Gateau St.
Honore

1 1/2 cups water
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
Rich Pastry Cream
Melted semisweet chocolate or confectioners’ sugar

Heat water and butter to boiling in medium saucepan, stirring
until butter is melted.
Remove from heat; add flour and salt all at
once stirring until combined.
Return to heat, cook over medium
heat, stirring constantly, until dough leaves the side of the pan
and forms a ball, 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove pan from heat.
Beat in
eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended after each
addition.

Fill pastry bag with large plain tip and pipe dough onto cookie
sheets, or spoon dough onto greased cookie sheets, using about 1
1/2 tablespoons for each cream puff.
Smooth tops of puffs with a
wet spoon or finger.
Bake at 400 degrees F until cream puffs are
golden and dry, 30 to 40 minutes.
(Do not open oven door during
first 20 minutes.) Cool puffs on wire racks.

Cut cream puffs in half with a serrated knife; gently pull out
any wet dough in center of puffs.
Return puffs to oven and bake
until insides are dry, about 5 minutes.
Fill puffs with Rich Pastry
Cream up to 1 hour before serving.
Arrange puffs in a circular or
wreath pattern on serving dish; refrigerate until serving time.
Drizzle cream puffs with melted chocolate and/or sprinkle with
confectioners’ sugar.
Makes 3 to 4 dozen mini-cream puffs.

Rich Pastry Cream
8 egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat egg yolks and sugar in large bowl until eggs are thick and
pale yellow, about 5 minutes.

Mix in flour.
Heat milk to simmering in small saucepan;
gradually whisk milk into egg yolk mixture.
Return mixture to
saucepan; cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until
sauce boils and thickens.
Remove from heat.
Add butter and vanilla
extract to pastry cream, stirring until butter is melted.
Refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Stuffed Beret Bread

Posted by Joyce’S 8/12/2001, 6:56 am

Source: From Francine, Charlesbourg - Cooking For Us

Comments: If desired, serve with a French bread stick, as it is
quite possible that you will need some more bread! Servings: 6 to
8

1 bag fresh spinach
1 pack dry vegetable soup mix
16 ounces [500 mL] sour cream
1 cup [250 mL] mayonnaise
1 onion, chopped
1 beret bread loaf

Microwave spinach for 2 minutes; wipe dry and chop.
Mix together
soup mix, sour cream, mayonnaise, chopped onion and spinach.
Refrigerate mixture until ready to serve.
Remove top part of bread;
cube inside part of bread (being careful not cut through the crust)
and arrange bread cubes all around bread loaf.
Pour onion/spinach
mixture into bread loaf.
Using long forks, each guest will dip
bread cubes, one at a time, into mixture before eating.
When loaf
is empty, break-up and eat the crust.

Bouquet Garni

4 sprigs parsley
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

Put into a cheesecloth bag or place in a tea ball.

Croissants

Posted by artsycook

These take some time but are worth the effort!

1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 cup warm water, 105 to 115 degrees F
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold butter or margarine
1 egg , beaten
Poppy seeds (optional)

In a large bowl, add yeast.
Sprinkle with salt and sugar.
Add
water and stir until yeast is dissolved.

Add 1 egg and flour, a little at a time (save some flour for
rolling dough), kneading until smooth and satiny.
Put dough onto
floured surface and fold to a square, about 1/2-inch thick.

Slice butter thinly and cover half of the dough with sliced
butter.
Fold other half of dough over and Press together.
Roll
dough out again lightly to a rectangle.
Fold into thirds and let
dough rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Repeat step 3 twice
and let dough rest between rollings.

Roll dough out to a rectangle, 8 x 20 inches, and cut out 5 to
10 squares.
Divide each into a triangle by cutting diagonally.
Starting at the base, roll each to form a croissant.
Fold tips of
croissants slightly.
Put on baking sheets and let rise, covered in
a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Brush croissants with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds,
if used, Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 to 13 minutes, depending on
the size.
Even though it’s a little more time
consuming, these croissants are worth the wait! This recipe is even
better than most store-bought ones.

This makes 10 large or 20 small croissants so you might want to
make a double batch.

French Baguettes

Posted by bettyboop50 April 29, 2001

1 cup water
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Measure carefully, and place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar,
salt, and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by
the machine’s manufacturer.
Select Dough/Manual cycle.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides.
Cover.
Let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in
bulk.
Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Punch down dough.
Roll into a 16- x 12-inch rectangle on a
lightly floured surface.
Cut dough in half, creating two 8- x
12-inch rectangles.
Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning
at 12-inch side.
Roll gently back and forth to taper ends.

Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
Make 1/4-inch
deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one
lengthwise slash on each loaf.
Cover.
Let rise in a warm place for
30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

This recipe yields 2 baguettes.

French Sponge Cookies

Posted by Pat’s Cookin 10/6/2001 5:49
pm

Serves: 4

1/2 cup sifted cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons granulated sugar

The good news: these luscious cookies are not off-limits to some
diabetics and others who must restrict their sugar intake.
Prep
time: 10 minutes Baking time: 10 minutes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly coat 2 cookie sheets with
vegetable cooking spray.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.
Beat egg yolks with
almond and vanilla extracts in mixer bowl until pale and thick.
In
clean mixer bowl, with clean beaters, beat egg whites to soft
peaks.
Beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff and
glossy.
Gently fold in egg yolks.
Fold in dry ingredients just
until blended.
Drop by level tablespoonsful 2 inches apart onto
prepared cookie sheets.
Bake 10 minutes or until golden.
Carefully
transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 4 dozen.

Per cookie: 15 calories, 0 gm protein, 0 gm fat, 2 gm
carbohydrates, 22 mg sodium, 13 mg cholesterol.
Four cookies equals
1 bread or starch cooking.