the hungry expats

I discovered Thanksgiving when I spent my first year in Louisiana. There is nothing more reminiscent of Thanksgiving to me than a pecan pie. One bite into the buttery crust, the gooey custard, and the crunchy nuts, and I'm transported back in time, around a table filled with mashed sweet potatoes, sausage and oyster stuffing, and home-baked sourdough bread. 2019 Update: I now use Mary Berry's rough puff pastry recipe as my go-to crust for most pies I make, and it works especially well with this filling! PASTRY DOUGH (MARY BERRY's ROUGH PUFF) 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt cold water (between 1/2 and 2/3 cup) 50 grams of unsalted butter, chilled (about 3 tablespoons) 120 grams of unsalted butter, frozen (about 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) F ILLING 5 tablespoons butter 1 cup light brown sugar 3/4 cup corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups pecan halves 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 eggs DIRECTIONS Make the crust. Don't forget to freeze 120 gram...

The following recipe makes 2 bundt cakes, or one large round cake. I only made half the recipe today and used a loaf pan. This is definitely not your average pound cake, but its texture is both dense and moist. The apple is completely optional. I dice it very finely so that the pieces almost melt into the batter. The crumble on top (streusel) is also optional. I just love the crunchy layer it adds this dessert.  CAKE 1 cup butter, softened 3 cups white sugar 1 cup plain yogurt 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 large eggs 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 lemon, zest and juice 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 apple, peeled, cored and finely diced (optional) STREUSEL 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup butter 1 teaspoon cinnamon Preheat oven at 325°F. Butter and flour two loaf or bundt cake pans. For the cake batter, cream together sugar and butter. Then add yogurt (I used a Greek yogurt) and oil. Sift flour, b...

Here's my take on the classic Black Forest cake. Instead of the typical chocolate sponge though, I used my dark chocolate cake recipe as a base, because it always comes out so moist and flavorful. I didn't have any cherry liquor (Kirsch) in my pantry, but I did have a jar of my mom's delicious dark cherries in syrup. And I made the chantilly cream a bit denser, as I usually do, by adding cream cheese to the mix. So, like I said, not the purest form of Black Forest out there, but my own version, and it seems to please others as well! DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup strong black coffee 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract FILLING AND TOPPING 1 jar of dark cherries (preferably stoned) in syrup ...

This one's for the dark chocolate lovers out there who really want to indulge. It doesn't get better than this. CRUST   1 stick unsalted butter, melted   1/4 cup sugar   1 teaspoon fine sea salt   1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour FILLING   2 1/4 cups whole milk, divided   5 large egg yolks   2/3 cup white sugar   1 teaspoon vanilla extract   6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 4 teaspoons cornstarch   4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (at least 55% cocoa), chopped   3 tablespoons unsalted butter TOPPING   2/3 cup heavy cream 5 oz. cream cheese 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract      Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Mix melted butter, sugar, and salt in ...

This is a classic French recipe, usually made with canned pear halves in syrup. Since I found some beautiful poires Williams at the market yesterday, I decided to poach them in a simple homemade syrup instead. CRUST 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/3 cup vegetable oil or butter, softened 1/3 cup  warm water PEARS POACHED IN SYRUP (optional) 5 firm pears 3/4 cup white sugar 2 cups water 1 teaspoon vanilla Zest of 1 lemon FILLING  2 eggs 1/3 cup almond meal 1/3 cup butter, melted 1/3 cup sugar (I used half white sugar and half dark brown sugar) 1 tablespoon of rhum DIRECTIONS Make the crust. In a bowl, mix all ingredients together and knead just long enough to combine them well. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Poach the pears in syrup (skip this step if you are using canned pear halves in syrup). In a saucepan, mix together sugar, water, van...

For this recipe, I used a classic New York cheesecake recipe, which I had to adapt to the European market, because if Philadelphia cream cheese is now found everywhere on this side of the pond, graham crackers are unheard of on the French riviera (well, in Menton anyway). I replaced them with Speculoos cookies, because their cinnamon-brown sugar flavor works wonderfully with cream cheese. The classic recipe calls for 2 lbs of cream cheese. I used 2/3 of that (600 grams) and reduced the other ingredients accordingly, which explains why the cheesecake doesn't look as high as it normally does (FIY, I used a 9-inch springform cake tin). CHEESECAKE 150 grams of Speculoos cookies (if you use Graham crackers, add sugar) 70 grams of unsalted butter, melted 600 grams of PHILADELPHIA cream cheese 160 grams of white sugar 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour Pinch of salt Zest of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 2 eggs 160 ml of sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used ...

A word of advice: non-coffee drinkers, don't run away! As my American readers already know, a "coffee cake" does not contain coffee at all (well it can occasionally, but this one doesn't), it only means that it is meant to be enjoyed WITH coffee. I made this one with fresh blueberries (in season now) purchased at the farmers'market in Ventimiglia, Italy. I topped it with a crunchy layer of cinnamon streusel, because really, who doesn't like a delicious crumble on top of their coffee cake? CAKE 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used one vanilla pod instead) 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder pinch of salt 2/3 cup milk (not non-fat) 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen STREUSEL TOPPING 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon     DIRECTIONS Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a 9-inch r...