Honey Dijon Chicken and Roasted Garlic Broccoli

Well, It's been a while. No,my sister and I have not fallen off the face of the planet. Life has just been very busy for the both of us and we slacked off a little bit. Very sorry and we hope to pick up with regular blog posts again.

This recipe is so simple to make but makes a great low key lunch. I always think that if I have a protein that I need to have a starch as well. It was nice to just stick to the chicken and broccoli. It helps too that broccoli is about the one vegetable that all my kids eat a little bit of.


Honey Dijon Chicken & Roasted BroccoliIngredients:

Honey Dijon Chicken
◦6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
◦salt and pepper to taste
◦1/2 cup honey
◦1/2 cup dijon mustard
◦1 teaspoon dried basil
◦1/2 teaspoon paprika
◦1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Roasted Broccoli
◦2 heads broccoli, separated into florets
◦2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
◦1 teaspoon sea salt
◦1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
◦1 clove garlic, minced

1.To prepare Honey Dijon Chicken: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste and place in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the honey, dijon mustard, paprika, basil, and parsley – mix together until well combined

Pour 1/2 of the mixture over the chicken and brush to cover.

2.Bake chicken for 30 minutes, then flip chicken peices over and pour remaining 1/2 of the honey dijon mixture over chicken and brush to cover.

Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the juices run clear.
(While baking chicken, use the time to prepare the broccoli). Let chicken cool while broccoli is cooking. ( I like to put the broccoli in when there are still a few minutes left on the chicken.

3.To prepare Roasted Broccoli: Heat oven to 400 degrees after removing chicken.

Prepare a large non-stick baking sheet.

In a large bowl, toss broccoli with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic until evenly covered.

Spread broccoli onto the baking sheet in one even layer and bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the florets are tender enough to be pierced through the stems.

Serve with Dijon Chicken!

Pork Stir Fry

This recipe had been saved in my favourites for a long time already and I decided that I better make it already! And we were not sorry, my kids gobbled this up and asked if I would make it again for dinner. My 7 year old daughter asked if I would give her the recipe when she's a mommy so she can make it for her kids, lol. I think she liked it! And it's quite easy to make, which in my books always makes it a plus.



Pork Stir Fry

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dark Asian sesame oil
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound boneless pork, cut into 2 x 1/2 x 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage (about 1/4 head cabbage)
1 sweet pepper, red or yellow, cored, seeded and cut into small strips

Stir together soy sauce, broth, sesame oil, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup of the marinade into a medium-size bowl; stir in cornstarch. Add pork; toss to coat. Set aside to marinade 20 minutes. Reserve remaining marinade in the small bowl.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add marinated pork; cook, stirring constantly, until pork is no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pork to a bowl. Wipe any residue from wok. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in wok. Add green onion and garlic; cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cabbage and pepper strips; cook 1-2 minutes. Return pork to wok. Pour in reserved marinade. Add noodles of your choice (I used stir fry noodles; toss to combine and heat through.

Enjoy!
Tina

Tropical Pork Chops

Sunday dinner rolled around and I wasn't sure what to make. A quick search on All Receips and 30 minutes later we had this, and it was good! I cut the pork into strips instead of leaving them whole, and I didn't have any pineapple tidbits in the house but it was still a great meal.



Tropical Pork Chops

1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon onion salt
dash cayenne pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops cut into strips
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup pineapple tidbits

In a saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients. Cover and simmer until sugar is dissolved, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. In a skillet, cook pork, onion and garlic in oil until meat is browned. Add water and reserved sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink, adding more water if needed. Stir in pineapple and heat through. Serve over rice.

*Note: Next time I make this I will add more water and let everything simmer together for 45-60 minutes to tenderize the pork.

Enjoy!
Tina

General Tso's Chicken

What a treat this dinner was! I was in the mood for something different compared our usual menu the other day and this recipe came to mind. It's actually quite easy to make and delivers on the taste! Next time I make this I will use less ginger, I might even eliminate it since I'm not a huge fan of ginger. But it was still great the way it was!




General Tso's Chicken

Marinade:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Whisk all the ingredients together until blended. Put about 6 Tbsp of this marinade into a ziplock bag and add the chicken, let this marinade together for 30 minutes.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (too much for my taste buds)
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

While the chicken is marinating heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add the remaining marinade and simmer until dark and thickened. Set aside.

