, so pour in a little bit at a time and whisk well before you add some more. If you’ve got another person handy, have them pour the hot cream in a slow, thin stream while you whisk.
8. Pour the cream and eggs back into the saucepan and stir in the cornstarch slurry, then resume constant stirring over medium heat until the mixture is very thick. Set the base of the saucepan in your bowl of ice cold water (add more ice to the water if you have to) and stir quickly until the cream has cooled somewhat but still retains some heat, about one minute.
9. Add the butter and stir until the butter is completely mixed in and you’ve got a smooth cream. Scoop into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure to press the wrap against the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Seal and store in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

This recipe was adapted from the recipe that appears in Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. He also somewhat discusses how to make creme Anglaise, or the base for crème pâtissière on his blog.

Gluten Free Brioche Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Based on a recipe from “Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” by Zoe François and Jeff Hertzberg

This recipe makes six large cinnamon rolls

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon granulated yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Several more cups of cornstarch for rolling and dusting
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Whisk together the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, yeast, salt and xanthan gum in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Combine the liquid ingredients and gradually mix them into the dry ingredients using one of the following: a spoon, a food processor (with dough attachment) or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix just until there are no dry bits of flour. You might need to use wet hands to get the last bits of flour to incorporate if you are not using a machine.
3. Cover (not airtight!) and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
4. Coat your hands and a flat surface liberally with corn starch, and I mean liberally. Trust me – this dough sticks to everything, even parchment paper.
5. Turn the dough out onto starched surface, then spread and press with your hands until it isabout 1 inch thick and roughly square shaped. Coat a rolling pin with cornstarch and sprinkle a little more on the surface of your dough. Roll the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick.
6. Using a knife dipped in cornstarch, cut the edges of the dough so it’s relatively close to square-shaped. Sprinkle brown sugar around the dough square, giving it a good coating. Sprinkle the chopped nuts around as well, layering evenly, followed by the cinnamon.
7. As tightly as you can without breaking it, roll the dough into a thick log. Cut into 6 equal-sized rolls with a very sharp knife. Coat your hands with a little more cornstarch and gently form the cinnamon rolls into rough ball shapes.
8. Set a piece of parchment on a baking sheet (don’t worry – with the amount of cornstarch you used by now, nothing will stick at this point) and place the cinnamon rolls at least two inches apart. Cover loosely and allow dough to rest for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F while you’re waiting, allowing the full 45 minutes so that the oven heats properly.
9. Bake in the center of the oven for about 22 minutes. The cinnamon rolls are done once they start to brown nicely and are firm to the touch.
10. Let cinnamon rolls cool on the baking sheet for two minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool on a rack before eating. Eat hot, right out of the oven, or allow them to cool fully before storing them in an airtight container for up to four days. If wrapped up tightly, these rolls can be frozen for up to a month.

Heavenly Gluten Free Chocolate Things

(Gluten Free Chocolate Buns Recipe)

From “Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” by Zoe François and Jeff Hertzberg

Makes six large rolls

• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
• 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon granulated yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Several more cups of cornstarch for rolling and dusting
• 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1. Whisk together the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, yeast, salt and xanthan gum in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.
2. Combine the liquid ingredients and gradually mix them into the dry ingredients using one of the following: a spoon, a food processor (with dough attachment) or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix just until there are no dry bits of flour. You might need to use wet hands to get the last bits of flour to incorporate if you are not using a machine.
3. Cover (not airtight!) and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
4. Coat your hands and a flat surface liberally with corn starch, and I mean liberally. Trust me – this dough sticks to everything, even parchment paper.
5. Turn the dough out onto starched surface, then spread and press with your hands until it isabout 1 inch thick and roughly square shaped. Coat a rolling pin with cornstarch and sprinkle a little more on the surface of your dough. Roll the dough until it is 1/2 inch thick.
6. Using a knife dipped in cornstarch, cut the edges of the dough so it’s relatively close to square-shaped. Sprinkle chopped chocolate around the dough square, not heavily coating it but spreading chocolate chunks evenly around. As tightly as you can without breaking it, roll the dough into a thick log. Cut into 6 equal-sized rolls with a very sharp knife. Coat your hands with a little more cornstarch and gently form the rolls into rough ball shapes.
7. Set a piece of parchment on a baking sheet (don’t worry – with the amount of cornstarch you used by now, nothing will stick at this point) and place the rolls at least two inches apart. Cover loosely and allow dough to rest for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F while you’re waiting, allowing the full 45 minutes so that the oven heats properly.
8. Bake in the center of the oven for about 22 minutes. The rolls are done once they start to brown nicely and are firm to the touch.
9. Let rolls cool on the baking sheet for two minutes, then remove from the pan and allow to cool on a rack before eating. Eat hot, right out of the oven, or allow them to cool fully before storing them in an airtight container for up to four days. If wrapped up tightly, these rolls can be frozen for up to a month.

The Perfect Chocolate Martini Recipe

To make one Perfect Chocolate Martini, one part should equal two-thirds of a shot, or 30ml. Most shakers should be able to make two of these cocktails at once.

Drinkin’ Math – One Shot Glass Equals:

1. Three tablespoons
2. 45 milliliters

Chocolate Martini Ingredients:

• 1.5 parts vodka
• 1 part half ‘n half
• 1 part chocolate liqueur
• 1 part chocolate syrup
• 1 chocolate garnish of your choice

Equipment:

• Cocktail shaker
• Cocktail glass
• Toothpick
• Fresh ice
• Measuring device (I suggest a shot glass marked in milliliters)

1. Place your glass and shaker in the freezer for at least ten minutes for the coldest possible drink.
2. Fill your shaker at least one third full with fresh ice. Add the liquid ingredients to the shaker in the order listed above. If you use a measuring cup, add the chocolate syrup last. You can measure it by displacement.
3. Shake vigorously.
4. Strain into your chilled cocktail glass, garnish with your toothpicked chocolate, and serve immediately.

So, I love me a good chocolate martini. What’s your favorite chocolate cocktail recipe?