Category Archives: Pastry Basics

Profiteroles aux Deux Chocolats – Profiteroles with White and Dark Chocolate Sauces

Profiteroles at Cafe du Soleil - Photo by Philippe Touitou

Profiteroles are one of the most popular desserts at Cafe du Soleil, especially during the hot summer months. They have the elements of any great ice cream dish – ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The French add a nice crisp “pate a choux” (which literally translates to “cabbage pastry” , based on the shape of the cooked product). It’s an easy dough to make at home once you get the hang of it. There really are few pitfalls so please try it with confidence. Even though the recipe may look complicated – it’s not. At Cafe du Soleil we serve them with two sauces – white and dark chocolate, but you can just as easily serve it with one.

After seeing the beautiful photo above done by Philippe Touitou I dare you not to try this recipe!!

Profiteroles aux Deux Chocolats

Serves 6 – Pastry recipe makes about 12 large “Choux Puffs” so you will have an extra 6 for another round of profiteroles, or fill with whipped cream and dust with powdered sugar for cream puffs! They freeze well but you should “recrisp” them in oven after defrosting.

Pastry:

1/2 cup water

2 ozs butter, unsalted

pinch salt

1/2 cup (about 2 1/2 ozs) all purpose flour

2 large eggs

Profiteroles:

6 large scoops of your favorite vanilla ice cream

2 cups whipped cream

strawberries, powdered sugar, and mint for garnish

Chocolate Sauces:

Dark:

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate,  finely chopped (better quality chocolate = better sauce)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup light corn syrup

White:

4 ounces white chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

Method:

Choux pastry:

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set up a heavy-duty mixer with the paddle attachment.

Combine the water, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour all at once, and stir rapidly with a stiff heatproof spatula or wooden spoon until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan and the bottom of the pan is clean, with no dough sticking to it.

Enough moisture must evaporate from the dough to allow it to absorb more fat when the eggs are added. Continue to stir for about 2-3 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent the dough from coloring. A thin coating will form on the bottom and sides of the pan. When enough moisture has evaporated, steam will rise from the dough and there will be the nutty aroma of cooked flour.

Transfer the dough to the mixer bowl and mix for a minute to release some of the heat from the dough. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next one; scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Place the dough in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 12 disks about 2 1/2 inches across and about 1/2 inch thick on the baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them, as they will expand when baked. You may need an additional baking sheet in order not to crowd them too much.

Bake the puffs for 10 minutes, turn the sheet around, turn the oven down to 350°F, and bake 15 minutes more. Remove one puff and break it open: It should be hollow inside and not gooey or eggy; if it is still moist, return it to the oven and check in 5 minutes. Cool the puffs completely on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container until serving time.

Chocolate Sauces:

Technique is the same for both sauces (minus the corn syrup in the white chocolate sauce) -

Place the chocolate in a metal bowl.

Combine the cream and corn syrup in a small  saucepan and bring to a simmer. Pour the liquid over the chocolate and allow it to sit for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the chocolate has melted. Whisk to combine. Allow the sauce to cool slightly, then pour into a bowl or other container.

To serve:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Warm the chocolate sauces in a double boiler or a microwave. Split each profiterole in half,  and warm on a baking sheet in the oven until crisp.

Place bottom half of each puff on serving plate. Place a large scoop of ice cream in the bottom half of each profiterole and top with the lid. Spoon the sauces over and decorate each plate with a generous amount of whipped cream, a few strawberries, powdered sugar, and mint.

Now tell me what could be bad about that?!!!

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Almost Everything You Need To Know To Make Great Brownies

 

 

I have a deep-rooted biological need for chocolate at 3 pm on a daily basis. I think that recognizing that this is beyond my control makes it much easier to swallow (sorry – I couldn’t resist that one – uhoh I think that’s a pun on a pun – dangerous territory for sure!!)

Anyway, I think this comes from my father’s side of the family since as a kid I remember him hitting the chocolate about this time of day like clockwork. He was happy with a handful of chocolate chips or some other simple form of chocolate. But I prefer something with a little more “there” there. And probably my favorite way to indulge my chocolate requirement is a great brownie.

After much research I have found that brownie greatness is pretty subjective. Fudgy texture, cakey texture, sweetness, nuts or no-nuts, other additional ingredients, shiny top, crunchy top – these are all variations that come into play in brownies and everyone has their own favorites.

So my goal here is to show you how to achieve the brownie you want – which I hope you will be eternally grateful for (or just buy my cookbook when it comes out – either way I’ll be happy).

My version of a perfect brownie is one that is fudgy and slighty chewy, not too sweet, with a thin shiny crust on top – no nuts or anything else added in. So that’s the recipe I will start with. Then I will give you a more cakey brownie recipe which uses a different mixing technique called the “creaming” method.

As ususal I am giving you the recipes in ratio format and in traditional format. The ratio format should make it easier to remember the recipe. It should also help you understand the proportions needed to achieve a particular result.

 

Fudgy and Chewy Brownies:

Yield of “Suggested Amounts” is about 16 brownies

Ratio Amount               Suggested Amounts                        Ingredient

By Weight

     1 Part                               8 ozs                                Chocolate, Bittersweet,

                                                                                     Cut into small pieces

     1 Part                               8 ozs                                Sugar, Granulated

    1/2 Part                            4 ozs                                Butter, Unsalted

    1/2 Part                            4 ozs (2)                           Eggs, Extra Large, lightly beaten

    1/4 -1/2 Part                   2 – 4 ozs                          Flour, All Purpose, sifted

                                                                                     (less flour will give fudgier texture)

       x                                    2 tsp.                               Vanilla Extract, Pure

       x                                    1/4 tsp                             Salt

       x                                    1/4 tsp                             Baking Powder (optional if you want

                                                                                      a sightly less fudgy texture)

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F

Melt chocolate, sugar, and butter in a mixing bowl set over (but not touching) a pan of simmering water until fully melted but not too hot. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs, salt, and vanilla extract. Then blend in flour gently (don’t overmix).

Pour batter into a 9″ square greased baking pan (glass or aluminum). You can line the pan with parchment paper (which needs to be buttered also) for easier removal after baking.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean (if it’s clean the brownies are overbaked).

Let cool slightly then remove brownies from pan and cool on a cooling rack. Cut into desired shapes after cooling (if you can wait that long – I know I can’t!!)

 

Light and Cakey Brownies

Ratio Amount               Suggested Amounts               Ingredient

By Volume

1 Part                               1 cup (2 sticks)              Butter, Unsalted, Softened

1 Part                               1 cup                             Sugar, Granulated

1 Part                               1 cup                             Cocoa Powder

1 Part                               1 cup (4)                        Eggs, Extra Large, lightly beaten

1 Part                               1 cup                             Flour, All Purpose

   x                                   1 tsp                             Vanilla Extract

   x                                   1 tsp                             Baking Powder

   x                                   1/4 tsp                         Salt

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, salt, and vanilla and blend until combined. Add flour (sifted with baking powder) and mix gently by hand until just combined (don’t overmix).

Pour batter into a 9″ square greased baking pan (glass or aluminum). You can line the pan with parchment paper (which needs to be buttered also) for easier removal after baking.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool slightly then remove brownies from pan and cool on a cooling rack. Cut into desired shapes after cooling.

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Mixed Berry Gratin with Champagne Sabayon

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite desserts at Cafe du Soleil – it’s so light that it makes the perfect ending to a big meal. This same sabayon technique can be used for savory dishes. You would just make the Champagne sabayon described below, omitting the sugar in both the sabayon and in the whipped cream. And I usually add a little finely chopped shallots in with the yolks and Champagne. Spread over steamed asparagus (or lump crabmeat and asparagus), sprinkled with a little grated Parmesan cheese and browned under the broiler, it makes a very professional looking (and great tasting) appetizer.

 

 

 

Mixed Berry Gratin with Champagne Sabayon            Yield: 4 servings

 

Ingredients:

Ratio                 Weight               Volume          Ingredient

1 part                4 ozs                     (4)             Egg Yolks, XL

1 part                4 ozs                 (1/2 cup)      Champagne,       

1 Tbsp/yolk       4 Tbsp              (1/4 cup)       Sugar, Granulated

 

Add-Ins:          1 cup                 Whipped Cream (lightly sweetened)

                         2 cups               Mixed Fresh Berries

                                                   Fresh mint for garnish

 

Method:

 

1)       Fill a medium saucepan half full with water and bring to a simmer.

2)       Combine yolks, Champagne, and sugar in a medium stainless steel or heat resistant glass bowl. Whisk together for a few minutes until well blended.

