An Eventful Summer and An Entremet

This year has been amazing. It truly has been a wonderful summer up till now with bountiful sunny days filled with warmth, glow, happiness and christian songs. I love the fact of venturing out to downtown and English Bay to see the beautiful scenery and it’s lushness. The weather this year in comparison with the last couple of years is quite a contrast. Unlike the haze Vancouver has been getting over the past few years due to forest fires, it is actually crystal clear with blue skies. Summer always involved berry picking and afternoons at Emma Lea Farms. Emma Lea or Krause will always be special to me as it is away from the city and as a result very peaceful and tranquil. To make it even more special, I had my friends two kids, Polly and Terrance with me. We went strawberry picking and I went blueberry picking there. Polly is such a sweetheart. Her sweet, vibrant and feisty personality always fills me with joy. I have know the little girl eversince she was 6 mths old and I thank God everyday or every moment for blessing me with this little girl.

This summer also marked my branching out into FB marketplace where I sold my passion too and thus far I am enjoying it quite a bit. I am excited about upcoming events where I get to showcase my passion. I finally had some time to make a cake again and as a result of my labours here it is!!!

White Chocolate Mousse Cake w/ Strawberry and Pistachio Insert with a layer of Pistachio Crunchy and Pistachio Chiffon

White Chocolate Mousse (Doubled the recipe)

200 g White Chocolate
2 Eggs
40 g Sugar
4 g Gelatin sheet
240 ml Cream

Pistavhio Cremeux

6 g Gelatin
188 g Cream
59 g Milk
125 g White chocolate
100 g Pistachio paste

Pistachio Crunchy Insert

75 g Wafer Crumbs
25 g Toasted Pistachio
100 g White Chocolate

Strawberry Insert

370 g Strawberry Puree
95 g Sugar
8 g Pectin NH

Results: Spectacular.

Baking Class-La Passionata

Time has really flown by as the weather is warm and sunny again. Birds are in the air, magnificent and vibrant flowers are blooming and the garden is flourishing….ahhhh summer is around the corner. Vancouver has been blessed these days with gorgeous sunny sky and picturesque sunsets filled with magenta hues. I just love the coming summer as the days are longer allowing me to venture out longer and enjoy the beauty Vancouver has to offer.

I have been busy this year with work, classes and BAKING!!! Kind of exhausted to say the least as I have been baking non stop for the last few weeks but I have been enjoying it every minute. PASSION is the word!!! In an effort to learn more, I recent took up another cake class from Mon Paris Patisserie out in Burnaby. There is something about baking classes as I really love taking them. Perhaps it is the eager anticipation of the finished product and the eating of it :). Yes it is a mousse cake but a gorgeous cake. Moist and delecate, soft and creamy, the cake is to die for.

Voila!!!

La Passionata

Sponge

250g eggs
180 g brown sugar
90 g honey
250 g flour
10 g baking powder
220 g melted butter

Mango Brunoise

330 g mango
150 g passion fruit puree
1 vanilla bean
36 g sugar
5 g pectine
2 g citric acid or lemon juice

Meringue

60 g egg whites
25 g sugar
40 g water
130 g sugar

Mousse

285 g passion fruit puree
1 vanilla bean
50 g sugar
30 g cornstarch
70 g cacao butter
45 g white chocolate
255 g meringue
850 g cream
42 g gelatin mass

White Chocolate Glaze

75 g water
150 g glucose
150 g sugar
100 g condensed milk
70 g gelatin mass
150 g white chocolate

Results: This is a very beautiful cake. Light and refreshing. It has the tang of the passionfruit. A keeper!!!

Exotic Passion-Ksenia Penkina

Feeling the scorching heat of summer. Vancouver has been experiencing a heat wave with temperatures hitting the mid 20’s in the lower mainland. Good for people who like to tan, bike and swim in the beach but bad for individuals whose homes do not have fans. It feels like a furnace inside except you can’t sweat it out. With those heave waves and summery temperatures comes an abundance of fresh fruit. I love my fruit. I have been making tarts and cakes in the last few weeks and it does not look like it is stopping any time soon.

My birthday just past and with that came celebration with friends although this year I felt a bit sad during that celebration. A little less than a week ago, I witness the guy I liked flirt with another girl. To make things worst I was sitting diagonally across from him. It was tough to swallow and felt like a someone had stabbed me with a knife. The pain was excruciating but I had to bear it. Otherwise make a scene in front of friends. As we left the restaurant I just stayed mum about it but it was obvious I was affected. I sometimes thought I would be strong enough and it would not bother me but obviously this was not the case. Once outside I cried. I was upset for a week or so. It really hurt. I guess everyone has experienced that gut renching feeling once in their life time and can relate. In many ways, I am still healing but learning to cope with it. After all the sun will keep on raising and setting no matter what and you choose to either hold onto the pain or let go.

