use real butter

It is Daring Bakers time again, kids. This month’s challenge was hosted by the lovely Chris of Mele Cotte. She chose a filbert gateau with praline buttercream, by Carol Walter. Thank you, Chris, for hosting this month! Be sure to have a looksee at the rest of the Daring Bakers’ creations!

the daring bakers: we knead to bake

I am quite the fan of hazelnuts, so I was pleased to see a hazelnut-based recipe for the challenge. Of course, I only skimmed the recipe before getting started. It goes like this every month. I skim the recipe and think everything looks pretty good. Then I select a day when I have the time to devote to the challenge. Then I get started.

if you can buy them skinned, do so

pulsing the hazelnuts with flour and cornstarch

The hazelnut genoise had several steps to it. I used to be all about following the recipe. Now I know better. I am all about making my life not suck. I like to purchase hazelnuts that are already skinned if possible, because I have skinned hazelnuts before and it drives me to insanity.

pretty yellow yolks

beaten to ribbon stage

The genoise required pulsing the nuts into a meal, beating egg yolks to ribbon stage, and beating egg whites to a meringue. Then all of this was incorporated together in the most annoying little itty bitty steps. I think Carol is all about little itty bitty steps. The woman has too much time on her hands. I think if she had been in the kitchen standing next to me during my challenge, I would have throttled her.

fold this into that

fold the nutmeal into the batter, one itty bitty bit at a freaking time

Carol is really into adding ingredients a little at a time. Her recipe made me cuss a lot, not to mention it was a very hot day, so I cussed some more. Then I took the blasted cake out of the oven and I had some choice words for no one in particular.

POS

The cake cratered in the middle, although it was completely set. I’m sure it was the altitude as everything folded just fine and I had no settling or stratification of nuts from the egg. And when I inverted it (after loosening the sides and most of the base), the center still stuck to the bottom of the pan. When I was greasing and flouring the pan, I did give pause and considered using a parchment base like I do with every other genoise I make, but I stupidly trusted the recipe. Goddammit. Instead of a 10-inch cake, I had to scavenge the damn thing for as many 3-inch layers as possible. This was starting to piss me off. At $10 a pound for hazelnuts, there was no way in hell I even considered baking it a second time. Screw that.

swiss meringue buttercream, my way

When I read the recipe instructions for the Swiss meringue buttercream, more profanity ensued. By now I was no longer in a mood to entertain following the instructions anymore. The cake had cratered, it was hot, and I still had what? a gazillion more steps and Carol Walter had it in her head to add the sugar to the egg whites one microgram at a time? No thanks, lady. I used the Swiss meringue buttercream technique I learned in my pastry class.

Call me pissy, but I wasn’t going to make praline paste either. Did I mention that the heat makes me cranky? Yessireebob, it does. I had hazelnut butter in the fridge and I used that to make my praline buttercream. Not only does Carol Walter appear to have infinite time to add sugar to egg whites or nut meal to cake batter in tiny little increments, but she must also enjoy generating and washing thousands of dishes. I hate her.

piping whipped cream

glazing the cakes

I had serious issues with the structural composition of the cake(s). Whipped cream on top of buttercream in between layers? Carol doesn’t say to add a crumb coat, but that is exactly what we needed instead of applying warm apricot glaze to the whole cake. Why? Because that warm apricot glaze just melted the buttercream on contact and refused to adhere to the sides. Great idea, Carol. GREAT. I was only able to glaze the tops of the cakes with apricot glaze. And for the chocolate ganache glaze, I did a 1:1 chocolate to whipping cream because I was fed up with the recipe.

In the end, I thought the concept was a nice one, but the recipe blew. Maybe if it were winter, I would have been more receptive. But the execution of this whole thing seemed to be far more complicated than it needed to be to achieve these results. I am not one who likes to make my life more difficult than necessary, and Carol Walter made my life more difficult than necessary. She is forever banned from my kitchen. Overall, I thought the cake was okay - not awesome, not terrible.

it wasn’t easy getting here

verdict: meh

Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream
from Great Cakes by Carol Walter

1 Filbert Genoise
1 recipe sugar syrup, flavored with dark rum
1 recipe Praline Buttercream
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 recipe Apricot Glaze
1 recipe Ganache Glaze, prepared just before using
3 tablespoons filberts, toasted and coarsely chopped

filbert genoise
Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

1 ½ cups hazelnuts, toasted/skinned
2/3 cup cake flour, unsifted
2 tbsp cornstarch
7 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, divided ¼ & ¾ cups
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp grated lemon rind
5 large egg whites
¼ cup warm, clarified butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10” X 2” inch round cake pan. [Jen’s notes: use a parchment circle in the bottom of the pan and butter over that.]

