WORLD PASTRY FORUM & LAURENT LE DANIEL

For the past 9 days I have been in Phoenix Arizona at the World Pastry Forum assisting Laurent Le Daniel. He taught 5 days of classes on Petit Gateau. It was intense work. The first day we prepped for 12 hours. Each day thereafter we shaved off some time as the prep became more familiar. During the classes we had an interpreter as Laurent's English is minimal. Laurent is the nicest man and was very generous with his recipes and knowledge. All of the petit gateau he taught, and gave recipes for, he sells in his 3 shops. If you want to drool over his website it is www.patisserieledaniel.fr/.

Laurent was able, one on one, to speak some english to me (my french is almost non-existent). I found out that he is married and has a 7 year old son. Upon his return to France he was starting work on a 50th wedding anniversary cake for his parents.

In one of our last conversation's he told me that he loved my passion for patisserie!! That meant allot to me.

These are the 4 desserts we made each day and taught the procedure to the students. You can see how beautiful they are and I can tell you they tasted fabulous.

BAKEWELL TARTLETTES

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

I chose to make tartlettes with my homemade Raspberry Rose Jam. These are great in the morning with coffee (don't ask me how I know), they are not too sweet and would make a nice hostess gift.



SWEET SHORTCRUST PASTRY
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) All Purpose Flour
30g (1oz) Sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) Salt
110g (4oz) Unsalted Butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 (2) Egg Yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) Almond Extract (optional)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) Cold Water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.
Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes



FRANGIPAN
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula
125g (4.5oz) Unsalted Butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) Powdered Sugar
3 (3) Eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp) Almond Extract
125g (4.5oz) Almond Flour (Trader Joes)
30g (1oz) All Purpose Flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the almond flour and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow color.

RASPBERRY ROSE JAM

ASSEMBLING THE TARTLETTES
Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, cut out rounds with a biscuit cutter and place into the individual tartlette molds. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
Remove tartlettes from the freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of Raspberry Rose Jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tartlette. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 15 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking (optional).
The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter. Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.
When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Graduation Cakes

This graduation cake was made for a graduate of La Quinta High School. It was white chiffon cake with fillings of vanilla bean white chocolate mousse with fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, and vanilla buttercream. The cap was made of the same cake with a white chocolate brim. I sprayed acetate with navy blue cocoa butter then spread tempered chocolate over it and cut it to size. I covered the cake with white chocolate ganache then spray painted it with the same colored cocoa butter. The tassel was made with grey gumpaste and painted with super pearl luster dust. The diploma was just rolled up fondant.

These cupcakes were red velvet with cream cheese frosting and they were delivered to the same party as this chocolate graduation cap.

This cake was made for a Palm Desert High School graduate. It was chocolate cake with hazelnut crunch, ganache, french silk mousse, chocolate buttercream and vanilla buttercream. The brim was tempered callebeaut chocolate. The tassel was gumpaste painted with gold luster dust.

GIFT BOX CAKE

I made this cake for a clients 10 year old daughter's 1st Communion. What a lucky girl she was to receive this for her party. When I delivered it her eyes lit up and she was jumping up and down in delight.
Her parents told me later that some of the guests at the party thought it was a present and did not know it was a cake until they cut into it. Mission accomplished!!

The bottom tier was 8 layers of vanilla chiffon cake with grand marnier syrup, fillings were - raspberry rose jam, white chocolate ganache, raspberry buttercream, fresh raspberries, and vanilla buttercream. The top two tiers were chocolate cake with fillings of hazelnut crunch, ganache, chocolate buttercream & french silk mousse.

All tiers were covered in fondant and the pearls were made out of fondant and painted with pearl dust to shine them up and make them look real. The bow's on top were made out of gumpaste.

It was a fun cake to make!!

APPLE STRUDEL

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of Make Life Sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

I usually make a "fake" strudel by using puff pastry or phyllo as the dough so this months challenge was going to be fun trying to stretch the real strudel dough. Believe it or not it was very easy to do and it came out quite good. Give this a try you will be surprised just how much fun it is.

APPLE STRUDEL

From “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

2 Tablespoons Myers Rum

3 Tablespoons Golden Raisins

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/3 Cup plus 1 Tablespoon Sugar

4 Ounces Unsalted Butter (melted & divided)

1 1/2 Cups Fresh Bread Crumbs

Strudel Dough (recipe below)

1/2 Cup Walnuts (coarsely chopped)

2 pounds Granny Smith Apples (peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices)

1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Melt 1 1/2 Ounces of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook while stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 1 1/2 Ounces of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.

STRUDEL DOUGH

From “Kaffeehaus – Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague” by Rick Rodgers

1 1/3 cups (200 g) unbleached flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons (105 ml) water, plus more if needed

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet wide and 3 feet long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Tips- Ingredients are cheap so the daring bakers recommend making a double batch of the dough, that way you can practice the pulling and stretching of the dough with the first batch and if it doesn't come out like it should you can use the second batch to give it another try. The tablecloth can be cotton or polyster. Before pulling and stretching the dough, remove your jewelry from hands and wrists, and wear short-sleeves;- To make it easier to pull the dough, you can use your hip to secure the dough against the edge of the table;- Few small holes in the dough is not a problem as the dough will be rolled, making (most of) the holes invisible.

MIXED BERRY GALETTE

MIXED BERRY FILLING
2 Cups Blueberries
2 Cups Raspberries
2 Cups Blackberries
Pinch of Salt
1/2 Ounce Lemon Juice
3/4 Ounce Cornstarch
4 Ounces Sugar or to taste (depending on the sweetness of the berries)

Mix the berries together in a bowl. In another bowl mix the salt, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar together. Pour over the berries and allow to macerate 1 hour.

