cream Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

strawberries + cream brioche buns

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 03:45:28 +0000

I’m back with another bun recipe! This will be my last for awhile, although I do love making them. Making Strawberry Brioche Buns I’ve made the rolls in individual soufflé molds, specifically, these 3 x 2-inch copper mini molds from Mauviel which I’ve used to make Cinnamon Rolls, Morning Buns, and Banana Poppyseed Muffins. But these strawberry buns these can easily be made the ‘regular’ way – on a good old-fashioned baking sheet or in a 9 x 13 pan. You could also just use ramekins instead, just make sure they are roughly the same size (you can also make the buns the traditional way, by just putting them on a baking sheet lined with parchment). The molds I used have straight 2-inch sides, which helps give the rolls their tall shape. The sides of the pans are buttered and then dusted with sugar, which caramelizes the sides of the buns, making for an incredible roll. The one downside to the copper molds is that they are crazy hot when they come out of the oven, which can make it a little tricky to get them out. I use a kitchen towel and wrap it around the base of the copper mold, then […]

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Pastry Cream

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 22 Apr 2018 20:51:33 +0000

The first time I made pastry cream, I was working with Zoë François on a chaotic but incredibly fun photoshoot. I was back in the kitchen baking loaves of bread and brioche, trying to stay ahead of schedule and have everything ready for the next photo. Pastry cream was needed, and I pretended I knew what I was doing when Zoë handed me the recipe and told me to make it quick. Somehow I pulled it off – there before me in the pan was a thick, yellow custard. I took the pan off the heat to show her how pretty it was. She took it from my hands and placed it back on the stovetop. “Cook out the starch!” she insisted. “Whisk it until it’s glossy and smooth, or you’ll have a grainy mess.” I meekly obeyed and ended up with the most beautiful, smooth pastry cream. Making pastry cream now, I always remember her directions. Cooking the custard for a few extra minutes helps cook out the starch and keeps the cream from separating. These days, I start my pastry cream in a stand mixer, beating the eggs and sugar until thick and pale, then slowly add warm […]

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Granita di Caffe

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 22:55:55 +0000

I spent several summers in my almost 20’s frequenting Java Jack’s in South Minneapolis. It was a late-night, chain-smoking, Soundgarden-cranking coffee hangout, an odd choice for an early-morning, non-smoking, Sarah McLachlan-loving woman. But my sister and I drove there every single night after we closed down the shopping mall coffee shop we worked at, and spent our evenings out on the patio slurping down granitas with the regulars. They weren’t real granitas, of course, just some sugary coffee spinning around all day in a worn-out slushy machine, but I drank more of them then I could ever count, and enjoyed every single drop. So when I got a copy of Tasting Rome in the mail (Katie Parla and Kristina Gill’s beautiful new book that focuses on both traditional and contemporary recipes from their lives in Rome) and flipped open to find a recipe for a real granita, I got to work right away making it. Strong, cold coffee, a bit of sugar, and whipped cream piled to the sky is a bit more sophisticated than the concoction I drank on those hot summer nights years ago. Both have their place, but I’m looking forward to warm afternoons on the back […]

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Crème Fraîche

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 04:26:41 +0000

I’ve been making crème fraîche the same way for years: heavy cream and a little bit of buttermilk shaken in a jar, then left on the counter for 24 hours. I’ve changed my method, however, after coming across Renee Erickson’s version in her book A Boat, A Whale, & A Walrus. Here larger amounts of cream and buttermilk are whisked together, then covered in cheesecloth and left on the counter for 2-3 days. It may seem like a subtle difference, but 72 hours later I was greeted with the creamiest, dreamiest crème fraîche that I had ever made. It was rich and slightly tangy, and I was ready to dollop and smear it on everything within reaching distance. Ms. Erickson’s book is quite beautiful, and I respected it even more after reading the introduction. “I’m…not a classically trained chef – actually, I’m not trained at all – so there aren’t a lot of rules about cooking in my kitchens. It’s more important to me that people are happy and comfortable than that they can crack an egg with one hand or slice a case of shallots in a minute flat. If I don’t want to do something, I don’t want […]

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