Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Pomegranate Petit Fours


I am not new to pomegranates. Every year my Father would buy one or two of these fruits around this time of year. As a kid I was not big on them because of their seed like innard. As an adult I can tell you I am not big on them because they are a pain in the butt to clean. But you know what, as a foodie, I endure the painstaking cleaning process because they are so beautiful and neat looking. As a person who tries to eat healthy, I am super excited about them. I am sure you have all heard that they are exalted as a super food. I say eat 'em! If you haven't got the patience to clean them, buy POM juice and you can use it to make a million things. Well maybe not a million but you can use it silly.

Here are a few links to some cool recipes that I found:
This cake recipe sounds interesting. And this muffin recipe sounds good too. This appetizer one sounds pretty. And of course a drink is always a welcome treat. Cheers. Whoever makes one of these, if any of you do, write and let me know how they were.

I thought about this one the other night as I was trying to get to sleep. I know I am not the only person that does that kind of thing.

I am submitting these cuties to Sugar High Friday. Believe me these will definitely give you a sugar high. This month's SHF is being hosted by The Well Seasoned Cook. SHF was started by Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess. This months theme is "All that Glitters". You can so see the sparkles and fondant shining!

POMEGRANATE PETIT FOURS
Lori's Lipsmacking Goodness Original

Chiffon Cake


3 cups cake flour
2 1/4 cups confectioners sugar
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 large egg whites
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
juice of one lemon

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 - 11x 17 pans with parchment and butter it.

Combine egg whites and sugar in mixer and begin to beat. Combine dry ingredients: flour and baking powder. Combine wet ingredients: milk, oil, vanilla, two whole eggs, and lemon juice. Combine the dry and the wet. Once the egg whites form peaks, fold in the batter. Pour into cake pans and bake. Midway through baking time switch pans on racks.

*Only 1/2 of one sheet is needed for this recipe.

Vanilla Bean Butter Cream (that rolls of the tongue, now doesnt it?)
based on Dorie Greenspan's Awesome Recipe

4 oz egg whites
1 cup sugar
seed of one vanilla pod
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk egg whites and sugar in a double boiler or the bowl of a Kitchen Aid Mixer. Place bowl over a pot of boiling water. Continue to whisk until mixture is hot to the touch. Remove from stove and begin to whip the mixture at medium speed for about five minutes. When mixture is cooled, turn up the speed on the mixer and whip for a couple of minutes until it begins to thicken. Add vanilla extract and seeds.

Pomegranate Pourable Fondant

4 cups confectioners sugar (about a pound)
1/3 cup pomegranate juice
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine all ingredients in a double boiler. Stir over boiling water until the mixture becomes slightly warm, enough so that it is pourable. You know it is the right consistency when it forms ribbons on the fondant as you lift the spoon.

Pour over cake pieces. Let dry and put on another coat if necessary.

Assembly

Components:

raspberry jam
chiffon cake
simple syrup
vanilla buttercream
pourable pomegranate fondant

Use 7 inches of one of the 11 x 17's. Slice it horizontally with a serrated knife. Spoon or brush on some simple syrup (half water and half sugar that is brought to a boil and then cooled). Spread raspberry jam or a jam of your choice onto the cake. Then gently spread buttercream over that. Lay the layer back on top. Brush some more simple syrup on top. Cut the cake in pieces, about one inch square. Place them on rack that is placed on a cookie sheet. Pour the fondant onto the squares. Once you are done you can scoop off the fondant from the baking sheet and heat it up to reuse again.

25 comments:

Lucy..♥ said...

I don't know why it is I fall for those little Petit Fours each and every time!! And.... these have me falling hard, they look so good!!!
Sure wish the programers would come up w/taste testing options :-)

vibi said...

OH! WOW! I was looking for the real thing for such a long time... perhaps I'll try those around Xmas.

They are simply gorgeous Lori, look like little jewels!

The Blonde Duck said...

They're so dainty and cute! Perfect for a ladies' lunch.

Robin said...

That first picture took my breath away. What pretty little cakes! What a lot of work too! I would have to eat at least 15 of these. I love Petit Fours!

a quiet life said...

lipsmaking goodness says it all for this one, looks fantastic! i have several pom trees and always love trying new recipes.
for the record, they are super easy to clean if you get a large bowl of water and cut them underwater. break into several pieces, UNDER WATER and the rub the seeds out with your thumb. the seeds will sink, the chaff will float. skim off the debris and drain and you will never see a stained red sink, ceiling, floor, cat, dog or piece of clothing again~

Jaime Mormann Richardson said...

I love petits fours, and I love pomegranate. Could I go wrong here? Those look beautiful.

Alejandra Ramos said...

These are so gorgeous! The second I saw them I loved them. The beautiful pink with those pretty little pomegranate jewels! Well done!

kat said...

Oh those are so beautiful! We had petit fours instead of wedding cake at our wedding & if these were an option I would have picked them!

grace said...

lori, these are lovely! you're so lucky that you were raised knowing about pomegranate--my first 22 or so years were wasted! :)

Sophie said...

Yes, pomegranates are super healthy! These are adorable, the pink color is so fun :).

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

I love this fruit but of corse not cleaning them. This looks so pretty and I am sure it is also delicious.

Proud Italian Cook said...

Just gorgeous! Caught my eye on tasteSpotting imediately!

Shelly said...

They're so pretty! I would love to have a couple of those little darlings with my espresso tomorrow morning ;)
I love Pom martinis with a few pom seeds floating, like to sprinkle pom seeds on crab dip around the holidays...makes it look pretty and tastes good too, sprinkle them on a cheese platter for a festive garnish, put them in a turkey wrap for a little zing!

Anonymous said...

That's a pretty picture, Lori :)

Lori said...

Thank you so much to all of you. I wish I could share one with all of you!

Lucy- would that be great. Okay maybe not because I would REALLY overeat then!

Vibi- thank you. I bet cranberries would be great too!

The Blonde duck- afternoon tea! We had them at a restaurant called La Tea Dah here, diff, flavor but delicious.

Robin Sue- It seems like a lot of work but it not bad. Probably the most time consuming part is the pouring of the fondant.

Once in a blue moon- I did try that. yah know Pom is having a video contest on how to clean a pomegranate. You should check it out!

Jaime- no you could not go wrong. They are a treat.Thank you!

Alejandra- thank you.

Kat- how cool is that. I love when people do different things for their weddings.

Grace- I am so sorry you missed out on pomegranates, but hey its never too late for a foodie childhood.

Sophie- I wish petit fours were healthy too.

Lisa- thank you.

Proud Italian cook- thank you.

Shelly- some great ideas you have there. I will use some of those!

Mary Ann- thank you, that means a lot coming from you.

Cakelaw said...

These are so cute and gorgeous - and pink is my favourite colour, so my heart just melted at the sight of these.

Bunny said...

These are so darn pretty, I'll be making something with Pom JUice soon and will let you now if ai make any of those recipes, that cake sure sounds good!

test it comm said...

Those look good. Nice colour!

Anna (Morsels and Musings) said...

these are impressive

Unknown said...

These are gorgeous. Amazing color!

Astra Libris said...

SO beautiful! They look like tiny sculptures!

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Hi Lori,

I'm writing a piece about pomegranates for Foodie View and am including a link to this recipe. They are absolutely enchanting.

Cheers,
Susan

Susan said...

Lipsmacking? Well, I am gobsmacked! These are the most adorable little cakes.

Thanks so much for sharing them for SHF!

shaz said...

How very festive and sparkling! Gorgeous how the pomegranate arils look like little jewels. You're so right though, they are a big pain to clean! Can't say I've ever made pourable fondant before, going to have to try that one, thanks for sharing :)

Colette (Coco) said...

So cute!