GALETTE DOUGH
Adapted from "Pie & Pastry Bible"
Rose Levy Beranbaum
4 Ounces Frozen Butter (cut into 1/2" pieces)
6 1/2 Ounces Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/8 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 Ounces Cold Cream Cheese (cut into 1" pieces)
3/4 Ounce Ice Water
1/2 Ounce Cider Vinegar

Place the flour, baking powder, salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine ingredients. Add the cream cheese and pulse to combine. Add the frozen butter and pulse until the butter is the size of large peas. Combine the ice water and cider vinegar and add it to the above mixture pulsing to combine. Remove the dough from the processor, shape it into a disk and wrap in in plastic. Refrigerate it at least 1 hour.

To make the galette:
Roll out the dough into a 14" circle. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash. Place the berry mixture into the center of the dough. Fold the galette dough up by pleating it all around the outside of the berries. Brush the dough with egg wash and sprinkle with crystal or granulated sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees until the dough is medium brown and the berries have released their juices and thickened up. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

For serving: Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into wedges.

GRADUATION DESSERT

There are graduates everywhere these days and 20 lucky ones received these on Prom Night. A client hired me to come up with a graduation dessert for her son and 19 of his friends. They had a dinner at her home before going to prom. She told me they started off by eating the fondant "tassel". Love it!!
The "graduation cap" was made of chocolate cake, raspberry jam, ganache, chocolate buttercream and chocolate mousse.
The school colors are red and gold so I held the gold fondant tassel on to the chocolate brim with a little red royal icing.

CORAL ROSE WEDDING CAKE

Simple but elegant is how I would describe this wedding cake. The coral roses were lovely against the cream fondant. The only frustrating part of this set up was that the rented table was wobbly and not level. We tried to level it but it just became more wobbly. The venue could not supply another table so I had to leave it as is. The cake itself was very heavy so unless someone ran in to the table hard I am sure it stayed in tact.
The layers were 15", 13", 11", 9" round. The flavor was chocolate cake, ganache, chocolate buttercream and chocolate mousse.

UPDATE: They loved it. Here is the testimonial:

"Just wanted you to know EVERYONE said they had NEVER had a wedding cake this GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! much wanted you to know how much everyone Loved it and I want you to know there was only a handful of peanut brittle left..............I hope all is well with you ............and your haircut looked fab!!!!!!!!!!!!!xoxoLloydette"

SHOWCASING MY HANDMADE TRUFFLES

As a professional pastry chef we sometimes want to showcase items that we make on a display piece. There is hardly enough time because of all the responsibilities we have but when its possible I like to make something fun like you see here. This was part of my Mother's Day display last year. I love making handmade candies and truffles and wanted to show them off on this special display. The base was made by pouring tempered chocolate onto large bubble wrap and they were the perfect indentations for the candies to sit in.

RASPBERRY BAVARIAN & CHOCOLATE

This dessert was made for a client's dinner party at her home. It was a raspberry bavarian cream layered between chocolate cake and wrapped with a chocolate band.
A light but intense in flavor dessert, perfect after a heavy meal.
The picture here is of an extra dessert I put on a paper plate for the caterer to taste. Yummy!!

COCOA CAKE
15 ½ Ounces Granulated Sugar
9 Ounces All Purpose Flour
3 ¾ Ounces Cocoa Powder (sift after measuring)
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda1
½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
1 Cup Whole Milk
½ Cup Canola Oil
2 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
7 Liquid Ounces Boiling Water

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and line with parchment 2 - 1/2 sheet pans.
2. This should be done by hand. No mixer necessary.
3. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Place all wet ingredients except water into another bowl and mix together.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
6. Boil water in microwave, add and stir to combine.
7. Pour into prepared pans.
8. Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

RASPBERRY BAVARIAN CREAM
1 Cups Milk
5 Ounces Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
4 Gelatin Sheets
1 Cups Raspberry Puree
12 Ounces Heavy Cream

METHOD
1. Soften Gelatin in ice water. Set aside.
2. Sprinkle a little of the sugar into the bottom of a saucepan and pour the milk over it. Bring to a boil.
3. Mix the remaining sugar into the yolks and temper the yolks and milk.
4. Cook the mixture to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and strain.
5. Add the gelatin and stir to melt it.
6. Add the raspberry puree and stir over an ice bath until cool to the touch but not set.
7. Whip the cream to soft peak and incorporate it into the raspberry mixture.

To assemble the desserts:
Line PVC pipes, cut to the desired size, with acetate. Cut out a cake round and place it in the pvc. Pipe the raspberry bavarian cream on top of the cake, place another cake round over the cream then pipe the cream all the way to the top and level off. Freeze.
Unmold the desserts, temper semi sweet chocolate, spread it over a transfer sheet that has been cut to size and wrap it around the frozen dessert. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Peel off the plastic and plate up.

CHEESECAKE CENTERPIECE

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I have made many cheesecakes in my lifetime and to be perfectly honest cheesecake is not one of my favorite desserts. If you like cheesecake this is a nice and easy recipe.

I substituted ginger cookies for the graham crackers in the original recipe because I love lemon and ginger together. I followed the recipe for the cheesecake to the letter. I put meyer lemon juice in the cheesecake and meyer lemon curd on top with a border of whipped cream. The flowers on top are rice paper flowers, I have described how to make them here.

Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake:

CRUST:

2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (I used gingersnap cookies)

4 Ounces Butter, melted

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

CHEESECAKE:

24 Ounces Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1 Cup Sugar

3 Large Eggs

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract (or the innards of a vanilla bean)

1 Tablespoon Liqueur, optional, but choose what will work well with your cheesecake

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Begin to boil a large pot of water for the water bath.

2. Mix together the crust ingredients and press into your preferred pan. You can press the crust just into the bottom, or up the sides of the pan too - baker's choice. Bake the crust for 8 minutes in a 350 degree oven. If any butter seeps to the top of the crust, blot it dry. Set crust aside.

3. Combine cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand-mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand-mixer) and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice, and alcohol and blend until smooth and creamy.

4. Pour batter into prepared crust and tap the pan on the counter a few times to bring all air bubbles to the surface. Place pan into a larger pan and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the side of the cheesecake pan. If cheesecake pan is not airtight, cover bottom securely with two layers of foil before adding water.

5. Bake 45 to 55 minutes, until it is almost done - this can be hard to judge, but you're looking for the cake to hold together, but still have a lot of jiggle to it in the center. You don't want it to be completely firm at this stage. Close the oven door, turn the heat off, and let rest in the cooling oven for one hour. This lets the cake finish cooking and cool down gently enough so that it won't crack on the top. After one hour, remove cheesecake from oven and lift carefully out of water bath. Let it finish cooling on the counter, and then cover and put in the fridge to chill. Once fully chilled, it is ready to serve.

Prep notes: While the actual making of this cheesecake is a minimal time commitment, it does need to bake for almost an hour, cool in the oven for an hour, and chill overnight before it is served. Please plan accordingly!

LEMON CURD

Yield 1 Quart
INGREDIENTS
6 Eggs
6 Yolks
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Meyer Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Meyer Lemon Zest (use Microplane)
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
4 Ounces Butter (room temperature soft and cut into 1 inch pieces)
METHOD
1. Whisk the eggs and yolks together. Add all the ingredients except the butter. Whisk over a double boiler constantly until the mixture reaches 180 degrees F.
2. Strain through a chiniox into another bowl set over an ice bath.
3. Stirring occasionally let cool to 100 degrees F..
4. With the immersion blender slowly blend in the butter piece by piece until it is completely incorporated.
5. Cover and put in the refrigerator.

The next day remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. Spread the lemon curd over the top of the cheesecake. Pipe a border of sweetened whipped cream, decorate and serve.

PINK & BLACK BIRTHDAY CAKE

Since getting laid off from the Country Club I have been called back to make some cakes and desserts. Here is one I did recently.
It is very strange to return to a place where I worked for so long and see that so much has changed. It is really sad for me as I genuinely cared about that job. But I must move on and look for new opportunities.

BLOOD ORANGE & CRANBERRY ANGEL FOOD CAKE

This was a popular cake for Easter. The Blood Oranges are in season and I stashed some fresh cranberries in the freezer last year when they were in season.
The spring flowers are from my garden. They are such happy little flowers and remind me of the beauty of having time to enjoy them.

ANGEL FOOD CAKE WITH BLOOD ORANGE & CRANBERRIES

12 Ounces Egg Whites
1 Teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
6 Ounces Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
4 Ounces Cake Flour
6 Ounces Sugar
Zest of 1 Blood Orange
1 Cup Chopped Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

1. Sift together the cake flour and 6 ounces sugar.
2. Whip egg whites until foamy and add cream of tartar and salt. Whip to soft peak.
3. Continue whipping and slowly add 6 ounces sugar.
4. Add Vanilla and whip to firm peak. Do not over whip.
5. Remove from mixer and transfer to a large bowl.
6. Gently fold in flour sugar mixture.
7. Gently fold in zest and cranberries.
8. Pour into ungreased parchment lined tube pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.
9. Cool in inverted pan. When completely cool run a knife around the cake to release it from the sides of the pan.

GLAZE
Juice of 1 blood orange and enough powdered sugar whisked in to make a thick but still pourable mixture. Pour this mixture over the cooled cake. Let dry several hours before cutting.

GONE TO THE DOGS CAKE

I was asked to make a cake for someone who dog sits 13 dogs. Each dog on the cake has his or her name written on it. I put a fondant picket fence around the bottom of the cake and little hearts on top.

The flavor of the cake was carrot with cream cheese filling and the size of the cake was 10" X 14".

SPRINGTIME RICE PAPER FLOWERS

These flowers are made out of rice paper. I punched out the shapes in three sizes by using scrapbooking paper punches, dusted them with luster dust and put them together with royal icing on a lolly pop stick. They made great additions to springtime cupcakes.

MY FAMOUS PEANUT BRITTLE

My Peanut Brittle is now available for sale. Please hit the comment button below and leave your order. It will be directed to my e-mail and I will respond with a confirmation of your order. The peanut brittle sells for $16.00 per pound + shipping.

It can be packaged in 2, 4, & 8 ounce packages. The package above is the 8 oz. package.

APPLE APRICOT TART

I was invited to a Tea and the spotlighted tea was Apple Apricot so I made this Apple Apricot Tart to complement the Tea. It was a success and I have made it several times since for various clients. It has a cream cheese crust which is very flaky. I got the idea to make the apples look like a flower from Rose Levy Beranbaum's book The Pie & Pastry Bible.

