Pastries, Cakes and Tarts…Oh My!

Week two in pastry class proved to be much “sweeter” than the first.  I love that my chef takes classic French recipes and puts a modern, creative twist on them.  Plating is everything but traditional, making the dessert look new and inventive.  We can use our creativity to design the decorations of our desserts to fit our own esthetic so everyone’s looks just a little bit different.  Although there haven’t been any elements yet that I’m completely new too, the way we are putting them together is new and interesting.  Definitely giving my pastry chops a leg up.  Three main yummies for you to feast your eyes on this week.

 “St. Honore” – Caramel Beurre Sale et Chocolat, Choux au Praline



 

Eclairs a la Cerise Griotte

 

 

And my favorite of the week…Tarte “Bourdaloue” au Vin Chaud

 

Although this tart may look complicated, it’s really a simple dessert to make.  It’s the fancy décor that amps up the simplicity of the tart to become a real professional show piece to sell in any French patisserie.  Here’s what it looked like coming out of the oven.

YUM!  I could have eaten it right then and there.  The smells of the roast pear coming out of the oven really reminded me to mulled wine…and Christmas…so here’s a new Christmas dessert to add to your table this year.  Keep it simplistic or bump up the décor and get compliments for more than just the flavor.  Start by making the crust:

 Pate Sucree

150 g butter; cut into small cubes
95 g powdered sugar; sifted
30 g almond powder (this can simply be sliced almonds ground to within an inch of their life)
pinch salt
56 ¼ g whole eggs
250 g flour; sifted

1-      In a Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment, mix butter, powdered sugar, almond powder and salt until creamy. 
2-      Add egg and mix to incorporate.
3-      Add flour and mix to incorporate.  Be careful not to over mix the mixture at this point or your crust will come out chewy and not crunchy.
4-      Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Almond Cream

100 g almond powder
100 g sugar
100 g butter; cut into small cubes
100 g whole eggs
 
1-      In a Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment, mix all ingredients except eggs until creamy.
2-      Add eggs and beat until the mixture has doubled in volume.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Red Wine Poached Pears

130 g sugar
1 bottle red wine
½ cinnamon stick
½ orange; zested
½ lemon; zested
1000 g pears; peeled, left whole

1-      Add all ingredients except the pears to a large sauce pot.  Bring to a boil.  Flambé to burn off alcohol.
2-      Add pears.  Reduce heat so that the liquid stays at a gentle simmer.  Weigh the pears down so that they stay submerged.  Simmer until the pears are fork tender.

To finish your tart:

1-      Roll your tart dough out into a 9 inch round tart pan.  This recipe will give you enough dough to do one large tart with enough left over to do 1-2 mini tarts as well if you would like.

2-      Remove the pears from the poaching liquid and cut into small dice.  If desired, use circle cutters to cut out shapes in the pears and reserve for garnish.
3-      Blind bake the tart dough at 160 degrees Celsius for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking process.  You don’t want your crust to brown during this process.
4-      Once your crust has cooled, put a thin layer of almond cream in the bottom of the tart.  Layer the diced pear on top of the almond cream.  Top with a layer of almond cream to cover the pears.  Top with sliced almonds.
5-      Bake at 160 degrees Celsius until the tart reaches a brown caramel color.  Allow to cool, decorate as desired or serve as is.
 
Coming up…our first weekend away adventure!