Ingrédients

• 6 livres / 2.5 kilogrammes / 24 tomates vertes (hachées)
• 3 livres / 1.5 kilogrammes / 15 oignons moyens (hachés)
• ½ tasse / 125 millilitres sel (gros)
• 3 tasses / 750 millilitres vinaigre (blanc)
• 2 tasses / 500 millilitres sucre (granulé)
• 6 cuillères à soupe / 90 millilitres d'épices de décapage (nouées dans une étamine)

Instructions

1. Dans un grand bol, alternativement de tomates et d'oignons hachés ou coupés, saupoudrer généreusement chaque couche de sel. Couvrir le bol et laisser reposer pendant au moins 8 heures ou toute la nuit.
2. Après la marinade, rincer les tomates et les oignons et bien égoutter.
3. Ensuite, mélanger les légumes avec le vinaigre, le sucre et le sac à épices.
4. Dans une grande casserole ou une marmite, porter à ébullition, puis laisser mijoter à découvert pendant environ 30 à 45 minutes, en remuant souvent jusqu'à épaississement.
5. Après la cuisson, verser dans des bocaux chauds et stérilisés et sceller.

Source des recettes: Julian Armstrong (Hippocrene Books).

Chocolate Coffee Babka Wreath

Dough ingredients

• 1 tbsp yeast (11g)
• 50 ml warm water
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 200 ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp Vanilla
• 460 g flour
• 100 g butter

Chocolate Filling ingredients

• 110 g butter
• 150 g semi-sweet chocolate
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup cocoa
• 1 tbsp instant coffee
• Pinch of salt

Caramel Syrup ingredients

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup water

Instructions day 1

1. In a bowl, whisk together the warm water, yeast, and a pinch of sugar and let it rest until fluffy for 5-7 min.
2. In a large bowl (preferably of a stand mixer), put flour, milk, remaining sugar, salt, eggs, vanilla, and yeast.
3. Mix them until combined for about 3-4 minutes. Then, cover it with a cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 10-12 minutes.
4. After that, knead the dough by stand mixer or hand. Add room temperature butter to the dough and continue to knead for 12-15 minutes.
5. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. If you have limited time, you can keep it for around 3 hours.

Instructions day 2

1. Prepare the chocolate paste; in a medium saucepan, place the butter and chocolate and stir over low heat until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cocoa, powdered sugar, coffee, and salt. Whisk until the ingredients are well combined and let it cool at room temp.
2. Transfer the dough onto a floured counter and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 26x16 inch (70x40cm) rectangle. Spread the chocolate mixture on the dough with a spatula.
3. Tightly roll up the dough from the long side, transfer the roll to a baking sheet and leave it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes for it to be cut easily.
4. Remove the roll from the freezer and using a knife cut down the middle lengthwise. Knit the dough sides as in the IG Reel, curl into a circle and fix the ends to make a wreath. Transfer to a baking sheet carefully. Cover the wreath with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 60-75 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven 340-350F. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until its top turns brown.
6. Remove from the oven and brush with caramel syrup. Decorate it and serve.

J'ai fait ça pour mes rideaux mais dans la douleur. Il faut que je pratique ça pour que ça devienne plus naturel.

Ce modèle est facile à plier. La seule partie compliquée réside dans l'insertion de la flamme dans la fusée.

Ingredients for meringue

• ¾ cup sliced almonds, blanched-toasted
• ½ cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Ingredients for buttercream

• ¾ cup whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Amaretto or 2 tablespoons water
• 1½ tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Ingredients for ganache

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons corn syrup

Ingredients for decoration

• 12 hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 1 cup sliced almonds, blanched-toasted

Instructions for the meringue

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Using ruler and pencil, draw 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on piece of parchment paper. Grease baking sheet and place parchment on it, ink side down.
2. Process almonds, hazelnuts, cornstarch, and salt in food processor until nuts are finely ground, 15 to 20 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sugar and pulse to combine, 1 to 2 pulses.
3. Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium-high and whip whites to soft, billowy mounds, about 1 minute. With mixer running at medium-high speed, slowly add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to whip until glossy, stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold nut mixture into egg whites in 2 batches. With offset spatula, spread meringue evenly into 13 by 10 1/2-inch rectangle on parchment, using lines on parchment as guide. Using spray bottle, evenly mist surface of meringue with water until glistening. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven and allow meringue to cool in oven for 1 1/2 hours. (Do not open oven during baking and cooling.) Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes. (Cooled meringue can be kept at room temperature, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.).

Instructions for the buttercream

1. Heat milk in small saucepan over medium heat until just simmering. Meanwhile, whisk yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in bowl until smooth. Remove milk from heat and, whisking constantly, add half of milk to yolk mixture to temper. Whisking constantly, return tempered yolk mixture to remaining milk in saucepan. Return saucepan to medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is bubbling and thickens to consistency of warm pudding, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pastry cream to bowl. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before using, warm gently to room temperature in microwave at 50 percent power, stirring every 10 seconds.
2. Stir together amaretto and espresso powder; set aside. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter at medium speed until smooth and light, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pastry cream in 3 batches, beating for 30 seconds after each addition. Add amaretto mixture and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes longer, scraping down bowl thoroughly halfway through mixing.

Instructions for the ganache

1. Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Pour cream mixture over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir mixture until smooth. Set aside to cool until chocolate mounds slightly when dripped from spoon, about 5 minutes.

Instructions for montage

1. Carefully invert meringue and peel off parchment. Reinvert meringue and place on cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle, repeated scoring motion, trim edges of meringue to form 12 by 10-inch rectangle. Discard trimmings. With long side of rectangle parallel to counter, use ruler to mark both long edges of meringue at 3-inch intervals. Using serrated knife, score surface of meringue by drawing knife toward you from mark on top edge to corresponding mark on bottom edge. Repeat scoring until meringue is fully cut through. Repeat until you have four 10 by 3-inch rectangles. (If any meringues break during cutting, use them as middle layers.).
2. Place 3 rectangles on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Using offset spatula, spread 1/4 cup ganache evenly over surface of each meringue. Refrigerate until ganache is firm, about 15 minutes. Set aside remaining ganache.
3. Using offset spatula, spread top of remaining rectangle with 1/2 cup buttercream; place on wire rack with ganache-coated meringues. Invert 1 ganache-coated meringue, place on top of buttercream, and press gently to level. Repeat, spreading meringue with 1/2 cup buttercream and topping with inverted ganache-coated meringue. Spread top with buttercream. Invert final ganache-coated strip on top of cake. Use 1 hand to steady top of cake and spread half of remaining buttercream to lightly coat sides of cake, then use remaining buttercream to coat top of cake. Smooth until cake resembles box. Refrigerate until buttercream is firm, about 2 hours. (Once buttercream is firm, assembled cake may be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.).
4. Warm remaining ganache in heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally, until mixture is very fluid but not hot. Keeping assembled cake on wire rack, pour ganache over top of cake. Using offset spatula, spread ganache in thin, even layer over top of cake, letting excess flow down sides. Spread ganache over sides in thin layer (top must be completely covered, but some small gaps on sides are OK).
5. Garnish top of cake with hazelnuts. Holding bottom of cake with 1 hand, gently press almonds onto sides with other hand. Chill on wire rack, uncovered, for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours. Transfer to platter. Cut into slices with sharp knife that has been dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each slice. Serve.

C'était très bon. À refaire.

Petites remarques sur la réalisation :

• le temps de cuisson de la meringue semble un peu long et donne une meringue sèche. Mais comme elle est assemblée avec des éléments humides, ça ne gène pas du tout.
• pour la crème au beurre, il faut que le beurre soit à température ambiante (≈21°C), en dessous de ça, elle ne se mélange pas à la crème pâtissière.
• pour réchauffer la ganache pour le dessus du gâteau, il faut la mettre à feu très doux pour que le gras ne se sépare pas.

ATTENTION TO ALL PARENTS WHO NEED TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT SANTA 🎅
Son: "Dad, I think I'm old enough now. Is there a Santa Claus?."
Dad: "Ok, I agree that your old enough. But before I tell you, I have a question for you. You see, the “truth” is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can't unknow it. Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you will never again understand and relate to him as you do now. So my question is: Are you sure you want to know?"
Brief pause...
Son: "Yes, I want to know"
Dad: "Ok, I'll tell you: Yes there is a Santa Claus"
Son: "Really?"
Dad: Yes, really, but he's not an old man with a beard in a red suit. That's just what we tell kids. You see, kids are too young to understand the true nature of Santa Claus, so we explain it to them in a way that they can understand. The truth about Santa Claus is that he's not a person at all; he's an idea. Think of all those presents Santa gave you over the years. I actually bought those myself. I watched you open them. And did it bother me that you didn't thank me? Of course not! In fact it gave me great pleasure. You see, Santa Claus is THE IDEA OF GIVING FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING, without thought of thanks or acknowledgement.
When I saw that woman collapse on the subway last week and called for help, I knew that she'd never know that it was me that summoned the ambulance. I was being Santa Claus when I did that."
Son: "Oh."
Dad: "So now that you know, you're part of it. You have to be Santa Claus too now. That means you can never tell a young kid the secret, and you have to help us select Santa presents for them, and most important, you have to look for opportunities to help people.
Got it?"Help each other this Christmas🎄🎅 and...be kind ❤💕