Using a food processor, process nuts, cake flour, and cornstarch for about 30 seconds. Then, pulse the mixture about 10 times to get a fine, powdery mixture. You’ll know the nuts are ready when they begin to gather together around the sides of the bowl. While you want to make sure there aren’t any large pieces, don’t over-process. Set aside.

Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add ¾ cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside.

Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another ½ minute. Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute.

Pour the warm butter in a liquid measure cup (or a spouted container). * It must be a deep bottom bowl and work must be fast.* Put the nut meal in a mesh strainer (or use your hand – working quickly) and sprinkle it in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 Tbsp. of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds.

With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. **If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking.

Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely.

*If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

sugar syrup
Makes 1 cup, good for one 10-inch cake – split into 3 layers

1 cup water
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp dark rum or orange flavored liqueur

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. *Can be made in advance.

praline buttercream
1 recipe Swiss Buttercream
1/3 cup praline paste [Jen’s note: I used hazelnut butter]
1 ½ - 2 tbsp Jamaican rum (optional)

Blend ½ cup buttercream into the paste, then add to the remaining buttercream. Whip briefly on med-low speed to combine. Blend in rum.

swiss meringue buttercream
[Jen’s note: I didn’t use this method, I followed the quantities, but used this method for swiss meringue buttercream instead.]

4 large egg whites
¾ cup sugar
1 ½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly firm
1 ½ -2 tbsp Grand Marnier or liqueur of your choice
1 tsp vanilla

Place the egg whites in a large bowl of a electric mixer and beat with the whisk attachment until the whites are foamy and they begin to thicken (just before the soft peak stage). Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water, making sure the bowl is not touching the water. Then, whisk in the sugar by adding 1-2 tablespoon of sugar at a time over a minutes time. Continue beating 2-3 minutes or until the whites are warm (about 120 degrees) and the sugar is dissolved. The mixture should look thick and like whipped marshmallows. Remove from pan and with either the paddle or whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and sugar on med-high until its a thick, cool meringue – about 5-7 minutes. *Do not overbeat*. Set aside.

Place the butter in a separate clean mixing bowl and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed for 40-60 seconds, or until smooth and creamy. *Do not overbeat or the butter will become too soft.*

On med-low speed, blend the meringue into the butter, about 1-2 Tbsp. at a time, over 1 minute. Add the liqueur and vanilla and mix for 30-45 seconds longer, until thick and creamy.

Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before using.

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, store in 2 16-oz. plastic containers and thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for several hours.

praline paste
[Jen’s note: I skipped this process and subbed hazelnut butter.]

1 cup (4 ½ oz) hazelnuts, skinned and toasted
2/3 cup sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter. Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. **Remember – extremely hot mixture.** Then onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cook dry place. Do not refrigerate.

apricot glaze
Good for one 10-inch cake

2/3 cup thick apricot preserves
1 tbsp water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.

Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake while the cake is still warm. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

ganache glaze
Makes about 1 cup, enough to cover the top and sides of a 9 or 10 inch layer or tube cake

6 oz (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt
6 oz. heavy cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tbsp Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or dark Jamaican rum (optional)
¾ tsp vanilla
½ - 1 tsp hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur/rum together and set aside.

Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the basket of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reached a gentle boil. Once to the gently boil, immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assemby: Cut a cardboard disk slightly smaller than the cake. Divide the cake into 3 layers and place the first layer top-side down on the disk. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layer with 3-4 Tbsp. of warm sugar syrup. Measure out 1 cup of praline buttercream and set aside.

Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the remaining buttercream. Cover with ½ of the whipped cream, leaving ¼-inch border around the edge of the cake. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spreading with buttercream. Cover with the remaining whipped cream.

Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Lift the cake by sliding your palm under the cardboard. Holding a serrated or very sharp night with an 8-ich blade held parallel to the sides of the cake, trim the sides so that they are perfectly straight. Cut a slight bevel at the top to help the glaze drip over the edge. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache.

Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing.

To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a #114 large leaf tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream. Stating ½ inch from the outer edge of the cake, position the pastry tube at a 90 degree angle with the top almost touching the top of the cake. Apply pressure to the pastry bag, moving it slightly toward the center of the cake. As the buttercream flows on the cake, reverse the movement backward toward the edge of the cake and finish by pulling the bag again to the center. Stop applying pressure and press the bag downward, then quickly pull the tip up to break the flow of frosting. Repeat, making 12 leaves evenly spaced around the surface of the cake.

Make a second row of leaves on the top of the first row, moving the pastry bag about ¾ inch closer to the center. The leaves should overlap. Make a 3rd row, moving closer and closer to the center. Add a 4th row if you have the room. But, leave a 2-inch space in the center for a chopped filbert garnish. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving.

Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Funny how just a few weeks ago some of my bloggy buds were all, “Dooode, you are blogging daily and I can’t keep up witchyoo, yo!” And I’m all like, “Laydeeeez, I’m on another steroid dose for my side-effects and I can’t sleep, so I just keep a bloggin’!” Okay, well that ended abruptly this past weekend because I replaced blogging with doing everything else. Seriously though, we were just entertaining my ILs this weekend. Still, I’m breaking it down into a few posts since they involve… FOOD!

Last year, Jeremy’s folks were out to visit us about a week before I got my diagnosis. It was also the weekend of MIL’s bday. I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday and she replied she’d like to bake a cake with me! MIL likes to bake and I had just completed a pastry skills course that summer at the culinary school (my reward for defending my PhD dissertation), so she wanted to try one of the recipes I had learned. We made a lovely Lemon Mousseline Torte. Thing is… FIL is a chocolate fiend. Not just that he likes chocolate, but he won’t touch anything else if there *isn’t* chocolate in it. Okay, that isn’t entirely true. If it is a hunk of meat… perhaps FIL should meet Mr. SGCC - aka Caveman, Susan? :)

let’s start with some chocolate cookie crumbs

press a nice chocolate cookie base

On this visit, MIL mentioned that she’d like to bake together again. Sounded great except it’s been hot here lately. Oven, heat, summer - gah! While I flipped through the course notebook, I came upon the “frozen desserts” segment of the class. Ah ha! I really wanted to make some bombes, but the professional grade molds I need (yes, I *need* them, damn it!) wouldn’t ship in time for us to use. I had a good alternative though, and it wouldn’t require much oven time at all.

chopped chocolate stirred into the custard

The recipe in class was a white chocolate espresso semifreddo, but I altered it to a chocolate espresso semifreddo because 1) I hate white chocolate and 2) FIL eats chocolate chocolate, not that white crap. On Sunday morning, I left the house really early to hike out to a point for shooting (nature… with a camera). A little later, Jeremy took his folks on a short hike while I returned home and began the mise en place for the semifreddo.

mascarpone and cream lend to a lovely texture

I think in the course of my food blogging, I have settled into a pattern of how I cook or bake. That is to say, I actually prepare food with the photography in mind, with the photography planned into the steps as if it were part of the recipe. Second nature, by now. It becomes painfully obvious how not normal that is when I prepare food with other people because they aren’t used to it. Funny that. I felt so bad asking MIL to not add the chocolate yet, to please hold the spatula still for a second, to wait until I could angle the reflector… MIL is an incredibly good sport about it. When I tried this with my grandmother last fall, she gave me these hilarious frowns that read, “Crazy American-born Chinese Granddaughter!”

combine chocolate and mascarpone

The dessert has three main components that wind up as one semifreddo. That’s weird for me. If I make three separate components, I usually expect to see those components in the final product (like cake, ganache, mousse, for instance). I altered the recipe somewhat because I think making Italian meringue is messy and a pain in the butt compared to Swiss meringue. I swapped out the white chocolate for semi-sweet chocolate (Valrhona 64%), replaced the Italian meringue with the Swiss meringue, and used instant espresso powder instead of brewing my own espresso.

folding meringue into the chocolate and mascarpone mixture

The semifreddo presents well. The texture is smooth and rich, but refreshingly cool which I find perfect for summer months. There is a tanginess to the flavor imparted by the mascarpone, but it isn’t as overt as what cream cheese would have contributed. Everyone who has a slice seems to love it. I could go either way. I find that the recipe is more effort than one would expect for such a simple looking dessert. Still, it’s a winner and my ILs really enjoyed it.

let thaw for ten minutes before serving

Chocolate Espresso Semifreddo

1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 oz espresso
4 large eggs separated
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp dark rum
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
16 oz mascarpone cheese
2 oz heavy cream

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Mix cookie crumbs and butter together. Press crust into the springform pan and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven (turn oven off). When cool, line the sides of the pan with a 3-inch wide parchment strip along the inside edge.

