I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child
A recap of the recipes from The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Cuisine, that I started working on February 21, 2010 and finished August 15, 2010.
Enjoy!
xoxoxo
Showing posts with label French Culinary Institute. Show all posts
Showing posts with label French Culinary Institute. Show all posts
Update 34: New Year's Goal: Become an "official" Gourmess by August 2010
I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child
I know I don't have to tell you, but Session 25: Mousses, Soufflés, Bavarian Creams, and Charlottes was the final cooking session in the book. (Session 26: Introduction to Kitchen Management had 0 recipes--but lots of math.)
I started with Mousse aux Deux Chocolats (Two-Chocolate Mousse) which was two recipes in one. First, I made dark chocolate mousse by putting 5.25 oz of bittersweet chocolate (chopped) in a stainless steel bowl set over a water bath (bain-marie) that was simmering on the stove. I stirred the chocolate constantly until melted then turned off the heat, but let it sit there to rest/cool.
Then, I put some heavy cream (1 2/3 cups) in a bowl set over an ice bath and whisked it until soft peaks formed, then set aside (in the ice bath). I then took 3 large egg whites and beat them until soft peaks formed, then added 1 oz of sugar and continued whisking until they formed firm, satiny peaks.
I took the melted chocolate and using a rubber spatula folded the egg whites into them, scraping up and over to incorporate completely. When all the egg whites were folded in, I did the same with the chilled whipped cream, added in a bit of pure vanilla extract (you can use any flavoring, but I wanted to do the standard for my first time around) then covered the mousse with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge until set for at least an hour. It was a lovely, shiny chocolaty color and the texture was so light and fluffy. I almost sat there and ate the entire bowl!
But, I still had to make the second part of the recipe: white chocolate mousse, so I moved on. I put 7 oz of white chocolate in a stainless steel bowl and set aside. Then, I took 7 TBS of heavy cream and brought to a simmer in a small pan. While that was heating, I whisked 2 egg yolks and some sugar together until very pale yellow (blanchir). Then, I whisked in a bit of the hot cream into it to temper, and whisking constantly, put it back into the pot of hot cream. I cooked the mixture for a few minutes until it had thickened and coated the back of my wooden spoon (nappant). I removed it from the heat and ran it through my trusty chinois, into the bowl of chocolate, stirring until it had melted.
Then, I took 14 TBS of heavy cream and beat it until stiff peaks formed. After that, I took a rubber spatula and folded the whipped cream into the white chocolate mixture, and added a bit of pure vanilla extract. Once well blended, I put that in the fridge to chill as well. I thought it was interesting the chocolate mousse required egg whites and sugar, while the white chocolate mouse was egg yolks and sugar.
Once the mousses were set, I layered in a glass. The chocolate was fluffy and yet dense, and the white chocolate was creamy with vanilla-undertones. It wasn't too sweet -- just a really satisfying treat.
Next up was Soufflé au Chocolat (Chocolate Soufflé). I prepared my ramekins by lightly buttering them and then I sprinkled sugar in them, swirling to coat all the sides, then tapped out any excess. I put the ramekins in the fridge to chill.
Then, I made a beurre manié (soft butter kneaded into flour, in pea-sized balls) and set aside. I placed some milk in a pot and brought to a boil, then whisked in the beurre manié and cooked until it became very thick, about 3 minutes. I removed it from the heat and then stirred in 3.5 oz of bittersweet chocolate. Once the chocolate was incorporated, I beat in 2 egg yolks (one at a time), some dark rum, and a bit of pure vanilla extract. Then, I put 4 egg whites into a stainless steel bowl and beat them until soft peaks formed, then added in some sugar and continued to beat until the peaks were firm, making sure not to beat them too much, as they would become dry.
After that, I folded in 1/4 of the egg whites into my chocolate mixture to lighten it, then added in the rest all at once, folding gently until it was well combined. I put the mixture into each of my ramekins, wiped any excess of the rims and placed in a preheated 400 degree oven that was then lowered to 375 degrees, and baked for about 15-20 minutes, until the soufflés rose and were barely set in the center. (I placed them in a bain-marie as the book suggested that would make for a better texture/end result).
It was fun to watch them rise, and I quickly removed them from the oven when done and plated for my pictures -- all the while knowing that in a few minutes, my lovely soufflés would deflate.
They sure were pretty -- the outside was barely crisp while the inside was creamy and lovely. The chocolate flavor wasn't bitter, but it was rich and dark. A very elegant dessert.
Up next was Soufflé à la Liquer (Liquer Soufflé). I coated the ramekins with butter/sugar again and put in the fridge to chill. Then, I put some milk in a pot on the stove, added 1/2 a vanilla bean (and the scraped seeds) and brought it to a boil, then immediately removed from the heat and set aside to steep for about 10 minutes or so.