Here is my recipe for 1 - 9" tart:

APRICOTS
1 Cup Dried Apricots
1 Cup Apple Cider
1 Slice Lemon
Cut the dried apricots in 1/4's and put into a small saucepan with the cider and lemon. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and poach covered for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, strain the apricots and set aside.
CREAM CHEESE DOUGH
4 Ounces Frozen Butter (cut into 1/2" pieces)
6 1/2 Ounces Unbleached All Purpose Flour
1/8 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
3 Ounces Cold Cream Cheese (cut into 1" pieces)
3/4 Ounce Ice Water
1/2 Ounce Cider Vinegar
Place the flour, baking powder, salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine ingredients. Add the cream cheese and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of large peas. Combine the ice water and cider vinegar and add it to the above mixture pulsing to combine. Remove the dough from the processor, shape it into a disk and wrap in in plastic. Refrigerate it at least 1 hour.
Roll out the dough and put it into a (sprayed with release agent) 9" deep dish pie pan. Trim the edges. Place the dough filled pie pan in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before blind baking.
With the remaining dough make leaves to go around the edge of the crust. Set these aside in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
To blind bake:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Use coffee filters to put on top of the pie crust then fill with beans or rice. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove the coffee filters and continue to bake 5 more minutes or until golden brown.
APPLE FILLING
6 Large Granny Smith Apples (peeled, cored, thinly sliced & halved)
Juice of 1/2 Lemon (strained)
2 Ounces Sugar
3 Ounces Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg (freshly ground)
1 Ounce Unsalted Butter
1/2 Ounce Cornstarch
Mix the apples with the lemon juice, sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, & nutmeg. Cover and let sit overnight. The next day strain the apples and cook the reserved liquid with the butter to a thick syrup.
Put the apples in a bowl and toss with cornstarch then pour the thickened syrup over the apples.
To make the tart:
Put half of the apricots into the blind baked tart shell. Lay the apple slices over the apricots in concentric circles adding more apricots as you go. End with a solid layer of overlapping apple slices (no apricots) to make the flower. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the apple juices and pour the remaining apple juices over the apples.
Brush the edge of the tart shell with the apple juice and place the reserved dough leaves around the edge.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then cover with foil and bake another 30 - 40 minutes or until you see juices bubbling from the tart.
Let the tart cool slightly then brush with simple syrup or apricot glaze.
Posted by Sugar Chef at 12:36 PM

2 comments:
Tartelette said...
So...tonight I finally decided to go through my spam filters and email folders and found the email you sent me a couple of month ago. So sorry....really am! If there is anything I can help with, please let me know.That tart looks absolutely fabulous!
7:43 PM
Y said...
Gorgeous tart! I love the look of that pastry too.
9:22 PM

BRIDGE BIRTHDAY CAKE

The birthday girl loves to play bridge, thus the inspiration for this cake. The flavors were chocolate cake, raspberry bavarian cream, raspberry jam and chocolate ganache.
Here is the ganache, cake & raspberry bavarian cream recipe. I used a good quality raspberry jam to spread on each layer of cake before applying the filling.

GANACHE
1 1/2 Pounds Semi Sweet Chocolate
24 Ounces Heavy Cream

METHOD
Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Cover and leave at room temperature. Make this one day in advance so it sets up to an icing consistency.

COCOA CAKE
Makes 2 9" round cakes.
15 ½ Ounces Granulated Sugar
9 Ounces All Purpose Flour
3 ¾ Ounces Cocoa Powder (sift after measuring)
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Large Eggs (room temperature)
1 Cup Whole Milk
½ Cup Canola Oil
2 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
7 Liquid Ounces Boiling Water

METHOD
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and line with parchment 2 - 9" round cake pans.
2. This should be done by hand. No mixer necessary. When making X2 or X4 use a mixer.
3. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Place all wet ingredients except water into another bowl and mix together.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
6. Boil water in microwave, add and stir to combine.
7. Pour into prepared pans.
8. Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

RASPBERRY BAVARIAN CREAM
2 Cups Milk10 Ounces Sugar
10 Egg Yolks
8 Gelatin Sheets
2 Cups Raspberry Puree
24 Ounces Heavy Cream

METHOD
1. Soften Gelatin in ice water. Set aside.
2. Sprinkle a little of the sugar into the bottom of a saucepan and pour the milk over it. Bring to a boil.
3. Mix the remaining sugar into the yolks and temper the yolks and milk.
4. Cook the mixture to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and strain.
5. Add the gelatin and stir to melt it.
6. Add the raspberry puree and stir over an ice bath until cool to the touch but not set.
7. Whip the cream to soft peak and incorporate it into the raspberry mixture.

CHOCOLATE VALENTINO CAKE & STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. They chose a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

I chose to make strawberry ice cream. I bought some beautiful strawberries from our local farmers market and they were getting very ripe and needed to be used fast.
I followed Emily Luchetti's strawberry ice cream recipe from her book A Passion for Ice Cream. It is good but I had a heavy hand on the salt so next time I will use a small pinch instead of a large pinch as her recipe instructs.

The pansies in the picture are from my garden. Now that I am not working 14 hours a day at the Country Club I have time to garden and enjoy my beautiful flowers. Life is beautiful!!

The Valentino cake is very easy to make and only has 3 ingredients. It is a flourless chocolate cake without the addition of sugar. So the cake is only as sweet as the chocolate you use. I used Callebeaut 811 which is about 55% cocoa liquor.

Here are the recipes:

CHOCOLATE VALENTINO
Preparation Time: 20 minutes

16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of Semisweet Chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of Unsalted Butter
5 large Eggs, separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C. Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM
Adapted from A Passion For Ice Cream by: Emily Luchetti

1 Pint Fresh Strawberries (hulled & quartered)
6 Tablespoons Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
Pinch of Kosher Salt
2 Cups Heavy Cream
1 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

In a medium saucepan cook the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice & salt over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until it reaches a jam like consistency. Stir often. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature before covering and putting in the refrigerator. Chill overnight.

In a medium saucepan bring the cream, milk, sugar, & salt to a simmer. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and chill over an ice bath. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

When ready to make the ice cream, stir the strawberry mixture into the cream, milk mixture and churn in an ice cream machine for 20 minutes or follow manufacturer's instructions.

Place the ice cream in a freeze safe container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

BLACK FOREST CAKE

This was made for a client's party but would also make an excellent Valentine's Dessert. It's a Black Forest Cake with kirsh whipped cream and black cherries, covered with ganache and chocolate shavings. I tempered some chocolate to make the fillagree hearts.

I made a chocolate cocoa cake that stays very moist even right out of the refrigerator. I stabilized with gelatin and spiked the whipped cream with kirsh and used Comstock canned cherries. I also put some kirsh in a little simple syrup to lightly moisten the cake. To make the chocolate shavings I took a slab of chocolate and ran my potato peeler over it to shave the chocolate off the slab.

GANACHE

1 1/2 Pounds Semi Sweet Chocolate

24 Ounces Heavy Cream

METHOD

Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir with a whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Cover and leave at room temperature. Make this one day in advance so it sets up to an icing consistency.

COCOA CAKE
Makes 2 9" round cakes.
15 ½ Ounces Granulated Sugar
9 Ounces All Purpose Flour
3 ¾ Ounces Cocoa Powder (sift after measuring)
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Large Eggs (room temperature)

1 Cup Whole Milk
½ Cup Canola Oil
2 ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
7 Liquid Ounces Boiling Water
METHOD
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray and line with parchment 2 - 9" round cake pans.
2. This should be done by hand. No mixer necessary. When making X2 or X4 use a mixer.
3. Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Place all wet ingredients except water into another bowl and mix together.
5. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
6. Boil water in microwave, add and stir to combine.
7. Pour into prepared pans.
8. Bake 30 to 40 minutes.

STABILIZED WHIPPED CREAM WITH KIRSCH

1/8 Ounce (1/2 packet) Gelatin Powder

3/4 Ounce Kirsch

12 Ounces Heavy Cream

2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

Seeds of 1/4 Vanilla Bean

METHOD

Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the kirsch. Let it bloom for about 5 minutes then soften it in the microwave 10 - 15 seconds, just until it melts.

Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla to semi stiff peaks.

With the whip still whipping pour in the gelatin and continue to whip to stiff peak.

Use immediately.

ASSEMBLY

Split and soak the cake layers slightly with simple syrup flavored to taste with kirsh.

Put the canned cherries with a little of the glaze on the cake layers.

Put whipped cream directly on top of the cherries and spread to the outside of the cake.

Stack the cake and refrigerate to set the whipped cream.

Cover the cake with ganache.

Decorate.

LAST BIRTHDAY CAKE AT THE COUNTRY CLUB

Here is a picture of one of the last birthday cakes I made at the country club. I have done a birthday cake for this particular member each year. This year she gave me the topper and I matched the ruffles on the dress and the color scheme. The flavor of the cake was carrot with cream cheese filling.
I feel sad to leave this chapter of my life behind but I am sure better things are ahead for me.

TUILES

This month's Daring Bakers challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen TUILES from The Chocolate Book by Angelique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux.

I did my challenge early in the month before I was laid off from my job of 10 years at the country club. Needless to say I have not felt like baking much as the shock of this event has taken its toll on me. I am starting to feel better and will tell you about my "Tuile" experience now.

The dessert in which I showcased my Tuile Butterfly was a Vanilla Bavarian with a Mango Gelee center & Pistachio Cake, served with Blackberry Cabernet Sorbet. The cookie under the sorbet is a nougatine type tuile. I love the tuile batter, there is so much you can do with it. I tinted some of it yellow and some of it red and just swirled it over my butterfly template to create an abstract look.

Here is the recipe we were to use to make our tuiles:

Recipe: Yields: 20 small butterflies/6 large (butterflies are just an example)
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch
65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
1 sachet vanilla sugar (7 grams or substitute with a dash of vanilla extract)
2 large egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet
Oven: 180C / 350F
Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly.
Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa or food coloring and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.
Bake butterflies in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. Or place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….

For the Nougatine under the sorbet:

Nougatine
From Michel Roux: Finest Desserts
5.1/4 cups / 500 grams sliced almonds
3.1/3 cups / 660 grams sugar
4 tbs / 60 grams butter (optional)
2 tbs oil (vegetable, sunflower, peanut)

Makes 2.3/4 lbs/1.2 kgs! (This is the yield of the recipe given in the book, feel free to downsize!)

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Preheat oven: 180C/350F
Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned. Cook the sugar in a heavy based saucepan over low heat, stirring gently and continuously with a spatula, until it melts to a light golden caramel. Add the almonds and stir over low heat for 1 minute, then stir in the butter until completely absorbed. (This is not essential, but will give the nougat an added sheen) Pour the nougatine onto an oiled baking sheet.Shaping: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable. Work with one piece at a time, of a size appropriate to the shape you want. Roll out each piece on a warm, lightly oiled baking sheet or lightly oiled marbled surface. It is essential to work quickly, since the nougatine rapidly becomes brittle. Heat the nougatine in a microwave oven for a few seconds only to soften it if needed.
Roll the nougatine into the appropriate thickness for your desired shape, but never thicker than 1/8 inch or 3 mm. Quickly cut out your chosen shapes using cookie cutters, or the blade or heel of a chef’s knife.
To mold the nougatine, drape it very rapidly over the mold so that it follows the shape and contours. Leave until completely cold before removing from the mold.Or, cut out and using your fingers or a knife, push into folds or pleats… use as a basket, twirl round a knitting needle, etc.
Nougatine based shapes can be made two or three days in advance, Keep them in a very dry place and do not fill with something like a mousse more than 2 hours prior to serving.

