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Liège Waffle

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These waffles are a fusion of brioche and waffles topped with caramelized crunchy sugar and they are so good, totally addictive…

– Have you ever heard of Liège waffle?

Well, I have not until I bumped into it when searching for something on the internet and started to read about it…

These are originally from Belgium and do not taste like your traditional waffle or even Belgian waffle.

– What’s the difference between Liège waffle and Belgian waffle?

Belgian waffle uses batter and Liège waffle uses yeasted dough, yes, yeasted dough like bread and has pearl sugar in it which caramelized once in the waffle iron.

– Why you need to try Liège waffle?

Because they are unique as every bite of the waffle contains crunchy caramelized sugar…which makes these waffles super special.

– How do you serve Liège waffle?

You can serve as you would serve pancakes, American waffles, Belgian waffles…but I like it plain…just as it is…

– How long it takes to make Liège waffle?

Like bread, these waffles use yeast raised dough therefore will require more time than your traditional waffles (batter), but worth the time and effort.

And because contains a lot of butter like brioche it is recommended to use a stand mixer.

– Can I freeze the Liège waffles?

Absolutely, I like to freeze the raw dough already divided and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, place the dough on the counter for 10-15 minutes and directly to the waffle iron…super easy.

– How did I come up with the recipe?

After looking into many recipes in details, I realized that the percentage of butter varied from 15-51%, yes, some recipes called for 51% of butter when compared to the flour content…I like butter, but do not wanted to have my arteries clogged while eating this waffle, so I adapted to about 35%.

– Would you like to try it?

Here we go…

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz butter (113 g)
  • 320 g bread flour
  • 1 jumbo egg (approximately 65 g)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon yeast
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 20 g honey
  • 150 ml milk
  • 150 g Belgian pearl sugar

Method:

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all the ingredients except for the butter and Belgian pearl sugar.

Mix until well combined, it will be very sticky, do not add more flour.

On low speed, add the butter, and scrape down the bowl as needed, making sure that all the butter is incorporated in the dough. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, between 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the dough and place in a bowl and cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

Punch the dough down, flatten the dough with your fingers and spread the Belgian pearl sugar on the dough. Cut the dough in half and place one on top of the other. Again, cut the dough in half and top it on the other half.

Divide the dough into approximately 16 equal pieces (50 g) and gently roll each piece into a ball.

At this point you can freeze the waffle dough…first on the baking sheet. Once the waffle balls are frozen place them into a freezer quality plastic bag and store for future use.

Or, let the waffle dough sit for 15-20 minutes and place the waffle dough on the waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Place the waffle dough in the middle of the waffle iron and cook at medium low for about 4 to 5 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. The time will vary depending on the heat.  Make sure to watch carefully as the sugar can burn if the temperature is too high.

Carefully transfer the waffle to an iron rack and serve warm or keep in a warm oven of approximately 225oF.

Make sure to clean the waffle iron, while warm as the sugar will caramelized and stick to the iron once is cooled. You can use a spatula and damp cloth.

– Care for more recipes using waffle iron?  Please check on these…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Egg Salad with Better Body Foods Avocado Mayo

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Can you believe that this avocado mayo tastes just like your regular mayo, and uses 100% avocado oil? This avocado mayo is creamy and so smooth…you will love it!

I must admit that I was very skeptical when approached to try the avocado oil mayo as I have tried the olive oil mayo and just did not like it…well, after trying this product I must confess…it is amazing, you can not tell the difference between the regular mayonnaise when compared to this one made with avocado.

Oh! Before I forget, I have been given the Better Body Foods Avocado Mayo as a gift, all opinions in this review are my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

– Let’s talk about mayonnaise…what is mayonnaise?

Mayonnaise is a high oil emulsion, as in chemistry, emulsion is a mixture using ratios of two liquids that usually do not mix….as example we have water and oil. In case of mayonnaise would be lemon juice and egg, yolk (emulsifier) and oil. Oil is added slowly to the mixture of egg yolk and vinegar and whisked very quickly. Little droplets of

– Calories content?

Well…I have not really compared the calories content between the traditional and the avocado mayonnaise, as you know all the mayonnaise uses egg and oil as a base, therefore they are all high in fat content and yes, not a considered a healthy food.

