Bignè all’arancia e tè Earl Grey [Guest post]

credits: Maria Siriano ” Sift & Whisk” blog

Il viaggio alla ricerca dei migliori food blog del web continua, oggi vi presento una giovane ragazza che ho incontrato su Pinterest e si è subito conquistata un posticino  nel lungo elenco dei miei siti preferiti.

È Maria Siriano del blog “Sift & Whisk” che ha realizzato per noi degli originali bignè all’arancia e tè Earl Grey ma non solo, non perdetevi il prossimo articolo di Maria, ci racconterà il backstage di questa ricetta in un nuovo “How To – Dietro le Quinte“.

Ciao!

Sono Maria, ho iniziato col vendere biscotti e cupcakes nei mercati degli agricoltori della mia città Natale, Columbus, Ohio  ma ho capito che mi piaceva di più sperimentare nuove ricette piuttosto che fare sempre le stesse giorno dopo giorno. Infatti, la cosa che preferisco è prendere una ricetta tradizionale e metterci un mio tocco personale.

Il mio vecchio amore per la fotografia si è riacceso quando per il sito web del mio panificio  hanno iniziato a scattare le foto dei prodotti, così ho pensato di unire la mia passione per i dolci alla fotografia con una predilezione per la narrazione (e non scherzo) per iniziare un blog di cucina. Sono blogger da poco più di un anno e sono così orgogliosa di tutte le mie piccole vittorie e conquiste, tra cui affinare le conoscenze per il mio forno e le abilità fotografiche. Imparo sempre qualcosa di nuovo ogni volta che preparo un dolce o devo scattare una foto.

Quando posso, preferisco cucinare con ingredienti di stagione e dal momento che le arance sono perfetta per questo periodo ho scelto di realizzare una mia versione di bignè creando la pasta choux con succo e scorza d’arancia. Ho poi riempito i gusci con la crema pasticcera aromatizzata al tè Earl Grey.

credits: Maria Siriano ” Sift & Whisk” blog

Cosa c’è di più accogliente di una calda tazza di tè quando fuori fa freddo?

Il risultato è una pasta che stupirà i vostri ospiti, ma in realtà è molto semplice da fare. Non sapevo che l’80% del bergamotto del mondo che danno al tè Earl Grey il caratteristico aroma venisse coltivato in Italia, non la trovate una felice coincidenza?

Questa ricetta può essere fatta anche in anticipo e congelata, il che la rende ideale per le vacanze.

Spero vi piaccia, passate a trovarmi qui:

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credits: Maria Siriano ” Sift and Whisk” blog

credits: Maria Siriano ” Sift and Whisk” blog

Original version

Hello! I am Maria Siriano, the brains, brawn, and beauty over at Sift & Whisk. I used to sell cookies and cupcakes at farmers’ markets in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio, but I loved experimenting with new recipes more than making the same ones day in and day out. My favorite thing to do is to take a traditional recipe and put my own spin on it.

My old love for photography was rekindled when taking product shots for my bakery’s website, so I thought I would combine my passion for dessert and photography with my fondness for storytelling (and joke telling) and start a food blog. I have been blogging for a little over a year now, and am so proud of all my little victories along the way, including honing my baking and photography skills. I still learn something new every time I take dessert out of the oven or snap a picture.

I prefer to bake with seasonal ingredients when I can, and since oranges are in season in winter, I chose to modify a  pâte à choux dough with fresh orange juice and zest. I then filled the orange cream puff shells with Earl Grey tea-infused pastry cream, because what’s cozier than snuggling up with a cup of tea when it’s cold outside? The result is a fun pastry that will impress your everyone, but is actually very simple to make. I didn’t learn until afterwards that 80% of the world’s bergamot oranges, which give Earl Grey tea its flavor, are grown in Italy, so that is a happy coincidence! This recipe can also be made ahead and frozen, which makes it great for the holidays.

I hope you enjoy it, visit me here:

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Do not miss the next  “Behind the scenes” post!

credits: Maria Siriano ” Sift & Whisk” blog

Orange and Early Grey Cream Puffs

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons loose leaf Earl Grey tea
• 5 tablespoons (40 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar, divided
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter, sliced

• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup (113 grams) butter, cubed
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (125 grams) all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 4 large eggs

1. Combine milk and tea leaves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. Strain milk through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding the tea leaves. The milk should be tan, about the color of a latte.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat together egg yolks and remaining sugar (80 grams) for 1 minute. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the yolks and mix for another minute, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary.
3. With the mixer still running, gradually pour in the milk and mix until combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, stirring a few times by hand to make sure everything is combined.
4. Return the mixture to your saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, gently stirring with your rubber spatula. Once the mixture starts to bubble, switch over to a whisk and whisk constantly for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter slices until melted and combined. Pour the pastry cream into a bowl and press plastic wrap against the surface. Refrigerate the bowl until the pastry cream is cool, at least 2 hours.

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and line two baking sheets with silicon mats or parchment paper.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine water, orange juice, butter, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and add all the flour at once. Quickly stir together with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute. Return to heat and continue to stir the dough until it pulls away from the sides of the pan and is shiny, another 1-2 minutes.
3. Dump the dough into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and stir on low speed to cool it down slightly. Increase mixer speed to medium and add in the orange zest and one egg and beat until combined. Add remaining eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated.
4. Using a food disher, scoop about 2 tablespoons of dough to form 12 dough mounds onto each lined baking sheet (Alternatively, you can load the paste into a piping bag and pipe dollops onto the baking sheets). Wet your finger and pat out any peaks on the top of the dough. Bake for 35 minutes at 375°F, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes. The shells should be golden brown and firm on the outside. Place baking sheets on a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To assemble the cream puffs, cut off the top third of each shell, revealing the hollowed out inside (if the inside is not as hollow as you’d like, just use your finger to push some of the dough to the sides of the shell). Spoon or pipe Earl Grey pastry cream into the bottom of each shell. Place the severed top of the shell back on top. Before serving, sift confectioners’ sugar over the tops of the cream puffs. They are best eaten right after they have been filled, as they will get soggier the longer they sit (see note below).

credits: Maria Siriano ” Sift and Whisk” blog

Thank you so much Maria, see you soon!