Over a double boiler, whisk together the yolks and 2 tablespoons of th sugar until it is pale yellow and thick. It should ribbon. Lift whisk out of the bowl to incorporate air into the mixture. Add espresso, rum, and vanilla. Place over simmering water and cook, vigorously whisking until liquid coats the back of a spoon and the mixture is thick and foamy. Remove from heat and add the finely chopped chocolate. Stir until melted and continue stirring until cooled. In separate bowl, stir together the mascarpone and cream until soft and smooth. Do not overstir. Place egg whites and 1/3 cup sugar in kitchenaid mixing bowl. Gently whisk together over a simmering water bath until 145°F is reached. Remove from bath and set the bowl on the kitchenaid with the balloon whip attachment. Whip on medium high until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium and mix until the bowl is cool to the touch (cooler than your hand). Fold the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate mixture until there are no streaks left. Fold 1/4 of the meringue (sacrifice) into the chocolate-mascarpone mixture. Fold in the remaining meringue in three parts - don’t overmix or the volume will reduce!

Spread the mixture over the baked crust in the pan. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, loosen and remove the sides of the pan. Remove the parchment paper strip. Serve cold and cut slices with a warm, dry knife.

I need to get to bed asap, so this is going to be big on pics and short on words…

A jam-packed, fun-filled day today! We hiked to the Continental Divide (Arapaho Pass and almost Caribou Pass) out of the Fourth of July trailhead - appropriately enough. We couldn’t cross the last snowfield to Caribou because it was too steep for Kaweah to cross safely, while Jeremy and I were perfectly fine with our ice axes. I got a lot of wildflower shots as this hike has just about the greatest variety locally, but haven’t had a chance to process any. I do want to toss up a handful of nice pics from the hike including my two favorite housemates:

the cascading streams are lovely right now

jeremy looks across the divide

coming down the trail

having a blast

Once we were home, I began prepping dinner since Marianne was coming up for dinner, fireworks, and staying the night to go on an early morning hike with us tomorrow. I served up some barbecue chicken (recipe will come), grilled asparagus, coleslaw, roasted potato salad, bread… and for dessert, we had red, white, and blue mini pavlovas.

After dinner, we headed out to the reservoir to catch the local town fireworks. It’s supposed to be a pretty decent show and plenty of folks from the flats drive up to watch. This is the first year we’ve actually been in town to see them, so we were excited! I have never shot fireworks before, and had to give it a try. Here are some of what I captured:

Fun stuff, eh? I love how different fireworks look in photos compared to what we see with our own eyes. In any case, on to the recipe - which is for the red, white, and blue mini pavlovas.

whipping egg whites for the meringue

I like mini pavlovas because they take a little less time to bake. Since it was so frakking hot today (84 in my town, which is quite toasty for us mountain folk), I was hoping to minimize the oven time.

shaped nests ready for the oven

I used Donna Hay’s recipe for the meringue shells, altered a bit for our altitude. For some reason, her meringues look perfectly white in her photos and mine always come out beige. Whatever… as long as they taste good - that is what matters.

the red and blue: strawberries and blueberries

I toss the sliced strawberries and blueberries in a little bit of sugar because I don’t add much to my whipped cream. It’s just a nice and refreshing dessert to serve on a hot day. Pretty simple to whip up and a delicious end to a meal.

call it patriotic if you like - i call it delish

Red, White, and Blue Mini Pavlovas
based on Pavlova from Donna Hay’s Modern Classics 2

mini pavlovas (12-14)
whipped cream
2 cups strawberries, sliced
2 cups bluberries

pavlova
4 egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
3 tsps cornstarch
1 tsp white vinegar

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place egg whites in bowl of electric mixer and beat until soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating well until mixture is glossy. Sift the cornstarch over the egg white mixture and fold through with the vinegar. Pile large dollops of meringue evenly spaced onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper (makes about 12-14). Round the shapes and form wells in the centers to create small meringue bowls. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour (45 minutes at elevation). Remove from oven and remove to a cooling rack.

whipping cream
2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

Whip cream and sugar to medium peaks. Add vanilla and almond extracts and whip until incorporated.

To Serve: Top each pavlova with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Serve immediately.