Matcha Almond White Chocolate Twist with Matcha White Chocolate dip 抹茶杏仁白朱古力酥麻花

Thanksgiving #3 dessert. Beside Pumpkin Gingersnap Tiramisu, Orange Chocolate Walnut Streusel. This is the third and is the easiest dessert that made for my Thanksgiving party. 

Ingredients (made 16 twists)

2 sheets store-bought puff pastry, thawed

3 tablespoons Matcha Spread

2 tablespoons White Chocolate Chips

2 tablespoons Almond bits

1 egg yolk (beaten for egg wash)

Some all-purpose flour

Equipment

Parchment

Baking sheets

Sharp paring knife or pizza cutter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
2. Dust the counter with some all-purpos flour
3. Unfold or unroll 1 sheet of puff pastry over top. If the pastry isn't quite thawed, don't force it. Let it sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, and then try unrolling or unfolding again.
4. Spread (1/2) Matcha Spread into sheets and sprinkle (1/2) Almond and (1/2) white chocolate chips on top  
   
5. Fold the pastry in half.
6. Cut into strips: Using a sharp knife (or pizza cutter), cut the pastry into long strips roughly 1-inch wide. Again, dimensions don't really matter, but I like my long puff pastry straws to measure about 10 inches.
7. Transfer to baking sheet and twist: Transfer each strip to one of the baking sheets, spaced an inch or so apart. As you set them down, twist the ends in opposite directions to give the straws a spiraled look. If they start to untwist when you let go, gently press the ends into the parchment to make them stick.
8. Brush egg wash on top of each twist.
9. Chill for at least 10 minutes or up to an hour. This helps firm up the straws and give them better puff in the oven. While they are chilling, prepare the rest of the straws using the second sheet of puff pastry and repeat the above steps.
10. Bake around 15 minutes: Exact baking time will depend on the size of your straws. Begin checking shorter straws after about 15 minutes, and longer straws after 20 minutes. Remove from the oven once they are puffed and crispy, feel dry to the touch, and are deep golden.
11. Cool briefly on the baking sheet: Once the straws are firm enough to lift from the sheet without bending, transfer them to a cooling rack or serving plate. Bake the second tray of straws like the first.
12. Serve warm or room temperature: Serve them straight from the oven, or let them cool and then keep them in an airtight container until ready to serve. Puff pastry straws are best served the same day they are made.

Optional (Matcha white chocolate dip):

Ingredient

1 tsp Matcha Green tea powder

8 oz White chocolate chips

1/2 cup Whipping cream

Directions:

1. Sift Matcha into a saucepan and add 1 tbsp of cream. Whisk together until no lumps. 
2. Whisk in remaining cream and add white chocolate and heat over medium low heat.
3. Stirring until chocolate melts. 

Pumpkin Gingersnap Tiramisu 南瓜薑餅提拉米蘇

Last weekend, it was Canada's Thanksgiving long weekend. This year party dinner, my friends Christine and Elaine helped me to prepare some mains, sides and salads as I will only need to roast a 20 lbs turkey and to make desserts for the night. As usual, I will prepare 3 kind of dessert for a big party. This year I chose Pumpkin Gingersnap Tiramisu (A tradition to make a pumpkin theme dessert for Thanksgiving other than pumpkin pie), Orange Chocolate Streusel and Green Tea Matcha Puff Pastry twist. This Tiramisu was made ahead and serve cold during party.

Recipe source from : Food and Wine

Ingredients

3 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (from 1 1/2 envelopes)
2 tablespoons water
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 quart whole milk
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 pound mascarpone (2 cups)
3 tablespoons Calvados or other apple brandy (I substitute with Apple juice and Brandy extract as non-alcoholic version) 
1 1/4 pounds gingersnaps, 1/4 pound finely crushed

Directions: 

Step 1    

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk the yolks, cornstarch, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar until the sugar is moistened. In a large saucepan, heat the milk just until steaming. Whisk 1 cup of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Pour the mixture into the milk in the saucepan and cook over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until boiling and thick, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the pumpkin puree and cook, whisking, for 1 minute. Off the heat, whisk in the gelatin, vanilla and cinnamon. Whisk in the mascarpone.

Step 2    

Arrange one-third of the whole gingersnaps in a 9-by-13-by-2 1/2-inch baking dish. Lightly brush the gingersnaps with some of the Apple juice+brandy extract and top with one-third of the pumpkin custard. Repeat the layering twice more with the remaining whole gingersnaps, Apple juice+brandy extract and custard. Sprinkle half of the crushed gingersnaps on top and press a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the tiramisù. Freeze overnight.

Step 3    

Let the tiramisù stand at room temperature for 6 hours, until thawed. Sprinkle with the remaining gingersnaps. Serve.

Chocolate Orange Walnut Streusel (橙朱古力核桃 Streusel)

Orange and Chocolate are always my favourite combo in making dessert. Jacobs Orange Chocolate is my all time favourite chocolate since I was a kid. In Fall season, my dessert theme is always around ingredients of pumpkin or something in orange colour. I already made a pumpkin tiramisu for my Thanksgiving dinner, therefore, I will think of something else in Orange. First thing pop up in my mind is Orange, then Chocolate comes next. And I start looking for a dessert that I can make ahead and serve warm during party. Here I found this recipe and it seems more people choose it more than the pumpkin tiramisu (since some of my friends don't like pumpkin or cinnamon). And I omit the cinnamon in this recipe because not many people like it. And this dessert is consumed in a blink of an eye.

Here is the recipe: (Recipe adapted from aashpazi.com)

Ingredients: (About 45 one bite size serving)

3 Cup All-Purpose Flour 3.5 oz (156g) Unsalted Butter 2.5 oz (70g) Unsalted Butter 1 1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt 3/4 Cup Sugar 1 Cup Brown Sugar 3 Large Eggs 1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips 1 Cup Chopped Walnuts Orange Zest (1/2 Orange) + (1/2 orange zest saved for garnishing) 1/4 Cup Orange Juice 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda 1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder 1 Tbsp Cinnamon Powder (I omit this as some of my friends don't like cinnamon) 1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Few drops of Orange food colour (Optional)

Directions:

BATTER:

1- Whisk 5.5 oz (156g) unsalted butter, 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest together. 2- In a separate container, combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder. 3- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture gradually (in 3 addition). Whisk in plain yogurt and orange juice in between.

TOPPING:

4- Combine brown sugar, cinnamon powder, and 2.5 oz (70g) butter in a large bowl. Mashing the ingredient together. 5- Stir in dark chocolate chips and walnuts. 6- Grease a bakeware with butter and sprinkle flour over the surface. 7- Transfer the batter to the bakeware. 8- Top with layer of the topping.

9- Preheat oven to 350º F (177º C), bake the streusel for 35 minutes. 10- Lightly cover the bakeware with aluminum foil and continue baking for 35 more minutes. 11- Turn of the heat and let sit for 20 minutes.