Coating & frying:3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish

To prepare the chicken for frying, beat the eggs whites until foamy. Combine the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda. Coat the chicken in the egg whites and than toss with the cornstarch mixture until well coated. Set the coated chicken onto a baking pan until all the pieces are coated.

Heat your oil of choice and fry the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes until done. Transfer to a dish with a paper towel in it to catch the extra grease.

Pour the warm sauce in a large bowl and toss with the chicken. Serve with your favourite rice and vegetables and you have a great meal!

*Note: The original recipe asked for 2 Tbsp of cornstarch for the marinade, I wanted it a little thinner so that it would serve as a sauce for the rice as well. I also wanted extra sauce so I made 1 1/2 times the marinade recipe.
Enjoy!
Tina

Truck Cake

I made this cake for my 2 year old's birhtday party. It was a lot of fun to make. Not as hard as I initially thought. It's alot easier as well when all the fondant is made beforhand. The wheels are made from cruller doughnuts and dipped in chocolate. The cake itself is on a piece of cardboard that is sitting on a couple of small containers to give it some lift.

When I showed it to my son his face lit up and he went "Wow". I thought to myself that is why I spend hours doing this. My son then continued and said "doughnuts". All he saw was that the wheels were made out of doughnuts and that is what he wanted. Who cares about the rest of the cake. The cake that I slaved over and made special just for him. Ha, he is only 2. I think I do more of the cake decorating for myself anyway.

As far as the taste goes, it was great. Nothing fancy just a chocolate cake with swiss meringue buttercream. Not that my son would know that either. He could barely be taken away from his new toys long enough to blow out the candles. As far as eating it, he had a piece in front of him but did not touch it. He did finally have a piece two days later. He is such a little monkey and I love him to bits.


I've posted the recipe before so you can find it here here

Erna

Snickerdoodles

There is something so warm and comforting about the aroma of cinnamon coming from your oven. Our kids love anything with cinnamon and I had been meaning to make these cookies for a while already. They're super easy to make and get gobbled up as quickly as you'll allow! I found the recipe from All Recipes and pretty left it the way it was written. Some said they had tried these using butter and others stick to the shortening, you decide.


Snickerdoodles
1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Cream together the shortening and sugar, add eggs. Sift together the flower, soda, tarter and salt; stir into the creamed mixture. In a small bowl stir together the 2 tbsp sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll in the cinnamon mixture, don't flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bet you can't eat just one!

Tina

California Salad

Well it's been a while for me! Life is busy! I've been meaning to make this salad for quite some time, I had actually lost it but I was organizing my craft room and stumbled across it. Very simple to make and I love the flavor of it! I found this recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook and they suggest that the dressing is better if allowed to sit for a day, it will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.


California Salad
1 Head Romaine lettuce, chopped
2 chopped tomatoes
2 sliced green onions
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or tex mex, I did half cheddar half mozzarella)
2 cups corn chips

Dressing:1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup oil
1 clove crushed garlic (or 1/4 tsp garlic pwd)
1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Blend all the dressing ingredients in a blender or food chopper. Mix together all salad ingredients, except the cheese and chips. Just before you are ready to serve, add the cheese and corn chips and toss with the dressing.

Panna Cotta and Nestle Florentine Cookies

Yum! The panna cotta was delicious. I made a strawberry gelee to go on top of it and it was perfect together. I can't wait to try other flavors of gelee with the panna cotta. Though that might not happen for a while, my husband got his cholesterol levels checked the other day and his numbers were slightly higher than they were supposed to be. So we are watching what we eat a little bit more. I might try making it with all low-fat milk and a little less sugar just so we can have some more. Might not be as good but hopefully it will still taste good. The cookies were good too, just very sweet. I drizzled dark chocolate on top which made them great. Oh, I also added a drizzle of vanilla into the panna cotta. Overall a great challenge. I love trying new techniques and making things I've never done before.