– What’s the difference between traditional mayonnaise and mayonnaise made with avocado oil?

Since the oil is necessary in the making of mayonnaise, it will make sense that the kind of fat used will determine the health level of the mayonnaise. The best oil for mayonnaise would be olive or avocado oil…both oils in moderation are healthy…

– The test…

I used a very simple way to test the avocado oil mayonnaise…egg salad…and it was delicious…

There is not recipe as hard boil eggs were chopped and mayonnaise added to taste.  I did add freshly ground rainbow pepper to the egg mixture…and made a simple sandwich with the egg salad so nothing would mask the flavor of the mayonnaise.

– The verdict…

Awesome, as mention before I did not care for mayonnaise made with olive oil, due to its strong flavor, but loved the mayonnaise with avocado oil, being the flavor milder and hard to differentiate between the traditional one. Not only tasted wonderful avocado oil in moderation is good for you heart and brain, lower your cholesterol and is loaded with antioxidants…

– Are you ready to try avocado oil mayonnaise?

I hope you get to try and please let me know how you like it…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Egg Salad with Ham Mini Phyllo Cup

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Care for an easy, simple and nutritious finger food? These mini phyllo cup filled with creamy egg salad with ham not are only cute, they are delicious…and perfect for Easter!

The combination of the creamy egg salad with a bit of ham and the light and crispy phyllo cups are detectable for the palate.

– Why you should try this recipe?

It is the easiest and simplest finger food you can make…and they are so eye catching…

– Can I make my own phyllo cup?

Absolutely, I was just too lazy to make them, so I choose the short cut method, store bought.

– Is that possible to make these in advance?

Yes, by adding a layer of iceberg lettuce in the mini cups before adding the egg salad will keep the phyllo cup fresh and crispy.

– Should we get to the recipe?

Here we go…

Ingredients:

  • 3 hard boiled eggs
  • 2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2-3 tablespoons finely cubed ham
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 big iceberg lettuce leaf
  • Cilantro leaves, carrot, green peas for garnish

Method:

Refresh the phyllo cups by baking them in a 325F preheated oven for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.

Scoop the egg from the shell and place in a small bowl.

Using a fork, mash the egg as much as you can.  Add the desirable amount of black pepper and the ham. Mix until all the ingredients are blended together.

Cut the iceberg lettuce into small piece and lay gently inside the mini phyllo cup.

Using a mini scooper (1 tablespoon size) scoop the egg salad on the lettuce.

Garnish with cilantro leaf, carrot and or green pea.

Serve.

Before I forget…

– Looking for more egg recipes?  Please check the links below…

Did you know that eggs are considered one of the most nutritious food available? One egg contain in average 77 calories and it is packed with vitamins such as A, B12, B2, B5.  Also rich in phosphorus and selenium.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Grand Marnier Soufflé

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The combination of the creamy crème anglaise with the light and aromatic orange flavor soufflé is just divine, and it is much easier to make than you imagine…elegant dessert for any special occasion.

I have been wanted to make soufflé for a while, but always reluctant as it came to me as a very difficult and laborious…well, I bumped into Food Wishes/All recipes and here I am…but please do not laugh at the pictures…

Although my souffle came out of the oven tall and full of pride I was only able to “register” sad and deflated soufflé…I need to learn to be fast and more efficient when taking pictures…moreover, I will update the post with presentable pictures when I have the chance to make it again..in the meantime you will have to take my words…

– What is soufflé?

Soufflé is a French dish based with eggs and mainly two elements.

  1. A thick sauce like cream, bechamel or roux
  2. Egg whites beaten to soft peaks

– Can I make savory soufflé?

Absolutely, and the most well know are cheese soufflé, but they can be of vegetables, meat, poultry and so on.

– Can I make soufflé in advance?

Partially, the sauce component of the souffle can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, but the egg white will need to be beaten and folded to the cream just before baking.

– How do I serve soufflé?

Generally, souffle are served hot with sauce such as crème anglaise, fruit sauces, chocolate sauces or ice cream on the side.

– Why my soufflé collapsed?

