Pastry with Jenn

September 14, 2024 Post a Comment

Homemade Graham Crackers

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I’m thrilled to share Miette’s graham crackers recipe from Pastry Chef and Owner Meg Ray. The San Francisco patisserie has been around since 2001 and truly no other shop is quite as charming. Whenever I pass by the Ferry Building location, I can’t help but look at the latest curation of candies, all perfectly packaged, but my sweet fix for candy seems to have gone away in my adulthood. Instead, I opt to go to the stand-alone freezer for one of the ice cream sandwiches, specifically the graham cracker with creme fraiche ice cream.

August 12, 2024 Post a Comment

Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake

I was first introduced to this Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake recipe in pastry school. It was my assigned project during Cake Week. I had never heard of it before then, but it is a beloved treat that originated in San Francisco. It was invented in the 1940’s by Ernest Weil at Blum’s confectionery shop in Union Square, the first of several locations. A staff member overcooked some candy and Ernest smashed it into pieces to decorate the sponge cakes. And thus, the Koffee Krunch Cake (original spelling) was born.

June 28, 2024 Post a Comment

Strawberry Pavlova

There are desserts I like to bake for the sake of baking, rather than eat, and treats I enjoy eating that I don’t bake (like croissants). Then, we have this strawberry pavlova which falls into both categories. I love making meringue. It’s so dramatic when the egg whites change to glossy white. As for eating pavlova, it’s texturally fantastic. You get the the crunch and crumble of the meringue, creaminess from the whipped cream and then juicy, sweet-tart fruit.

June 14, 2024 Post a Comment

How to Make Stovetop Clotted Cream

English scones served with easy homemade clotted cream.

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It isn’t a proper afternoon tea without clotted cream. I discovered that it is quite easy to make; it just requires a long cook time. For my first batch, I had great success cooking in the oven for 8 hours, but there is a faster way. For the second batch, I used the “quick” method, which is just 1 hour on the stovetop. With either method, you will still need to chill the cream in the fridge to let it thicken, but overall, the latter method does speed things up considerably.

May 1, 2024 Post a Comment

Homemade Mango Sticky Rice

Whenever I’m at a Thai restaurant and see mango sticky rice on the menu, I will absolutely order it. I doesn’t matter how full I am from eating Khao Soi or Phat See Ew, I will make room. It’s one of my favorite restaurant desserts. The first time I had the dish homemade, my Thai friend from pastry school showed me how.