puff pieces - News.com.au
Transcription
puff pieces - News.com.au
food wine matches recommended by Des Houghton Photography: DAVID KELLY Styling: ANNE-mAREE LYONS puff pieces Fill out your day with lashings of light pastry. BQW07APR12FOO_32-33.indd 32 30/03/2012 02:51:16 wine matches recommended by Des Houghton Photography: DAVID KELLY Styling: ANNE-mAREE LYONS The origin of choux pastry is difficult to trace. Certainly the word “choux” and the name of its most recognised incarnation, profiterole, originated in France, but there are andrew mirosch historical references to similar pastries in Italian and German culinary history. It is feasible to assume that this basic dough of water, flour, eggs and butter may have been “discovered” during the development of any number of dishes of other cuisines. Choux pastry is light and crisp. The high-water content of the dough generates steam when cooked, forcing the pastry to expand and create a gossamer shell around a hollow centre. The cavity is filled with custard, sweetened creams or mousse and the pastry is dipped in caramel, warm fudge, icing sugar, chocolate – in the manner of traditional éclairs – or, when piled high to create the extravagant croquembouche, toffee. For savoury applications choux pastry is generally baked in the round profiterole shape. Fillings as varied as pâté, herbed soft cheeses, forcemeats, game ragout or smoked salmon mousse are either piped into the centre or the pastry is cut open and the filling spooned in. chefschool@three.com.au Croquembouche (French wedding cake) Serves 10-12 Difficulty rating lllll Preparation: 80 minutes Cooking: 1½ hours Vanilla cream filling: 12 egg yolks 250g castor sugar 100g flour 1 litre milk 1 tsp vanilla extract Toffee for dipping and spinning: 1200g castor sugar 1 punnet edible flowers for garnish Choux pastry: Double quantity of éclair recipe (third column) BQW07APR12FOO_32-33.indd 33 Chocolate mousse-filled éclairs with chocolate sauce & macadamia praline Makes 24 Difficulty rating lllll Preparation: 35 mins Cooking: 75 mins + overnight refrigeration Chocolate mousse: 400g couverture dark chocolate (Callebaut is good) 50g unsalted butter melted 8 eggs separated 200g castor sugar Basic choux pastry: 1½ cups water 120g unsalted butter Pinch of salt 250g plain flour 6 eggs Chocolate topping: 250g couverture chocolate 100ml pure cream 1 For filling, cream yolks and sugar. Add flour, then milk and vanilla extract, and mix well. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over low heat till thick. Stand to cool. 2 For pastry, follow step 2 of éclair recipe (see right). 3 Pipe 2cm round balls onto greased trays (makes more than 60). Bake as per step 4 of éclair recipe. Cool and use piping bag to inject profiteroles with filling. 4 For dipping toffee, bring 500ml water to the boil and add 1kg sugar. Cook until golden. Cool slightly. 5 Dip the top of the profiterole in warm toffee and stack to form a base on a round tray or plate. Repeat until all profiteroles are used and the cake resembles a tower. 6 For spun sugar, bring 200ml water to the boil and add remaining 200g castor sugar. Cook until light golden. Cool slightly. Dip a kitchen spoon into the mix and carefully allow it to run off in a thin “stream” while quickly waving it over the handle of a wooden spoon. You will have thin strands of spun sugar hanging over the wooden handle. 7 Collect strands from the wooden spoon and gently wrap around the cake. Garnish with edible flowers. 1 For mousse, melt chocolate in a double boiler, remove from heat. Add butter and egg yolks and stir till incorporated. Keep warm. In a saucepan, dissolve sugar in 400ml simmering water and reduce to a clear syrup – about 200ml. Whip egg whites to soft peaks, then slowly add hot sugar. Mix until cooled. Fold egg-white mix into melted chocolate and refrigerate – preferably overnight. 2 For pastry, bring water, butter and salt to the boil. Add flour and cook, stirring, until dough comes away from the edge of the saucepan, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and beat at moderate speed while adding eggs one at a time. Allow to stand until cooled. 3 Pipe 4cm lengths of pastry onto a lined baking sheet. 4 Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes. Pierce each pastry with a knife to allow steam to escape, reduce heat to 140°C and bake for another 15 minutes. 5 For chocolate topping, melt chocolate in a double boiler and add cream. Stir. 6 Pipe mousse into pastries, drizzle with chocolate, sprinkle with macadamia praline. See Second Helpings (right). [Wine match] Petaluma Croser Vintage ($31.50) [Wine match] Wolf Blass Pink Moscato NV ($14) second helpings Macadamia praline Place 350ml water and 150g castor sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook until golden and add 100g roasted macadamia nuts. Pour onto a tray and cool. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until well ground. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. 30/03/2012 02:51:30