Unfortunately, even the most perfect and beautiful soufflé will collapse eventually. Soufflés are not like cakes, they will deflate…therefore when making soufflé you have to move fast and serve the soufflés immediately when out of the oven…and be able to see it collapse on the table.

– Ready to explore the recipe?

As stated above, this recipe was based on the Food Wishes recipe with minor adjustments. I served the souffle with crème anglaise.

Ingredients:

For the ramekins

  • ½ tablespoon melted butter
  • Approximately 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Soufflé

  • 2 large eggs, separated
  • 24 g butter
  • 12 g all-purpose flour, sifted
  • ¼ cup cold milk
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
  • 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
  • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 25 g granulated sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to 400oF.

Brush the insides of 2 (approximately 8-ounce) ramekins with ½ tablespoon melted butter and sprinkle with approximately 1 tablespoon sugar. Place on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, in case of overspill.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir flour in the melted butter until golden brown and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Pour in milk into the butter/flour mixture, stir continuously, until smooth and thick, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the pan and transfer to a mixing bowl, allow to cool.

Add orange zest and Grand Marnier into cooled butter mixture and combined well. Add egg yolks and vanilla, mix until smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Slowly add half of sugar and continue whisking until combined. Add the remaining sugar and continue to whisk until soft peaks form.

Fold approximately ⅓ of the meringue into egg yolk/butter/flour mixture then fold in the remaining meringue, mix very gently until well combined.

Pour the egg batter into the prepared ramekins, make sure to leave approximately ¼ inch from the top of the ramekin.

Bake in the preheated oven until browned, approximately 15-16 minutes.

Serve immediately.

– Ready for more desserts? Check these out…

Did you know that souffle came from a French verb souffler? According to Wikipedia souffler in French means “to blow”, “to breathe”, “to inflate” or “to puff”.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Sugar Twist Bread

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This soft and cottony sugar twist bread are the best treat ever…they are a light version of brioche…same richness, full flavor with much less calories.

I made so many versions of this bread and I must admit, this version, so far is the best one…the real trick here is to add the butter after the gluten has form.  Yes, it will take more time to incorporate the butter into the dough but so worth the extra time as the crumb of the bread will be something out of this world…

In this recipe as many others I used the tangzhong or water roux method, which you can read more about it here…

– Do I need to shape the bread as described here?

Absolutely not…you can shape the dough as you desire…in a pullman loaf, as an individual roll, as a pull-apart, braided, dinner rolls, in another word, which ever shape you want…and even filled it.

– Ready to try this recipe?

I got the idea of twisting the dough from My Mind Patch.

Here we go…

Ingredients:

Tangzhong or water roux

  • 50 g bread flour
  • 250 ml water

Bread dough

  • 550 g bread flour
  • 90 g sugar
  • 7 g salt
  • 7 g yeast
  • 20 g non-fat dry milk
  • 2 eggs (minus 1 ½ tablespoon), approximately 100 g
  • 65 g heavy cream
  • 20 g butter
  • 50g Earth Balance

Method:

Tangzhong or water roux

Whisk together the water and the flour until the mixture is well blended and free of lumps.

Stir the mixture while it cooks over the medium heat to reach 65C/150F. It takes about 2-3 minutes.

Continue whisking until the mixture starts to thicken. The mixture of flour will have “lines”.

Remove from the heat.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plastic film to avoid “skin” from forming.

Ready to add to the bread dough once is cool.

Water roux or Tangzhong can bend kept in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

Bread dough

In the mixer, add all the water roux, and all the other ingredients under bread, except for the butter.

Turn the machine and stir for 2 to 3 minutes, until a uniform very wet and sticky dough.

Increase the speed to “2” and let it mix for 15 minutes. The dough should be very sticky. Do not add extra flour as the dough will be less sticky as gluten forms.

Add the butter and mix for 15 to 20 minutes more. Take a small portion of the dough (like a golf ball) and stretch gently until a very thin and transparent membrane (windowpane).

If the dough tears mix for another 2-3 minutes until you achieve the windowpane test. The windowpane test, demonstrates that the gluten is very well developed and it will create a very light crumb. The dough should be very elastic.

Remove the dough from the mixer and place in a bowl by covering with a plastic film.

