Saturday 30 April 2011

Pets De Nonne, which means...



"Nun's Farts". Hehehehe.

You can totally tell I'm turning 21 next summer.

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(I know I know, I didn't do a royal wedding related post. But if you really want, you can hop over to see the chocolate digestive biscuit cake, which is not quite as elegant as the one Prince William chose, but it will do :) Also, William and Kate are now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, where I spend my time predominatly studying procrastinating (i.e. baking) who needs Fiona Carns when they can have someone like me baking for them?? I just don't understand.)

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I bought this to back to university at the beginning of term, que lots of:

"Would you like another fart?"

"Where are your farts?"

"She did do that, but it was quite half-farted".




I tried to make a nun out of icing too, but I ran out of icing from another cake that I made. Therefore I had to use the only thing that I had that was black and white - my penguin pencil sharpener. Good resemblance, right?


Above, the evolution of the fart.

Apparently they're also known as 'bourriques de soeurs' which means 'nun's belly buttons'. But they are less jokes to be made about that, so I shall move on.

I did a bit of research and found that they are a kind of French Canadian doughnut pastry, but the ones I made don't have pastry ingredients, and aren't fried. But it was in the Green & Black's cookbook, which said it was a 'feather like cake', so I'm going to say it's a cake :)


So, fart jokes aside (if you are eating anything, I hope I haven't put you off it!), these are actually really nice. I didn't add angelica like the recipe said, as I didn't have any, but it was fine without it. The recipe also wanted 2 teaspoons dark rum, but I didn't have any, so I added 'a good glug of Bailey's instead'. I'd been adding Bailey's to a lot of stuff recently, cake pops, coffee, hot chocolate, farts...

They don't have any flour so are very light, crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside; the meringue part is very sweet but the dark chocolate and walnut parts aren't, so it's a great combination.

Yummy farts. Now that's an oxymoron if I ever heard one!

Pets De Nonne (Nun’s Farts)
From the Green & Black’s cookbook

Makes 30-40
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 4 hours or overnight

150g dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids
3 large egg whites
salt
125g caster sugar
125g walnuts, roughly chopped
25 angelica, diced (optional)
2 teaspoons dark rum (I used Bailey’s)

Preheat the oven to 180C. If you don’t have non-stick baking sheets, line ordinary ones with foil.

Place the roughly chopped chocolate in the fridge for approximately one hour.

Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the sugar a little at a time until the mixture becomes glossy. Fold in the nuts, chocolate and angelica and then fold in the rum.

Place heaped teaspoons of the mixture, spaced well apart, on the baking sheets.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes and then turn off the oven and let them sit there for about 4 hours or overnight. This is so you are letting them cool in the oven, which should make it set and crisp up round the outside.

Store the cakes in an airtight container.

35 comments:

  1. This is the second recipe I've seen posted from Green & Black's ... what an irreverent name for such a fluffy cookie! I'll have to search out a Green & Black's Cookbook to have a look see on other offerings.

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  2. I am having trouble following the baking instructions. "turn off the oven then bake them"? :-/ Is it the same temperature as before I turned off the oven? When do I turn the oven on again?

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  3. @Molly Hey Molly, yep you put them in the oven for 5 minutes then turn the oven off after that. That way the oven is beginning cooling whilst cooking the cakes at the same time. You don't need to turn it on again :) Hope this makes sense!

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  4. Is the point of all that time in the oven simply to dry the biscuits? They look wonderful and I'd love to have one or two with my tea. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

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  5. OH 21.. I think I'm..Um...13 plus years your senior...wish I was 21 again!!! I like eating things that cause flatulence... "giggles" just joking..

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  6. Looks delicious, would love to try this one day:D

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  7. LOL :D

    I love how this cookie sounds! crispy & chewy... Sounds like a yummy recipe! Can't wait to try it! :)

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  8. "yummy farts"??? It seems you've been studying too hard, time for a vacation:)

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  9. "Yummy farts"??? It seems you've been studying too much recently, time for a holiday perhaps:)

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  10. You know what? Even if I didn't like these cookies, I'd want to make them anyways just so I could tell people what they are called. These seem so much fun :D
    *kisses* HH

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  11. I've got to make them! I've had a good laugh with you this morning.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  12. Thank you so much for the clarification. These look delicious and I can't wait to try the recipe. :-)

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  13. They look like the perfect nibble tohave with a cup of chai during revision!!! Anything to take my mind off my law exams :P

    As for their name...how DO they come up with these things!!! Afterall nuns farts and nuns belly buttons aren't THAT simillar are they? :)

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  14. When I read your title, I was hesitant if you actually wrote it in a French Canadian slang, now that I read your first line, I LOL. In Quebec, we would call Bourriques de soeurs.

    Great job on the "meringue cookies" :)

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  15. Lol hey it's cool I'm turning 26 in June and I laughed at that. Never had a cookie like this before. Looks delicious with an interesting texture :).

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  16. These are the yummiest farts I've seen so far, and I've seen a lot! LOL, that doesn't sound right, does it? Thanks for stopping by my site. Are you really only 20? You're majorly talented, girl!

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  17. Tempting clicks and they look fantastic!

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  18. I have the book and these are on my to do list. Now I've seen your pictures, they've come higher up the list. Nun's Farts - light as air I guess???

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  19. Oh my gosh, you crack me up! I've never heard of these before, and really they look more like cookies to me than cakes, but regardless, I'm sure these are more enjoyable than regular farts! Thanks for enlightening me :)

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  20. Lol! I had my first laugh of the day! Yummy cookies!

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  21. What a laugh. Wiping the tears. Great post, as ever! Must try them, discretely - of course...

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  22. It's so cool! I will definitely try it nest week and and share your story (the meaning of the cookies)with my friends! Thanks for sharing!

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  23. Very funny name for a cookie...in spite of the name the cookies look yummie...have a great week Xinmei :-)

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  24. Haha what a cute post Xinmei! These cookies look delicious and you have great photography skills... I enjoy each one of your pictures this post.

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  25. LOL is that really their name? That's hilarious! Nun's farts and nun's belly buttons are things I hadn't ever considered! :P

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  26. This sounds interesting! I'm intrigued and would love to try one.

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  27. Some chefs are making a very decent living though. You sure about not doing home science? :)

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  28. Thanks! I'm hoping that my photography is improving, guess it has to be good to make these 'farts' look edible! @chopinandmysaucepan yeah, I know, I wish I could go into it :( I've never had a chance to work part time in a bakery/cafe/restaurant though, so I've no idea what it's like. I would like to try someday when my degree gives me some time to! :)

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  29. LOL! I'm far from being 21 and that kind of name still makes me giggle... ;-P

    They look delicious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  30. When I was little in our appartment building there was a German family and the mother of the children made some dark chocolate cookies with this very name. You brought so many memories to me! They look delicious!

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  31. Oh Xinmei, these cookies look fabulous! What a lovely pictures, perfection!!!
    Thanks you for sharing, have a wonderful night!

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  32. these look so yummy. love that third photo!!

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  33. Vous avez de bons points il, c'est pourquoi j'aime toujours verifier votre blog, Il semble que vous etes un expert dans ce domaine. maintenir le bon travail, Mon ami recommander votre blog.

    Mon francais n'est pas tres bon, je suis de l'Allemagne.

    Mon blog:
    rachat credit lyon aussi pret Rachat de credit

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  34. Glad you enjoyed my recipe. It was designed for a competition from which the Green & Blacks book was developed. It came 3rd I believe after a recipe for Porgk and chocolate sausages(!) and a chocolate and ginger torte.

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