Please see the hosts' sites for more options.

FRENCH YULE LOG

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux. They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

Tartlette was on hand to help with this very challenging adventure.

The challenge rule was that we make all 6 of the log elements:
1. Dacquoise Biscuit
2. Mousse
3. Ganache Insert
4. Praline (Crisp) Insert
5. Creme Brulee Insert
6. Icing

You can check out the hosts' sites for the original recipes. I made a few changes, using some of my own recipes that I am more familiar with. I loved the hosts' chocolate mouse and icing recipes. I will be using them in the future.

I used a plastic mold that my salesperson from Chef's Warehouse gave me from Valrhona. It is specifically designed to make these types of entremets. I was looking forward to using it so this challenge could not have come at a better time.


Here is a close up of all the different elements.

Element #1
DACQUOISE BISCUIT (Almond Cake)
Preparation time: 10 mn + 15 min for baking
Equipment:
2 mixing bowls, hand or stand mixer with whisk attachment, spatula, baking pan such as a 10”x15” jelly-roll pan, parchment paper.
Note: You can use the Dacquoise for the bottom of your Yule Log only, or as bottom and top layers, or if using a Yule log mold (half-pipe) to line your entire mold with the biscuit. Take care to spread the Dacquoise accordingly. Try to bake the Dacquoise the same day you assemble the log to keep it as moist as possible.

Ingredients:
2.8 oz (3/4cup + 1Tbsp / 80g) almond meal
1.75 oz (1/2 cup / 50g) confectioner’s sugar
2Tbsp (15g) all-purpose flour
3.5oz (100g / ~100ml) about 3 medium egg whites
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar

1. Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioner's sugar. (If you have a food processor, you can use it by pulsing the ingredients together for no longer than 30 seconds)
2. Sift the flour into the mix.
3. Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.
4. Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.
5. Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.
6. Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).
7. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden. 8. Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

Element #2
DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Preparation time: 20 min
Equipment:
Stand or hand mixer with whisk attachment, thermometer, double boiler or equivalent, spatula Note: You will see that a Pate a Bombe is mentioned in this recipe. A Pate a Bombe is a term used for egg yolks beaten with a sugar syrup, then aerated. It is the base used for many mousse and buttercream recipes. It makes mousses and buttercreams more stable, particularly if they are to be frozen, so that they do not melt as quickly or collapse under the weight of heavier items such as the crème brulee insert.

Ingredients:
2.5 sheets gelatin or 5g / 1 + 1/4 tsp powdered gelatin
1.5 oz (3 Tbsp / 40g) granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp (10g) glucose or thick corn syrup
0.5 oz (15g) water
50g egg yolks (about 3 medium)
6.2 oz (175g) dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) heavy cream (35% fat content)

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)
2. Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in colour (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).
2a. Cook the sugar, glucose syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C). If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.
2b. Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it’s easier to do this with an electric mixer.
2c. Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.
3. In a double boiler or equivalent, heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
4. Whip the remainder of the cream until stiff.
5. Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of WHIPPED cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.
6. Add in the rest of the WHIPPED cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.

Element #3
DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE INSERT
Preparation time: 10mn
Equipment:
Pan, whisk. If you have plunging mixer (a vertical hand mixer used to make soups and other liquids), it comes in handy.
Note: Because the ganache hardens as it cools, you should make it right before you intend to use it to facilitate piping it onto the log during assembly. Please be careful when caramelizing the sugar and then adding the cream. It may splatter and boil.

Ingredients:
1.75 oz (4 Tbsp / 50g) granulated sugar
4.5oz (2/3 cup – 1 Tbsp/ 135g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
5 oz (135g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
3 tbsp + 1/2tsp (45g) unsalted butter softened

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color.
2. While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.
3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.
4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

Element #4
PRALINE FEUILLETE (Crisp) INSERT
Preparation time: 10 min.
Equipment:
Glass bowl, microwave, sheetpan

Ingredients:
5 Ounces White Chocolate
26 Ounces Praline Paste
17 1/2 Ounces Paillete Feuilletine or Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies

1. Melt white chocolate and praline paste in a glass bowl in the microwave until liquid.
2. Add the Paillete Feuilletine and mix with a spatula to incorporate.
3. Spread out on a full size sheetpan.
4. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.
5. Cut into the shape you need to fit your mold

Element #5
VANILLA CREME BRULEE INSERT
Preparation time: 15 min + 45 min baking
Equipment
Saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, parchment paper, plastic wrap

Ingredients:
1 Quart Heavy Cream
1 Vanilla Bean
8 Ounces Sugar
12 Egg Yolks
Pinch of Salt

1. Scrape the seeds from the Vanilla Bean.
2. Sprinkle 2 tablespoon of the sugar in the bottom of a heavy saucepan.
3. Pour the cream on top of the sugar and add the vanilla bean and seeds.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil then turn off the heat, cover and let steep 30 minutes. This will give off more vanilla flavor from the bean.
5. Whisk together the yolks, remaining sugar, and salt.
6. Bring the cream mixture back to the boil and temper it with the yolk mixture. Tempering means to slowly add the boiling mixture to the yolk mixture. If you do not do it slowly you can scramble your yolks.
7. When all the cream mixture is mixed with the yolk mixture strain it into a bowl.
8. You can bake it now but I like to refrigerate it overnight to bring out even more vanilla flavor.
9. When you are ready to bake the creme brule preheat your oven to 325 degrees and pour the mixture into the mold you have chosen. Set this mold onto a sheet pan.
10. Put it into the preheated oven and pour hot water onto the sheet pan. This is called a water bath and will allow your creme brule to bake slowly and avoid curdling.
11. Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes or until set. The mixture should wiggle just a little in the middle.
12. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
13. Cover and freeze overnight.
14. Cut into the shape you will need to fit your mold.

