Big Bowl of Love’s Cristina Ferrare brings loads of sweetness to this week’s episode. CF is accompanied in the kitchen by her good friend and pastry chef, Jane Lockhart, the owner of Sweet Lady Jane and award-winning barista, Heather Perry. These elegant dishes are SO easy and will impress all of your friends and family!
What’s on today’s menu?
- Apple Galette
- Berry Crisp
- Cappuccino
No memorable meal is complete with a dessert made from love. With these simple and delicious recipes, you can impress any guest…big or small. You don’t have to have mad pastry skills to present like you do. Next time I have guests, I am going to whip out the Apple Galette. I should go ahead and make copies of the recipe for them now!
Now for a few BBOL tips:
- Apples must cook all at the same time. Be sure to cut them 1/8” thick.
- Frozen store bought puff pastry in the frozen section. About 40 minutes to defrost. Don’t rush it or it will crack.
- Place pastry on parchment so it doesn’t burn.
- Start with apples in the corner and over lap them to cover the whole pastry. Try to be uniform.
- You don’t need to boil the glaze. Simply add about a tablespoon of water to a tablespoon of preserves. Brush on.
- Use a piece of parchment paper to guard as you sprinkle powdered sugar over the edges of the pastry. Not on the apples.
- Apple Galette is wonderful served with vanilla ice cream.
- Dried cherries work great if you can’t get fresh. They will plump right up.
- Berry crisp- you can use any berry in this recipe.
- Whole nutmeg is more intense than regular.
- Better to use hands to mix the butter into the topping.
- You don’t need an expensive cappuccino machine. All you need is a stove-top espresso/cappuccino maker, such as the a Mukka brand CF mentioned.
- Fresh grinding is the key to really good coffee. Grind it fine. If it is too coarse, it will be weak.
- Be sure to pack the coffee really well.
- Short on time, you can microwave the your milk. You want it to be hot enough to hold…but not for long.
- Keep milk frother near the top. Go until you have enough foam. Tap milk on the counter to get rid of the bubbles.
- Making a monkey- pour quickly into the center cup of espresso to try to get the foam to sink below the coffee. Take big spoons and use foam left to create a half moon at the bottom of the cup. Lay another little strip along the opposite side of half moon- do not touch together; leave about 1/2- 1/4” in between. THEN add little circles (ears) to each side of the newly laid strip. Take a toothpick and dip into the crème (coffee) and make an eye on the smaller strip. Wipe off and add a second eye. Then put on a swoop above the eye to make eyelashes . Add a smile and a couple of teeth.
Here are a couple of my OWN suggestions:
- To add a little richness, drizzle a light amount of warmed chocolate once you plate your apple galette as a garnish.
- The berry crisp topping is great on lots of fruit. I love apple and a few berries.
- Get creative. Use your favorite preserve…just don’t over do it.
- If you aren’t a fan of apples, try this with pears! You can even garnish with a few sweetened berries.
- This recipe is a little tart, so if you want it a bit sweeter add a little agave, honey or sugar.
- There is no way to go wrong with decorating the coffee (making the monkey). Just play and have fun!
- The great debate- what is the best milk for cappuccinos? Skim milk is healthier as it keeps the fat out. Homogenized milk works great because the fat separates easily. Now, 2% to 1% may be a great compromise.
No meal is complete without a dessert made from love. Be creative and have fun!
Links to OWN for the recipes:
http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Apple-Galette-Recipe
http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Berry-Crisp
http://www.oprah.com/own-cristinas-big-bowl-of-love/Cappuccino