Sunday, January 11, 2009

French Perigordine Choco-chip Walnut Pastry


"The kitchen is a country in which there are always discoveries to be made." Grimod de la Reyniere



I don't know how many of you out there want to cook/bake something when you are feeling bored or upset. Well I do. Only last Friday, in the afternoon I ranscaked my fridge and cupboards to see if I had something to make these delish pastries the recipe of which I had read in a book in the library a couple of weeks back (yes yes,I read cook-books in the library!). :D

Having found all the ingredients I put on my chefs' hat and began work. In no time I was tired yet happy,looking at the wonderful pastries I felt a certain warmth run through my veins. The experiences in the kitchen are very theraupatic.

This dessert is of french origin.

French Cuisine! France has blessed the world with a variety of gourmet goodies. French gourmet dinner cuisine is a touch of luxury and always leaves you satisfied. Through history the French have harnessed the essential ingredients and techniques passed down generations to culminate into harmonious blends of herbs and spices in order to create the most honored traditional gourmet cuisines that are enjoyed worldwide.Their desserts as we all know are internationally acclaimed.

French desserts are known worldwide. There are times that you eat a dessert not even knowing that it originated from a French kitchen many years ago. The word dessert comes from the French word “desservir” which means “to clear the table”.

Walnuts are famous from Perigord and are grown every over the south east area of France. So its obvious that the Walnut cake is the most popular of desserts that's eaten in the region.

And since walnuts are my favourite nut, I just had to make these. Another reason to have this pastry was the good news delivered to me by HoneyB that my baby ...my blog (Zaayeka) was featured on Jenn's Finest Foodies Friday, which is no less than an honour as I have been blogging only for three months now. :)

So after a lot of searching and researching...I adapted slightly the recipe and made these lovely dense, yet moist cakes.





French Perigordine Walnut Pastry

Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups shelled walnuts,finely ground ( leaving a few walnuts just coarsely chopped)
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
4 tbsp plain flour
a pinch of baking powder
1/2 cup chocolate chips


Method-
In a bowl, separate the egg whites and whisk till they form soft white peaks.
In a different bowl, mix the other ingredients with the egg yolks.
Add a spoonful of eggwhite to the mix, now fold the entire egg-whites into the mix.
Bake for 40 minutes in the centre of your pre-heated oven.
Cool and serve with whipped cream.


Note: I sliced the cake first in half , layered it with whipped cream. Then for simplicity of serving I cut it into pastry size squares.




A simple yet very rewarding recipe! Its for keeps. Bake it once and you will make it again and again....




I don't decorate my cakes...not because I don't want to but because I don't have too many kitchen aids..no offset spatula but a butter knife...no piping cone or pastry bag. I am sure many out there also are in dire need of a baking set. So here's some good news. Rose (of All about Cakes) is giving away a 100 piece Betty Crocker Cake Decorating Kit to celebrate her 100 posts.Now thats' good news..ain't it! :)

35 comments:

  1. oh my! looks gorgeous! i would like a piece.

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  2. Wow...those look great! Love you blog :)

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  3. lovely pastreis...at times even i cook out of boredom...hehe

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  4. Navita, thats one gorgeous pastry! Drooling at sight of it! Lovely click! I too get kicks/high when I cook during a 'feeling-low' phase.Cheers me up ...more so when I bake..gives me immennnnsee pleasure that words fall short of describing! Tks for your lovely words at my space, do keep visiting! :D

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  5. Navita, whats the temperature set for baking this?

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  6. approx 375 deg F....didn't mention the temp as it differs from oven to oven ...its better to keep a check after 30 mins.

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  7. looks awesome..love the orange frosting on top..

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  8. Hi! I found your blog on the NaBloPoMo January 2009 Blogroll.

    These things look AMAZING. I think you have a definite gift for food!

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  9. I know that feeling...baking when bored/upset etc. These look really light and moist!

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  10. This pastry really sounds delectable Navita.
    Cheers,
    Elra

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  11. My daughtie is going to love this..such yummy looking..cute..

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  12. Hi, New to ur blog. Dunno anything abt cooking. But ur dishes photos make my mouth water. Reaalllllly tempting.

    If by some genie trick, I get to taste the savouries out of computer, nothing will be left in ur blog(sighhh)
    Great Work -:)

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  13. These look wonderful!!! I love your blog I too find cooking in the kitchen very therapeutic.

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  14. Looks light and delicious! Look so cute with the topping!

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  15. These look really good! Don't you just love it when you have all the needed ingredients at home?

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  16. Wow, these look soooo moist and sweet! I can't wait to try out the recipe!

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  17. How beautiful! I love to bake too. My only problem when I whip something up like this in the kitchen is I want to eat it afterwards. Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I look forward to reading your future posts!

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  18. Looks lovely!! I love the pink!

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  19. Thanks for visiting and commenting! I look forward to reading more of you too! All the best...J

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  20. Wow this looks awesome, would love to have a bite of this one right about now :-)

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  21. The name is a mouthful but those pastries look awesome... I have a huge bag of walnuts so am bookmarking this to try. Thanks for visiting my blog and leading me to yours... :)

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  22. I often resort to baking when I'm down in the dumps - something very therapeutic about it. Meanwhile, I love how simple that recipe sounds (and, my, but I love walnuts, so I will have to give it a try...)

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  23. This looks great. I love walnuts, I'll have to try this soon!

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  24. These look so delicious! There is something therapeutic about baking, the mixing and measuring and then the best part-the eating!! I feel the same. Congratulations for being featured on Finest Foodies Fridays!! You deserve it!

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  25. How cute is that peach colored icing on top of the cake! Looks soooo pretty!

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  26. These are so cute.. how did I miss this post?? eeek.. so sorry! Cooking is fun, as so is taking snaps.. right?

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  27. Your cakes are awesome! First time on your blog and love it.

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  28. That looks fabulous! I totally agree about emotional baking, haha. That looks like a winning recipe (I love the library too!) Thanks for stopping to say hello and keep up the great work! :)

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  29. Yummy Navita... Yes cooking is a Therapy sometimes... but making things like these make me feel gulity later:-) but is a source of joy to my kids!

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  30. He he I lived so many years in France , what a shame I didn't tasted this one :) Probably i don't have any sweet tooth! Excellent therapy through this dessert!

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  31. For sure looks very tasty...looks just perfect...gud that you read cookery books in library :)

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  32. oooh, I think I can actually make this one!!! May not be as lovely as yours, but it'll be tasty. ;)

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