Element #6
DARK CHOCOLATE ICING
Preparation time: 25 minutes (10mn if you don’t count softening the gelatin)
Equipment:
Small bowl, small saucepan
Note: Because the icing gelifies quickly, you should make it at the last minute.

Ingredients:
2 sheets gelatin
¼ cup (60g) heavy cream (35 % fat content)
2.1 oz (5 Tbsp / 60g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) water
1/3 cup (30g) unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Soften the gelatin in ice water for 15 minutes.
2. Boil the rest of the ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes after boiling.
3. Add gelatin to the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
4. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well (it is starting to gelify), use immediately.

How To Assemble your French Yule Log
Depending on whether your mold is going to hold the assembly upside down until you unmold it or right side up, this order will be different.
THIS IS FOR UNMOLDING FROM UPSIDE DOWN TO RIGHT SIDE UP. You will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop after each time you pipe mousse in to get rid of any air bubbles.
1) Line your mold or pan, whatever its shape, with rhodoid (clear hard plastic, I usually use transparencies cut to the desired shape, it’s easier to find than cellulose acetate which is what rhodoid translates to in English) OR plastic film. Rhodoid will give you a smoother shape but you may have a hard time using it depending on the kind of mold you’re using.
2. You can either have Dacquoise on the top and bottom of your log or you can have Dacquoise simply on the bottom of your log.
2a. Cut the Dacquoise into a shape fitting your mold and set it in there. If you are using an actual Yule mold which is in the shape of a half-pipe, you want the Dacquoise to cover the entire half-pipe portion of the mold.
3. Pipe one third of the Mousse component on the Dacquoise.
4. Take the Creme Brulee Insert out of the freezer at the last minute and set on top of the mousse. Press down gently to slightly ensconce it in the mousse.
5. Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
6. Cut the Praline/Crisp Insert to a size slightly smaller than your mold so that it can be surrounded by mousse. Lay it on top of the mousse you just piped into the mold.
7. Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
8. Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
9. Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight eidge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
10. Close with the last strip of Dacquoise.Freeze until the next day.

If you are doing the assembly UPSIDE DOWN with ONE piece of Dacquoise on the BOTTOM ONLY the order is:
1) Mousse
2) Creme Brulee Insert
3) Mousse
4) Praline/Crisp Insert
5) Mousse
6) Ganache Insert
7) Dacquoise

THE NEXT DAY...Unmold the cake/log/whatever and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan. Cover the cake with the icing. Let set. Return to the freezer. Decorate your cake however you wish. The decorations can be set in the icing after it sets but before you return the cake to the freezer or you may attach them on top using extra ganache or leftover mousse, etc... Transfer to the refrigerator for about an hour before cutting.

REINDEER DESSERT

The lady golfers had their annual Holiday Guest Golf Tournament and their theme was Reindeer. I made a chocolate cookie reindeer and a chocolate sleigh. On top of the sleigh sat an orange cake with a cranberry bavarian wrapped up with buttercream to look like a gift box. A little creme anglaise and a dusting of powdered sugar and of course the reindeer's red nose. Made 96 of them and the ladies loved them.
I am now officially in the Holiday Spirit.
ORANGE CAKE
3 Ounces Unsalted Butter (soft)
10 3/4 Ounces Sugar
Zest of 3 Oranges (use microplane)
11 1/4 Ounces Cake Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
6 Ounces Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Tablespoons Orange Juice (from the oranges you got the zest from)
3 Large Eggs
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a 5 quart mixer beat the butter.
3. With your fingers rub the orange zest into the sugar.
4. Slowly add the sugar into the butter and mix for about 2 minutes.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
6. In a measuring cut stir together the milk, vanilla and orange juice.
7. On low speed of the mixer add the dry ingredients alternately with the wet, ending with the dry.
8. Add the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate. Do not overmix.
9. Pour the batter into a paper lined 1/2 sheetpan and bake for 18 - 20 minutes.

CRANBERRY BAVARIAN
2 Cups Milk
10 Ounces Sugar
10 Egg Yolks
8 Gelatin Sheets
2 Cups Cranberry Puree or Juice
24 Ounces Heavy Cream
1. Soften Gelatin in ice water. Set aside.
2. Sprinkle a little of the sugar into the bottom of a saucepan and pour the milk over it. Bring to a boil.
3. Mix the remaining sugar into the yolks and temper the yolks and milk.
4. Cook the mixture to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and strain.
5. Add the gelatin and stir to melt it.
6. Add the puree or juice and stir over an ice bath until cool to the touch but not set.
7. Whip the cream to soft peak and incorporate it into the cranberry mixture.

To assemble the cake.
1. Cut the cake in half and fit it into a mold. Cut to fit.
2. Pour the bavarian cream over the cake.
3. Top with the remaining cake.
4. Freeze.
5. Cut into desired shapes and decorate.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

November's Daring Bakers challenge was Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting. The recipe is courtesy of Shuna Fish Lydon, as published on Bay Area Bites. Our host this month was Dolores and her helpers were Alex, Jenny and Natalie. Thanks to all for your hard work hosting!!

