Profiteroles with Blackberry Mascarpone, Chocolate, and Pistachio

Happy New Year! Let us hope 2012 brings happiness to us all. I rung in the new year with these little fellows: flaky profiteroles filled with blackberry mascarpone, dipped in chocolate, and sprinkled with pistachio. I love the colors and the flavors in this dessert. I hope that you'll give them a try sometime this year. Take care, and best wishes and blessings!

Profiteroles

adapted from La Fuji Mama

yields four dozen mini profiteroles

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Bring the water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the butter.  When the butter has melted, add the flour mixture all at once and stir vigorously.  Cook and stir until the mixture forms a ball that doesn’t separate. Remove from the heat and cool slightly (about 1 minute).  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one until the dough is smooth.

Drop heaping tablespoons of dough about 2-inches apart onto a lined baking sheet.  Or transfer the batter to a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe circles about 2-inches in diameter and about 1-inch apart onto lined baking sheets.  Bake the puffs for about 30 minutes until they are golden brown and puffy.  If the puffs are medium-size, bake for about 25 minutes, and if the puffs are mini-size, bake for about 20 minutes.  Remove the cream puffs from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.

Blackberry Mascarpone

Ingredients:

2 cups blackberries

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 tablespoons orange juice 

1/4 cup sugar

16 ounces mascarpone, at room temperature

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Place blackberries, orange zest, orange juice, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Mash blackberries as they cook down. Leave on low for 15 minutes.

Strain blackberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Let cool.

With an electric mixer on low speed, combine mascarpone, confectioners' sugar, and the blackberry mixture until combined.

Assembly

Melt 8 ounces of chocolate on a double broiler. Grind 1/4 cup shelled pistachios into a fine powder.

Pipe blackberry mascarpone into the profiteroles. Dip tops of profiteroles in melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with pistachios. Let chocolate cool and harden. Can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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Cranberry Orange Walnut Loaf

Cranberry Orange Bread is a favorite in my family. My mom always makes many mini loaves to give away to friends. She wraps then in little cellophane bags with holly on them and ties them with raffia ribbon. It's pure Christmas cheer.

My mom calls it "bread," but it's really the consistency of cake (Cake that you're allowed to eat for breakfast, so we'll roll with this "bread" bit... I've called it a "loaf" here to be politically correct :) ) The orange and cranberry are a refreshing punch to this moist and delicious comfort food. This can be eaten it by itself, or spread with some butter and jam on top.

My mom gives away most of the loaves, but there's always a few left for us. I know what I'll be having for breakfast this week... :)

one year ago: Ciambelle (Lemon Wreath Cookies)


Cranberry Orange Walnut Loaf
from Martha Stewart

yields 1 large loaf or 3 mini loaves (mini loaf pictured above)

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
zest of 1 orange
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cranberries, diced
1/2 cup roasted walnuts, chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, stir heavy cream, orange juice, and vanilla. In another small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl beat butter, orange zest, and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time while continuing to beat. Alternate adding flour mixture and cream mixture until fully incorporated. Add cranberries and walnuts.

In a prepared loaf pan or cardboard loaf pan, fill with batter until 2/3 full. Bake about 30 minutes in the oven until gold brown or until a toothpick come out clean when put in the center of the loaf. Let cool completely on a rack. Loaves can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored on the counter for days or in the freezer for weeks.

Enjoy.
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