3)       Place mixing bowl over simmering water (it should not touch the water) and whisk for about 10 – 15 minutes until the mixture about triples in volume. Don’t let the mixture get too hot or it will scramble the eggs (in other words if you see steam rising from the surface it’s getting too hot). The finished texture should be like lightly whipped cream.

4)       The sabayon can be served warm at this point, or chilled.

5)    When cold, fold in whipped cream and set aside. This can be made well in advance if you like and kept cold until ready to use.

6)    While the sabayon is chilling, clean berries and arrange           decoratively on four plates.

7)       When ready to serve, place plates in a 350F oven to warm for about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon sabayon mixture evenly over the berries. Place plates under the broiler until sabayon is lightly browned, or use a blowtorch to brown them as you would for a Crème Brulee. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs.

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Sorry For the Long Absence – I’m Back with a Pancake Recipe Variation

Hey all,

Sorry for the long absence of posting – I was away on an amazing vacation in Egypt (more on that later when I have time to post some pictures) and I have been really busy with my restaurants and catering.

 

In any event – a quick post that will give you a great new idea for pancakes. I had these at my friends Jenn and Jim’s house in Cairo – it is a Saturday morning tradition for them to make a big pancake breakfast for themselves and their 4 young kids.

Jim is in charge of the cooking duties and he does something very smart – he makes his batter the night before using yeast instead of baking powder. The pancakes from this batter have a lovely spongey texture and a slight yeast flavor, and half of the work is done the night before so all you have to do in the morning is heat up your pan or griddle and cook the pancakes. The batter can be kept overnight in the refrigerator or in a cool place in your kitchen (if you have one) and then brought back to room temperature (or used directly from the fridge) in the morning.

 

The recipe is basically the same ratio as the previous one I posted but I will give it to you again here:

 

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Yeast Pancakes

 

2 cups Milk (I use half fresh milk and half buttermilk)

2 Eggs (Extra Large)

2 cups Flour (I use half whole wheat flour and half white flour)

Leavening – 1 tsp Dry Yeast

Sweeteneing – 2 tsp Sugar

Fat – 2 ozs Butter (1/2 stick)

Plus 1 tsp Salt

Method:

Warm the milk to about 100F and add the sugar and yeast. Melt the butter and add to milk. Lightly beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and add the milk mixture, then the flour. Stir until combined then add the salt.

Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator overnight or leave at room temperature for an hour to let yeast develop.

Cook as you would any other pancakes.

Serve with your favorite topping.

Makes about 12 medium sized pancakes.

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Basic Muffin and Pancake Recipes

I made some breakfast muffins the other day and while looking over the recipe I had an Aha!! moment (even after 25 years of cooking professionally I still get those once in a while). I realized that the recipe for muffins that I was reading was almost exactly the same as my recipe for pancakes.

 

I like to base my recipes on a uniform amount of flour so that I can see how different baked goods resemble each other. I usually start with 2 cups of flour (which is a nice friendly amount) and go from there. So if I am trying a new recipe I will often convert it to this amount first. After doing this with the muffin recipe that I wanted to try I saw that the ingredients and technique for a good basic muffin were essentially the same as those for pancakes but with half the liquid, and more butter (depending on your pancake recipe). So I thought I would present these two recipes for you so you can see for yourself.

 

My idea of a good muffin, by the way, is one that is tender, not too sweet, and is light and moist. A good muffin will pack in enough healthy ingredients to give you a good start to the day, in a super-convenient, eat on the run format.  Most commercially made muffins are either cupcakes-minus-the-frosting or dry-as-cardboard low-fat monstrosities that even the tallest grande coffee will have a hard time moistening. And it’s so easy to make your own muffins at home once a week and freeze them so that you have a good nutritious breakfast ready when you want it.

Basic Muffin Recipe: (Yield 12 medium sized muffins) 

Dry Ingredients:

 

2 cups (10 ozs.)  Flour – I use ½ Whole Wheat and ½ All Purpose (for most accurate measuring weigh flour)

3 tsp.  Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

Spices as desired

 

 

 

Wet Ingredients:

 

2 Eggs, Extra Large

1 cup (8 ozs.) Milk, Whole or 2%

½ cup (4 ozs.) Vegetable Oil

½ cup (4 ozs.) Sugar

 

Add-Ins:

1 – 2 cups of fresh or dried fruits, nuts, oats, bran, grated vegetables (i.e. carrots, zucchini), chocolate chips, etc. Moisture content of these items varies so you may need to experiment with quantities.