It was a fun cake to make, with the many steps involved, but my honest take on it - It was way too sweet. I am known for my not so sweet desserts so upon tasting this one it was way over the top for me.

I just finished my challenge the night before posting as this has been a very busy month for me at work. I will be serving the cake to my fellow employees on posting day.

I followed the recipe exactly as written below. My only variation was to put a caramel sauce pattern on top of the cake. I also made two 9" round cakes and layered them together so I would have one tall cake.

CARAMEL CAKE WITH CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

10 Tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/4 Cups granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 Cup Caramel Syrup (see recipe below)

2 each eggs, at room temperature

splash vanilla extract

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 350F.

Butter one tall (2 – 2.5 inch deep) 9-inch cake pan.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter until smooth. Add sugar and salt & cream until light and fluffy. Slowly pour room temperature caramel syrup into bowl. Scrape down bowl and increase speed. Add eggs/vanilla extract a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again, beat mixture until light and uniform. Sift flour and baking powder. Turn mixer to lowest speed, and add one third of the dry ingredients. When incorporated, add half of the milk, a little at a time. Add another third of the dry ingredients, then the other half of the milk and finish with the dry ingredients. {This is called the dry, wet, dry, wet, dry method in cake making. It is often employed when there is a high proportion of liquid in the batter.}

Take off mixer and by hand, use a spatula to do a few last folds, making sure batter is uniform. Turn batter into prepared cake pan. Place cake pan on cookie sheet or 1/2 sheet pan. Set first timer for 30 minutes, rotate pan and set timer for another 15-20 minutes. Your own oven will set the pace. Bake until sides pull away from the pan and skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool cake completely before icing it. Cake will keep for three days outside of the refrigerator.

CARAMEL SYRUP

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 cup water (for "stopping" the caramelization process)

In a small stainless steel saucepan, with tall sides, mix water and sugar until mixture feels like wet sand. Brush down any stray sugar crystals with wet pastry brush. Turn on heat to highest flame. Cook until smoking slightly: dark amber. When color is achieved, very carefully pour in one cup of water. Caramel will jump and sputter about! It is very dangerous, so have long sleeves on and be prepared to step back. Whisk over medium heat until it has reduced slightly and feels sticky between two fingers. {Obviously wait for it to cool on a spoon before touching it.}Note: For safety reasons, have ready a bowl of ice water to plunge your hands into if any caramel should land on your skin.

CARAMELIZED BUTTER FROSTING

12 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 pound confectioner’s sugar, sifted

4-6 tablespoons heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-4 tablespoons caramel syrup

Kosher or sea salt to taste

Cook butter until brown. Pour through a fine meshed sieve into a heatproof bowl, set aside to cool. Pour cooled brown butter into mixer bowl. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, add confectioner's sugar a little at a time. When mixture looks too chunky to take any more, add a bit of cream and or caramel syrup. Repeat until mixture looks smooth and all confectioner's sugar has been incorporated. Add salt to taste.

Note: Caramelized butter frosting will keep in fridge for up to a month. To smooth out from cold, microwave a bit, then mix with paddle attachment until smooth and light.

TUXEDO CAKE

This tuxedo cake was for one of the member's at the country club where I work, 80th birthday. Men's cakes are always hard to decorate, usually they don't care about the decoration they just want to get into eating the cake. Probably no exception here, but I had fun decorating it to look like a tuxedo just the same.

I have also found that most men like chocolate the best and that is the main flavor of this cake. Chocolate cake, a layer of crunch, chocolate buttercream and espresso chocolate mousse.

I used fondant for all the decoration. I had pure black fondant but I added some white to it to make it a dark grey. The problem with black fondant is it can turn your teeth and tongue black. Great for Halloween but not at an elegant dinner party.

CIGAR & MATCHES

We had a Cigar dinner at work tonight. The guests ate outside as it was a lovely evening, (still warm here in the desert). They were able to smoke their cigars outside and for those who didn't smoke, I didn't want them to feel left out so I made everyone a cigar for dessert. And of course they needed a pack of matches to light those cigars. The "matches" are made out of pastillage (sugar paste) and the "match cover" is made out of tuile cookie batter that I tinted with red and yellow food color. Here is my recipe for the

CIGAR MOUSSE
INGREDIENTS
1 LB. 8 OZ. Semisweet or bittersweet Chocolate
4 Oz. Unsweetened Chocolate
3 Cups Heavy Cream
6 Egg Yolks
3 Whole Eggs
1 Oz. Sugar
1/3 Cup Honey
METHOD
Melt the two chocolates together, set aside but keep warm.
Whip the heavy cream to soft peak, set aside.
Whip the egg yolks and whole eggs and sugar for about 3 minutes at high speed until light and fluffy.
Bring the honey to a boil and gradually pour it into the egg mixture while whipping. Continue whipping until cold,
Fold in the chocolate then quickly stir in the whipped cream.

Assembly:

Spread the mousse out on a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle Valrhona Crispy Pearls on top of it then roll it into a cylinder then freeze it. After freezing, cut it to size and dip one end in vermicelles. Then roll the whole cigar in Valrohna Cocoa Powder.

Make the cigar band out of tuille cookie batter.

FLOWER POT CAKE

I made this dessert for a ladies luncheon at the country club. The "pot" is a chocolate cake with pistachio mousse and caramelized pistachios folded into it. The flower is a sugar cookie decorated with royal icing and a fondant center, stem and leaves. The grass is buttercream.
My inspiration for the mousse came from Aran. I followed her pistachio mousse recipe and also folded in some caramelized pistachios. It is delicious and if you can find pure pistachio paste use it.