Espresso Petit Gateaux

Petit Gateaux and Entremets are most certainly my favorite desserts to whip up. The finesse, elegance and complexity in these sweeties are pure heaven. A petit gateaux is a miniature version of a entremet which is simply a french pastry that has several layers of different texture and flavor components.

Espresso Petit Gateaux
Layers of Praline Sponge, Hazelnut Nougatine, and Coffee and Milk Chocolate Chantilly. Enrobed in a Dark Chocolate Mousse and finished with a Caramel Coffee Glaze and Chocolate Garnishes.


Yield: 15 petit gateaux


Praline Sponge

Ingredients                                                                                          Metric
Egg Yolks                                                                                              80g
Egg Whites (fresh)                                                                                27g
Praline Paste                                                                                        108g
Corn Starch (sifted)                                                                               72g
Egg Whites (fresh, room temperature)                                                100g
Unsalted Butter (melted)                                                                       27g
Granulated Sugar                                                                                   80g

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375^°F. 
2. Combine the egg yolks with the first amount of egg whites. 
3. Whip lightly then add  the praline paste. Continue whipping to full for an additional 3 minutes on medium-high speed. 
4. Fold in sifted cornstarch. 
5. Whip up the second amount of egg whites, gradually adding the sugar to form a stiff meringue. 
6. Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the egg/praline/cornstarch mixture.
7. Once incorporated fold in the remaining meringue, and then temper in the butter. 
8. Pour batter onto a half sheet pan lined with lightly sprayed parchment. Using an offeset spatula, spred the batter evenly. 
9. Bake until the cake springs back to the touch. Do not overbake!
10. While the cake is still warm, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. 
11. Cut 30 rounds slightly smaller than your ring mold. If layers are uneven, be sure to trim the cake so each layer is 1/4 inch thick. 

Hazelnut Nougatine

Ingredients                                                                                       Metric
Unsalted Butter                                                                                   50g
Glucose                                                                                               40g
Confectioners' Sugar                                                                         100g
Pectin (use a micro scale)                                                                     2g
Cinnamon                                                                                          0.5g
Toasted Hazelnuts                                                                            135g

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 340°F.
2. Sift the dry ingredients. 
3. Lightly toast the hazelnuts and chop to small but chunky pieces. (1/4 size of hazelnut or smaller)
4. Melt the glucose and butter in a small pot and add the dry ingredients. 
5. Bring to a boil and add the chopped hazelnuts. 
6. Spread on parchment paper lined on a half sheet pan and bake until lightly but evenly browned. 
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few seconds. Using a round cutter, cut into circles the same size as the cake, just slightly smaller than mold. 
8. Allow to cool. 

Coffee & Milk Chocolate Chantilly 

Ingredient                                                                                       Metric

Heavy Cream (35%)                                                                        240g

Coffee Beans                                                                                     28g

Glucose                                                                                             12g

Milk Chocolate                                                                                 85g

Method of Preparation

1. Boil the heavy cream and add the whole coffee beans. Remove from heat and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to steep for 15 minutes. 
2. Strain, reweigh the cream and return it to the original weight. 
3. Partially melt your milk chocolate. 
4. Add the glucose and heat to just before boiling, then pour over partially melted chocolate. 
5. Chill overnight. 
6. Using a ring cookie cutter, trace onto parchment circles slightly smaller than your mold. Flip paper over. 
7. Whip coffee chantilly mixture by hand to medium peak. (Do not overwhip as the cream will break). 
8. Using tip #803, pipe the chantilly over your circle template in a circular motion and freeze. 

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients                                                                                   Metric

Granulated Sugar                                                                           100g

Water                                                                                               65g

Egg Yolks                                                                                      100g

Gelatin Sheets                                                                           4 sheets

Dark Chocolate, melted (64% cocoa)                                           300g

Heavy Cream (35%)                                                                     540g

Method of Preparation

1. Bloom the sheet gelatin in ice water. 
2. Whip the heavy cream to a very soft peak. 
3. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler. 
4. Meanwhile, begin to whip the egg yolks in a mixer. 
5. Cook the sugar and water to 246F. Slowly pour sugar syrup into the yolks, and whip until the mixture begins to cool. 
6. Gently add melted gelatin and pour into the pate bomb mixture (yolks/sugar syrup).
7. Fold the melted chocolate into the pate bombe. This mixture should be between 90F and 100F. 
8. Using quick motions, fold 1/4 of softly whipped cream until the mixture is well combined. Fold in another 1/4 portion and mix until homogeneous. Finally fold in the last 1/2 of whipped cream. 
9. Place into a pastry bag and begin to assemble petit gateaux immediately. 

Caramel Coffee Glaze

Ingredients                                                                                    Metric

Heavy Cream (35%)                                                                       370g

Coffee Beans (coarsely chopped)                                                     40g

Granulated Sugar                                                                            220g

Glucose                                                                                             40g

Sheet Gelatin                                                                                      9g

White Chocolate                                                                             325g

Cold Glazing Gel                                                                           116g

Method of Preparation

1. Bloom gelatin in ice water. Wring out excess water. 
2. Boil heavy cream. Remove from heat and add the coffee, cover with plastic wrap and steep for 15 minutes .
3. Strain and reweigh the cream, returning to original weight and add the glucose. Warm.
4. Caramelize the granulated sugar using the dry method and bring to a medium-dark caramel. 
5. Slowly deglaze the caramel with the cream. 
6. Add the bloomed gelatin. 
7. Strain over white chocolate and emulsify being careful not to incorporate air. 
8. Add the cold glazing gel and emulsify with an immersion blender. 
9. Use glaze at 75F-80F. 
10. For marbelization, remove about 100g of the glaze and add a very small amount of melted, dark chocolate. 
11. Marbelization: Glaze the petit gateaux as usual, but immediately drizzle the darker chocolate colored glaze on top of the gateaux and begin spreading across petit gateaux using offset spatula. 
12. Tip: Add additional water as needed to adjust the consistency. If the glaze begins to look less shiny, heat to 90F. Cool back down to 80F then begin glazing again.

Caramelized Hazelnuts

Ingredients                                                                                    Metric

Granulated Sugar                                                                            30g

Water                                                                                              10g

Whole Hazelnuts                                                                          125g

Unsalted Butter                                                                                4g

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 325F.
2. Lightly toast the hazelnuts on a parchment lined sheet pan, reserve warm. 
3. Cook the sugar and water in a sauce pot until the sugar is dissolved the syrup bubbles. 
4. Add the warm nuts all at once and toss them to coat over a medium-low heat. The sugar will crystallize on the outside of the nuts, but will eventually melt and caramelize. 
5. Continue to cook on low heat until sugar caramelizes.
6. After caramelization remove from heat and add the butter. 
7. Turn out onto parchment paper and separate the nuts using a fork. Cool completely. 

Assembly

Method of Preparation

1. Using a 2 inch petit gateaux ring, trace onto a cake board. 
2. Cut circle from cake board and shrink wrap plastic wrap to the board. 
3. Punch circle through cake ring and then line it with acetate. 
4. Begin layering with your nougatine place at the bottom. 
5. Layer a small layer of dark chocolate mousse (1/4 in thickness each mousse layer). 
6. Then place one layer of praline sponge and top off with more mousse. 
7. Next layer is your chantilly cream then cover with more mousse. 
8. Lastly add another layer of praline sponge and then fill the remaining space with dark chocolate mousse. 
9. Then freeze the petit gateaux until firm, cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight until set.
10. To remove petit gateaux ring, use a torch and go around the outside of the ring once. Pop out the petit gateaux from the bottom cardboard base. 
11. Place on a cooling rack and freeze until glaze is ready. 
12. Begin glazing petit gateauxs. (see glaze recipe for marbelization)
13. Garnish with a chocolate piece, chocolate covered coffee bean or toasted hazelnut. 

Nutty Fudge Brownies & Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Its been quite a busy week in the Bakeology kitchen. So expect several posts coming your way. I was asked by a friend (at last minute) to bake some goodies for a local charity bake sale... which started in three hours... It was for charity so I accepted the challenge and swiftly started gathering ingredients in my pantry. I knew I needed to make a crowd pleasing snack that would be quick to bake and easy enough to produce a large number of goodies to sell. So what was the lucky recipe.... I chose my classic fudge brownie recipe with a simple chocolate ganache. I mean who doesn't love chocolate?


Nutty Fudge Brownies
Yield: 1/2 sheet pan

Ingredients                                                                                Metric
Unsalted Butter                                                                          453.5g
Bittersweet Chocolate (70% cocoa content)                             453.5g
Brown Sugar                                                                             453.5g
Granulated Sugar                                                                      425.5g
Eggs                                                                                          368.5g
Vanilla Extract                                                                               14g
Salt                                                                                                   6g
Pastry Flour                                                                                 241g
Walnuts or Pecans                                                                    453.5g

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). 
2. Melt the butter and chocolate using a double boiler (a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, ensuring the bowl doesn't touch water). 
3. Mix the butter/chocolate mixture with the sugars on low speed with a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until well incorporated. 
4. Scrape well. 
5. Incorporate eggs and vanilla extract. 
6. Sift together the flour and salt and incorporate into the mixture. 
7. Scrape well and add the walnuts or pecans and combine. 
8. Spread batter evenly on a parchment-lined half sheet pan and back in the oven until done but slightly underbaked to retain fudgy characteristic. (Approximately: 25-30 minutes)
9. Allow to cool then remove from the pan. 
10. In the meantime prepare your ganache. 