Giada's Vanilla Panna Cotta

Ingredients
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
1 tablespoon (one packet) (15 ml) (7 gm) (¼ oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
3 cups (720 ml) whipping cream (30+% butterfat)
1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 gm) (½ oz) granulated sugar
pinch of salt

Directions:

Pour the milk into a bowl or pot and sprinkle gelatin evenly and thinly over the milk (make sure the bowl/pot is cold by placing the bowl/pot in the refrigerator for a few minutes before you start making the Panna Cotta). Let stand for 5 minutes to soften the gelatin.
Pour the milk into the saucepan/pot and place over medium heat on the stove. Heat this mixture until it is hot, but not boiling, about five minutes. (I whisk it a few times at this stage).
Next, add the cream, honey, sugar, and pinch of salt. Making sure the mixture doesn't boil, continue to heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and honey have dissolved 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat, allow it to sit for a few minutes to cool slightly. Then pour into the glass or ramekin.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. Add garnishes and serve.

Fruit Gelée

Ingredients:
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) (8 oz) fruit (strawberries, raspberries, mango, blackberry, etc.)
*Note: Certain fruits interact with gelatin and stop it gelling like pineapple and kiwi etc.
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
1/4 cup (60 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons (7½ ml) (3½ gm) (1/8 oz) unflavored powdered gelatin

Directions:

Sprinkle gelatin over water.
Place fruit and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Now mix the gelatin into the strawberry mixture and stir until gelatin has dissolved.
Remove from heat and allow to cool (close to room temp, again, if you're planning on layering on pouring on top of your Panna Cotta, a hot mixture will also heat up your chilled Panna Cotta).


Nestle Florentine Cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup (160 ml) (150 gm) (5.3 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups (480 ml) (160 gm) (5 2/3 oz) quick oats
1 cup (240 ml) (230 gm) (8 oz) granulated sugar
2/3 cup (160 ml) (95 gm) (3⅓ oz) plain (all purpose) flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) dark corn syrup
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole milk
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1½ cups (360 ml) (250 gm) (9 oz) dark or milk chocolate

Directions:
Preheat oven to moderately hot 375°F (190°C) (gas mark 5). Prepare your baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan, then remove from the heat.
To the melted butter add oats, sugar, flour, corn syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon full, three inches (75 mm) apart, onto your prepared baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the back of your tablespoon, or use a spatula.
Bake in preheated oven for 6-8 minutes, until cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on the baking sheets
While the cookies are cooling melt your chocolate until smooth either in the microwave (1 1/2 minutes), or stovetop (in a double boiler, or a bowl that fits atop a saucepan filled with a bit of water, being sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl).
Peel the cookies from the silpat or parchment and place face down on a wire rack set over a sheet of wax/parchment paper (to keep counters clean).

Spread a tablespoon of chocolate on the bottom/flat side of your cookie, sandwiching another (flat end) cookie atop the chocolate.
This recipe will make about 2 1/2 - 3 dozen sandwiched Florentine cookies. You can also choose not to sandwich yours, in which case, drizzle the tops with chocolate (over your wax paper).

Hiyashi Soba and Tempura

My husband and I ate way too much of the tempura trying to tell ourselves that it was good for us, even though it was fried. I don't fry foods very often, I don't like the mess it makes or the amount of oil that I end up eating. I'm not opposed to it, after all some foods are just not the same if they are baked, but moderation is key.

For the given recipe I could not find soba noodles so I used a brown rice noodle. I made the spicy dipping sauce which was really good. As I was making it I wondered what made it spicy. I thought by the name it would be hot but that wasn't the case. It was rich in flavor and I used the leftovers in a veggie wrap that I made the next day. The toppings consisted of tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, and ham. For the tempura I used red peppers, brocolli, asparagus and snap peas. I don't know which was my favorite, they all tasted great.

Note: The most important thing is not to overcook your noodles, or you will end up with a gelatinous mass. Have a bowl of cold water and ice standing by, and once you have drained and rinsed your soba place it in the water. The great thing is once that’s done you can leave it in the fridge for up to a couple of hours and it will still be nice and fresh. Take your time and complete each step all of these items work well prepared beforehand, so don’t rush.

Tempura batter is traditionally mixed in small batches using chopsticks for only a few seconds, leaving lumps in the mixture that, along with the cold batter temperature, result in the unique fluffy and crisp tempura structure when cooked. The batter is often kept cold by adding ice, or by placing the bowl inside a larger bowl with ice in it. Over-mixing the batter will result in activation of wheat gluten, which causes the flour mixture to become chewy and dough-like when fried

Hiyashi Soba

Soba Noodles:

Ingredients2 quarts (2 Liters) water + 1 cup cold water, separate
12 oz (340 g) dried soba (buckwheat) noodles (or any Asian thin noodle)

Directions:

Cooking the noodles:

Heat 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the noodles a small bundle at a time, stirring gently to separate. When the water returns to a full boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Repeat this twice. When the water returns to a full boil, check the noodles for doneness. You want to cook them until they are firm-tender. Do not overcook them.
Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold running water until the noodles are cool. This not only stops the cooking process, but also removes the starch from the noodles. This is an essential part of soba noodle making. Once the noodles are cool, drain them and cover them with a damp kitchen towel and set them aside allowing them to cool completely.

Mentsuyu - Traditional dipping sauce:

Ingredients
2 cups (480ml) Kombu and Katsuobushi dashi (This can be bought in many forms from most Asian stores and you can make your own. Recipe is HERE.) Or a basic vegetable stock.
1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce or a low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup (80 ml) mirin (sweet rice wine)

Directions:

Put mirin in a sauce pan and heat gently. Add soy sauce and dashi soup stock in the pan and bring to a boil. Take off the heat and cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Spicy Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients¾ cup 70gm/2½ oz spring onions/green onions/scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (4 ⅔ gm) (0.16 oz) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1/8 gm) (0.005 oz) English mustard powder
1 tablespoon (15 ml) grape-seed oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil (if you can’t find this just omit from recipe.)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste - roughly 1/3 a teaspoon of each

Directions:

1. Shake all the ingredients together in a covered container. Once the salt has dissolved, add and shake in 2 tablespoons of water and season again if needed.

Common Hiyashi Soba Toppings:

Thin omelet strips
Ham
Boiled chicken breasts
Cucumber
Boiled bean sprouts
Tomatoes
Toasted nori (Dried Seaweed)
Green onions
Wasabi powder
Finely grated daikon (Japanese radish)
Beni Shoga (Pickled Ginger)
All toppings should be julienne, finely diced or grated. Prepare and refrigerate covered until needed.

Serving:

Traditionally soba is served on a bamboo basket tray, but if you don’t have these, you can simply serve them on a plate or in a bowl. Divide up the noodles, laying them on your serving dishes. Sprinkle each one with nori. In small side bowl or cup, place 1/2 cup (120 ml) of dipping sauce into each. In separate small side dishes, serve each person a small amount of wasabi, grated daikon, and green onions.
The noodles are eaten by sprinkling the desired garnishes into the dipping sauce and eating the noodles by first dipping them into the sauce. Feel free to slurp away! Oishii!

Tempura
Ingredients1 egg yolk from a large egg
1 cup (240 ml) iced water
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) cornflour (also called cornstarch)
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (2½ gm) (0.09 oz) baking powder
oil, for deep frying preferably vegetable
ice water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside)

Very cold vegetables and seafood of your choice ie:

Sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced, blanched
Carrot, peeled, thinly sliced diagonally
Pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced blanched
Green beans, trimmed
Green bell pepper/capsicum, seeds removed, cut into 2cm (¾ inch)-wide strips
Assorted fresh mushrooms
Eggplant cut into strips (traditionally it’s fanned)
Onions sliced

Directions:

Place the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.

Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 320°F/160°C; for seafood it should be 340°F/170°C. It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you don’t have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.

Start with the vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that won’t leave a strong odor in the oil. Dip them in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.

Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.
Serve immediately for the best flavor, but they can also be eaten cold.

Joconde Imprime /Entremets

I think everything that could have gone wrong with this recipe, did. But I also only gave myself an hour from start to finish and was in way too much of a hurry. I wanted to make the jaconde in a half batch but I forgot that when I added the flour so it was really dry and I had to add the rest of the wet to make it workable. The texture was all wrong because of the way I added everything due to my little mishap and I did not want to throw it out and start again. With the sponge I was consantly dropping in the whole egg without thinking about and I'd have to start again. I didn't pulverize the almonds enough to really make it a flour so it was kinda grainy as well. But with all the mistakes I made it still came out sort of like it was supposed to. Just a little rough around the edges. The texture of the joconde was off and the sponge a little eggy. All my fault and I know I can do better. Next time I just won't do it in a time crunch. But surprisingly it still tasted great. I filled it with white chocolate mousse and milk chocolate mousse topped with ganache. You can fill it with whatever you like.