On a side note, previous to this incident, I had enrolled an a pastry making class. I had always been a fan of european pastries noted for their intricate work so it is no surprise that I would eventually purchase a So Good Magazine. The one I had purchased was #19. Once received I flipped through the pages with eyes aglowing. I stopped an a few pages and marked them as my projects to do next. To my surprise, one of the chefs in the magazine beknownst to me teaches Master’s Pastry Class in Cakes in Vancouver. You can see the excitement in me. No surprise, I registered. It was a two day intensive course in which we made 6 cakes, worked with chocolate and glazes. It was an amazing experience and I could see my skill level rising a notch. The cakes were not only stunning to look at but delicious as well.

One of my favorites is the Exotic Passion. It is stunning and delicious.

Exotic Passion

Coconut Dacquoise
180 g egg whites
100 g fine sugar
1 g albumen
60 g almond flour
40 g pastry flour
135 g icing sugar
100 g dry coconut shreds (toasted)
1 lime zest

Coconut Crunch
10 g grape seed oil
35 g white chocolate
30 g crumbled feuilletine
9 g toasted coconut
1 lime zest

Passion Fruit and Mango Coulis
6 g pectin NH
60 g fine sugar
95 g mangp puree
40 g mango pieces
105 g passion fruit puree
50 g whole passion fruit (yellow passion fruit) seeds

Strawberry Insert
370 g strawberry puree
95 g fine sugar
8 g pectin NH

Voila!

Result: Sublime!!!! The flavours compliment each other very well. It was very light and delicate.

Enjoy!!!

Blueberry Liege Waffles w/ Blueberry Sauce and Whipped Cream

Liege Waffles

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole milk luke warm ( I used 2% milk)
1/3 cup water ( I used 2% milk)
3 teaspoons fresh yeast
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoon light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 2/3 cup bread flour ( I used 1/2 bread flour with 1/2 all purpose)
2 sticks or 8 ounces butter cubed and at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pearl sugar
2 cups blueberries

Blue Berry Sauce

Ingredients:

3 cups blueberries (I used fresh blueberries)
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved into 3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Voila!!!!

Results: The sauce compliments the waffles beautifully.

Pistachio Rum Creme Brulee

Pistachio Rum Creme Brulee (recipe adapted from here)

6 egg yolks
2 cups heavy whipping cream ( I think I will have a coronary here-substitute 1 cup milk less fat)
1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided use
1 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon rum
1/2 cup chopped pistachios (I used pistachio paste)

1. Preheat oven to 330F.
2. In a medium sauce pan, heat whipping cream and vanilla pulp scraped from the bean until almost boiling over medium heat.
3. While cream is heating, take a medium mixing bowl and beat egg yolks, 1/3 cup sugar and pistachio paste until light in color
4 . When cream is about to boil, remove from heat and pour 1/2 cup hot cream to eggs and mix quickly
5. Pour the rest of the cream mixture into the eggs until combined
6. Add rum
7. Pour into 6 ramekins and place onto baking tray
8. Pour warm water into pan to create hot water bath and bake for 30 minutes until slightly set
9. Take out from oven to cool.
10. Divide remaining sugar on top of each dish.
11. Brown sugar using a torch.

Result: Delicious, rich and lightly sweetened.

Christmas Cookie Project-Chocolate, Cinnamon and Hazelnut Thumbprint Cookies

Christmas Season is in full swing. It all started with the Christmas Cookie Exchange organized by the Ladies Team Members at our church. Cookie making is always fun for me as it is the simplest way to enjoy a dessert. Sad to say I do not have the luxury to make them too often. When the idea of participating in a cookie exchange occurred, I literally jumped at it. The event was hosted by the church and 14 friends participated, cookies as well ha ha. We all had a great time socializing with each other. Sipping on tea, munching on cookies, playing games and sharing stories of Christ. The highlight of course was the exchange. I had brought 3 dozen cookies there to share and trade and came back satisfied with 2 dozen cookies.

For this cookie exchange I made chocolate cinnamon and hazelnut thumbprint cookies. They were fun to make and I enthusiastically shared them with everyone.

I first made the dough and then rolled it in sanding sugar and 1tsp. cinnamon.

Once the cookies were baked, a melon baller was used to create the indent on the cookies.

Ganache was filled in the indented cookies.  Ganache was made of chocolate and cream.

Hazelnut Cinnamon Chocolate Thumbprint Cookie Recipe (found Here)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of hazelnuts ( I toasted and ground them finely)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon divided
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (I used 1 cup butter)
1 large egg
1/2 cup sanding sugar
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
*** Instead of combining the chocolate with 1/4 cup butter. I opted to make a ganache instead using chocolate and cream.