While it was steeping, I whisked two egg yolks and sugar together until pale yellow (blanchir) and then whisked in some sifted flour. Then, I strained the vanilla bean from the milk and returned the milk to the stove and brought to a simmer. I took some of the hot milk and whisked it into the egg yolk/sugar/flour mixture to temper and then slowly poured that mixture back into the pot of simmering milk. I whisked a bit and let simmer for about a minute, then scraped the mixture into a clean bowl and added in about four teaspoons of Grand Marnier. I added in one more egg yolk and whisked it into the mixture, too.
Then, I took four large egg whites and beat them until soft peaks formed, added in some sugar, and continued to whisk until the peaks were firm but not overly dry. I folded in 1/4 of the egg whites into the mixture to lighten it, then added in the rest and folded until blended. Then, I put the mixture into the prepared molds, wiped off the rims and baked at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, until my soufflés had risen.
Success number two! This one was crisp on the outside, creamy on the inside and the vanilla and liquer combo was pretty nice. I can see this as a great winter treat...the Grand Marnier would definitely warm you up!
So, here we are at the final recipe: Soufflé au Fromage (Cheese Soufflé). I took my time with this one -- as much as I looked forward to this day, the last recipe--I didn't want it to end.
I prepped my ramekins with butter and breadcrumbs (instead of sugar) and put them in the fridge to chill. Then, I made another batch of beurre manié, stirred it into a pot of boiling milk and cooked until thick. I removed it from the heat and beat in 2 oz of cheese. (I used half Gruyère and half Irish Cheddar.) Once the cheese melted, I beat in two egg yolks (one at a time) and then seasoned the mixture with salt, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.
I took four egg whites (I assumed I should use four egg whites, as oddly the recipe doesn't list the egg whites in the ingredient list at all, yet still has the instructions for beating them included -- so must have been a typo.) and beat them until firm peaks formed (and weren't dry in texture), then folded 1/4 of them into the cheese mixture to lighten, then added in the rest and folded everything together until blended.
I put the mixture in my ramekins, baked for about 15 minutes, then turned off the oven.
Creamy, cheesy, light, fluffy, yum.
(Sigh.)
Then, I cleaned up the kitchen. Here's a shot of the Gourmess in action...might be awhile before the kitchen gets this crazy again.
Here we are at the end! And still a few weeks before my birthday! I want to say thanks to everyone who has cheered me on during this wild, crazy, stressful, rewarding journey. Especially my dear, patient Chris--who was my guinea pig, my sounding board, and the guy who tiptoed past the kitchen while I was in grouchy Gourmess mode. Also, thanks to my downstairs neighbor who had to deal with me doing dishes at all hours of the night and who was always eager to try my creations. And, thanks to those of you who sent me notes of encouragement and/or nice comments. I couldn't have done it without all of you and I can't wait to have you all over for an encore of your favorites.
I'll be back soon with more tales of the Gourmess. Until then, bon appetit.
And remember to LIVE, LAUGH, LOVE, and COOK with all your heart.
xoxoxoxxo
P.S. I told Chris that he was letting his fans down by not trying my desserts, so the two of us just stood in the kitchen and had a soufflé tasting. Chris pronounced the frozen mango one from Session 24 to be "amazing" and said it reminded him of the islands. He was right. I couldn't stop eating it -- the mango flavor was so fresh and made me think of sunshine and sea. The chocolate one was given a favorable nod, a sigh/moan and raised eyebrows and Chris said it was better than the ones I bought from the gourmet grocer a few months ago. It was chocolate goodness at its best. Chris said the liquer one would be good for a fancy brunch with a side of bacon and a mimosa (my kind of guy) and he ate several bites of the cheese one before asking me to save it so he could have it for breakfast. I guess I didn't do too badly. :)
Update 33: New Year's Goal: Become an "official" Gourmess by August 2010
I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child
So, it has been a terribly hot summer, which means this lesson was a bit tricky to complete, but oh-so appropriate!
Session 24: Frozen Desserts and Meringues was a lot of fun, and who knows, I might end up opening an ice cream shoppe instead of a restaurant someday! It was interesting to see the different kinds of frozen treats -- the French-style of ice cream was egg/custard-based and cooked, while the American version (also called Philadelphia-style) was uncooked and more milk/cream based. The French-style ice cream was rich, but still light, and felt very elegant. I could only eat a few spoonfuls of it, as compared to regular American ice cream, which I sometimes eat a whole pint of in one sitting (think Chubby Hubby by Ben & Jerry's).
The first Demonstration was Glace à la Vanille (Vanilla Ice Cream). The recipe was very similar to some of the creams and custards from Session 21. I put equal amounts of whole milk and heavy cream (2 cups plus 2 TBS of each) and a vanilla bean split in half lengthwise (seeds scraped into the milk) into a pot and brought to a boil. As soon as it came to a boil, I removed it from the heat and let it cool for about a minute. While it was cooling, I took eight egg yolks (room temperature) and blanchir (whisk until very pale yellow).
Then, whisking constantly, I put half the hot milk/cream/vanilla mixture into the egg mixture to temper it, then added it back into the pot. I returned the pot to the heat and cooked for about 12 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until it had thickened and coated the back of a spoon (nappant). I had to make sure that the cream was pasteurized, so I brought it to 175 degrees and kept it there for about 5 minutes, making sure the temperature didn't go beyond 180, or it would have curdled. I removed the mixture from the stove again and the put it through my trusty chinois (removed the vanilla bean pod, etc.) and into a clean bowl set over an ice bath. I stirred it for a while with a wooden spoon until there was no more steam and let it cool.
I bought a Sunbeam ice cream maker at Target a few weeks ago -- for $6, so wasn't sure how great it would work, but I poured my ice cream mixture into the machine's bowl and turned it on for about 40 minutes. At first, nothing really happened, but after about 15 minutes, it started to thicken and by 40, it was a creamy, custardy mixture. Then, I put it in the freezer for another 15-20 minutes.
I handed a bowl to Chris and made one for myself. I added some blueberries to mine, but Chris wanted his plain. He loved it, and I did too. It was creamy and light and fresh -- the vanilla flavor was just right--not too intense, not too subtle. A success!!!
Next was Sorbet au Framboises (Raspberry Sorbet). The recipe called for glucose, so I had to order some -- I got it from Amazon. It is basically a liquid sugar that is half as sweet as granulated sugar. It was a clear and heavy syrup, but it didn't taste overly sweet and it didn't taste like light corn syrup, etc. It was called for in the recipe because it does not crystallize easily, which ensures smoothness in recipes like sorbets, icings, etc. So, to begin, I combined some sugar, water and the glucose in a medium saucepan over medium heat and simmered for about five minutes until the sugar had dissolved completely. Then, I removed it from the heat and let it cool. While it cooled, I puréed 21 oz. of fresh raspberry purée and ran it through my chinois.
I slowly poured the syrup into the purée, stirring frequently, but stopping every once in a while to make sure it was the right texture and sweetness. I didn't use all of the syrup as I wanted my sorbet to be a nice mix of sweet and tart. (The book reminds us that the sweetness will intensify once the mixture is frozen.) I knew it was ready when I felt a bit of resistance on the spoon when I pushed it through the bowl. When it was, I poured the mixture into my ice cream maker and 40 minutes later, I had a lovely, ruby mixture. I put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes more and was excited to see a lovely sorbet -- it tasted really refreshing. Tart, sweet, fruity and fresh. And the color was to die for -- and all thanks to Mother Nature! Yum.
After that was Soufflé Glacé aux Fruits (Frozen Fruit Soufflé). First, I had to prepare my soufflé molds, so I buttered a strip of parchment paper and wrapped it around each ramekin (buttered side in) until it stood like a collar, about a half an inch above each rim, and then I put the ramekins in the freezer. Then, I put about 3 oz. of sugar in a pan with about 2 TBS of water and brought it to a boil, then let simmer for about 20 minutes, until it was at the soft ball stage (about 234 degrees on my candy thermometer). While the sugar was cooking, I took two large egg whites (room temperature) and beat them until soft peaks formed, then added in about 1/2 oz. of sugar and whipped until it was firm and satiny.
Finally, was Petit Vacherin Glacé (Ice Cream Cake).
The first part of this recipe was to make little meringue discs/hats for the top and bottom of the cake. So I made some meringue by combining egg whites and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl, whisking just to combine. Then, I filled a saucepan that was big enough to sit the bowl on with enough water to create a bain-marie (water bath), without the water touching the bottom of the bowl. I brought to a simmer over high heat and whisked the egg white/sugar mixture constantly until the sugar dissolved and the egg whites reached 130 degrees on a candy thermometer. Once it was, I removed the bowl from the saucepan and continued to whisk it until the meringue formed stiff peaks.
Then, I put it in a pastry bag and piped 2-inch circles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I placed the meringue circles in a 175 degree oven and baked slowly for about an hour, until they were very dry, watching to make sure they didn't color. Then, I put on a wire rack to cool.The book's circles had clearly defined swirls, but mine just melted together, but it still came out alright, so whatev!
I whipped up some crème Chantilly (heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla) and put it in a pastry bag. I assembled the cake: a meringue disk on the bottom (inside up), a scoop of my lovely vanilla ice cream, and another disk. I piped the whipped cream in a nice pattern and then finished with chocolate sauce. It was a fancy version of a sundae. Yum.
Up next is Session 25: Mousses, Soufflés, Bavarian Creams, and Charlottes. It is the last cooking session in the book! Five recipes to go! (OMG!) xoxoxo
P.S. So, I've been told that there is a new fan club for my blog -- but not for me. For Chris. He's become quite the star, apparently. He heard that too, and so I've made a promise to include him more. But only if he promises not to complain about me including him. Got it? ;) The problem is, he's not a big fan of sweets, so I haven't been able to get any reviews from him lately...
So, it has been a terribly hot summer, which means this lesson was a bit tricky to complete, but oh-so appropriate!
Session 24: Frozen Desserts and Meringues was a lot of fun, and who knows, I might end up opening an ice cream shoppe instead of a restaurant someday! It was interesting to see the different kinds of frozen treats -- the French-style of ice cream was egg/custard-based and cooked, while the American version (also called Philadelphia-style) was uncooked and more milk/cream based. The French-style ice cream was rich, but still light, and felt very elegant. I could only eat a few spoonfuls of it, as compared to regular American ice cream, which I sometimes eat a whole pint of in one sitting (think Chubby Hubby by Ben & Jerry's).
The first Demonstration was Glace à la Vanille (Vanilla Ice Cream). The recipe was very similar to some of the creams and custards from Session 21. I put equal amounts of whole milk and heavy cream (2 cups plus 2 TBS of each) and a vanilla bean split in half lengthwise (seeds scraped into the milk) into a pot and brought to a boil. As soon as it came to a boil, I removed it from the heat and let it cool for about a minute. While it was cooling, I took eight egg yolks (room temperature) and blanchir (whisk until very pale yellow).
Then, whisking constantly, I put half the hot milk/cream/vanilla mixture into the egg mixture to temper it, then added it back into the pot. I returned the pot to the heat and cooked for about 12 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon until it had thickened and coated the back of a spoon (nappant). I had to make sure that the cream was pasteurized, so I brought it to 175 degrees and kept it there for about 5 minutes, making sure the temperature didn't go beyond 180, or it would have curdled. I removed the mixture from the stove again and the put it through my trusty chinois (removed the vanilla bean pod, etc.) and into a clean bowl set over an ice bath. I stirred it for a while with a wooden spoon until there was no more steam and let it cool.
I bought a Sunbeam ice cream maker at Target a few weeks ago -- for $6, so wasn't sure how great it would work, but I poured my ice cream mixture into the machine's bowl and turned it on for about 40 minutes. At first, nothing really happened, but after about 15 minutes, it started to thicken and by 40, it was a creamy, custardy mixture. Then, I put it in the freezer for another 15-20 minutes.
I handed a bowl to Chris and made one for myself. I added some blueberries to mine, but Chris wanted his plain. He loved it, and I did too. It was creamy and light and fresh -- the vanilla flavor was just right--not too intense, not too subtle. A success!!!
Next was Sorbet au Framboises (Raspberry Sorbet). The recipe called for glucose, so I had to order some -- I got it from Amazon. It is basically a liquid sugar that is half as sweet as granulated sugar. It was a clear and heavy syrup, but it didn't taste overly sweet and it didn't taste like light corn syrup, etc. It was called for in the recipe because it does not crystallize easily, which ensures smoothness in recipes like sorbets, icings, etc. So, to begin, I combined some sugar, water and the glucose in a medium saucepan over medium heat and simmered for about five minutes until the sugar had dissolved completely. Then, I removed it from the heat and let it cool. While it cooled, I puréed 21 oz. of fresh raspberry purée and ran it through my chinois.
I slowly poured the syrup into the purée, stirring frequently, but stopping every once in a while to make sure it was the right texture and sweetness. I didn't use all of the syrup as I wanted my sorbet to be a nice mix of sweet and tart. (The book reminds us that the sweetness will intensify once the mixture is frozen.) I knew it was ready when I felt a bit of resistance on the spoon when I pushed it through the bowl. When it was, I poured the mixture into my ice cream maker and 40 minutes later, I had a lovely, ruby mixture. I put it in the freezer for about 15 minutes more and was excited to see a lovely sorbet -- it tasted really refreshing. Tart, sweet, fruity and fresh. And the color was to die for -- and all thanks to Mother Nature! Yum.
After that was Soufflé Glacé aux Fruits (Frozen Fruit Soufflé). First, I had to prepare my soufflé molds, so I buttered a strip of parchment paper and wrapped it around each ramekin (buttered side in) until it stood like a collar, about a half an inch above each rim, and then I put the ramekins in the freezer. Then, I put about 3 oz. of sugar in a pan with about 2 TBS of water and brought it to a boil, then let simmer for about 20 minutes, until it was at the soft ball stage (about 234 degrees on my candy thermometer). While the sugar was cooking, I took two large egg whites (room temperature) and beat them until soft peaks formed, then added in about 1/2 oz. of sugar and whipped until it was firm and satiny.
Then, I slowly drizzled in the hot syrup into the whites and whisked it into a meringue. I kept beating it until the mixture was cooled. After that, I took a little over a cup of fresh mango purée and ran it through my trusty chinois. Then, I set it aside. I put one cup and one tablespoon of heavy cream in a stainless steel, chilled bowl (over an ice bath) and whipped it until soft peaks formed, then set aside.
I folded half of the mango purée into the meringue, gently lifting it and folding it with a rubber spatula until well blended. I took the other half of the purée and folded it into the whipped cream until well mixed, and then I took the mango whipped cream mixture and folded it into the meringue mixture = a soufflé!
I removed the molds from the freezer and spooned equal amounts of the soufflé mixture into each ramekin, filling up to the top of the parchment paper collar, and then smoothed the top with a pastry spatula. I put in the freezer overnight and then, after letting it thaw for a few minutes, I removed the collar. Lovely!
It tasted like sunshine and the islands. Not too sweet, fruity, light and just a really nice treat.
Finally, was Petit Vacherin Glacé (Ice Cream Cake).
The first part of this recipe was to make little meringue discs/hats for the top and bottom of the cake. So I made some meringue by combining egg whites and sugar in a heatproof mixing bowl, whisking just to combine. Then, I filled a saucepan that was big enough to sit the bowl on with enough water to create a bain-marie (water bath), without the water touching the bottom of the bowl. I brought to a simmer over high heat and whisked the egg white/sugar mixture constantly until the sugar dissolved and the egg whites reached 130 degrees on a candy thermometer. Once it was, I removed the bowl from the saucepan and continued to whisk it until the meringue formed stiff peaks.
Then, I put it in a pastry bag and piped 2-inch circles onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I placed the meringue circles in a 175 degree oven and baked slowly for about an hour, until they were very dry, watching to make sure they didn't color. Then, I put on a wire rack to cool.The book's circles had clearly defined swirls, but mine just melted together, but it still came out alright, so whatev!
I whipped up some crème Chantilly (heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, vanilla) and put it in a pastry bag. I assembled the cake: a meringue disk on the bottom (inside up), a scoop of my lovely vanilla ice cream, and another disk. I piped the whipped cream in a nice pattern and then finished with chocolate sauce. It was a fancy version of a sundae. Yum.
Up next is Session 25: Mousses, Soufflés, Bavarian Creams, and Charlottes. It is the last cooking session in the book! Five recipes to go! (OMG!) xoxoxo
P.S. So, I've been told that there is a new fan club for my blog -- but not for me. For Chris. He's become quite the star, apparently. He heard that too, and so I've made a promise to include him more. But only if he promises not to complain about me including him. Got it? ;) The problem is, he's not a big fan of sweets, so I haven't been able to get any reviews from him lately...
Update 32: New Year's Goal: Become an "official" Gourmess by August 2010
I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child
Here we are at update 32, on August 1. Only a month to go before I'm 32... I think I will be finishing on time -- if not earlier. After this session, I have less than 10 recipes to go!!
The first Demonstration for Session 23: Génoise was La Génoise (Sponge Cake). First, I lightly buttered and floured an 8 inch cake pan and cut an 8-inch circular piece of parchment so that it would fit inside, and then put it in the fridge to chill.
I filled a saucepan with a bit of water and brought to a boil, then immediately removed from the heat. Next, I set a heatproof bowl in the saucepan, making sure the water didn't touch the bottom of the bowl. The bowl had a mixture of sugar and room temperature eggs (5 of them). I whisked the mixture over the heat until it doubled in volume and formed a ribbon when I lifted it from the bowl. It had become pale yellow, too. I removed the bowl from the heat and whisked it for another minute and then slowly sifted in some cake flour, folding it into the mixture with a spatula--working carefully so not to create lumps. Then, once all the flour was mixed in, I added some melted butter, mixed it a bit more and then poured the batter into the cake pan (once removed from the fridge, of course). The book says to spin the pan slightly to even out the batter which will help the cake rise evenly.
