Crème Caramel- Metric

Creme CaramelIf you ever find yourself in need of a last-minute dessert item by far one of the easiest, and most popular desert out there is crème caramel. The simple caramel flavored egg custard can be prepared with less than an hour of time necessary to complete the task. The simple garnish of whipped cream, fresh fruit, or even something as simple as just some chopped butter toffee candy can transform your custard to fit any situation.

Ingredients:


500 mL whole milk

4 each large eggs

60 g granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, Split

150 g sugar-for caramel

50 mL water-for caramel

steps:

1. Make caramel, combine the sugar and water indicated in the recipe to be used for the caramel in a small sauté pan. Heat on the stove, over medium-high heat, until reduced, and golden brown in color. Immediately transfer the caramel into ovenproof soufflé cups, making sure to just coat the bottom of each cup. Reserve.

2. Make the custard, mix the eggs and sugar together.

3. Steep the milk with the vanilla bean until just starts to boil. Remove from heat, and immediately add in three equal parts, to the egg and sugar mixture stirring continuously. Stirring between each addition. Remove vanilla bean.

4. When your caramel has set up in the soufflé cups, fill each cup 1/4 inch from the top with custard mixture.

5. Place your soufflé cups into an ovenproof baking dish, add water to baking dish creating a water bath halfway up the side of your soufflé cups. Make sure not to allow any water to mix with your custard.

6. Bake your custard in a 350°F oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of your custard allows you to see that your custard has set, and no liquid is present.

7. Remove from oven, and chill,covered with plastic wrap to prevent discoloring.

8. When your custard has chilled, gently cut around the edge of your soufflé cup allowing the custard to be released from the sides. Immediately invert the soufflé cup on to a small plate allowing your custard to transfer to your plate, and golden caramel sauce to pool around the base. Garnish and serve.

Tarte Aux Fruit( Fruit Tarts)-Metric

Mixed Fruit Tart

I'm a big fan of Fruit Tarts, and have prepared them in many different forms from individual to full sized portions. Fresh Fruit, Pastry Cream, and Sweet Crust is all it takes to make this perfect Summertime dessert. We've covered the various components in other recipes so please feel free to look back on previous posts at any time.

Pâte Sucrée- Sweet Crust

200 g soft flour

50 g sugar

Pinch of salt

125 g unsalted butter

1 egg

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Vanilla extract

Mini fruit tarts

Crème Pâtissière-pastry cream

600 mL whole milk

5 egg yolks

100 g sugar

40 g flour

40 g corn starch

20 mL liqueur

vanilla pod

Tropical Fruit Tart

Décoration

Kiwis

Bananas

Strawberries

Raspberries

Oranges

Mint leaves

Apricot Nappage ( 3/1 Jam to Water Ratio)

Crème Anglaise

250 mL whole milk

3 Egg Yolks

75 g caster sugar

1 Vanilla Pod

steps:

1. Assemble pastry: sift the flour with salt. Cream the butter and sugar. Add lemon zest. Add vanilla to egg and incorporate into mixture in three equal parts. At all the flour at once and mixed together by hand. Do not over mix. Wrap with plastic to roll flat.

2. Pastry cream: transfer milk to a large pot and bring to boil with split vanilla bean added. Was eggs and sugar together in a separate bowl, add flour to eggs and mix well. Add cornstarch and mix. Add one half milk, mix, and another one half milk keeping vanilla pod and the mixture. Transfer to a clean pan. Cook on stove until just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and whisk to ensure no lumps. Transferred to clean trade to cool covered with buttered paper, or plastic film.

3. Crème Anglaise: split the vanilla pod, add to milk and scald on the stove. Add sugar and eggs in separate bowl, mix. Add one half of milk to egg and sugar mixture. Stir to incorporate, add second half of milk. Transfer to a clean can and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until mixture just coats the back of a spoon. Do not allow to boil. Transfer to clean pan, and cover with butter parchment or plastic film making sure to remove all air pockets.

4. Roll pastry flat, and line tart pan with dough. Dock with fork, and bake blind using parchment paper, and pie weights in a 350°F Oven until just golden. Remove, and allow to cool.

5. Knock back pastry cream, and fill tart shell. Slice fruit, and decorate making sure that all pastry cream is covered. Brush fruit with Nappage to protect color, and prevent oxidation.

6. Garnish with mint leaves and serve with Crème Anglaise on the side.

Gâteau de la forêt-Noire(Black Forest Gâteau)- Metric

Black Forest Gateau


Gâteau de la forêt-Noire(Black Forest Gâteau)- Metric

Ingredients:

Gênoise au Chocolat

3 Eggs

3 Egg Yolks

130g Soft Flour( Cake Flour)

30g Cocoa Powder



Sirop au Kirsch

80g Sugar

80ml Water

40 ml Kirsch

Crême Chantilly

600 ml Cream

60 g Sugar

Vanilla Essence

Garniture

250g Griotte Cherries

10g Cornflour(Cornstarch)

100ml Syrup from Griottes

500 ml Black Cherry Preserves

Steps:

1. Mix the eggs and sugar together, and cook over a hot water bath until ribbon stage is reached.

2. Sift the dry ingredients together, and fold dry ingredients into egg mixture in three parts. Fold to incorporate between additions.

3. Pour batter into floured cakes form and smooth. Make sure to create a slight dimple in the center.

4. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven until a toothpick inserted in the center can be removed clean. Invert cake onto a cooling rack, removing form, allow to cool completely.

5. Prepare the soaking syrup, and Chantilly cream while allowing your cake to cool.

6. To make the syrup add the sugar, water, and Kirsch into a small saucepan and reduce by half over medium to high heat. Allow to cool.

7. To make the filling, heat the syrup from the griotte in a medium saucepan. Add just enough water to the cornstarch to make a smooth paste. Add paste to the syrup as it begins to boil and stir to incorporate. Allow to cook for one minute, or the starchy flavor has been removed. Remove from heat fold in cherries. Reserve.

8. Remove the crust from the edges of the cake, and cut cake horizontally into three separate layers.

9. Brush bottom layer of cake with syrup. Spread a thin layer of black cherry preserves.

10. Add a second layer of sponge. Brush with syrup, pipe a thin layer of Chantilly cream to form a border, and add a thin layer of cherry filling to fill center of cake.

11. Top with final layer of sponge. Brush with syrup, and allow to soak one minute.

12. Covered cake with thin layer of Chantilly cream to serve as a crumb coat.

13. Finnish cake with a smooth layer of Chantilly cream. Use a crumb scraper on the sides to create thin grooves. Garnish with fresh cherries, and shaved dark chocolate.

Croquembouche -Metric-

Croquembouche

I have some friends across the pond that would like to know how to make a croquembouche, and decided it would be a fun post. This dessert is 100% classical French. It is made by stacking profiteroles (custard filled cream puffs), coated with caramel and stacked into a tall pyramid shape. Many times, for a little added wow factor, the croquembouche is topped with spun sugar.
This recipe will be built in the steps necessary to complete the finished product.
Step one: profiteroles
Pate a choux (choux pastries)
250 mL water, or milk
100 g unsalted butter
5 g salt
5 g sugar
150 g flour (T 45 type, or soft multipurpose)
four eggs
steps:

1. Sift the dry ingredients together
2. Place milk and butter into a heavy sauce pan and heat to a boil. When mixture comes to a boil add the dry ingredients all at once and immediately begin stirring quickly with a wooden spoon. The dough will immediately turn into a smooth, and elastic appearance. Continue to stir rapidly just until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the pain or the spoon. Be careful not to overcook. Remove from heat and allow to rest one minute.
3. While the dough was resting use this time to beat the egg slightly until incorporated evenly.
4. Add the eggs to the dough 1 tablespoon at a time beating quickly to incorporate each time additional eggs are added. Continue this process until the dough no longer looks shiny, and all the eggs are incorporated evenly. The dough will continue to hold its shape on the end of your spoon when done correctly.
5. Use a pastry bag, or small scoop to portion your dough on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Be sure to leave plenty of space between as your dough will more than double in size when baking.
6. Place in a preheated, 205°C oven for 10 minutes to bake, reduce heat to 177°C and bake for approximately 20 minutes longer. The cooking time may need to be adjusted slightly if making smaller portion shells. The finished shell should be a light golden brown in appearance when done.
Step two: Creme Patissiere ( Pastry Cream)
500 mL milk
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
125 g sugar
30 g flour
30 g corn flour
steps:
1. Place the milk and vanilla pod in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil on the stove and reduce heat to prevent boiling over.
2. Mix the corn flour , flour, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add the eggs gradually while whisking until smooth.
3. Slowly add about one third of the milk to the egg mixture while whisking continuously. Pour the egg mixture back into the remaining heated cream.
4. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture just begins to boil and thickens. Continue to stir, while counting to 10. Remove from heat, taste to make sure all starch flavor has been removed. If you can still taste the starchy residue, return to heat and cook a couple seconds longer.
5. Transfer to a heat proof container, and place plastic film directly on top of custard making sure to remove all air bubbles. Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
6. When ready to use your pastry cream, removed from the refrigerator, remove plastic and vanilla beans, and knocked back with a wooden spoon until smooth.
7. Rinse the vanilla bean with cool water, and pat dry with a paper towel. The vanilla bean can now be added to your sugar canister to continue to add flavor for future baking needs.
Variations:
Coffee flavored pastry: Dissolve 15 g of instant espresso powder in the cream before whisking it into the egg yolk mixture
Chocolate pastry cream: add 30 g of melted semi sweet chocolate to the warm cream, prior to adding to the egg mixture.
Butterscotch pastry cream: substitute for ounces of light brown sugar and place of granulated sugar in the recipe.
Orange pastry cream: add 30 mL of Grand Marnier liquor, and 10 g grated orange zest.
Praline pastry cream: add 30 g of ground peanut brittle after your custard has been removed from the stove, whisk to incorporate, cover and refrigerate as with the original recipe.
Crème diplomat (Bavarian cream): equal parts of the whipped pastry cream and whipped cream folded together to incorporate evenly.
Step three: caramel sauce
150 g sugar
75 mL water
3 drops of lemon juice
steps:
1. Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan and heat on the stove until golden in color. Remove from heat, and use immediately to coat your profiteroles.
Step four: assembly
1. Is a small pastry tip to poke holes in the bottom of your choux pastry.
2. Using a pastry bag with a small tip, fill choux pastry with pastry cream. Reserve.
3. Build a cone shaped base using aluminum foil, or funnel, making sure it is firm enough to support the weight of your pastry.
4. Begin dipping profiteroles in caramel, and place around the base of your form. Continue this process stacking your profiteroles upon the base to form a tower. Continue building until your tower is complete.
5. Garnish as desired. Keep in mind that when working in high humidity areas the caramel coating your pastry will begin to melt within a short period of time. This is due to moisture in the air, and cannot be prevented. It is highly recommended that you keep your product free from any moisture, or humidity unless you plan on serving immediately.