Pleins de conseils pour améliorer ses pizzas

Ingredients

• Bread flour 430 grams
• Water 345 grams of water
• Yeast 1 gram of yeast (1/4 tsp)
• salt 12 grams (2 tsp kosher)
• Wheat bran, cornmeal, or additional flour for dusting

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon or your hand, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds. Make sure it’s really sticky to the touch; if it’s not, mix in another tablespoon or two of water. Cover the bowl with a plate, tea towel, or plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature (about 72 degrees F), out of direct sunlight, until the surface is dotted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size. This will take a minimum of 12 hours and (my preference) up to 18 hours. This slow rise – fermentation – is the key to flavor.
2. When the first fermentation is complete, generously dust a work surface (a wooden or plastic board is fine) with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. When you begin to pull the dough away from the bowl, it will cling in long, thin strands (this is the developed gluten), and it will be quite loose and sticky – do not add more flour. Use slightly floured hands or a bowl scraper or spatula to lift the edges of the dough in toward the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
3. Place a cotton or linen tea towel (not terry cloth, which tends to stick and may leave lint in the dough) or a large cloth napkin on your work surface and generously dust the cloth with wheat bran, cornmeal, or flour. Use your hands or a bowl scraper or a wooden spatula to gently lift the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your finger, making an indentation about ¼ inch deep, it should hold the impression. If it doesn’t, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
4. Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F, with a rack in the lower third position, and place a covered 4 ½ to 5 ½- quart heavy pot in the center of the rack.
5. Using pot holders, carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven, and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel, lightly dust the dough with flour or bran, lift up the dough, either on the towel or in your hand, and quickly but gently invert it into the pot, seam side up. (Use caution – the pot will be very hot; see photos, page 55.) Cover the pot and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep, chestnut color but not burnt, 15 to 30 minutes more. Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to carefully lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly. Don’t slice or tear into it until it has cooled, which usually takes at least an hour.

Notes

• Original recipe uses 8g salt.
• Try: After taking lid off dutch oven, put oven on baking sheet. prevents burnt bottoms
• Try: After bake is done, turn off oven, crack door, and let bread sit in oven for 20 minutes curing crust
  Bake bread darker!
• Notes from Bittman → No Kneading, but Some Fine-Tuning - The New York Times
• SALT Many people, me included, felt Mr. Lahey’s bread was not salty enough. Yes, you can use more salt and it won’t significantly affect the rising time. I’ve settled at just under a tablespoon.
• TIMING About 18 hours is the preferred initial rising time. Some readers have cut this to as little as eight hours and reported little difference. I have not had much luck with shorter times, but I have gone nearly 24 hours without a problem. Room temperature will affect the rising time, and so will the temperature of the water you add (I start with tepid). Like many other people, I’m eager to see what effect warmer weather will have. But to those who have moved the rising dough around the room trying to find the 70-degree sweet spot: please stop. Any normal room temperature is fine. Just wait until you see bubbles and well-developed gluten — the long strands that cling to the sides of the bowl when you tilt it — before proceeding.
• THE SECOND RISE Mr. Lahey originally suggested one to two hours, but two to three is more like it, in my experience. (Ambient temperatures in the summer will probably knock this time down some.) Some readers almost entirely skipped this rise, shaping the dough after the first rise and letting it rest while the pot and oven preheat; this is worth trying, of course.
• OTHER FLOURS Up to 30 percent whole-grain flour works consistently and well, and 50 percent whole-wheat is also excellent. At least one reader used 100 percent whole-wheat and reported “great crust but somewhat inferior crumb,” which sounds promising. I’ve kept rye, which is delicious but notoriously impossible to get to rise, to about 20 percent. There is room to experiment.
• FLAVORINGS The best time to add caraway seeds, chopped olives, onions, cheese, walnuts, raisins or whatever other traditional bread flavorings you like is after you’ve mixed the dough. But it’s not the only time; you can fold in ingredients before the second rising.
• COVERING BETWEEN RISES A Silpat mat under the dough is a clever idea (not mine). Plastic wrap can be used as a top layer in place of a second towel.

Testé et approuvé !
Vraiment très bon.