Holy Chocolate Batman!

Requisite wording.....
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen 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.

This month's DB challenge was a Flourless Chocolate Cake. Every month I do a challenge, I generally do the challenge on the night before it's due to be posted. This month, I did the challenge super early....like the first- weekend-in-February-early. And yet, here I am, posting on the day it's due. And what's more, I did it so early, I don't quite remember my thoughts or opinions on it. Yeesh!

I can say that it was extremely easy to put together. And I made the Salted Butter Caramel ice cream from David Leibovitz' site, recipe found here. That was a bit more involved. It tasted wonderful, but the end result was softer than I would've liked. But that's a result of the recipe, and David says it's because of all the caramel in it. So, I knew it going in, but in my delusional-gotta-have-caramel state, I hoped I could make it more firm. I couldn't.

The cake was very good too. I do remember that it was completely eaten....eventually. It was super rich and chocolatey and a small slice was plenty. So, try it. If you love chocolate, you'll love this. And you can play with the chocolate you use. I used bittersweet and semi-sweet, but could've easily used milk chocolate (if I like milk chocolate :D )












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. {link of folding demonstration}
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.

help!

Tuile we meet again...

Yep, that's right. It's DB time again! I know, I know! I swear I bake way more than this blog of mine would lead you to believe. Really. And I bake way more than the DB Challenges. But boy do I love the challenges.....even when I don't. This month however, I loved the challenge.

This month's 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 have to admit, I waited until the very last to do this challenge. As in, last night. But this month it wasn't because I wasn't looking forward to the challenge. I just truly did not have time. Work has been crazy and depressing (anyone looking for an accountant??), my father was in the hospital (all's well though). But M -- my love, my sweetie -- convinced me to just do it. He also offered up his well-seasoned fingertips to roll some of the tuiles.

So back to the challenge recipe. It's super simple to put together. No lie. Minutes. And tuiles are just one of those recipes you should have in your back pocket. They allow for so much creativity. There's endless variations you could do for flavor. So many things you could serve them with. Different shapes....absolutely whatever you can create a stencil for or pipe. And it's not just for desserts -- you can make them savory as well.

Now having said all that, you can tell from my pictures that I didn't get very creative. But I want to. And I will. I'm definitely making these again. And you should too!



I used the recipe below, but I posted all the recipes given to us, even a savory one.

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 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. (Haven’t tried that). 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….

Alternative Baking:
Either un-glutenize the batter given substituting the flour for any nut meal or oat flour, or as an alternative use one of the following batters below:

Nougatine:
From Michel Roux: Finest Desserts

5.1/4 cups / 500 grams sliced almonds
(or 4.1/3 cups/500 grams slivered 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..

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.

Chocolate Tuiles
Michel Roux’s Finest Desserts
Makes 30
Preparation time: 15 minutes!

9 oz/250 grams dark or white couverture or best-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup/75 gr slivered almonds, toasted and cooled

Temper the couverture, and stir in the toasted almonds. Place the template on a sheet of rodoïde (or use a clean sheet of sturdy plastic such as a folder) and fill with about 1 tbs of the mixture. Repeat the process a little distance away from the first one. As soon as you have 5 tuiles fit, slide them onto a mold or rolling pin (side of a glass) to curve. Let cool completely, lift tuiles off the plastic only after the chocolate has set and just before serving, so that they keep their shine.

Or…..Savoury Bakers? You want something else entirely?
Well, let’s see if there’s something to suit your palate too. Parmesan crisps, savory tuiles?
It might be difficult to think fruity with these savoury tuiles but I bet you inventive Daring Bakers can come up with something light to pair. Think salads for instance.... and use this recipe for your tuiles:

Savory tuile/cornet recipe
From Thomas Keller "the French Laundry Cookbook"

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons (65 grams/2.1/4 ounces) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt (= 2/3 teaspoon table salt)**
8 tablespoons (114 grams/4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool to the touch
2 large egg whites, cold
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the softened butter until it is completely smooth and mayonnaise-like in texture. Using a stiff spatula or spoon, beat the egg whites into the dry ingredients until completely incorporated and smooth. Whisk in the softened butter by thirds, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary and whisking until the batter is creamy and without any lumps. Transfer the batter to a smaller container, as it will be easier to work with.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make a 4-inch hollow circular stencil. Place Silpat on the counter (it is easier to work on the Silpat before it is put on the sheet pan). Place the stencil in one corner of the sheet and, holding the stencil flat against the Silpat, scoop some of the batter onto the back of an offset spatula and spread it in an even layer over the stencil. Then run the spatula over the entire stencil to remove any excess batter. After baking the first batch of cornets, you will be able to judge the correct thickness. You may need a little more or less batter to adjust the thickness of the cornets.

There should not be any holes in the batter. Lift the stencil and repeat the process to make as many rounds as you have molds or to fill the Silpat, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between the cornets. Sprinkle each cornet with a pinch of black sesame seeds.

Place the Silpat on a heavy baking sheet and bake for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the batter is set and you see it rippling from the heat. The cornets may have browned in some areas, but they will not be evenly browned at this point.

Open the oven door and place the baking sheet on the door.*** This will help keep the cornets warm as you roll them and prevent them from becoming too stiff to roll. Flip a cornet over on the sheet pan, sesame seed side down and place 4-1/2 inch cornet mold at the bottom of the round. If you are right-handed, you will want the pointed end on your left and the open end on your right. The tip of the mold should touch the lower left edge (at about 7 o'clock on a clock face) of the cornet.

Fold the bottom of the cornet and around the mold; it should remain on the sheet pan as you roll. Leave the cornet wrapped around the mold and continue to roll the cornets around molds; as you proceed, arrange the rolled cornets, seams side down, on the sheet pan so they lean against each other, to prevent from rolling.

When all the cornets are rolled, return them to the oven shelf, close the door, and bake for an additional 3 to 4 minutes to set the seams and color the cornets a golden brown. If the color is uneven, stand the cornets on end for a minute or so more, until the color is even. Remove the cornets from the oven and allow to cool just slightly, 30 seconds or so.
Gently remove the cornets from the molds and cool for several minutes on paper towels. Remove the Silpat from the baking sheet, wipe the excess butter from it, and allow it to cool down before spreading the next batch. Store the cornets for up to 2 days (for maximum flavor) in an airtight container.

And now for the review.....

eh. that's right -- just eh. That's being nice. I had a much stronger reaction to this dessert the more I thought about it. It looks good. It looks yummy actually. And since it looks so yummy, my low expectations rose to about middling. But that was unfounded. It just wasn't that tasty for all the work and time and money that went into making this yule log.

I think certain elements were good --the dark chocolate mousse was very good. Although I don't know how that happened. The recipe I posted below isn't the one I used. Since I wanted to have chocolate and raspberry to cut the chocolate in the final dessert, I used the vanilla mousse recipe, halved it and added melted chocolate to one half and raspberry puree to the other. The raspberry mousse wouldn't set up and turned icy, while the chocolate stayed creamy. Go figure.

The praline crisp - I made the chocolate one with Vanilla Almond Special K and coconut - was good and added a nice contrast in texture, but the flavor was lost in all the chocolate.

The creme brulee was just a block of ice. It didn't setup all that well, although I only had a minimum of trouble getting it into the mold.

The ganache layer was good, but could've been thinner. As much as I love chocolate, there was a bit too much of it for even me.

The dacquoise was very good - on it's own. I don't think it added anything to the dessert though.

I may rant a bit here, so be forewarned. I'm tossed about this challenge. I think that the recipes may not have been the best and I think the instructions were vague and not nearly as descriptive as they needed to be. Now, I am fully allowing for the fact that my execution of the recipes wasn't what it could have been. If I had the time, I could've researched elements to make sure I knew what I was shooting for. I hadn't made a dacquoise before, so although it was golden....was it supposed to be crispy? It was on the edges and that was very good. But the center was chewy, which was still good, but I had no idea if I should bake it longer to hopefully get it more crispy in the center or if chewy was what I needed. I did try to do some research on this, but there was nothing definitive.

Since I started this so late and we had the 3-day window to post, I had the benefit of reading other blogs. Well, it wasn't a benefit per se, since I had already made most of the elements. But it did prepare me for what was going to go wrong. I read Hilda-our host's post about the yule log. In her post she talks about the need for high fat content in the cream and milk for the creme brulee. The fat is what keeps it from being icy. That would've been nice to know prior to making this dessert. That isn't a dig on Hilda, really. But after reading that, I knew my creme brulee would be icy. I used 2% milk because that's what I have here. And it's been used in creme brulee to beautiful results before. If I had given it some thought, I too might have realized that would be an issue and compensated with more heavy cream. Or I might not have, so a little note stating what may be the obvious would've been helpful.

