LAST STOP PASTRY & TESTS THROUGH WEDNESDAY

It's our last night in this round of pastry and we're doing the financier and tropical mousse desserts we did in the third week of August. We've also got a rash of tests coming up: we're getting tested on the meat recipes tonight, the fish recipes on Friday and the pastry recipes on Monday. I'm hoping to nail down the specific dates of a couple of things tonight: the final, the due date of our final projects and graduation. It's mid-September afterall and we've only got a handful of classes left. Wow, I can't believe it's almost all over. I've got to finish my project and start preparing for the final!

More after class on the jump...

DISH: Blueberry Financier, Citrus Sorbet, Financier Aux Myrtilles, Sorbet Au Agrumes

RECIPE:

PASTRY CREAM (We did not make this)
500 ML Milk (Slightly less than 2¼ cups)
100 G Sugar
½ Vanilla Bean, Split
4 Egg Yolks
20 G Flour
20 G Cornstarch

FINANCIERS (We used italicized below instead of this one)*
100 G Butter, En Pommade
100 G Almond Flour
100 G Hazelnut Flour
200 G Confectioner's Sugar
Finely Grated Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Eggs
10 G Pastry Cream Powder
175 G Pastry Cream
2 Pints Blueberries, Rinsed and Picked Over

*SUBSITITUTE FINANCIERS (x5 for restaurant service)
65 G Flour
65 G Hazelnut Powder
130 G 10-X Confectioner's Sugar
130 G Noisette Butter
20 Egg Whites
1 Pint Blueberries

SORBET
400 ML Orange Juice (~1 2/3 Cups)
100 ML Lemon Juice (Slightly Less Than ½ Cup)
100 ML Lime Juice
Zest of 2 Oranges
Zest of 1 Lemon
Zest of 1 Lime
250 G Sugar
50 G Trimoline or Corn Syrup
400 ML Water (~1 2/3 Cups)

2nd SORBET
TK

RASPBERRY PAPER
TK

Procedure:

Bring the milk to a simmer with half the sugar and the split half vanilla bean. Combine the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and whisk the mixture until it becomes pale yellow (blanchir). Add the flour and the cornstarch to the yolk-sugar mixture. Stir the mixture until smooth. Pour half of the hot milk into the yolk-sugar mixture and whisk it vigorously. Put the tempered yolk-sugar-milk mixture into the saucepan containing the rest of the milk. Stir the mixture on the stove for about 3 minutes after it returns to a simmer. Scrape the spatula against the corners and sides of the saucepan so none of the cream scalds and sticks. Transfer the crème to a bowl set over ice and chill, stirring occasionallly, until cold. Remove the bowl from the ice, and press the plastic wrap against the top of the crème and refrigerate until needed.

FINANCIERS Butter and lightly flour the small tart pans. Lightly toast the nut flours, and when cool sift with the 10-X sugar. Cream the butter in the tabletop mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the sifted nut flours and sugar mixture. Add the eggs one by one, incorporating them well after each addition. Add the pastry creampowder. Just before baking, mix in the pastry cream. Fold in the blueberries. Fill the pans hree-quarters full and bake at 350°F for 12 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Cool and unmold the financier onto the plate.

*SUBSTITUTE FINANCIERS Sift the flour, hazelnut powder and confectioner's sugar together then whisk in the egg whites. When incorporated gently whisk (don't incorporate air) the noisette butter until fully integrated. Fill the pans hree-quarters full then sprinkle cleaned and destemmed blueberries in the center of the financiers so that they aren't touching the metal edges and bake at 350°F for 12 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Cool and unmold the financier onto the plate.

SORBET Zest and juice the fruits. Heat the sugar, trimoline, water, and zests together in a saucepan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Let the surup cool and then strain. Add the citrus juices. Check the sugar density of the sorbet. Adjust as needed. .Process the sorbet in the ice cream machine.

2nd SORBET* TK

RASPBERRY PAPER* TK

DISH: Tropical Fruit Mousse and Macaroon Cake, Gâteau Aux Fruits Exotiques

RECIPE:

The Macaroon Biscuit
20 G Flour
150 G Almond Flour
250 G Egg Whites
300 G Sugar

The Exotic Fruit Mousse
85 ML Mango Purée (a little more than a 1/3 of a cup)
80 ML Passion Fruit Purée (a little more than a 1/3 of a cup)
65 ML Orange Juice (a little more than a ¼ of a cup)
Juice of 1 Lemon
½ Vanilla Bean
1 Cinnamon Stick
3 Gelatin Leaves, Bloomed in Cold Water
250 ML Heavy Cream, Whipped to Soft Peaks (a little more than a cup)

The Italian Meringue
2 Tablespoons Glucose or Light Corn Syrup
200 G Sugar
60 ML Water (¼ of a cup)
4 Egg Whites

Mango Glaze*
TK

Coulis*
1 KG Raspberry Puree
Juice of 1 Lemon
200 G Sugar

Procedure:

MACAROON BISCUIT Mix the flour and almond flour. Whip the egg whites until very frothy. Add the sugar in a stream, and continue beating until firm peaks are formed. Fold the flour and almond flour into the meringue. With a metal spatula, spread the mixture evenly in a half-sheet pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake the cake at 350ºF. Cool on a rack.

EXOTIC FRUIT MOUSSE AND ITALIAN MERINGUE In a stainless steel saucepan, heat the mango purée, passion fruit purée, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla bean, and cinnamon stick. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the bloomed gelatin. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl. Make an Italian meringue: bring the glucose, sugar, and water to a boil in a small stainless steel pot. Start beating egg whites at low speed. They should be at soft peaks by the time the syrup is at the soft-ball stage--238ºF. Slowly pour the syrup into the beating egg whites. Beat until the meringues forms firm, but not stiff, peaks. Fold the fruit purée mixture into the meringue using a balloon whisk. (If the fruit purée mixture has thickened and started to set, then fold the meringue into the fruit purée instead.) Fold the whipped cream into the meringue mixture. Unmold the macaroon biscuit onto a work surface. Trim the edges and then cut the biscuit into 3 even strips. Place one strip on a clean parchment-lined sheet pan. Spread half of the mousse mixture over the biscuit. Lay another strip of biscuit over the mousse and then cover with the remaining mousse. Lay the third strip of biscuit on top. Seal the eges of the gâteau with a spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and chill or freeze until set.

* GLAZE*

*COULIS* The fruit puree is brought to a boil with the juice of one lemon and 200 G of sugar, then chilled. If done from scratch with fresh berries the coulis would be a few pints of berries with sugar and lemon juice, macerated (allowed to stew) then boiled, blended and strained through a cheesecloth.

To serve: Trim the eges of the gâteau and cut into 8 rectangles. Place a rectangle on a serving plate and cover the top with sliced fresh fruit. Surround with kiwi or mango coulis.

BREAKDOWN: