Memorable Quotes:

"A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect." Fernand Point

Thursday, July 23, 2020

Bouchon Bakery OH OHs


















Chocolate Biscuit (Biscuit au Chocolate)

Ingredients:
All-purpose flour:  33 grams 
Almond flour/meal:  25 grams
Unsweetened alkalized cocoa powder:  16 grams

Eggs:  123 grams
Egg yolks:  58 grams
Granulated Sugar divided: 111 grams and 23 grams

Egg whites: 74 grams

Directions for making the biscuit

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a half-sheet pan with a Silpat or spray the sheet pan lightly with nonstick spray, line with parchment paper and then spray the parchment. 

Place the all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Sift in the  almond flour; break up any lumps remaining in the sieve and add them to the bowl. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk to continue.

Place the eggs, yolks and the 11 grams of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix on medium-low speed for about 1 minute to combine. Increase the speed to medium and whip for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then whip on medium high speed for another 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. When the whisk is lifted, the mixture should form a slowly dissolving ribbon.

Whip the whites in a clean and dry mixer bowl with a clean whisk attachment on medium speed for about 45 seconds, until foamy. Lower the speed and slowly add the remaining 23 grams of sugar, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until the whites are glossy with soft peaks.

Fold the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture in 2 additions then do the same with the egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan and using an offset spatula, spread it in an even layer, making sure that it reaches into the corners. Bake for 15 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when you touch it lightly. Set on a cooling rack and cool completely.

Lay a piece of parchment paper on the back of a sheet pan. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake and invert it onto the parchment. Remove the Silpat or parchment from the top of the cake.

Note the cake can be wrapped in a few layers of plastic wrap and then held at room temperature for up to 4 hours , refrigerated for up to days or frozen for up to two weeks.

PROCEED TO OH OH Recipe.

Ingredients:
1 chocolate biscuit (see above)
Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe follows) 150 grams
Brune pate a glacer (or dipping chocolate) 400 grams
Crunchy-dark chocolate pearls (optional) 18 grams
Crunchy-white chocolate pearls (optional) 18 grams

Directions:

Place a piece of parchment paper the size of the sheet pan on a cutting board and set the chocolate biscuit on the paper. Trim the edges to straighten them Turn the biscuit so that a short end is facing you. Spread the sweetened whipped cream in a thin, even layer over the cake, leaving a 1/4 inch border all around.

Using the parchment paper to help you, lift the short end nearest you and fold about 1/2 inch of the cake over, just enough to begin rolling, then continue to lift up the paper to roll the cake into as tight a roll as possible, stopping when you reach the center of the cake. Repeat, rolling from the opposite side until the rolls meet in the middle.

Cut the rolls apart. Cut two 12-by-8 inch pieces of parchment paper. Place a roll lengthwise along the edge of a paper and roll it up in the paper, pulling back on the roll from time to time to tighten it, using your hands, or bench scrapper. Tape the paper in the center and at the ends and the repeat with the remaking roll. Freeze the rolls overnight.

ENROBE THE ROLLS IN MELTED DIPPING CHOCOLATE:

Trim the ends off the rolls, then cut each roll into 4 pieces. Work quickly as you want to dip into the chocolate while the rolls are still frozen.

Heat the pate a glacer or dipping chocolate until melted. For most professional results, strain the melted chocolate into a small deep bowl Just large enough to hold one of the eight Oh Ohs. Dip one Oh Oh at a time into the hot chocolate, making sure to cover the sides also then remove letting the chocolate drip back into the bowl and place on a Silpat. Let the glaze begin to set then garnish with pearls


Sweetened Whipped Cream (small batch)
Heavy Cream. 150 grams
Powdered sugar: 5 grams
1/2 vanilla bean split in half lengthwise

Place all ingredients into a chilled mixing bowl then whip the cream till thick.   

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Cherry Pie (Ad Hoc at Home)

INGREDIENTS:

Filling:
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
7 cups sweet cherries, such as Bing, pitted
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste OR pure vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the cornstarch. 

Put 5 cups of the cherries in a large bowl; set aside. Put the remaining 2 cups cherries in a Vita-Mix and blend to a purée; don’t worry if there are some small pieces of cherry remaining. Taste the purée to check how sweet it is.

Combine the purée, sugar (3/4 cup if the cherries are sweet and up to 1 cup if the cherries are tart), and vanilla paste (not the extract) in a medium saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent the bottom from burning, until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups. Reduce the heat to medium-low and, stirring constantly, add the cornstarch slurry.

Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until the mixture becomes translucent again. Remove from the heat, spoons little of the purée mixture onto a plate and let cool slightly, then rub it between your fingertips to feel for any remaining grains of cornstarch. If necessary, cook slightly longer to dissolve the cornstarch. Transfer the filling to a medium bowl and stir in the vanilla extract (if using). Let cool completely.

Roll out the dough, place one piece in a pie plate and the other on a baking sheet, and refrigerate as directed below.

Remove both doughs from the refrigerator.

Position one oven rack in the bottom of the oven and the other in the center and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Stir the purée into the whole cherries and pout into the pie shell. 

At this point, if the top crust is too hard to shape, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes Moisten the rim of the pie shell with some of the beaten egg. Cover the filling with the top crust and press the edges together to seal. Pinch to top and bottom crusts together to seal and create a raised edge to the crust. Trim away the excess dough overhangs the rim.

Brush the top crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar if desired. Using a paring knife, cut a few slits in the top of the pie for steam vents. Put the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Lower the heat to 375 degrees F, move the pie to the center rack and bake until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling. 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the pie to a cooling rack to cool.

BASIC PIE CRUST
2 1/2 cups (300 grams) all purpose flour, plus additional for rolling.
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
About 5 tablespoons ice water


Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then add the butter and toss to coat with flour. With your hands or a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour, tossing and incorporating any pieces of butter that have settled at the bottom of the bowl, until the butter pieces are no larger than a pea. Drizzle 1/4 cup of ice water over the top and, using a fork, mix the dough until it just holds together when pinched; add the remaining tablespoon of water if the dough is very dry. Knead the dough until it is completely smooth and the butter is incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, with one piece slightly larger than the other. Shape each half into a 1 inch thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to one day.

If the dough is too hard to roll, let it rest at room temperature for a few minutes or pound it a few times with a rolling pin. Lightly dust the top of the larger disk of dough with flour and roll it out to a 13 or 14 inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fold the dough in half and transfer to a. 9 or 10 inch pie plate, gently easing the dough into the corners and up the sides.

Roll out the second piece of dough in the same manner, to a 12 round, about 1/8 or an inch thick. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate both doughs for 15 minutes.