Let dough proof until the dough tripled to its original size.

 

Assembly

Knock back the dough and divide into balls of approximately 75 g each. Let them rest on the counter covered for 5 to 10 minutes.

If making sugar twist, roll one dough into a 16-18 inch length rope. Fold the rope into thirds and make a knot at one end, twist the bottom end around the top, and feed the loose end into the top hole. Please see the pictures above, it is much easier that it sound…

Place the twists in a baking pan, I used small square pans (3 twists) or a USA biscotti pan (7 twists). Cover the pan and let the twists rise until double in size.

Brush the top of the twists with the egg wash (remember the 1 ½ tablespoon egg from the dough?), and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350oF for 25 minutes. Remove and let it cool.

– Looking for more bread recipes? Check these out…

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Homemade Lemon Curd

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Homemade lemon curd is much tastier than the store bought ones, it is so easy to make and only requires a few ingredients.  The color and flavor is pure summer…blasting with flavor, rich, creamy and so flavorful…

I love everything that has lemon in it…from bars to ice cream and our Meyer lemon tree was loaded with lemons, after picking them up and freezing some of them for making smoothie I still find myself with a lot of it…not to mention that we still have other kind of lemons tree in our backyard.

Since I had made pavlova recently I found myself with leftover egg yolks and I absolutely dislike throwing food away, I thought that the best way to use the egg yolks up and the extra lemons was to make lemon curd.

Ingredients:

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 egg
  • ½ to ¾ cup sugar depending on your taste, I used ½ cup
  • 200 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice form Meyer lemons
  • Lemon zest, approximately 1-2  teaspoons
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Method:

Mix the egg yolks with the egg and pass it through a fine sieve directly to a small pot. I find that removing the egg membrane the curd does not taste eggy.

Add the lemon zest and the sugar, mix well and then add the lemon juice, combine well and finally add the butter.

Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly until all the butter melts and the lemon mixture thickens. The lemon curd will be a bit liquid but it will thicken as it cools.

Remove the lemon curd from the pan and pour into a glass jar. Place a plastic wrap directly to the lemon curd to avoid a film to form. Once it cool completely, place the jar in the refrigerator.

Serve cold.

And my favorite way to eat lemon curd…by the spoon…

or with homemade yogurt…

I hope you enjoy this simple recipe for Homemade Lemon Curd, for more desserts recipe you might want to check HERE.

Did you know that lemon contain lots of vitamin C which boost your immune system? Moreover lemon peels contain as much as 10 times more vitamin than the lemon juice itself.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Oladi, Russian Pancake

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This is a very simple recipe of a Russian version of what is our pancake.  The recipe calls for yeast as an raising agent.  It is fluffy and light, great for breakfast.

I hope this post find you all well…as for us, we came back from a fantastic vacation. We explored Russia, from Moscow to St. Petersburg by cruising the Volga river and stopping at many cities along the way. It was a very nice experience visiting all the major touristic places…the churches, museums, parks, metro system and many others.

After our vacation in Russia it is only natural to share a Russian recipe…and I choose this Russian pancakes, called oladi, which was served to us very often for breakfast as well as with caviar. What I found unique about these pancakes is mainly the texture…they are not fluffy like cake and reminds me a little of English muffins…slightly chewy with different size of air pockets. No need to mention that I love it and as soon as I came home, I had to try to make them. These little pancakes can be served with anything from sweet to savory, such as jam, fresh fruit, cream cheese, sour cream, smoked salmon, caviar…you name it. Moreover, like pancakes, you can add all kind of stuff in the dough/batter, such as chocolate chips, fresh fruits, nuts…again, color it the way you like. This recipe has been adapted from here.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of warm milk
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 175 g bread flour or all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 egg slightly beaten
  • Vegetable oil or butter for cooking the pancakes

Method:

In a medium bowl add the yeast to the milk and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Add flour and mix it well, until all the flour is incorporated to the milk.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles from its original size, 30 minutes of more depending of the room temperature

Once the dough has doubled add the sugar, salt, melted butter and egg. Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Cover and let it rise again until the dough doubles.

When ready to cook, in a skillet add a little of vegetable oil or butter (or combination of both) on medium heat.