The cake went into a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes--until it starts to pull away from the edges, is golden brown and sturdy/springy when lightly touched in the center. When it was ready, I removed it from the oven and inverted it onto a wire rack. I let out a huge sigh of relief when the whole thing came out of the pan in one piece. (Usually, this is where my cake falls apart.) I carefully pulled off the parchment paper and let the cake cool.
Once it had cooled, I cut it in even layers, moistened each layer with simple syrup (Sirup Simple is the next Demonstration for this session -- but we made it already in Session 20 so this time it was easy.) and then frosted it with buttercream icing.
Thinking about the last Demonstration for this session: Crème au Beurre (Buttercream) makes me a bit queasy. One pound, three ounces is a LOT of butter. I beat it into a pommade (beurre en pommade is butter softened at room temperature without melting or separating and beaten until light and fluffy) and set aside. Then, I put sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pot and brought to a boil over high heat, cooking it to the soft ball stage (about 240 degrees) and set aside. I whisked 6 large egg yolks until very pale yellow and then continuing to whisk, added in the sugar syrup in a steady stream. Then, I beat the mixture for about 10 minutes more, until it had cooled and was smooth. Then, still beating constantly, added in the butter a bit at a time until it was all added and creamy and smooth. At this point, it tasted like buttery sugar. I added in my flavoring -- pure vanilla extract, and mixed that in, then iced the cake. (Reminder: I am the Gourmess -- this is as good as it is going to get. No fancy icing tricks for me.)
I almost wish I hadn't iced the cake. The book says "a properly made génoise should be light, buttery, and delicate with a dry crumb"-- check, check, and check! It was so delicious--moist and spongy-- that adding the buttery, rich icing just put it over the top. If left to sleepwalking or my own devices, I could have stood at the kitchen island and devoured the entire cake in one sitting. So, Chris and I each had a piece and then I promptly made us throw it out.
After all, I am turning 32 soon and I cannot have a huge derrière! ;)
On to Session 24: Frozen Desserts and Meringues!
Sweet dreams!
xoxoxo
Here we are at update 32, on August 1. Only a month to go before I'm 32... I think I will be finishing on time -- if not earlier. After this session, I have less than 10 recipes to go!!
The first Demonstration for Session 23: Génoise was La Génoise (Sponge Cake). First, I lightly buttered and floured an 8 inch cake pan and cut an 8-inch circular piece of parchment so that it would fit inside, and then put it in the fridge to chill.
I filled a saucepan with a bit of water and brought to a boil, then immediately removed from the heat. Next, I set a heatproof bowl in the saucepan, making sure the water didn't touch the bottom of the bowl. The bowl had a mixture of sugar and room temperature eggs (5 of them). I whisked the mixture over the heat until it doubled in volume and formed a ribbon when I lifted it from the bowl. It had become pale yellow, too. I removed the bowl from the heat and whisked it for another minute and then slowly sifted in some cake flour, folding it into the mixture with a spatula--working carefully so not to create lumps. Then, once all the flour was mixed in, I added some melted butter, mixed it a bit more and then poured the batter into the cake pan (once removed from the fridge, of course). The book says to spin the pan slightly to even out the batter which will help the cake rise evenly.
The cake went into a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes--until it starts to pull away from the edges, is golden brown and sturdy/springy when lightly touched in the center. When it was ready, I removed it from the oven and inverted it onto a wire rack. I let out a huge sigh of relief when the whole thing came out of the pan in one piece. (Usually, this is where my cake falls apart.) I carefully pulled off the parchment paper and let the cake cool.
Once it had cooled, I cut it in even layers, moistened each layer with simple syrup (Sirup Simple is the next Demonstration for this session -- but we made it already in Session 20 so this time it was easy.) and then frosted it with buttercream icing.
Thinking about the last Demonstration for this session: Crème au Beurre (Buttercream) makes me a bit queasy. One pound, three ounces is a LOT of butter. I beat it into a pommade (beurre en pommade is butter softened at room temperature without melting or separating and beaten until light and fluffy) and set aside. Then, I put sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed pot and brought to a boil over high heat, cooking it to the soft ball stage (about 240 degrees) and set aside. I whisked 6 large egg yolks until very pale yellow and then continuing to whisk, added in the sugar syrup in a steady stream. Then, I beat the mixture for about 10 minutes more, until it had cooled and was smooth. Then, still beating constantly, added in the butter a bit at a time until it was all added and creamy and smooth. At this point, it tasted like buttery sugar. I added in my flavoring -- pure vanilla extract, and mixed that in, then iced the cake. (Reminder: I am the Gourmess -- this is as good as it is going to get. No fancy icing tricks for me.)