Result:  This cookie was excellent.  It had the right balance of sweetness and bitterness from the cocoa.  The ground hazelnuts and cinnamon added complexity to the taste while the sanding sugar added a texture to the cookie.  It is a keeper and I would gladly be making this cookie again.  As a side suggestion, perhaps substitute the ganache with either caramel or caramel chocolate ganache.  Happy Holidays and Cookie Baking!!!!

Birthdays-Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

October has been a busy month filled with birthdays. It so happens that the young adults pastor birthday is in October. Events like this always give me an opportunity to show my creative side as well as try new recipes.
For this birthday, I am making a Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. The cake consists of chocolate chiffon sponge cake, milk, white and dark chocolate mousses.

Method:

I first made the chiffon cake and baked it. With the cake resting, I then proceeded to make the dark chocolate mousse. To make the mousse, the gelatin was first bloomed in cold water to soften it. Next, whipping cream was whipped and set aside in the fridge. I then made the sabayon which was basically warming up the sugar/egg mixture over a double boiler till luke warm when touched. ***Make sure not heat up the mixture too much as it would start cooking. Once the sugar/egg mixture was luke warm, beat the mixture till light and fluffy. Fold in the melted chocolate until combined. Add the gelatin and then incorporate the whipping cream making sure it is fully blended and homogenous. Once the mixture was well folded and mixed, it was poured onto the cooled cake.

Next came the milk chocolate mousse. I made the milk chocolate mousse in the same process. First blooming the gelatin, then melting the chocolate in a double boiler. While the chocolate was melting, I made the sabayon and whipped up the whipping cream. I then folded the melted chocolate into the sabayon and added the gelatin. Lastly whipping was folded in. Pour onto the cooled cake and set in the fridge.

The white chocolate mousse was to be the top layer on the cake before the glaze. Same steps were done as before. The key is not to let the gelatin become too cool before folding in the whipping cream. The final step prior to decoration was the chocolate glaze. When looking at the ingredients for the glaze, it resembled a ganache topping. The ingredients consisted of whipping cream, honey, sugar, chocolate, milk and butter. To make the glaze, first boil the whipping cream, milk, sugar and glucose. Then pour the mixture over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add the butter lastly and stir until the mixture is mixed well.

Assembly:
To assemble to decorate the cake, I ladled the glaze onto the cooled set mousse cake while making sure it was covered evenly. It was necessary to work fast as once the glaze cools down, it would set. A handy tool to use was the spatula. Next I caramelized some hazelnuts and almonds to top the glazed cake as a garnish. While it was not necessary, I had made some chocolate stenciled squares. With them handy, I decorated the sides with them.

Voila.

Dark Chocolate Mousse
200 g Dark Chocolate
2 Eggs
40 g Sugar
240 ml Cream

Milk Chocolate Mousse
200 g Milk Chocolate
2 Eggs
40 g Sugar
4 g Gelatin Sheet
240 ml Cream

White Chocolate Mousse
200 g White Chocolate
2 Eggs
40 g Sugar
4 g Gelatin sheet
240 ml Cream

Chocolate Glaze
200 ml Cream
60 ml Milk
110 g Sugar
300 g Dark Chocolate
110 g Glucose Syrup (I used honey)
110 g Butter

Results: The cake was a hit. The mousses were dreamy and complimented the light chiffon cake. I would make this cake again. However for next time, consider using streusel to decorate the sides. ~Happy Baking~

Cake Project I-White Chocolate Mango Mousse Entremet with Raspberry Jelly

I have been away from blogging for a few months now due to the summer season. Having said that it was an amazing summer. Vancouver hardly had any rain which on the other hand prompted forest fires in BC’s interior. Nonetheless it was gorgeous. Not having to work for a few months, I had time to rest up and involve myself in a few activities. Some of the activities included hiking at Quarry Rock with my church group, going to Emma Lea and Krause Berry Farms and the beach. I always enjoyed going to the farms during summer despite the long drive. It brings rest and peace to the soul. As well, this year had a bountiful harvest. My mom, friend and I went to Krause Berry Farms one week to pick blueberries and came home with buckets filled of large saucer like plump blueberries. We were amazed by the quality of them. It will definitely be a motivational factor to go again next year for blueberries. Unfortunately, nothing lasts for forever and now we are in the fall. October had just past with Halloween being the last hoorahhh. I had been busy also during the fall as well. I volunteered to make cakes for a few occasions which included a couple of birthday parties and a going a way surprise party for a church friend, J.Wee.

I quite enjoy making cakes for these events as it allows my creative side to show. Furthermore, there are not restrictions when making them. While it can be a bit time consuming, I had enjoyed making them immensely. Which brings be to the topic of this little story, White Chocolate Mango Mousse Entremet. Not entirely sure of what kind of cake the J. Wee liked, I had asked his house mates opinion. Mango it was. With this knowledge I set out to make the cake.

