Let them eat Cake!

King's consort Marie-Antoinette is famed to have said the phrase above when told that the French had no bread to eat.

If the pastries and delights available were those featured on these two pages, they'd have nothing to complain about!

These creations were made by Nitzan Krivine and Shy Golan during the Israeli Bake Off TV series.

Now you can make them too for family and friends.

Lemon Tart
20 cm round pie tin

Special tools
Thermometer
Food processor

Ingredients

Almond Dough:
300 gm white flour
75 gm almond flour
120 gm cold butter cut into cubes
1 egg (M)

Lemon Cream
300 gm white sugar
30 gm lemon peels
4 eggs (M)
200 gm lemon juice
330 gm soft butter
2 gm gelatin + 10 gm water

Decoration
Neutral nappage (can be bought at any baking shop)

Sugared lemon peels
1 lemon, washed well
21⁄2 cups sugar

Method

Almond dough:

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix all the ingredients except the egg in a food processor until lumpy. Add the egg and blend in short pulses only until combined. Do not over mix the dough.

2. Flatten to a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in fridge about 30 min.

3. Roll out the dough to ½ cm and line a pie tin. Freeze for a few minutes and then use a sharp knife to straighten the edge of the pie tin. Prick the dough to prevent air pockets.

4. Bake the dough until golden, about 15 min. Let cool completely.

Lemon Cream

1. Mix the gelatin and water in a small microwavable bowl and place to the side.

2. In a metal bowl place the sugar and lemon peels and knead well until the sugar becomes lemony. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the lemon juice and beat well. Heat a little water in a pot for a ban-marie.

3. Place the bowl over the pot with the simmering water and using a thermometer beat the mixture until thickens and reaches 83 degrees.

4. Transfer immediately to the food processor through a strainer. Cool on high speed in the food processor for about a minute then add the butter VERY SLOWLY a little at a time while the food processor works.

5. Melt the gelatin in the microwave for 10 seconds and pour into the mixture. Keep mixing for another 5 minutes. 

Sugared Lemon Peels

1. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel from the lemon in vertical strips. Try to remove only the yellow zest, avoiding as much of the white pith as possible. Save the lemon for another use. Cut the peels in to thin slivers using a sharp knife.

2. In a small saucepan, combine the peels with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain off the water.

3. Again add 2 cups cold water, bring to a boil, and drain. Repeat the process a third time, then remove the peels from the pan and set aside.

4. Measure 2 cups of the sugar into the pan and add 1 cup water, whisking until the sugar dissolves. Add the peels and bring to a boil over medium heat.

5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the peels are tender and translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the peels and let cool.

6. Measure the remaining 1⁄2 cup sugar into a medium bowl and add the peels. Toss to coat. Using a fork or your fingers, remove the peels one at time, gently shaking each to remove excess sugar.

7. Store in an airtight container. The peels will keep for several weeks.

Putting everything together

After the dough has cooled, pour the cream into the dough until it reaches the edge. Put in the refrigerator to set for about 30 min.

Heat the nappage in the microwave in short pulses until it is warm and liquid enough to pour.

It is important not to be too hot so it won't ruin the lemon cream underneath. Warm to the touch but not hot.

Pour a small amount over the lemon cream and hold the tart in your hands and move it around to spread the nappage evenly over the tart. That is what gives it it's shine.

Place the sugared lemon peels on the nappage and let cool and set in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Enjoy! 

Gingerbread Cookies

The Eiffel Tower was made out of delicious gingerbread cookies and decorated with royal icing. Creating the famous French structure was a feat, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the cookies in an easier way.

Ingredients

Cookies
190 gm unsalted butter
150 gm dark brown sugar
75 gm honey
450 gm plain white flour
1⁄2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp ground ginger

Icing
1 egg white
225g icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (fan 180C). Melt the butter, sugar and honey together in a large pan. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger together into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour in the melted butter mixture, stir it in and, when cool enough to handle, knead to a stiff dough.

2. Divide the mixture into five equally-sized pieces, and cover the ones you aren't using with a towel so they don't dry out. Roll each piece out between two sheets of parchment paper to about ¾ cm thick. Peel back the top paper and using any cookie cutters you like, cut out shapes you like. Make sure to leave space between them to expand.

3. Using a knife, remove the excess dough between the shapes. Pull the parchment sheet with the cookies on to an oven sheet. A small tip: if you want the exact shape to keep, freeze the cookies for about 15 min and then bake them. It keeps them from expanding more.

4. Bake the gingerbread for 7-8 minutes. Remove the gingerbread from the oven. It will still be soft but the will harden as they cool. Leave to cool completely.

5. For the icing, using a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric mixer on very slow speed, add the icing sugar a tablespoonful at a time. Stir the icing until it is very stiff and white. Cover the surface with a damp cloth if not using immediately.

6. Spoon a little of the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle. Pipe any decoration you like and feel free to add any candies to add color.

7. Let dry and keep in an airtight container. 

Chocolate honey donuts

Ingredients

Dough
675 gm white flour
20 gm dry yeast
65 gm white sugar
A pinch of salt
1 egg
1 cup milk + 1 cup warm water mixed
50 gm melted butter
Canola oil

Chocolate Honey Grenache
115 ml 38% cream
60 gm honey
15 gm water
345 gm white chocolate
60 gm butter cut in cubes at room temperature
Milk chocolate chantilly cream
400 gm milk chocolate
400 ml 38% cream

Method

Dough

1. Place the flour in a standing mixer bowl and create a hole in the center. Place the sugar and yeast inside and pour 1 cup of the milk/water mixture. Let sit and ferment for a few minutes.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the butter (salt last) and mix with the paddle attachment. Pour the butter in slowly and keep processing the dough for 2-3 more minutes. Cover with a towel and let rise for 15 min.

3. Poke dough a few times to let out air and cover again to rise for about an hour.

Chocolate Honey Grenache

While the dough rises, make the ganache. Place the cream in a pot and bring to boil. Remove from heat.

In another pot bring the honey to 120 degrees and pour the water in, to stop the cooking. Add the cream to the pot and bring to boil again.

Melt the chocolate a bit in the microwave to soften it. Pour a ⅓ of the cream mixture over the chocolate and mix well. Repeat with the rest until you have a shiny smooth ganache.

Create balls of 40 grams of dough. Put a tiny bit of oil on your hands and flatten in your palm.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the ganache into the dough and pinch closed well. If not sealed properly the filling will ruin the oil. Place pinched side down and let rise about 15 min.

Fry in very hot (180 degree) oil until golden.

Milk chocolate chantilly cream

Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second pulses until fully melted.

Whip cream until firm. Fold together quickly until cream becomes smooth and even. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

When the donuts have cooled put chantilly in pastry bag with a flowered tip and decorate the donut with a small swirl of cream. You can add gold leaf or sugared nuts on top.