I almost wish I hadn't iced the cake. The book says "a properly made génoise should be light, buttery, and delicate with a dry crumb"-- check, check, and check! It was so delicious--moist and spongy-- that adding the buttery, rich icing just put it over the top. If left to sleepwalking or my own devices, I could have stood at the kitchen island and devoured the entire cake in one sitting. So, Chris and I each had a piece and then I promptly made us throw it out.
After all, I am turning 32 soon and I cannot have a huge derrière! ;)
On to Session 24: Frozen Desserts and Meringues!
Sweet dreams!
xoxoxo
Update 31: New Year's Goal: Become an "official" Gourmess by August 2010
I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. --Julia Child
Sorry for the delay. We had a heat wave that lasted for weeks and I've been working late -- no time to bake!
Session 22: Crêpes, Frying Batter, and Brioche was pretty fun -- the house still smells like fresh-baked bread and goodies. Yum.
First was Crêpes Suzette which is a lovely, buttery, orange-flavored treat, and which meant I had to brush up on my crêpe-making skills. I had made them once or twice a few years back and remember that I didn't really have the patience for those thin, easily-breakable pancake-type things. The book says that in classical French cooking, crêpes can be sweet or savory, fried, sautéed, flambéed, stuffed, rolled, folded, etc.
The most important part of getting crêpes right is making the batter correctly. I began with all-purpose flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 large eggs and milk. I put the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, made a well, and then added the eggs, whisking into the flour mixture, and adding a bit of the milk to make a paste. Once it became smooth, I added in the rest of the milk and whisked until creamy. Then, I covered with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.
While the batter was resting, I made the orange butter. I took a bunch of sugar cubes and gently rubbed them over the skin of an orange (washed) until they had absorbed some of the orange oil. Then, I cut the orange in half and squeezed the juice out of it into a small bowl and then warmed it slightly. I then had to crush the sugar cubes (between parchment paper w/rolling pin) and then set them aside. After that, I took 9 TBS of room temperature, unsalted butter and beat in the orange sugar with a wooden spoon. I added in some Grand Marnier liqueur (orange-flavored brandy) and the warm orange juice a bit at a time, until the butter had absorbed all the liquid.
Then, I made the garnish by zesting the orange and adding it to boiling water, simmering for a bout 5 minutes, until soft. I removed it from the water with a slotted spoon and let it drain. Then, I put some grenadine syrup and some water in a small saucepan and heated it on the stove (low heat). I added the drained zest and gently simmered it for about 5-8 minutes, then removed the zest from the pan with my slotted spoon and let it rest on parchment paper. (The greandine syrup gave the oranges a bright, almost reddish hue.) I also cut the remaining orange into suprêmes.
About an hour before I was ready to finish the dish, I took the crêpe batter out of the fridge, uncovered it and let it come to room temperature. When it had, I whisked in some melted butter (keeps the crêpes from breaking) and then poured the mixture through my trusty chinois and into a clean bowl. I heated my crêpe pan over medium heat and using a pastry brush, brushed the bottom of the pan with a light coating of clarified butter. I ladled about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan, lifting it up off the burner and tilting it so the entire bottom of the pan was coated with a thin layer of the batter. It cooked for about a minute or so and then started to solidify and color a bit on the bottom. I used my fingers to carefully lift the crêpe and turn it over, cooking for another minute or so, until that side was lightly colored as well. I then transferred the finished crêpe to parchment paper to cool. Then, I re-buttered the pan and continued to make more -- making sure not to stack them on top of each other to cool, as they would stick together (separate with wax or parchment paper).
I actually did okay with these -- only a few ripped when I was trying to turn them. My fingers were a bit burned, but after 22 cooking sessions, I didn't really feel it. The picture in the book had the crêpes looking a bit marbled, with darker spots throughout, but mine were a pale golden color -- which the book actually says is how they should look if prepared correctly, so I guess it did it right?
Once all the crêpes were made and cooled, I placed the orange butter in a large pan over medium heat, and melted into a saucelike consistency. Then, using one crêpe at a time, I dipped in the hot butter, and then folded it into quarters and placed on the edge of the pan, repeating the steps for each crêpe. When the pan was full, I added some cognac and flambéed it. Then, I put two crêpes on a plate and garnished with the zest and suprêmes. They were buttery and orangey, and sweet. Terrific!
Next was Beignets aux Pommes, Coulis de Fruit (Apple Fritters with Fruit Purée). This one was pretty fun to make and left the kitchen smelling like a carnival or fair (nothing like powdered sugar, apples and hot oil together!). First, I made the coulis by straining raspberry purée through my trusty chinois to pull out any solid matter. Then, I added a bit of simple syrup to thin and sweeten it a bit, and then set aside. The book also said you can add a bit of lemon juice to "wake up the flavor" but I thought mine was fine as is. I set the coulis aside.
