Stardust Chef: January 2011

The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

I made a Coffee Mousse Entremet with a chocolate glaze.

Here's how:

COCOA Décor Paste Variation: Reduce cake flour to 6 oz / 170g. Add 2 oz/ 60 g cocoa powder. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together before adding to creamed mixture.

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand)
Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.
Fold in sifted flour.
Tint batter with coloring to desired color, if not making cocoa variation.

Preparing the Joconde- How to make the pattern:

Spread a thin even layer of décor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto silicone baking mat with a spatula, or flat knife. Place mat on an upside down baking sheet. The upside down sheet makes spreading easier with no lip from the pan.
Pipe or Pattern the décor paste – Here is where you can be creative. Make horizontal /vertical lines (you can use a knife, spatula, cake/pastry comb). Squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grains. Be creative whatever you have at home to make a design can be used. OR use a piping bag. Pipe letters, or polka dots, or a piped design. If you do not have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one.
Freeze until hard

Joconde Sponge

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan
Ingredients:
¾ cup/ 180 ml/ 3oz/ 85g almond flour/meal - *You can also use hazelnut flour, just omit the butter
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/ 150 ml/ 2⅔ oz/ 75g confectioners' (icing) sugar
¼ cup/ 60 ml/ 1 oz/ 25g cake flour *See note below
3 large eggs - about 5⅓ oz/ 150g
3 large egg whites - about 3 oz/ 90g
2½ teaspoons/ 12½ ml/ ⅓ oz/ 10g white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar
2 tablespoons/ 30 ml/ 1oz / 30g unsalted butter, melted
*Note: How to make cake flour: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/
Directions:

In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.
Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)
On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )

Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.

Spread the Jaconde batter over the frozen decor paste.

Bake in 350 degree oven until cooked through.

Line a mould with plastic wrap and put parchment paper around the sides. Then cut the sponge to measure so it fits snuggly in the cake pan. Freeze the sponge while prepping the mousse.

Coffee Mousse

5 oz brewed coffee

5 oz sugar

5 yolks

2 gelatin sheets

12 fl oz heavy cream

Make a sabayon by heating the first three ingredients over a bain marie. Stir constantly until the mixture feels hot to the touch. Then put in a stand mixer and whisk until cold.

Whip the cream and hydrate the gelatin. Squeeze the water out of the gelatin and heat it up till melted. Fold into the sabayon, then fold in whipped cream. Pour the mousse into the sponge. If you want you can add a second cake layer down the middle, just like in the photo below. Then top with more mousse.

Freeze until set, then make a ganache and drizzle over the mousse. (Heat up 1 part cream to 1.5 parts chocolate.)

Freeze until set. Then you can unmould and decorate the top as desired.

Enjoy!!

Patterned Joconde-Décor Paste

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan
Ingredients
14 tablespoons/ 210ml/ 7oz/ 200g unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups plus1½ tablespoons/ 385ml/ 7oz/ 200g Confectioners' (icing) sugar
7 large egg whites - about 7 oz / 200g
1¾ cup/ 420ml/ 7¾ oz/ 220g cake flour
Food coloring gel, paste or liquid

If you read my blogpost from November you'll see the history of the Macarons and the recipe for them.. However, I wasn't too pleased with the result and decided to try again.. and with success this time!!

So here we go again...

The recipe this time is

2 3/4 cups almond flour
2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup egg whites
pinch salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Gel paste color

1. Sift the first 2 ingredients together. (this is super important!)
2. Whip the whites with salt to soft peaks.
3. Add granulated sugar and gel color and whip to stiff peaks.
4. Fold the dry with the whites till well incorporated.

Using a large/ wide tip, pipe dollops onto a piece of parchment. (Make sure the tip is wide, a small tip will deflate the whites.)

Let them rest for 30 minutes or until they feel dry when you touch them. Or at least make sure they don't stick to your fingers! This way you will be guaranteed lovely 'feet.'

When you bake them at 300F make sure they are well spread out. Bake for 15 minutes. After the first 5 minutes let the steam out of the oven for a few seconds.

Allow them to cool on a rack before pulling them off the parchment!