Assembly: To make the entremet, I first made the chiffon cake and baked it. While the cake was cooling, I proceeded to make the white chocolate mousse. The gelatin was soaked first in cold water for it to soften. Then the cream was whipped and set aside in the fridge. The sabayon was maded next. In a baine marie, I whisked the sugar and raw eggs to mildly warm and then beated it until light and fluffy. I then melted the white chocolate and folded it into the sabayon. With the gelatin softened, I heated it up to melt it and combined it with the chocolate mixture. When the mixture had cooled a bit, the mixture was then folded into the whip cream. Time was of the essence so fold fast. Once the mixture was thoroughly mixed, the mousse was poured into the cake and set the in fridge to set.

The jelly was the next step. First bloom the gelatin. Then puree the fresh raspberries and add sugar for tasting. Combine the gelatin and the puree and pour onto cake and let set.

The final step was the mango mousse. I decided to follow the mousse recipe from a pastry school I had gone to a few years back. To make the mousse, first soften the gelatin by placing it in cold water. Next whip the whipping cream and set aside in the fridge. Combine the mango puree and sugar for taste. Warm up the soften gelatin until it becomes a liquid and pour into the puree mixture. Finally, fold in the whipped cream and pour onto the cake and put into fridge to set.

Decoration:
Mangoes were arranged in a flower like pattern and then whipped cream was pipped in the middle.

Voila!

Bavaroise Mango
160 ml Mango Puree
1 Lemon juice
60 g Sugar
5 g Gelatin (I used a gelatin sheet)
200 ml Cream

White Chocolate Mousse
200 g white chocolate
2 eggs
40 g sugar
4 g gelatin sheet
240 ml cream

Result: The cake was a hit and liked by member of the group members. The cake was light and sweet but no too sweet. The white chocolate mousse complimented the mango mousse and the raspberry jelly had a tangy sweetness that completed the cake. This recipe is a keeper.

~Happy Fall Baking~

Holiday Cake Project-Mont Blanc-Angelina (Paris) Version

Key in making the chestnut puree:
1. Boil in chestnuts in water (milk) till tender aprrox 30 minutes. Sometimes, it will require more liquid depending on the size of the chestnuts.
2. Food process until you can pipe it and it will maintain its shape. Add the sugar syrup while processing.

Ingredients:

1.4 kg chestnuts ( I used 700 g chestnuts)
175 ml water ( I used milk)
1 vanilla bean ( I used 2 vanilla beans)
65 ml sugar

Result: Excellent version of chestnut puree. It was subtle and sweet and had a vanilla flavour. As an option I would add rum into the mixture. This recipe is a keeper.

Pierre Herme-Truffles au Chocolat au Lait et The Vert Matcha

Christmas is around the corner. The city gets prettier and prettier each coming year with Christmas decorations around every corner and in every department store there is Christmas songs playing. Christmas would not be Christmas without snow and we are blessed as snow is on the mountains.

It has been almost 4 months without posting and now is the time as never to post as it is Christmas time!!! I have been busy with work and school and now that I have finished my final mid-term I am free till the final exam. I recently bought a book, “Chocolate,” from my favourite pastry chef Pierre Herme and flipping through its mouth watering pages I stopped at some of his chocolate recipes. I have always loved the taste of pistachio and matcha but am curious how they would work together. IMHO, Pierre Herme used the flavour combination so it can’t be so bad heheheh. Off I went to make the recipe.

To make the ganache, I first measured the ingredients. Herme mentioned to combine the chocolate together with the matcha and then pour the hot cream on it the mixture; however, how will that melt (for lack of better word) the matcha? You would get granules of matcha. Instead, I combined the cream together with the matcha and heated it up. Once heated up pour onto the chocolate and whisk out from the middle. Cool and set the mixture when it is homogenized.

Pierre Hermes truffles called for roasted pistachios thankfully I had some in the fridge. The ganache was quite soft hence after I scooped it out I froze them for a firmer texture to be rolled into chocolate. Once they were more firm, they were rolled in melted chocolate twice and on the third time coated with roasted pistachios.

Viola

Ingredients:

200 g whole pistachios skinned

Milk Chocolate and Matcha Green Tea Ganache
95 g butter
610 g milk chocolate 45% cocoa ( I used Valhrona Jivara)
30 g matcha green tea power
600 g cream

Result: This is an interesting combination. The ganache is not that sweet and has a hint of bitterness. However when combined with the enrobbed chocolate it becomes sweet. To top it off one get the roasted pistachios flavouring with the matcha. I would suggest this recipe for matcha lovers.

Let the holiday baking begin.