Then, I prepared the apples. I peeled and cored about 1.5 lbs of Granny Smith apples and then carefully cut them crosswise into rings that were about 1/6 of an inch thick. A few had a wonky-looking hole, so I took one of my mini-circular pastry cutters and re-cut the hole so it was nice and round. I put the rings on a single layer and sprinkled with lemon juice and Calvados (apple liquer) and also some sugar and cinnamon, and let them marinate for about 30 minutes or so, turning over every once in awhile, so all sides were soaking up the liquid.
While the apple rings were marinating, I made the batter. I put flour in a medium mixing bowl and made a well in the center. Then, I mixed some beer, an egg yolk, a TBS of peanut oil, sugar and salt in a smaller bowl, whisking until smooth. The wet mixture went in the flour well and I whisked it all together until smooth. It was a pretty loose, wet batter. I covered it with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm (above room temperature) spot for about 30 minutes. After that time had passed, I beat two egg whites until soft peaks formed and then folded them into the batter with a spatula until combined.
Then, I heated about 1.5 liters of vegetable oil in my deep fry pan over medium-high heat until it was about 350 degrees. Working with a few at a time, I dipped each apple ring into the batter and then into the hot oil. When the rings came to the surface of the oil and had a nice golden color, I removed them and set on paper towels to drain.
I sprinkled with confectioners' sugar and a bit of vanilla powder (I had some to use up) and placed on a baking sheet. When all of the apples were fried and sugared, I put under the broiler for a few minutes to take on a glaze. To serve, I put some of the raspberry coulis on a plate and topped with the warm beignets. It was like an apple pie doughnut. Warm and slightly crispy on the outside, cinnamony, apple goodness on the inside. Yum and yum.
The last Demonstration for this session was Brioche (Egg Bread). According to the book, it is one of France's oldest breads and dates back to the Middle Ages! It took ages to make, too...
To make it, I warmed 1.5 TBS of milk over low heat and stirred in some sugar and a scant TBS of dry yeast, letting the yeast dissolve for about 5 minutes. While it was doing that, I beat three large eggs (room temperature) until combined, and set aside. Then, I combined flour and salt on a clean work surface and made a well in the center. Into the well went the milk/sugar/yeast mixture and the eggs. I gently incorporated the wet ingredients into the dry--being careful not to collapse the flour wall, which would have sent eggs running onto the floor.
Once combined, I kneaded the dough for about 15 minutes, stretching it and kneading it until it was elastic and smooth and I could pick it up in a single mass. Once it was at that point, I quickly added in about 10 TBS of room temperature butter, working it into the dough, making sure it was all evenly combined.
Then, I lightly oiled a large bowl, put the dough in it, covered with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 3 hours at room temperature until it had doubled in size. After 3 hours, I punched down the dough, turned it over and re-covered it, then put it in the fridge to rest at least 8 hours or overnight -- up to 24 hours. The next day, I lightly buttered my special brioche pan and lightly floured my work surface. I shaped the dough into a round ball, covered it with with plastic film, and let it rest for about 10 minutes until the glutens relaxed.
I rolled the dough into a gourd-like shape, and using the side of my hand "chopped"the dough almost in half at the neck of the smaller end, forming two balls (one large, one a bit smaller) that were connected by a narrow strand of dough. Then, I put the larger, rounded end of the dough into the brioche pan and, using my fingers pulled the dough out toward the edges, making a well -- the smaller dough ball will automatically fall into the well. Then, I tucked the smaller ball into the well with the dough from the larger ball, until secure (if not secure, the top will rise up and break off during baking).
I covered the dough with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for about an hour until doubled in size. Then, I brushed with an egg wash, making sure not to let it drip down the sides, which would cause the bread to stick. After that, it was quite simple. I put the pan in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for about 25 minutes or so, until it was golden brown and a knife inserted into the center came out clean.
I removed from the oven and unmolded it (if you leave it in the mold, it will get soggy). It was heavy and golden and a bit spongy. I waited about 5 minutes, then dug in. It tasted eggy and buttery and yeasty -- a really rich bread. It was almost cake-like, which is why Marie Antoinette probably was thinking of this when she said "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!" ("Let them eat cake!"). I can see this making a terrific bread pudding...if it doesn't all get eaten before I have time to make some!
Speaking of cake, on to Session 23: Génoise...
xoxoxo
P.S. I finally caught the culprit who has been eating the cloth bookmarks that are attached to my book...it was Boo! (Bad kitty!)
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