Holiday goodies that look good
Whip up eye-catching holiday treats for guests
HOLIDAY TREATS should look as good as they taste. Create a picture-perfect spread with festive food that will have guests snapping shots to share on Instagram. Top an ice cream sundae with a whipped cream Christmas tree, dress up a latte with a steamed milk snowman, or bake a cake that looks like a Yule log. Here are holiday recipes from New York chefs and food stylists sure to get you plenty of “likes” on social media.
O Christmas Tree Sundae
When it comes to Christmas decorating in the kitchen, Pastry Chef Myriam Eberhardt says “go green.”
She whipped her traditional two scoop sundaes into holiday shape by adding green food coloring to her light and sweet mint whipped cream Christmas tree.
Expert photo tip: Make your snap shot sparkle by adding gold flakes to the Christmas tree whipped cream.
How to make peppermint whipped cream:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine all of the ingredients and beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Transfer to a piping bag with a large star tip and twist to secure the end.
3. Hold the bag at the twist and squeeze lightly moving up the bag g up and down about an inch at a time to achieve a tree shape over the ice cream.
4. Garnish the bowl with crushed peppermints and decorate the tree with edible holiday ornaments available at NYcake.com. For crunchy fixings, uses chopped pistachios.
Yule Log Cake with Coffee Buttercream
By Rozette Anterola of BLT Prime, 111 E. 22nd St., e2hospitality.com
Chef Rozette Anterola wanted to make an edible yulelog, so she developed a 3-D, Buche de Noel — a traditional Christmas dessert made with chocolate cake rolled with whipped cream — complete with props like fire wood, pine cones, pine needles and fake snow made of powdered sugar.
Expert photo tip: To make this sweet treat camera ready, chef Anterola serves the dessert on a cutting board covered in cinnamon and powdered sugar to give it a 3-D effect.
Chocolate Roulade Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, butter and line the pan with the parchment paper. Overhang an inch of the parchment paper on the side to make the rolling much easier.
2. Sift the dry ingredients together, in another bowl, prepare a French meringue with the egg whites and sugar. Whip p the whites to soft peak and fold in the egg yolks.
3. Fold the dry ingredients into two parts leaving eaving it streaky before adding the rest of the ingredients to avoid deflating the batter.
4. Spread the batter evenly on the sheet pan. Bake the biscuit for 5-7 minutes or until it spring back to touch.
Coffee Buttercream:
1. Make sure the butter is at room temperature or warm it t up until soft but not melted.
2. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, should be the consistency of wet sand. Make sure the clean the sides es off to avoid crystallization.
3. Cook the sugar to soft ball stage 238 degrees F. In a tabletop mixer fitted with the wire whisk, start whipping the egg whites. Once the sugar reaches soft ball stage, pour it down the edge of the bowl with the whipping egg whites. Do not pour into the whisk or it may splatter.
4. Whip the meringue into stiff peak; slowly add little by little the softened butter. Add the coffee extract once the buttercream has formed.
Assembling the log:
1. With a small knife, cut the edges of the cake off, separating it from the pan and spread the buttercream. Using the parchment paper over hanged, roll the cake away from you while pulling the parchment paper and making sure it is rolled in a tight coil. The seam of the cake should be on the bottom.
2. Cover the log with the coffee buttercream and cut the ends and place them on top of the log to resemble cut branches. Score the frosted cake with a fork or a cake comb. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and assemble with mushroom meringues.