Blood Orange Rosemary Olive Oil Teacake

I'm pretty in love with this tea cake because it's sooo pretty to look at AND it's delicious! Best of both worlds. ;) I am a huge huge fan of using fresh herbs with fresh fruit because life's too short to stay in your swim lane. With citruses all the craze right now at farmer's markets, this is a serious need to bake teacake and wonderful for breakfast or for afternoon coffee/tea. 

I mean, how beautiful are these blood oranges?! I'm in serious heaven!! My favorite part about this recipe is during the first part of candying the oranges where your kitchen will smell like this amazing citrus sweet symphony. Then, you add in the rosemary and POW. You actually end up with this incredible syrup that can be used to flavor cocktails or sparkling water mocktails. :D This is the gift that keeps giving! 

Note: Do not slice your oranges too thin or else they'll just boil down to nothing. Also, minimize your stirring when the peel is simmering in your sugar water.  The more you stir, the less pulp you'll have on that rind. You want to keep as much of this in tact as possible for that pretty lining on your cake. 

There are a few parts to this cake but don't let that scare you off. Keep calm and bake on.   Also, feel free to add other citrus cousins to this cake if you are so inclined to! I've added kumquats and it pairs wonderfully.

Couple of notes on your ingredients: Go with organic oranges. I REALLY think this makes all the difference. The sweeter and better the fruit, the BETTER THE CAKE! Same goes with the olive oil used in this cake. I LOVE my California Olive Oil so suggest you use your favorite olive oil for these yummy cakes.  Happy baking! 

Blood Orange Rosemary Olive Oil Teacake
Makes one 9" x 5" bread loaf  (Approx 7-8 slices) 

Candied Fruit Bottom 

  • 1/2 cup water 
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
  • 4 medium blood oranges, cleaned well & sliced semi-thin 
  • 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary 

Almond Paste

  • 3 oz. super fine almond flour 
  • 1.25 oz powdered sugar 
  • 1 large egg, room temp 
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

Cake 

  • 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
  • zest from 1 medium navel orange 
  • 2 tablespoon orange juice 
  • 1/2 cup canola oil 
  • 1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil 
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk 
  • 3 large eggs, room temp 

1. Start by making the candied fruit. In a medium saucepan on medium high heat, add water and sugar together. Lightly stir together until sugar melts. Bring to a simmer.

2. Add in sliced oranges layering on top of each other. You want the oranges to just barely sit at the same level as the water after adding into the pot. Lower heat to simmer and keep oranges there for 17-20 minutes until tender. Remember to stir every now and then but be VERY gentle as to not break the peels. They will become more fragile as they cook. 

3. Remove orange slices and place on a cooling rack to dry. Use the remaining orange sugar water and add rosemary sprigs. Simmer for another 5-7 minutes. Add a little water if needed and toss the rosemary so it's covered in the sugar water. Remove rosemary and place on the  cooling rack. 

4. Keep 1-2 rosemary sprigs in tact and toss in sugar to coat them. Set these aside to garnish for the top of your loaf if desired. Take the rest of the rosemary on the other sprigs off and give them a good chop and set aside.  (Note: Save your leftover syrup for drinks or flavoring other things!) 

5. Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously butter a 9x5 bread loaf. 

6. Layer cooled candied orange slices on the bottom of the pan layer on top so they are an even layer covering the bottom of the pan. Take chopped rosemary and sprinkle on top of the orange peel in the pan. 

7. Start the cake batter by making the almond paste. Add almond flour, sifted powdered sugar and  the large egg together in a small mixing bowl. Stir until well incorporated into a paste, set aside. 

8.  Next, work on the rest of the cake batter. In a medium bowl, add your dry ingredients, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. Whisk to incorporate together and set aside.

9. In a stand mixer bowl with a whisk attachment, add almond paste, canola oil, olive oil, and sugar. Careful, the oil may splash during mixing! Whisk together on slow at first then increase speed to medium until all the ingredients are incorporated. One egg at a time, add and beat without adding the next until the egg has been incorporated. Batter will start to get thick and creamy then add milk and orange juice.

9.  Switch the mixer to lowest setting ("stir") and mix in dry ingredients in 1/2 of a cup at a time. Careful not to overmix the dry ingredients. Once all the dry is incorporated, turn the mixer on medium and beat for 5 seconds. Turn off right away! (I love giving my cake batter a little taste at this time. Sooo yummy!) 

10.  Pour prepared batter into the orange and rosemary lined bread pan. Spread with a spatula so it's even in the pan. Give the pan a light tapping on your countertop just to get rid of any air bubbles but do not tap too many times because of your oranges on the bottom. Place into heated oven and bake for 45mins-1hr until deep brown. Rotate the pan once 70% of the way through baking. Do not remove from the oven unless a toothpick comes out clean! 

11.  Let it cool in the pan for 20minutes. Invert on a cooling rack and let it cool completely. At this point you can brush the cake with the remaining orange/rosemary syrup or leave as is. 

12. Slice and enjoy!! Keep in an airtight container or plastic wrap for 4-5 days. 

 

Chocolate Puffs & Eclairs

After making some delish Hazelnut Vanilla Pastry Cream, I found myself going to the fridge to SPOON this stuff directly into my stomach. (Hey, I'm not ashamed ;)) But given I wanted to find a way to share it with others, I decided to go back to my choux roots and make a CHOCOLATE choux pastry. I don't think I've ever had a chocolate cream puff or chocolate base but I thought.. why the heck not, right? 

This was a bit scary to bake since you can't tell how brown they get but I stuck to the bake times generally and it was accurate. When you get close to them being finished, you can open the oven and check on them. Take out one puff and cut it open. However, don't get curious too soon or else if you take them out before they're stable, you'll get flat sad little puffs. :( 

The great thing about choux pastry is the ability to make whatever shape you want as you're piping. I decided on a mix of eclairs and puffs for this batch. In the end I would use this pastry type for puffs since they end up getting softer after being stored for a day. But this is up to you! Eclairs can be just a beautiful and delicious. 

Chocolate Hazelnut Puffs & Eclairs
Makes about 1 dozen puffs depending on how large you pipe them

Choux Pastry Dough

  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup bread flour
  • 3 large eggs 
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Filling

Glaze

  • 100g dark chocolate 60%, chopped 
  • 100ml heavy cream 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare a pastry bag with a round tip. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine then set aside. 

3. In a medium sauce pan, add milk, water and butter and melt together until mixture is just below simmering over a medium heat. Whisk constantly so you don't burn any milk on the bottom of the ban. You'll see steam coming off the top and foamy bubbles appear on the edges.  

4. Remove the pan from the heat then add the flour mixture all together at once and then return back to the medium heat. Begin to stir quickly with wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides, about 3-4 minutes. 

5. Place dough into a stand mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment. Spread the dough up the sides of the bowl to help cool it. Let it cool for 1-2 minutes. 

6. One by one, add in the eggs with the mixer on a medium speed. Don't add the next egg until the previous one has been incorporated. After all 3 eggs, remove the bowl and add in the cocoa powder. Stir in with a wooden spoon. 

7. Fill the pastry bag with the chocolate dough and pipe on the prepared baking sheet. Space them no less than 1 1/2 inches apart since they will puff up. 

8. Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15-18 minutes until they've completely puffed up. Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees F and continue to bake another 10-15 minutes until the shells are firm. 

9. Remove from the oven and pierce with a skewer to allow steam to escape. I run the skewer from end to end near the bottom of the puffs. Place them back into the oven turned off with the door propped open. Allow shells to cool completely before filling. 

10. Take your filling and also fill a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 230 tip. Poke into the puff near the top of them since this will be covered up by ganache later. Careful not to overfill your puffs. 

11. Make your ganache by chopping your chocolate evenly and place into a glass bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Pour over chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes. Stir together till smooth with a spatula.

12. Take each of your filled puffs and dip the tops in the chocolate ganache. You may need to twist them a bit and carefully lift from the chocolate to have a uniform top. Sprinkle each puff with crushed hazelnuts.

13. Set aside on a cooling rack then pack together in an airtight container. Enjoy them within a few hours of making them or the shells will get soggy.  

     

    Hazelnut Vanilla Pastry Cream

    I've been playing with different fillings and methods of infuse MOAR FLAVOR into my bakes lately. Specifically tartlets since I found a new pate sucrée recipe that I'm loving. This time I've infused my whole milk to make a wonderful Hazelnut Pastry Cream! 

    This recipe is inspired by Kitchn using flour to thicken vs. cornstarch. I was pleasantly surprised at how smooth this cream turned out which is different than the more custardy, firm type I make with my fruit tartlets. 

    Hazelnut Vanilla Pastry Cream
    Makes about 1 1/2-2 cups

    • 1 1/4 cups of roasted hazelnuts 
    • 1 1/2 cups whole milk (possibly need 1/2 cup more after infusing milk) 
    • 1/3 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon 
    • 1/4 cup flour
    • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 4 large egg yolks, room temp 
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla bean pod scraped

    1.  If you haven't already, make sure to roast your whole hazelnuts for 15-20 minutes at 275 degrees F.  If they have skins on them, place the warm hazelnuts in a kitchen towel and rib them together vigorously. (You're going to strain the mixture either way so no need to remove all the skin) 

    2. Place cooled hazelnuts in a food processor and give them a rough chop. It's ok if there are still some large pieces in there. Add them into a medium saucepan and add 1 1/2 cups of milk and vanilla bean if using or vanilla extract. 

    3. Heat medium saucepan with hazelnuts and milk on a medium to low heat while constantly whisking. It's important you don't burn the milk which can easily be done. Continue to heat and scald the milk till just below simmer. Remove from the stove and allow the hazelnuts to continue infusing the milk for 10 minutes, stir occasionally to remove the dry layer of skin on top. 

    4. Prepare a fine mesh strainer over a measuring cup. Pour mixture into the measuring cup to see how much liquid remains. Some of it may have been cooked off. Top off the milk with regular whole milk to make sure you have 1 1/2 cups of liquid. 

    5. In a separate medium bowl, add egg yolks, sugar, flour and salt and combine together until it is well mixed and turned into a paste. Place hazelnut milk back into the saucepan and reheat till it has just been scaled. 

    6. Temper 1/3 of the milk into the egg mixture bowl, whisking constantly so you don't cook your eggs. Add another 1/3 of the mixture into the bowl then take the bowl and add it back into the saucepan. Keep whisking! 

    7. Over a medium heat, cook the egg milk mixture while whisking until you see large bubbles boil to the top and the mixture becomes nice and thick. 

    8. Place another mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the mixture through the strainer. This will help remove any cooked egg bits. 

    9. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the cream sealing it into the bowl. Place into the fridge and chill for a few hours until completely cold. Mixture will continue to firm as chilled. Use within 4-5 days in the fridge. 

     

    Black Sesame Cherry Scones

    I find my moments of recipe creation so strange sometimes. I might go through Instagram and see what flavors inspire me, surf Pinterest to see what trends are happening... but chance are if I try to force it, it's actually extremely difficult and I get recipe block (which is the most frustrating thing ever). Recently, I'll have these moments of creative breakthrough in the most unexpected times.

    I was speaking in front of the Los Cerritos District Women's Club Alumnae about my new found baking life but also wanted to provide these wonderful ladies with some baked goods. For this, I knew I wanted to make something that could be done in the same morning of being served. Low and behold, A SCONE is the perfect baked good that is delicious, impressive and made in the same day! Keep in mind there is some freezing time required and the longer the better but you can do a minimum 1hr before you bake and they'll still come out great. 

    I've had some left over dried cherries from my hand pie making day and then I chose to pair it with black sesame because there's an earthy/nuttiness to that ingredient that would pair perfectly with the tartness of the cherries.  I also really feel black sesame is SO under utilized in the baking world!  When using cherries, I make sure to plump them up a bit in some water for 10 minutes so they aren't just a bunch of dry bits in here. I would also consider using dried currants or blueberries which I can see being sooo delish with black sesame. 

    I'm not even a big scone eater but loveee this recipe! It's really great softness on the inside and crisp outside. Hope you guys love them too! 

    Tips:
    - Remember to handle the dough as little as possible. Don't want to over exercise the gluten in the flour. 
    - Use cold, cold butter and cold liquids!  If you even have time to refrigerate your dry ingredients, do it!  COLD EVERYTHING is the key to fluffy and flakey scones! 
    -  Freeze your cut scones for at least 1-2 hours before applying your wash and baking. You want these babies practically frozen before going into the oven. 

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    Black Sesame Cherry Scones
    Adapted from King Arthur / Makes 10-12 scones depending on how you slice them

    Scone Ingredients: 

    • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
    • 1/3 cup sugar 
    • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder 
    • 2 tablespoons roasted black sesame
    • 1 tablespoon roasted black sesame powder 
    • 1/2 cup cold butter, diced into cubes 
    • 1 cup dried dark cherries, soaked
    • 2 large eggs, room temp
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
    • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 
    • 1/4 cup whole milk

    Topping Ingredients: 

    • 2 teaspoons whole milk 
    • 2 teaspoons heavy whipping cream 
    • 2 tablespoons sparkling white sugar 

    1. Prep your cherries by covering with water and letting them soak for 10 minutes. Grind your black sesame into powder if needed. Prep 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dusted with flour then set aside. 

    2. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, black sesame powder and black sesame. Whisk together to incorporate. If you have time, place the flour mixture into the fridge for at least 20-30 minutes to chill. If you don't have time you can skip this step just work quickly. 

    3. Add in diced butter to the flour and rub the bits of butter with the flour until it becomes a very rough and crumbly mixture. There should still be bits of butter showing. 

    3. Remove cherries from the water and lightly pat with paper towel just to remove the excess water. Fold them into the flour and butter mixture. 

    4. In a medium bowl, add eggs and beat with a whisk. Add in whole milk, heavy cream and vanilla to the eggs and whisk together. Add the liquids into the flour mixture starting with 2/3 of your liquid. So add in most of it but not all of it since it may not all be needed. Mix in the dry ingredients with the liquid with your hands just until it's incorporated but still feels a bit dry. (This is very messy so be prepared!) 

    5. Take the dough and scrape onto the baking sheet with parchment paper. Add more flour as needed if it's too wet to handle. Separate the dough and using the heel of your palm shape into two discs next to each other. Each disc should be about 3/4 of an inch thick.

    6.  Using a bench scrapper, cut each disc into 5-6 wedges then pull them apart so they sit at least 1 inch away from each other. Place into the freezer uncovered for minimum of 1.5 hours before baking and up to 1 month. 

    7. Preheat oven to 425 F. When oven is ready, remove scones from the freezer and apply a quick cream/milk wash. Sprinkle with sparkling sugar. 

    8. Bake in heated oven for 20-23 minutes. The thicker the scone the longer they'll take. Rotate the pan at least once when 75% of the time has passed. Scones are done baking with the outside is golden brown and can lift off the pan. 

    9. Remove scones from the oven and cool for 1 minute on the pan. Transfer over to a cooling rack and serve immediately! These puppies are the best straight from the oven or if you want to save them make sure you reheat before eating.  

     

    Kimchi Twists

    One of my favorite things about living in LA is seriously all the readily available and authentic Korean food in K-town. It's no more than a 35 minute drive and then you're in heaven!! Don't get me wrong, Chinese food and flavors will always have my heart but I've been on a Korean food kick for the last 3 years that only seems to be growing and growing. If you ever want my favorites, message me and I'm happy to provide you with a healthy list of specialty stews, hand cut noodle places, the BEST k-bbq and of course tofu restaurants. 

    When I found out I was on the show, I really wanted to showcase Korean flavors somewhere on the menu since it's such an influence on my pallet in the recent years. The savory hors devour challenge was perfect! Since then, I don't have a reason to make 36 tartlets for anyone so I adapted my recipe for just making these highly addictive and delicious kimchi twists! 

    These are a great recipe for pairing with your cheese and charcuterie platters or just to have as little snack bites!! The kimchi takes on a new flavor when it's baked and rolled into all this amazing butter goodness. It's not overly KIMCHI in your face just as an FYI. It's more like an acidic, salty aftertaste. So so good! Give it a shot! 

    Kimchi Twists
    Makes about 3 dozen 4" twists or 15-20 long twists. 

    Kimchi butter:

    • 226g of European butter, 8 oz - slightly softened but not fully soft
    • 1 cup of mat napa cabbage kimchi, pureed 
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

    Kimchi Dough: 

    • 2 cups of all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 2/3 cup of ice water

    Other: 

    • 1 egg 
    • 1-2 tablespoons of kimchi puree leftover juice 

    Make the lean dough: 

    1. In a small bowl, prepare ice cold water. In a medium stainless steel mixing bowl, mix flour and salt together. Add a couple of tablespoons of water at a time and fluff the dough with your fingers and keep your fingers loose using a scooping motion. Do not get any ice into the dough. 

    2. Continue until alternating adding water and scooping flour together until the flour comes together in large pieces and holds together when pressed.

    3. Shape dough into a square and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. It’s ok if it is shaggy and not clean looking.

    Make the kimchi butter:

    1. Cream the butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for a couple minutes until light and fluffy. You don't want this to become completely whipped since you're just trying to break it down a bit. 

    2. Take the kimchi and blend it with a food processor until fine. Strain out all the liquid from the puree and set aside. You will end up using some of this later. 

    3. Add kimchi, salt and black pepper to butter and beat together until just incorporated. 

    4. With a spatula, remove butter mixture from mixing bowl and place on a large piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap to form into a square block that is 4” by 4”. Wrap and put it into the fridge to chill for at least 30-45 minutes or till hard. 

    Making Kimchi Dough:

    1. Roll out the lean dough to approx. 7” x 7” square.

    2. Remove the butter and place as a diamond on the square dough so it’s at a 90 degree angle. Wrap the corners of the dough over the butter so they meet in the middle. Then pinch to seal and flip over so the seams are on the bottom. 

    3. Next you will be preparing this similarly to how you make puff pastry. Complete First and Second Turns. Flour the surface lightly and flip the dough with butter over so the seams are facing the counter. Roll out to be a rectangle approx 12 inches by 6 inches wide. Fold it in thirds by the top third over the bottom third and bottom over the top third.

    4. NOTE: Dough may be very wet because of the kimchi so just add flour at every spot that starts leaking or if butter breaks through skin. Make sure counter is properly floured at all times. Rotate the dough so it looks like a book then roll it out again into a rectangle of 12 x 6” and fold again. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Mark down that you’ve done 2 turns.

    5. Complete Third & Fourth Turn: Repeat same rolling out and folding dough two more times. If any butter pops out cover it with a little flour.

    6. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. Mark down that you’ve done 4 turns.

    7. Complete Fifth and Sixth Turns: Repeat same rolling out and folding dough two more times. If any butter pops out cover it with a little flour. Dough should be smooth and easy to roll out.

    8. Chill for 1 hour in plastic wrap.

    Baking the Kimchi Twists:

    1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F / 218 C. Prepare baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

    2. Roll out the pastry dough so the dough is between 1/4 and 1/8 inches thick. Then cut out desired shapes/size strips using a floured pizza cutter. 

    3. Prepare your egg wash by mixing 1-2 tablespoons of kimchi juice to your beaten egg. Place kimchi strips on the baking sheets by twisting and then lightly pressing the ends down on the sheet. Brush each twist with your kimchi egg wash. Don't cover too much with the egg wash, just brush lightly. 

    4. Place cut pastry back into the freezer to chill/firm slightly for 5-10 minutes. Bake for 15-25 minutes at 375 F and plan to flip the twists at least once half way through baking. 

    5. Cool baked twists completely on a cooling rack then enjoy!! Keep in an airtight container if storing for 5 days.