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 350F.

1) Weigh flour, then mix with remaining dry ingredients. Sift these together either with a sifter, or by putting them in the food processor for a few minutes (both techniques will aerate the flour which is the goal here).

2) Whisk eggs and sugar together in a small bowl, then add oil and milk.

3) Add wet ingredients to dry and mix together gently to just combine – do not over-mix batter. Fold in any additional ingredients. Fill muffin cups (sprayed with nonstick spray) with batter.

4) Bake for about 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

  

Basic Pancake Recipe: (Yields about 12 Medium Pancakes)

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups (10 ozs.) Flour – All Purpose (or ½ Whole Wheat and ½ All Purpose)

2 tsp.  Baking Powder = 1 tsp. per cup flour

1 tsp. Salt

 

Wet Ingredients:

2 Eggs, Extra Large = 1 egg per cup flour

2 cups (16 ozs.) Milk, Whole or 2% = 1 cup milk per cup flour

4 Tbsp. (2 ozs.) Butter, melted

4 Tbsp. (2 ozs.) Sugar

 

Add-Ins:

1 cup of fresh fruits, chocolate chips, cottage cheese, etc.

Butter or non-stick spray for griddle

 

Method:

1)      Preheat electric griddle or frying pan (I prefer cast iron for even heat).

2)      Prepare batter in same manner as for muffins, blending dry and wet ingredients separately then combining until just mixed.

3)      If possible let batter rest for 30 – 60 minutes. The pancakes will be noticeably fluffier and more tender if you allow this resting time.

4)      Spread a small dab of butter over surface of griddle (or spray with cooking spray) and ladle batter onto griddle. Let cook until bubbles appear throughout the surface, then flip over and cook the other side. Serve with your preferred topping.

 

Now just a few words about why I consider these recipes to be so similar.

 

1)      They use the same method of mixing the batter.

2)      The ingredients are virtually the same but the quantities differ. The main difference is that the muffins use ½ as much liquid resulting in a thicker batter. Some recipes do bake pancake batter in the oven (think baked apple pancakes) but that requires a baking dish to contain the batter.

3)      Muffins use a little more leavening since the batter is thicker.

4)      Muffins sometimes use more fat (in this case oil since we’re trying to be healthy in the morning) since they are baked rather than on a griddle with additional fat, and they use more sugar since they usually aren’t smothered in maple syrup. But remember sugar is always adjustable based on your taste so use less if you want.

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Pie Dough (Unsweetened) – Pate Brisee

You can use this recipe whichever way you feel most comfortable.

Look how much easier it is to remember the recipe by heart when you use the ratio amounts based on the weight measurements  rather than trying to remember the exact volume amounts.

To me the percentage approach is even easier to remember, and it makes it a bit simpler to think about substituting ingredients as you like to suit your taste and your imagination.  Don’t worry that the percentages don’t add up to 100 %. The fat and liquid percentages are based on the flour weight, ie the 5 ozs. butter =50% of 10 ozs. flour, and the 3 ozs. liquid (1 egg=2 ozs. +1 oz. water) = 30% of 10 ozs. flour. In Professional lingo this would be called a dough with 30% hydration, and  a 50% fat ratio.

 If you want more information on dough hydration see my notes after the recipe below.

So, to paraphrase the famous slogan, JUST (get in the kitchen and) DO IT!!Take my word – you’ll be glad you did. 

Yield = Two 9” Pie Shells = 18 ozs. Dough = 1 oz Dough per 1” Size of Pie Pan 

Volume                   Weight                                                                   %                      Volume

Measure                Measure                Ingredients                          Ratio                      Ratio             

 2Cups                   10ozs.                   Flour, All  Purpose                ——–                    1Part

                                                               plus pinch of Salt                                                                   

1 Stick +                 5 ozs.                   Butter, or Shortening              50%                  ½ Part

2 Tbsp.                                                   Or a Combination                  of Flour                                    

1 each                     2 ozs.                     Egg, Extra Large                   30%                     1/3 Part

2 Tbsp.                   1 oz.                        Water or Milk                       of Flour                                   

 

The method for this dough is explained in the video, so please watch that.
We will go over baking the shell and what to use it for in the next post.

So have your dough ready in the freezer for then!!

You can change the % ratios easily. If you like a richer dough – use 60,  70, or even 80% butter (that glorious French favorite Puff Pastry is about 100% fat to flour ratio – but nobody makes that at home – or even in most restaurants – anymore because it takes forever and the store-bought frozen version is a good substitute. I can’t say that for the store-bought frozen pie crusts which I find to have no flavor and a dry texture. And besides it’s so easy to make them at home and freeze for future use).

If you want a stronger dough increase the hydration so you have more liquid to bind with the flour. You can try different amounts and see what you prefer best, or what works best for a given type of pie. If you have a more liquid filling then you may want a slighter stronger dough. The name of this dough in French (Pate Brisee, pronounced “pat bree-zay”) means “Broken Pastry” which most likely refers to the fact that it is a bit fragile once baked.

You can add some sugar to this recipe if you want to sweeten it.  A traditional Sweet dough (Pate Sable Sucree) for a fruit tart has about 25% hydration (usually in the form of just egg) and about 60% fat (usually only butter), and it is sweetened with about 20% sugar (as always, based on the flour). So for the recipe above you would add 2 ozs. sugar which is about 1/4 cup. The name of this dough in French (Pate Sucree -pronounced “pat soo-cray”) means “Sandy Pastry” and refers to the texture resembling sand when baked – think of a sand-cookie or a shortbread.

 

 

 

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Basic Sponge Cake Recipe

It can be so easy to remember a recipe when you are aware of the ratio of the ingredients to each other.

This Sponge Cake recipe is the one that opened my eyes as to how you can (and should) simplify a recipe to make it easier to remember. More importantly, in doing so I think it takes some of the fear away from trying to make a seemingly complicated dish.

This recipe has many variations and uses. The same formula can be used as a plain but delicious Vanilla Sponge Cake, the cake for a Jelly Roll, the cake for a Christmas Yule Log, a Chocolate Sponge Cake, etc.

Here’s what you need to remember:

For One 8” Cake or One Cookie Sheet

6 Eggs, Extra Large

6 ozs. Sugar

6 ozs. Butter, unsalted

6 ozs. Flour

That’s the basic recipe.

You can memorize that easily, and the only thing you need to remember besides that is to add a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract. If you are making a chocolate sponge just add 2 heaping Tbsps. of cocoa powder.

The recipe that I illustrate below is the Chocolate Sponge Roll which I will be using to make my Yule Logs on Tuesday. 

OK so besides the formula you obviously need instructions on how to make the cake. If you are like me then you can remember techniques quite easily. I’m fine on my own once I have made something after having been shown how to do it properly.

One way to simplify communication in baking is by categorizing each type of cake based on the method of preparation.

This cake is made using the Sponge Method. So once you have made this cake you will have mastered one of the major cake methods!

1.    Preheat oven to 350 F.

2.   Warm the eggs, sugar, and vanilla in your mixing bowl. Do this by immersing the bowl in hot water but be careful not to let the eggs cook at all – you just need to bring them to about 110 degrees which should just feel warm to the touch. Warming the eggs increases the amount of air that you can whip into them.

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3.   Melt the butter in a saucepan.

4.   Sift the flour and salt together (with the cocoa powder if using).

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5.   Whip the eggs at high speed about 5 minutes – you cant over-whip them because they will reach a certain height in the bowl and then they wont go any higher.

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6.   Remove the whisk from the bowl and, using a rubber spatula, fold in one third of the butter, and one third of the flour. When adding the flour try to add it slowly so that it forms an even layer on the surface before you begin your folding.

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Repeat until all the butter and flour are incorporated. Don’t over mix; it’s OK if there are small lumps of flour in the batter.

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7.    Pour the batter into your cake pan or cookie sheet (buttered and sugared). Spread batter evenly in pan.

 114-1469_img-small.jpg

Bake about 30 minutes for an 8” cake, or about 10 minutes for a sponge roll. Either way a toothpick or knife inserted into the cake at the center should come out clean.

8.   Turn cake out onto a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. 

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I hope that the way that I have presented this recipe will take the fear out of trying it. Please send me feedback as to how it could be simpler, or if more explanation is needed in any area.Let me know if you tried it and it worked out well, or if you had any problems. 

 

 

Remember:

Cooking should be One Part Knowledge and Two Parts Fun!

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