Spoon the dough onto the skillet and cook on one side until golden then flip the pancake over until the other side is golden brown.

Serve warm.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Almond Flour Chocolate Cake

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This is a very simple recipe for a rich, dense and almost gluten free chocolate cake. The cake is moist and melts in your mouth…so good!

This simple chocolate cake is made mainly with almond flour…it is very…very…very moist, almost like brownie, fudge texture. It is indeed denser than regular chocolate cake, but it is so good…a small slice goes a long way so satisfying this cake is.

The best part of it…this cake does not taste “old” even after a few days, actually it tastes better.

I hope you get to try this recipe, I can assure you that you will not regret. This recipe was adapted from Jean-Georges, Home Cooking cookbook.

Ingredients:

  • 55 g unsalted butter
  • 8 g all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs, separated
  • 65 g granulated sugar
  • 100 g bittersweet dark chocolate, cut into small pieces
  • 50 g almond flour
  • Confectioner’s sugar, cocoa powder or fresh cream, optional

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F. Cover a 8 inch USA baking pan with parchment paper.

In the medium sauce pan with approximately 1 inch of water and bring to simmer. Combine the chocolate and butter in a heat proof bowl and set over the simmering water. Melt the chocolate with the butter, stirring occasionally. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat.

Beat 1 egg yolk into the chocolate mixture to temper it. Beat in the remaining eff yolks, then add the almond flour and the all-purpose flour. Set aside.

Beat the egg white until foam forms, add slowly the granulated sugar and continue to beat until medium-stiff peaks form.

Add a third of the whopped whites to the chocolate mixture and mix well to loosen the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in another third of the white, and them the last third just until combined.

Pour into the prepared pan and tap gently the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Bake until puffed and a wood stick comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Let it cool in a wire rack for approximately 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack.

Carefully flip the cake right side up. Let cool completely. Dust with confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder if desire, or top it with cream.

If you enjoy this simple chocolate cake recipe, you might want to check on Black Forest Cake.

Thank you for stopping by Color Your Recipes…have a colorful week!



Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

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This is a great chiffon cake made with pumpkin puree…it is simple to put together…it is light and it sure makes a great dessert or even snack.

I must admit that there is only a hint of pumpkin puree, therefore the cake is not overwhelmed with pumpkin and if you do not mention, your guests will never imagine that there is pumpkin in the cake in spite of the yellowish color.

In this recipe I used the 3 ounce cylinder shape silicone bakeware…it was somewhat difficult to remove the chiffon cake from the mold due to its delicate texture, I had to be very careful… next time baking this cake it would be better to use a regular size cake pan to avoid the cake “falling” apart.

Nevertheless, this recipe is a keeper, and it would be wonderful served with a dollop of fresh whipped cream…which I did not have it handy.

This recipe was adapted from here.

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs, separated whites
  • ⅛ teaspoon cream of tart
  • 70 g sugar
  • 60 g pumpkin puree
  • 45 ml milk
  • 50 ml vegetable oil, such as corn or canola
  • 80 g cake flour, sifted

Method:

Preheat oven to 325F.

Beat the egg whites until frosty, add cream of tart whisk until soft peaks forms.  Add sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, combine pumpkin puree with milk. Add the egg yolks and oil. Mix till well blended and add the flour. Mix gently until no lumps.

Fold in approximately ⅓ of egg whites into pumpkin mixture. Add another ⅓ of the egg whites by gently folding into the batter. Add the remaining ⅓ egg whites and again fold into the cake batter.

Scoop the batter into prepared muffin pan or into an approximately 10 inch pan, level the batter.

Gently tap the pan or muffin pan against the counter to remove air bubbles trapped in the batter.

Bake the muffin for approximately 15 minute or the 10 inch pan for 25 minutes. Once turned the oven off, keep the cake inside the oven and leave the door ajar for 10 minutes.

Remove the cake from oven and gently remove the cake from the pan.

Let it cool completely before serving.

If you enjoy this simple recipe for a light pumpkin cake you might want to check on Tangerine Chiffon Cake recipe.

Thank you for visiting Color Your Recipes…have a colorful day!