I think that given all the elements, all the ingredients ($$), time and effort that is required in this dessert, more description and clearer instructions were needed. I'm tempted to make this again, just to get it right. But ultimately, I don't go ga-ga over frozen desserts. So, rather than make this again, I will take what I've learned and move on to the next challenge. But I encourage anyone reading this to absolutely try this for yourselves. I'm sure you will have different, and probably better, results. And you will learn, which is just as important as having a fabulous end result. So, go forth and bake kids!

The French Are Coming, The French Are Coming....

it's done, it's done!! i will post more pics and a review once it's been cut into and tasted. that will happen tonight. Happy New Year's Eve all!!




And so is my French Yule Log....I swear! It's time for Daring Bakers. 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.

I must admit, I wasn't too excited about this challenge. I'm still not....as evidenced by the fact that we had an entire month to do the challenge and a 3-day window to post.....and I STILL waited until last night to start what, by all accounts, is a 3 day effort. I suppose if I had the entire day to work on it, I could've done it in a day. But I didn't have the entire day. So instead I did one of the six (yep, six) elements last night, along with an ingredient in another of the elements. Yeah, you read that right. Not only am I making six elements, but I'm making ingredients for elements. Crazy, I know!

In all fairness to our hosts this month, I'm usually more than okay with complicated, involved recipes. Just not when I don't have time. It's been crazy busy at work, and we had a house full of people (and dogs) over Christmas. So, I was highly reluctant to do this challenge. And I still am, seeing as I'm not done yet. The French Yule Log is hanging out in the freezer firming up and waiting for elements 4 and 5. Element 6 will have to wait until morning as it has to go back into the freezer again after the 5th element.

I know, this is going to be one long post. I'm talking about elements, complaining a bit....I haven't posted pictures, nor have I given you the recipe. So, how about this? I will give you the recipe and maybe post a pic later tonight when the last element goes on. And we'll cross our fingers and hope it's enough to get credit for posting on time (today's the last day). I will come back with some comments about the finished product. I'm hoping the payoff is worth all the work.

It's a long one kids....

Element #1 Dacquoise Biscuit (Almond Cake)

Preparation time: 10 mn + 15 mn 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 caster sugar. (If you have a mixer, 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: 20mn
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 one small saucepan in a larger one), heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.
4. Whip the rest 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 a plunging mixer 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
3Tbsp + 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 (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).
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 mn (+ optional 15mn if you make lace crepes)
Equipment: Small saucepan, baking sheet (if you make lace crepes).
Double boiler (or one small saucepan in another), wax paper, rolling pin (or use an empty bottle of olive oil).
Note: Feuillete means layered (as in with leaves) so a Praline Feuillete is a Praline version of a delicate crisp. There are non-praline variations below. The crunch in this crisp comes from an ingredient which is called gavottes in French. Gavottes are lace-thin crepes. To our knowledge they are not available outside of France, so you have the option of making your own using the recipe below or you can simply substitute rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K for them. If you do substitute cereal you should use half of the stated quantity, so 1 oz of cereal.
If you want to make your own praline, please refer back to the Daring Baker Challenge Recipe from July 2008 over at Mele Cotte.

To make 2.1oz / 60g of gavottes (lace crepes - recipe by Ferich Mounia):
1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk
2/3 Tbsp (8g) unsalted butter
1/3 cup – 2tsp (35g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp / 0.5 oz (15g) beaten egg
1 tsp (3.5g) granulated sugar
½ tsp vegetable oil
1. Heat the milk and butter together until butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
2. Sift flour into milk-butter mixture while beating, add egg and granulated sugar. Make sure there are no lumps.
3. Grease a baking sheet and spread batter thinly over it.
4. Bake at 430°F (220°C) for a few minutes until the crepe is golden and crispy. Let cool.

Ingredients for the Praline Feuillete:
3.5 oz (100g) milk chocolate
1 2/3 Tbsp (25g) butter
2 Tbsp (1 oz / 30g) praline
2.1oz (60g) lace crepes(gavottes) or rice krispies or corn flakes or Special K

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.
2. Add the praline and the coarsely crushed lace crepes. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate.
3. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.

Element #5 Vanilla Crème Brulée Insert

Preparation time: 15mn + 1h infusing + 1h baking
Equipment: Small saucepan, mixing bowl, baking mold, wax paper
Note: The vanilla crème brulée can be flavored differently by simply replacing the vanilla with something else e.g. cardamom, lavender, etc...

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (115g) heavy cream (35% fat content)
½ cup (115g) whole milk
4 medium-sized (72g) egg yolks
0.75 oz (2 Tbsp / 25g) granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

1. Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.
2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).
3. Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.
4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.
Tartelette says: You can bake it without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won't matter as much since it will be covered with other things)....BUT I would recommend a water bath for the following reasons:
- you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done
- you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better
- it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bath
Now...since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.
5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.

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:
4g / ½ Tbsp powdered gelatin or 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 cold 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

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 saran wrap or cling 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.

You have two choices for Step 2, you can either have Dacquoise on the top and bottom of your log as in version A or you can have Dacquoise simply on the bottom of your log as in version B:

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.
3A) Pipe one third of the Mousse component on the Dacquoise.
4A) 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.
5A) Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
6A) 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.
7A) Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
8A) Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
9A) Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
10A) Close with the last strip of Dacquoise.
Freeze until the next day.

OR

2B) Pipe one third of the Mousse component into the mold.
3B) 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.
4B) Pipe second third of the Mousse component around and on top of the Creme Brulee Insert.
5B) 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.
6B) Pipe the last third of the Mousse component on top of the Praline Insert.
7B) Freeze for a few hours to set. Take out of the freezer.
8B) Pipe the Ganache Insert onto the frozen mousse leaving a slight edge so that ganache doesn’t seep out when you set the Dacquoise on top.
9B) Close with the Dacquoise.
Freeze until the next day.

If you are doing the assembly UPSIDE DOWN with TWO pieces of Dacquoise the order is:
1) Dacquoise
2) Mousse
3) Creme Brulee Insert
4) Mousse
5) Praline/Crisp Insert
6) Mousse
7) Ganache Insert
8) Dacquoise

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 log and set on a wire rack over a shallow pan.
Cover the log with the icing.
Let set. Return to the freezer.
You may 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 no longer than ½ hour before serving as it may start to melt quickly depending on the elements you chose.

Caramel Cake.....another DB Event

Hi there! It's been a month, I know. But since it's been a month, that means there's another DB Challenge to post. I didn't intend for this blog to be just a monthly DB post and nothing else, but it seems to have turned into that. However, I will try to change that....we'll make it one of my New Year's resolutions. (yep, already working on those!)

So on to the challenge. This month was all about caramel or caramelizing....and instinct. The challenge is Caramel Cake with Caramelized Butter Frosting with the recipe courtesy of
Shuna Fish Lydon , as published on Bay Area Bites. The recipe can be found on Shuna's blog here. A second optional part to the challenge was to make Golden Vanilla Bean Caramels from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich, Artisan Press, Copyright 2007, ISBN: 978-1579652111. I didn't make those, but I'm sure plenty of other DBers did and you can check out the caramels and their cakes here.

Our hosts for this month of November are Dolores and helping her out are Alex (Brownie of the Blondie and Brownie duo), Jenny of Foray into Food, and since none of us know jack about alternative baking, we have Natalie of Gluten-a-Go-Go to assist us.

I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this challenge. Some of the early reviews talked about the cake being really sweet so they were cutting back on the syrup or sugar. And the frosting everyone said was sickly sweet and required a good amount of salt to temper it. It was a typical American buttercream with powdered sugar. Well, maybe not typical since the butter was actually browned butter.

I didn't make any changes to the cake and I didn't think it was too sweet. I actually loved the cake. Mine came out a bit dense and I'm not sure if that's the way it was supposed to be. But I liked the texture, it was substantial so you could have a very small slice and be satisfied. It didn't have a caramel flavor, but that's my fault. I made the caramel syrup and it looked like it was a rich, dark amber/copper penny color, but once I added all the water i ended up with what looked like watered down maple syrup, pale golden. And not very caramel-y tasting. I should have made another batch, but I have to admit, i let the not so great early reviews get to me and I just wasn't very excited about making this challenge. So no second batch...i just powered on.

