mon tablier

Well, I just love Speculoos, those spicy cinnamony little biscuits that are so delicious! I always wanted to know how to make these fabulous Belgiun biscuits. I asked at the Lido, and Laurent, the cook for the kitchen staff told me he makes these wonderful treats! He told me that he would make me a batch before I completed my internship and today was my lucky day. His speculoos were just scrumptious and he was kind enough to share his recipe with me! Here is a photo of Laurent busy at work making some wonderful speculoos for everyone. Speculoos: Ingredients: 1 KG brown sugar 850 GR flour 250 GR butter, creamed 100 ml water 1 teaspoon baking powder Mix all of the ingredients together until you obtain a thick dough. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 5 mm with a rolling pin. Cut out the biscuits in rectangular shapes and place on a buttered baking sheet or non-sheet paper. Bake in a 350 F (180 C) oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool before enjoying (if you can wait that long!...

Sable Breton: Ingredients: 240 grams egg yolks 480 grams granulated sugar 480 grams half-salted butter 675 grams all-purpose flour 45 grams baking pwoder Place sugrar and butter in the bolw of a mixed and with a paddle attachment cream them together until the mixture is light and fluffy. Once the mixutre is well creamed together, add the egg yolks and mix well. Add the sifted flour and baking powder to the mixture and mix until homogenous. DO NOT OVERMIX. Place the dough on a baking sheet covered with silicone paper. Cover the dough with saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight. The next day, roll out the dough to 5 mm thickness. Cut the dough into squares and bake in a 350 F oven until crisp and golden.

I have been in Paris for my internship since the 1st of June and I am living in the Montorgueuil area. My friend Claude, who is my next door neighbor in Montreal and has been here for the last 4 months gave me a tour and history lesson of the area where I live. He brought me to Stohrer, one of the oldest pastry shops in Paris, which happens to be a 2 minute walk from my studio. I had admired their pastries and croquembouche in their window display, but I was not aware of the history of this boutique. I found their web site on the internet and their dishes look fabulous! ( http://www.stohrer.fr/ ) Their pastries and prepared dishes look amazingly delicious, but I haven't had the opportunity to taste one of their dishes yet. I am in Paris after all, so much to see, so much to taste and so much to drink..... Oooh laaa laaa!

This wonderful, deliciously light recipe belongs to Nicola. We made these macaroons at the Lido together. All I can say is that they not only look great, but they are also to die for!! Pink Macaroons: Ingredients: 520 grams of powdered almonds 800 grams icing sugar 40 grams of egg whites 400 grams of beaten egg whites 160 grams of granulated sugar Red food coloring Mix the icing sugar and the powdered almonds together in a large bowl. Sift the sugar and the almonds together in a large bowl. Place the 40 grams of egg whites on one side of the bowl containing the almonds and icing sugar. Beat the 400 grams of egg whites with the red food coloring until they are stiff. Once the egg whites are stiff, add the granulated sugar and beat together until they are very stiff and the granulated sugar has dissolved. With spatula, delicately add the meringue. Then beat the mixture very quickly so that it falls a bit. The mixture has to be brilliant, liquidy, but resist a bit. With a pastry bag, and ...

Well, my stage is 2 weeks over and I am enjoying it very much. I have been working with 4 pastry chefs and I have been learning a lot. I am learning how to make brioches and today I finished my first perfect batch! They were round, buttery and delicious! Nicola has been teaching me how to perfect the brioche and he is a wonderful and patient pastry chef. Here is the recipe for Brioche that he has shared with me. BRIOCHE Ingredients: 1500 grams flour (T45) 30 grams salt 225 grams granulated sugar 60 grams fresh yeast 21 large eggs 1050 grams unsalted butter a bit of milk Place the flour in the mixing bowl of the beater. Add the salt, the sugar and the yeast in different parts of the bowl on the flour. They should not come into contact. Add the dough attachment. Add the eggs all at once. Once the mixture is homogenous, add a bit of milk and mix. The dough should be soft, sticky but resist at the same time. Increase the speed of the beater to about 5 or 6. Once the dough unsticks from th...