(Make the decor paste first)

Joconde SpongeYIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

Ingredients:
¾ cup/ 180 ml/ 3oz/ 85g almond flour/meal - *You can also use hazelnut flour, just omit the butter
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/ 150 ml/ 2⅔ oz/ 75g confectioners' (icing) sugar
¼ cup/ 60 ml/ 1 oz/ 25g cake flour *See note below
3 large eggs - about 5⅓ oz/ 150g
3 large egg whites - about 3 oz/ 90g
2½ teaspoons/ 12½ ml/ ⅓ oz/ 10g white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar
2 tablespoons/ 30 ml/ 1oz / 30g unsalted butter, melted

*Note: How to make cake flour: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/

Directions:

In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.
Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)
On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )
Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.
Fold in melted butter.
Reserve batter to be used later.

Patterned Joconde-Décor PasteYIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

Ingredients
14 tablespoons/ 210ml/ 7oz/ 200g unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups plus1½ tablespoons/ 385ml/ 7oz/ 200g Confectioners' (icing) sugar
7 large egg whites - about 7 oz / 200g
1¾ cup/ 420ml/ 7¾ oz/ 220g cake flour
Food coloring gel, paste or liquid

COCOA Décor Paste Variation: Reduce cake flour to 6 oz / 170g. Add 2 oz/ 60 g cocoa powder. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together before adding to creamed mixture.

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand)
Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.
Fold in sifted flour.
Tint batter with coloring to desired color, if not making cocoa variation.
Preparing the Joconde- How to make the pattern:

Spread a thin even layer of décor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto silicone baking mat with a spatula, or flat knife. Place mat on an upside down baking sheet. The upside down sheet makes spreading easier with no lip from the pan.
Pattern the décor paste – Here is where you can be creative. Make horizontal /vertical lines (you can use a knife, spatula, cake/pastry comb). Squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grains. Be creative whatever you have at home to make a design can be used. OR use a piping bag. Pipe letters, or polka dots, or a piped design. If you do not have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one.

Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer. Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes.

Remove from freezer. Quickly pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Décor paste.

Bake at 475ºF /250ºC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 15 minutes (Or a lot less, mine was done in 8 minutes). You can bake it as is on the upside down pan. Yes, it is a very quick bake, so watch carefully.
Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat.
Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting.)

Preparing the MOLD for entremets:

Start with a large piece of parchment paper laid on a very flat baking sheet. Then a large piece of cling wrap over the parchment paper. Place a spring form pan ring, with the base removed, over the cling wrap and pull the cling wrap tightly up on the outside of the mold. Line the inside of the ring with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping top edge by ½ inch. CUT the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD. It will be easier to smooth the top of the cake.
A biscuit cutter/ cookie cutter- using cling wrap pulled tightly as the base and the cling covering the outside of the mold, placed on a parchment lined very flat baking sheet. Line the inside with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping.

Glass Trifle bowl. You will not have a free standing dessert, but you will have a nice pattern to see your joconde for this layered dessert.
Preparing the Jaconde for Molding:

Trim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape.
Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is ½ the height of your mold. This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full height.
Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a very sharp paring knife and ruler.)

Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mold, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to “wrap “your mold, if one cut piece is not long enough.
The mold is done, and ready to fill.
*Note: If not ready to use. Lay cake kept whole or already cut into strips, on a flat surface, wrap in parchment and several layers of cling wrap and freeze.

Entremet- Filling Options:

It is nice to have a completed dessert so you can unmold and see the Joconde working. Fill with anything you desire. Layers of different flavors and textures! However, it needs to be something cold that will not fall apart when unmolded.

Suggestions:
Mousses, pastry creams, Bavarian creams, cheesecakes, puddings, curds, jams, cookie bases, more cake (bake off the remaining sponge and cut to layer inside), nuts, Dacquoise, fresh fruit, chocolates, gelee.