I can say that I loved the brown butter taste in the frosting. I didn't love the sweetness, though and in fact, I cut the sugar called for down by half. It was a good consistency so I stopped adding sugar. I also liked the liberal addition of salt...the complex flavor experience it gives you. I want to try using some brown butter in a meringue buttercream. I'm not sure how, but I would love to make this cake again with a buttercream that i like, with the brown butter taste. I'll try soon and post about how it turns out.

Overall, I liked this challenge. More than anything, I loved that I learned some things. I learned how to make a kickass caramel....dry method. Since the cake wasn't very caramel tasting and I knew it wouldn't be since the syrup wasn't that great, I decided to torte the one layer cake and fill it with caramel. Caramel and I didn't used to get along....other attempts were made with the wet method and always ended in a clumpy hard as rock mess. The dry method is the way to go. I will blog more about caramel and post a recipe soon. Good caramel is definitely about instinct...taking it to the brink and knowing where the brink is to get really good flavor. And I learned about the nutty, yummy goodness of browned butter. It's a lovely flavor.

So, please try this recipe and make any changes you feel necessary. I really think the cake is very worthwhile. The frosting....I will come up with something different. And check out the other blogs, maybe someone has already come up with something different.

Pizza!

It's that time again....Daring Bakers reveal day. Yea! The October challenge was pizza....from scratch....with an attempt at tossing thrown in....fun stuff, sorta. More on that in a moment.

Many thanks to our host, Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums, for choosing this challenge. The recipe was for Pizza Napoletana taken from Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice", with a minor modification.

just cheese, but soooo yummy!

I happen to own this book, so it was a treat to make something from it that I probably never would have tried. Well, maybe not never, but I can't imagine when. The Man is the resident pizza maker in the household. Actually, he's the resident chef. So, that was the other treat....I got to make something savory....for dinner. And it turned out well. It was quite yummy as a matter of fact. The only problem is that I just wasn't all that excited about this challenge, as I'm sure is apparent from the quality of the photos. My heart just wasn't in it. I couldn't really tell you why. I'm sure it's owing to a bunch of things, not least of which is work is really stressful right now. And since The Man makes pizza quite often, and truth be told, almost exactly the same way as this recipe -- cold fermentation and all -- this just didn't feel new. And here's the blasphemous part....as much as I like pizza....I don't LUV it. Or even just love it. I know! Who doesn't go gaga over pizza?!? Well....me, I guess. But after all that....I really am glad I did this challenge. It sorta jump-started this desire to do more savory cooking, rather than just baking. So, thanks Rosa and Daring Bakers!

The recipe was great. It's very easy to make and even though it requires planning because it needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight, it's not labor intensive. It's a very wet dough, by design. And I'm not sure if other DBers had the same happen to them, but there are no photos of me tossing because it was virtually impossible to toss this dough. The moment I picked it up to lay it across my floured fists, it stretched very thin. It came out somewhat crispy on the bottom, but still chewy....even though it was thin. And I liked that. That's what made it different from The Man's. His is always super crispy. But after trying this recipe I realized I don't always like super crispy. So, it will be nice to throw this into the rotation.

As I stated above, there was one modification to Peter Reinhart's recipe for this challenge and that was the addition of 1 tablespoon of sugar. Since I have the book, I just followed the recipe in the book. John, from Eat4Fun, did so as well, but posted a comment on the DB forum mentioning the sugar. That's how I found out the challenge recipe was slightly different. So, my results and pictures and general impression of the recipe is of the original recipe without the sugar. I'm not sure how much it matters or the changes that occur. But I think next time I make this I will add the sugar so I can compare.

In the meantime, please try this recipe. And please check out other DB blogs and see how their's turned out!

my favorite: goat cheese, carmelized onions, mushrooms with a sauce of just olive oil, garlic and herbs

Basic Pizza Dough
Original recipe taken from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

Makes 6 pizza crusts, about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter.

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, chilled
1 3/4 tsps salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
1 tbsp sugar
cornmeal for dusting

day one
Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer). Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water. [NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.] Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas). [NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.] Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball. [NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.] Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days. [NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.]

day two
On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C). [NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan. Jen used a regular baking sheet, not the back of it.] Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss. [NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.] During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again. You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes. [NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.] If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving.