Cooking with Almond Flour

My childhood in France was punctuated with much fun, joy and delicious pleasures. I especially loved January, because it's the time of the year when Epiphany is celebrated with la galette des Rois, or king's cake. For those who don't know, epiphany is a Christian holiday that celebrates the Magi visiting baby Jesus. January 6th is the official day of Epiphany, but in France, we usually celebrate it on the Sunday between the 2nd and the 8th.

Full Recipe...

Olivier's Grandma's Pithivier Dessert Recipe

If you follow the blog, you've probably noticed the "pithivier cake" cooking tutorial my childhood friend Alexia, her husband Olivier and I filmed during their visit to Silicon Valley. We've received great feedback, but many of you asked for the recipe in print for easier readability. So without further ado, here it is. 

I've baked another pithivier; they're so easy to assemble (we've made four already since I learned Olivier's grandma "Mamie Françoise's" 1930s award-winning pithivier cake recipe). It originates from the small town of Pithiviers, in the Loiret département in north-central France where Olivier grew up. As we mentioned in the video, "shhh," this recipe is a secret! It's only made with almond flour, eggs, sugar and oranges. There is no butter; the richness comes from the abundance of almonds in the batter. 

 

 

Full Recipe...

Authentic Pithiviers Cake (Award Winning Recipe) Video

My childhood friend Alexia and her husband Olivier are visiting. Olivier is an amazing cook and I've had the privilege to learn his grandma "Mamie Françoise"'s secret Pithiviers cake recipe. A Pithiviers is a cake made of almond flour, eggs, sugar and oranges. It originates from the town of Pithiviers, in the Orleans area of France, where Olivier and his family are from. According to his grandmother, there are many variations of this original classic French dessert but this one is the authentic recipe. The traditional version calls for candied fruits on top (fruits confits in French) and absolutely no top puff pastry crust. It is best eaten after resting for a few days. I can't tell you how long the baked Pithiviers can be stored because it didn't last long in our home! Whether you're a beginner or a professional pâtissier, this Pithiviers cake is easy to make at home, once we let you in on the secrets of this authentic recipe. Follow the instructions from this video and you'll have the pleasure of eating this moist cake that won the Pithiviers cake contest back in the 1930s. Mamie Françoise was the proud winner!
Full Recipe...

Deconstructed Cherry Pistachio Trifle Recipe

This is my artsy interpretation of a deconstructed trifle. We had lovely guests flying in from Atlanta and I wanted to finish our meal with a wow factor. I displayed a wide array of colors using pistachios and cherries (the first ones harvested from our garden). 

The cake portion of the dessert is an almond croquant. The thick custard was made with vanilla beans, sherry, mascarpone cheese and whipped cream. I also wanted to contrast the warmth from the croquant with Indian pistachio ice cream. The dessert was the perfect balance of flavor, texture and heat.

Full Recipe...

Almond Chocolate Cookie Cake Pie Recipe

Have you ever cooked a turducken? In case you don't know what a turducken is, it's a deboned turkey stuffed with a deboned duck stuffed with a deboned chicken. Turduckens are usually stuffed with breadcrumb dressing. Well, the idea for this elaborate dessert is smilar in concept,  but a sweet version. I wanted to layer one dessert into another and create a special, sweet treat: a cookie cake pie.

Somehow I managed to wrestle the whole thing together and came up with a dessert that I think made sense. It consisted of an almond passion fruit cheesecake inside an almondine tart, which is stuffed into a vanilla chocolate slivered almond cookie pie and finally layered on puff pastry dough.

I rarely make exactly the same dish twice. Once you've worked on your fundamentals, you can start to use the basic recipe and create dozens of different variations. This unique dessert is a true reflection of my cuisine. I love experimenting with new dishes and seeing my loved ones enjoying the fruit of my labor. Now all I need is to come up with a clever name for this unique dessert!

Full Recipe...