ICE CREAM PETITS FOURS - DARING BAKERS

Although, at the beginning of each month, I promise myself to finish my Daring Bakers' challenge long before the deadline I always end up making it at the very last moment. I think that I'm having trouble dealing with the endless flow of time. Every Sunday I feel as if I have got thrown into a washing machine with the tumble dryer program on and I shake my head in disbelief everytime a new month starts. I feel like a hamster running round in a wheel...

The August 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Elissa of "17 And Baking". For the first time, The Daring Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious hostess of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a "Baked Alaska" or in "Ice Cream Petit Fours". The sources for Elissa’s challenge were Gourmet Magazine and David Lebovitz’s “The Perfect Scoop”.

As I had never made "Petits Fours" or "Ice Cream Sandwiches" before, I decided upon making those cute little frozen cakes for my boyfriend's birthday. As we were only two to eat this dessert and since my freezer crammed with "junk" I thought it would be more judicious to cut the the quantities in half. Otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter, nonetheless I added my personal touch to the vanilla ice cream that I flavored with Chinese Five-Spice powder (a mix of powdered star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper and fennel seeds) and dark rum.

Apart from having problems with the size of my freezer, the high temperatures (the ice cream started melting when I tried to coat the cakes with the cooled glaze - painful), my nerve-wracking hungry cats (who constantly kept walking around my legs and following my every movement as well as step while sitting at the other end of the room with their biiiiiiig psycho eyes) the making of those "Ice Cream Petit Fours" went quite smoothly.

We really liked those icy treats. The cake had a heavenly nutty taste thanks to the browned butter, the ice cream was divinely spicy and boozy and the dark chocolate glaze had a lot of character. All those elements blended very well together, yet I must say that I would have prefered to eat each of them separately (a ball ice cream with a slice of non-frozen cake, the whole drizzled with warm chocolate ganache). Somehow, the cake had less flavor when served frozen and that was a bit annoying as it was very aromatic when I tested it before it was used to make mini sandwiches...

Anyway, I wish to thank Elissa for having chosen that great dessert and making me try something new. A recipe that delighted us very much!

~ Five Spice Ice Cream Petits Fours ~
The brown butter pound cake recipe is adapted from the October 2009 edition of Gourmet. The vanilla ice cream is from ice cream genius David Lebovitz, adapted from The Perfect Scoop. The chocolate glaze for the petit fours is a larger adapted version of this ganache from Godiva Chocolate.

Preparation time:
Ice cream – 45 min active time, ice cream rests/chills for 1 hour then overnight. Without an ice cream maker, the ice cream chills 2-3 hours and must be stirred every 30 minutes.
Brown Butter Pound Cake – 2 hours (includes cooling time).
Chocolate Glaze – 15 minutes
Meringue – 10 minutes
Assembly of Ice Cream Petit Fours – Ice cream must be frozen ahead of time several hours, then the cake and ice cream freeze overnight. After dipping, the petit fours freeze for one hours.
Assembly of Baked Alaska – Ice cream must be frozen head of time several hours, then the Baked Alaska is frozen 1 hour or up to one day.

Equipment required:
• Small and medium saucepans
• Paring knife
• 2 quart (2 litres) bowl
• Electric mixer
• Whisk
• Spatula
• Sieve
• 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square baking pan
• 10” (25 cm) skillet
• Cake leveler/serrated knife
• Cooling racks
• Rimmed half sheets
• Teacups
• Plastic wrap
• Piping bags (optional)
• Ice cream maker (optional)
• Cooking blow torch (optional)

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FIVE SPICE ICE CREAM

Ingredients For The "Five Spice Ice Cream":
1 Cup (250ml) Whole milk
A pinch of sea salt
3/4 Cup (165g) Sugar
1 Vanilla bean, split lengthwise OR 2 teaspoons (10ml) pure vanilla extract
2 Cups (500ml) Heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
5 Large egg yolks
1 Tsp Pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 Tsps Chinese 5 spices
3 Tbs Dark rum

Method For The "Five Spice Ice Cream":
1. Heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams. Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with a paring knife and add to the milk, along with the bean pod. Cover, remove from heat, and let infuse for an hour. (If you do not have a vanilla bean, simply heat the milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams, then let cool to room temperature.).
2. Set up an ice bath by placing a 2-quart (2 litre) bowl inside a large bowl partially filled with water and ice. Put a strainer on top of the smaller bowl and pour in the cream.
3. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks together. Reheat the milk in the medium saucepan until warmed, and then gradually pour ¼ cup warmed milk into the yolks, constantly whisking to keep the eggs from scrambling. Once the yolks are warmed, scrape the yolk and milk mixture back into the saucepan of warmed milk and cook over low heat. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom with a spatula until the mixture thickens into a custard which thinly coats the back of the spatula.
4. Strain the custard into the heavy cream and stir the mixture until cooled. Add the vanilla extract (1 teaspoon [5ml] if you are using a vanilla bean; 3 teaspoons [15ml] if you are not using a vanilla bean), the 5 spice, the rum and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.
5. Remove the vanilla bean and freeze in an ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can make it without a machine (see instructions from David Lebovitz).

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BROWN BUTTER POUND CAKE

Ingredients For the "Brown Butter Pound Cake":
19 Tbs (9.5 oz/275g) Unsalted butter
2 Cups (200g) Sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring/see “Note” section for cake flour substitution)
1 Tsp (5g) Baking powder
1/2 Tsp (3g) Sea salt
1/2 Cup (110g) Packed light brown sugar
1/3 Cup (75g) Granulated sugar
4 Large eggs
1/2 Tsp Pure vanilla extract

Method For the "Brown Butter Pound Cake":
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and put a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan.
2. Place the butter in a 10” (25cm) skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate brown and the butter smells nutty. (Don’t take your eyes off the butter in case it burns.) Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed, 15-30 minutes.
3. Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well, and then the vanilla extract.
5. Stir in the flour mixture at low speed until just combined.
6. Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) square pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
7. Cool in the pan 10 minutes. Run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

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CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Ingredients For The "Chocolate Glaze":
9 Oz (250g) Dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 Cup (250ml) Heavy (approx 35% butterfat) cream
1 1/2 Tbs (32g) Light corn syrup, Golden syrup, or agave nectar
2 Tsp (10ml) Pure vanilla extract (I omitted it)

Method For The "Chocolate Glaze":
1. Stir the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the dark chocolate.
2. Let sit 30 seconds, then stir to completely melt the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla and let cool until tepid before glazing the petit fours.

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HOW TO ASSEMBLE

Instructions:
1. Line a 9”x9” (23cmx23cm) pan with plastic wrap, so that no sides of the pan are exposed and so there is some extra plastic wrap hanging off the sides. Spread 1 ¾ to 2 cups (450ml to 500ml) ice cream into the pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze several hours.
2. Once the brown butter pound cake has completely cooled, level the top with a cake leveler or a serrated knife. Then split the cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers.
3. Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out onto one of the layers of cake and top with the second layer of cake. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to the freezer overnight.
4. Make the chocolate glaze (see above.).
5. While the glaze cools, trim ¾” (2cm) off each side of the ice cream cake to leave a perfectly square 7.5” (19cm) ice cream cake. Cut the cake into twenty five petit fours, each 1.5”x1.5” (4cmx4cm).

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NOTES

• While there is not a great deal of active time, this recipe cannot be easily completed in a day because of freezing time. Make the ice cream first, then the pound cake, then the glaze/meringue as stated in the assembly instructions.
• The pound cake calls for cake flour. You can make 1 cup of cake flour by placing 2 tablespoons of corn starch in a 1 cup measure, and filling to the top with all purpose flour.
• The ice cream can be flavored however you want by infusing the cream, stirring in extracts or mix ins, or folding in purees, sauces, etc.
• For the petit fours, you can also use your own recipe for fondant, poured fondant, royal icing, or marzipan. I recommend the chocolate glaze because it freezes well and balances the sweetness of the ice cream, but it does limit the scope of your decorations.

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Etant donné la longueur du texte original, je n'ai malheureusement pas pu faire une traduction française de ce billet et je m'en excuse auprès de tous mes amis lecteurs et blogueurs francophones!

C'est pourquoi je vous suggère de vous rendre sur le blog mentionné ci-dessous. Vous y trouverez cette recette en version française.

Chez Isa de "Les Gourmandises d'Isa" (Canada)
Chez Vibi de "La Casserole Carrée" (Canada)

ICE CREAM CAKE - BOMBE - DARING BAKERS

Here I am blogging about my latest Daring Bakers challenge and being once again awestruck by the way time flows. I feel as if I posted that "Chocolate Pavlovas" recipe less than a week ago. Days seems to slip through my fingers without giving me the chance to get a grip on them! No wonder I always start baking my Daring Bakers creations just before the deadline...

The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of "Sunita’s World – Life And Food" who challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a "Bombe" with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on a n ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

Making a "Bombe Glacée" (an ice cream dessert frozen in a spherical mould that appears on restaurant menus since 1882) was not much of a challenge in itself. The process, although long and fastidious was not that complicated. Swiss rolls (or Jelly Rolls) are easier to bake than they seem (it was either not the first time the I made this speciality) and the ice cream as well as hot fudge recipes used are very simple (no custard base for the ice creams) to prepare. Although my baking skills were not put to the test, my patience was grandly put to trial.

Since we were under a heatwave it was extremely annoying to have to work with ice cream as it took hours to freeze and melted every time I got it out of the freezer. And to crown the heat problems, making space in the freezer was a real brainteaser (it is so full that I cannot even add a nut!). Then, as if it was not enough, the "Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake" was a heck of a pain in the backside to photograph due to it's lack of photogeny. I somehow find there was a little too much whipped cream in each roll so when I placed the cut slices in the bowl and had to "squish" them slightly in order to make them fit in their mould, the filling spilled out and made a mess. Hence the not so neat exterior of my "Bombe" (a real nightmare for a perfectionist like me).

Anyway, the whole process went well no matter if I had to fight against the high temperatures that Mother Nature delivered or my overfull freezer. My "Swiss Roll ice Cream Cake" turned out to look not all that bad and was very enjoyable. I really loved that delightful chocolaty flavor it had, but was not so keen on the fudge filling which somehow had a kind of cardboardy flavor (I only used good Swiss Cailler cocoa, so it could not have been at the origin of it's dull taste). I used a little Kirsch to perfume the vanilla ice cream, thus adding some complexity and a lovely aroma to the dessert. This "Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake" was so successful that it took us (my boyfriend and I) no more than three eating sessions to finish it completely!

I wish to thanks Sunita for having chosen that wonderful dessert. This recipe is so good that I'll have to make it again some day!

~ Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake ~
Inspired by the recipe of the same name from the Taste of Home website.

Preparation time:
. For the 2 Swiss rolls - 30 mins each + cooling time (at least 30 minutes) before filling and rolling.
. The filling can be made while the cakes cool.
. For the ice creams - 5+10 minutes + freezing time
. For the fudge topping - 5 minutes + cooling time
. Assembly - At least an hour of freezing time between each layer (I took much more)

Equipment required:
A large mixing bowl
Spatula/mixing spoon
Sieve
A small saucepan
Containers for ice creams
Cling film/plastic wrap
Greaseproof baking paper
Food processor/grinder
Electric/hand held beaters
Whisk 2 Baking pans, 11 inches by 9 inches each
Kitchen towels
Cooling rack
A pudding bowl/any other bowl, pan in which you are going to set the dessert. I used a 2 litre capacity, 9 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep.
Freezer
Oven
Serving plate
Knife

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SWISS ROLLS

Preparation time - 10 minutes
Baking time- 10-12 minutes
Rolling and cooling time- at least 30 minutes
Filling-5-8 minutes
Filling and rolling- 5-10 minutes

Ingredients for the "Cake":
6 Medium sized Eggs
1 Cup (225g/8 oz) Caster sugar + extra for rolling
6 Tbs (45g/a pinch over 1.5 oz) All purpose (plain) flour
5 Tbs (40g/a pinch under 1.5 oz) Natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together with the flour
2 Tbs (30ml/1 fl oz) Boiling water
A little oil for brushing the pans
Ingredients for the "Filling":
2 Cups (500ml/16 fl oz) Whipping cream (35% fat)
1 Vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about 1/2 cm (or 1 Tsp pure vanilla extract)
5 Tbs (70g/2.5 oz) Caster sugar

Method For The "Cake":
1. Preheat the oven at 200° C (400° F) approximately. Brush the baking pans (28 x 23 cm/11 inches by 9 inches) with a little oil and line with greaseproof baking paper (if you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake).
2. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick (when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds). Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.
3. Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans.
4. Place a pan in the centre of the preheated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch.
5. Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it.
6. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges. Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down.
7. Repeat the same for the next cake as well.
Method for the "Filling":
1. Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together (if you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream).
2. In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick.
3. Divide the cream mixture between the completely cooled cakes.
4. Open the rolls and spread the cream mixture, making sure it does not go right to the edges (a border of 1/2 an inch should be fine).
5. In a large bowl, add the cream and vanilla-sugar mixture and beat till very thick. Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

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VANILLA ICE CREAM

Preparation time - 5 minutes+freezing (I have made the ice cream without an ice cream maker).

Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 Cups (625ml/20 fl oz) Whipping cream
1 Vanilla bean, minced or 1 Tsp (5ml/0.15 fl oz Pure vanilla extract)
1/2 Cup (115g/4oz) Granulated sugar
1 1/2 Tbs Kirsch

Method:
1. Grind together the sugar and vanilla in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, add the cream, kirsch and vanilla-sugar mixture and whisk lightly till everything is mixed together (if you are using the vanilla extract, grind the sugar on its own and then and the sugar along with the vanilla extract to the cream).
2. Pour into a freezer friendly container and freeze till firm around the edges.
3. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer (do this 3-4 times and then set completely).

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HOT FUDGE SAUCE

Preparation time - 2 minutes
Cooking time-2 minutes
Preparation time - 2 minutes
Cooking time-2 minutes
Make this just after adding the layer of vanilla ice cream to the cake.

Ingredients:
1 Cup (230g/8oz) Caster sugar
3 Tbs (24g/1.5 oz) Natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Tbs (15g/1 oz) Cornstarch
1 1/2 Cups (355ml/12 fl oz) water
1 Tbs (14g/1 oz) Unsalted butter
1 Tsp (5 ml/0.15 fl oz) Pure vanilla extract

Method:
1. In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornflour and water.
2. Place the pan over heat, and stir constantly, till it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes).
3. Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Keep aside to cool .

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CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Preparation time - 5 minutes + freezing

Ingredients:
2 Cups (500ml) Whipping cream (35% fat)
1 Cup (230g/8 oz) Caster sugar
3 Tbs (24g/1.5 oz) Natural unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
1. Grind together the sugar and the cocoa powder in a food processor.
2. In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and whisk lightly.
3. Place the pan over heat and keep stirring till it begins to bubble around the edges.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely before transferring to a freezer friendly container till firm around the edges (if you are using an ice cream maker, churn the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instruction, after the mixture has cooled completely).
5. Remove from the freezer, beat till smooth and return to the freezer (do this 3-4 times and then set completely).

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ASSEMBLING THE ICE CREAM CAKE

Method:
1. Cut the Swiss rolls into 20 equal slices (approximately 2 cms each).
2. Cover the bottom and sides of the bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with cling film/plastic wrap.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the se am sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl wi th plastic wrap and freeze till the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).
4. Soften the vanilla ice cream. Take the bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and add the ice cream on top of the cake slices. Spread it out to cover the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze till firm (at least 1 hour).
5. Add the fudge sauce over the vanilla ice cream, cover and freeze till firm (at least an hour).
6. Soften the chocolate ice cream and spread it over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .
7. Remove the plastic cover, and place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining (if the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water - the bowl will come away easily).
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

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Etant donné la longueur du texte original, je n'ai malheureusement pas pu faire une traduction française de ce billet et je m'en excuse auprès de tous mes amis lecteurs et blogueurs francophones!

C'est pourquoi je vous suggère de vous rendre sur le blog mentionné ci-dessous. Vous y trouverez cette recette en version française.

Chez Isa de "Les Gourmandises d'Isa" (Canada)
Chez Vibi de "La Casserole Carrée" (Canada)

STRAWBERRY SORBET - SORBET FRAISE

Since 2007 I have been reading so many positive comments regarding former Chez Panisse pastry chef and author David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments" that it was impossible for me to resist the temptation of trying one of his wonderful recipes before adding this book to my shopping list...

As we are getting juicy, perfectly ripe, exhaliratingly fragrant and candy-like strawberries from Switzerland and as the temperatures have risen a little (29° C/84° F) lately, I thought that it would be a great opportunity to test David's mouthwatering "Strawberry Sorbet". I mean, there isn't a better way of using strawberries without altering their natural taste and adding any overpowering flavor - it is important to be able to taste the delicate and original fragrance of the fruits used, especially if the fruits are really good).

This "Strawberry Sorbet" is very easy to make and so delicious. It is delightfully fruity, fresh, sweet and has just the right amount of tartness. The addition of Kirsch is imperceptible. This cherry spirit is totally undetectable, yet it seems to add a layer of flavor to the sorbet, a little "je ne sais quoi" and, of course, it lowers the the freezing temperature, resulting in a softer, smoothier (not icy) and fluffier texture.

I was really satisfied with this "Strawberry Sorbet" recipe. The sorbet was so heavenly that I had to make some more the next day. I am really looking forward to being the happy owner of David Lebovitz's very promising book!

~ Strawberry Sorbet ~
Recipe adapted from "The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments" by David Lebovitz, published by Ten Speed Press.

Makes about 3 cups or 750ml.

Ingredients:
500g (17 oz) Strawberries, rinsed and hull removed
3/4 Cup (150g) Castor sugar
1 Tsp Kirsch (optional/see remarks)
1 Tsp Fresh lemon juice
A pinch of sea salt

Method:
1. Cut the strawberries in small slices. Combine them with the sugar and kirsch in a medium bowl. Stir so that the sugar starts to dissolve.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic cling wrap. Refrigerate for one hour without forgetting to stir once or twice during the cooling process.
3. Put the contents of the bowl in a blender and purée the strawberries and their liquid together with the lemon juice and sea salt until it is homegenous in texture.
4. Sieve the mixture in order to remove the seeds (I didn't do that/optional).
5. Put the mixture in your ice cream maker and start churning until it is no more runny and a gelato-like dense texture.

Remarks:
You can replace the kirsch with another alcohol ou just leave it out.
It is possible to replace the alcohol by the same quantity balsamic vinegar (it enhances the flavor of strawberries).
You can also spice your sorbet with mint, basil, pepper, etc...

Serving suggestions:
Serve this sorbet with fresh berries or any fruit of your choice.
You can also accompany it with cookies (Almond Biscotti, Italian Ricotta Cookies, Tuiles, etc...) or a slice of cake (Almond Cake From Reims, Lemon Chestnut Cake, Orange Cornmeal Cake, etc...).

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~ Sorbet A La Fraise ~
Recette adaptée du livre "The Perfect Scoop: Ice Creams, Sorbets, Granitas, and Sweet Accompaniments" par David Lebovitz.

Donne 750 ml de glace.

Ingrédients:
500g Fraises, rinsées et équeutées
150g de Sucre cristallisé
1 CC de Kirsch (en option/voir remarques)
1 CC de Jus de citron frais
Une pincée de sel de mer

Méthode:
1. Couper les fraises en petits morceaux. Les mettre dans un bol et ajouter le sucre ainsi que le kirsch et bien mélanger.
2. Mettre les fraises au frigo pendant 1 heure et remuer de temps en temps afin que le sucre se dissolve.
3. Dans un mixer, réduire les fraises en une purée fine avec le citron et le sel.
4. Passer le mélange au chinois afin d'enlever les graines (je ne l'ai pas fait).
5. Mettre le mélange au frigo. Le transférer dans la sorbetière eafin d'obtenir un mélange dense et ayant la texture d'une glace.

Remarques:
Vous pouvez remplacer le kirsch par l'alcool de votre choix ou ne pas ajouter d'alcool du tout.
Il est possible de remplacer l'acool par la même quantité de vinaigre balsamique (réhausse la saveur).
A vous de voir si vous désirez épicer votre sorbet avec de la menthe, basilic, du poivre, etc...

Idées de présentation:
Servez ce sorbet avec des baies ou le(s) fruit(s) de votre choix.
Vous pouvez aussi manger ce sorbet avec des cookies (Biscotti Aux Amandes, Cookies Italiens A La Ricotta, Tuiles, etc...) ou du cake (Gâteau De Reims, Cake Au Citron Et A La Farine De Châtaigne, Cake A l'Orange Et A La Farine De Maïs, etc...).

CHOCOLATE VALENTINO - DARING BAKERS

The end of the month is getting close and, once again, all The Daring Bakers around the world are getting excited because the time has come to blog about their challenge and see what the other participants are presenting...

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of "WMPE's" blog and Dharm of "Dad ~ Baker & Chef" who 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.

At home we both are very fond of flourless chocolate cakes and ice creams, so I was really looking fowards to making this very promising dessert!

Both recipes offered much freedom of interpretation and everybody had the choice to pick the kind of chocolate they wanted (be it giandujia, white, black, milk, etc...) and flavor the cake (or not) as they wished. We also could use the ice cream recip which we fancied. So, I decided to take a darker variety of chocolate (60% cocoa) and to adapt Dharm's "Vanilla Ice Cream". And, as I'm very keen on the irresistible association between chocolate, tonka and peanut, I chose to create my own "Peanut & Tonka Ice Cream" in order to accompany the "Chocolate Valentino Cake". To add a little touch of originality, tanginess and craziness, I decorated my plates with reduced dark balsamic vinegar...

Needless to say that I was extremely pleased by the great looks and awesome taste of this delectable dessert. The flavoring were just perfect and it presented really well too.

As no sugar nor flour are added to the batter, this subtle "Chocolate Valentino Cake" isn't too sweet or even sickly as it is the case with many rich chocolate cakes. It has a strong cocoa aroma and is fluffy, very moist and almost fudgy. The "Peanut & Tonka Ice Cream" adds a layer of scrumptiousness to this luscious treat as the delicate peanutty taste as well as the heady, haunting and unusual, yet lush and pleasant tonka flavor pairs wonderfully with that of the cake. Not to forget that the texture contrast between the creamy, crunchy ice cream and the smooth chocolate cake is just heavenly!

This challenge was highly enjoyable as it was straight-forward and not too messy, nevertheless the result was fantastic on the gustatory level as much as on the visual level. A recipe I will make again and adapt according to my cravings!

I really want to thank Wendy at "WMPE's" (USA) and Dharm at "Dad ~ Baker & Chef" (Malaysia) for having chosen that gorgeous recipe and for bringing the spirit of Valentine's Day into our plates!

~ Chocolate Valentino ~
Recipe from "Sweet Treats" by Chef Wan.

Makes one cake, using a 20x20cm (8x8 inches) brownie pan.

Ingredients:
16 Oz (1 pound/454g) Semisweet chocolate (60% cocoa), roughly chopped
1/2 Cup (1 stick) plus
2 Tbs (146 grams total) Unsalted butter
5 Large eggs (~63g), separated

Method:
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.
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.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 190° C (375° F).
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 60°C (140° F).
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Remarks:
Do not over-whip the cake or it will be dry.
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.

Serving suggestions:
Serve this cake with whipped cream or ice cream (see recipe below).

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~ Peanut And Tonka Ice Cream ~
Recipe based on a recipe from the "Ice Cream Book" by Joanna Farrow and Sara Lewis, and freely adapted by Rosa @ Rosa's Yummy Yums 2009.

Ingredients:
1 Tsp Pure vanilla paste
300ml (1 1/4 Cups) Whole milk
300ml (1 1/4 Cups) Heavy Cream (35% fat)
1/4 Tsp Ground tonka bean
4 Large egg yolks
75g (6 Tbs) castor sugar
2 Tsps Cornsarch
4 Tbs Smooth peanut butter
3 Tbs Cream
1 Tbs Caramel sauce (see recipe)
3/4 Cup Salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

Method:
1. Pour the milk and the cream into a heavy based saucepan, add the vanilla paste and ground tonka, and bring to the boil.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl until the mixture is thick and foamy.
3. Gradually pour in the hot milk/cream mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over a gentle hear, stirring all the time
4. When the custard is thicke and smooth, pour it back into the bowl and let cool 10 minutes.
5. Mix together the peanut butter and the 3 tbs cream. Add the peanut butter mixture and the caramel sauce to the warm custard and whisk well.
6. Cool the peanut butter custard and, then chill.
7. Put into an ice cream machine and churn the mixture until thick, about 30 minutes (see instructions on your ice cream maker).
8. Mix in the chopped peanuts and freeze for 6 hours or until firm enough to scoop.

Remarks:
Don't add the peanut butter mixture if the custard is too hot.

Serving suggestions:
Top the "Chocolate Valentino Cake" with a generous scoop of "Peanut & Tonka Ice Cream".

To see my other Daring Bakers' challenges, please click here.

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Etant donné la longueur du texte original, je n'ai malheureusement pas pu faire une traduction française de ce billet et je m'en excuse auprès de tous mes amis lecteurs et blogueurs francophones!

C'est pourquoi je vous suggère de vous rendre sur les blogs mentionnés ci-dessous. Vous y trouverez cette recette en version française.

Chez Vibi de "La Casserole Carrée" (Canada)
Chez Isa de "Les Gourmandises d'Isa" (Canada)