Chocolate Ganache Frosting

Yield: 1 pound (454 g)

Ingredients                                                                                Metric

Confectioners' Sugar                                                                 226.6g

Salt                                                                                                   2g

Dutch Cocoa Powder                                                                     19g

Unsalted Butter                                                                         113.5g

Bittersweet Chocolate (melted)                                                  56.6g

Dark Corn Syrup                                                                        14.3g

Vanilla Extract                                                                                9g

Heavy Cream                                                                                38g

Method of Preparation

1. Sift the dry ingredients together onto a piece of parchment paper. 
2. Using a stationary mixer fitted with a paddle, cream butter until soft. 
3. Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed until smooth. 
4. Add melted chocolate, corn syrup, and vanilla and mix until smooth. 
5. Add heavy cream and mix until well incorporated. 
6. Dabble enough icing onto the brownies to cover with a nice thickness of frosting. 
7. Using your offset spatula smooth frosting. Take a cake comb and glide it over the frosting in a zig-zag motion. 
8. Cut brownies in desired size (I cut mine in 2inx2in squares), then garnish with sprinkles. 

French Macaron Basics

How could you not love these little sweeties. Macarons are such a delicate yet luxurious dessert! Now there is no need to be afraid to make these little gems. Mastering french macarons is a fine art but that doesn't mean they are difficult to make! Practice makes perfect and therefore I am giving you my favorite and most trusted macaron recipe. This recipe has some finesse but will result in picture perfect macarons. 

French Macaron

Ingredients                                               Metric

Granulated Sugar                                          150g 

Water                                                              50g

Fresh Egg Whites                                           55g

Almond Flour                                               150g

Confectioners' Sugar                                    150g

Fresh Egg Whites                                           55g

White Powder Color or Food Color          (optional)

Method of Preparation

1. Place almond flour and confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar) in a food processor and grind until very fine. 
2. Remove from food processor and sift ingredients then place into a bowl. 
3. Mix the first set of egg whites (55g) with the almond flour/sugar mixture. Mix until it forms a paste. 
4. Add color to paste if desired. 
5. Place the granulated sugar and water in a non reactive pot and cook until it reaches 246ºF/119ºC.
6. Begin whipping the second amount of egg whites in 5qt mixer bowl and slowly begin to add the hot sugar syrup. Be sure all of the syrup gets into the meringue, or the macaroons will not come out well.
7. Whip until cool to the touch. 
8. In three additions, carefully fold the meringue into the almond/confectioners sugar  paste. 
9. Continue folding until mixture is soft and shiny. 
10. Place macaron mixture into a pastry bag with a medium sized round tip. 
11. Pipe small 1.5 inch small rounds onto a silicone mat. 
12. Let piped macarons sit for 30-60 minutes until top is "dry".
13. Bake at 300ºF for 8-10 minutes until the macarons feel firm. 
14. Cool completely before removing from the silicone mat. 
15. Fill with desired filling such as ganache, marmalades, nut butters, or buttercream. 

Metric System Loving

It is time to start loving the metric system! The metric system and baking go hand and hand. After all, as you all know, baking is most certainly a science... Otherwise, my BA science degree is worthless...

The metric system may seem scary to use at first and definitely takes some practice to get used to, but in the long run your finished products will begin to improve! Let me be frank, I am not hating on the good old fashion measuring cup baking system. It is just a proven fact that measuring on a scale in grams allows for a more exact measurement which means a higher chance for a successful end product and one less variable that you cross off your baking error list.

As you may have already noticed, most of my recipes are written in metric system format so below is some helpful tips on the metric system to navigate my recipes!


Tips

Basics

• 1 oz = 28.5 grams
• When weighing ingredients out on a scale, always remember to zero out the scale!
• For weighing ingredients under 5 grams it is best to purchase a micro scale to have an exact measurement. 

Converting Recipes
Need to convert your great grandmothers famous recipe or found a recipe online but don't have a scale. Below is some basic conversions to get you started. If your are looking for more help there are several websites that convert recipes online for free! I use them myself as well, when I'm in a hurry!

Volume Measurements

U.S                                               Metric

1/2 teaspoon (tsp)                            2 ml

1 teaspoon (tsp)                              5 ml

1 tablespoon (TBSP)                    15 ml

1/4 cup                                          60 ml

1/3 cup                                          75 ml

1/2 cup                                        125 ml

2/3 cup                                        150 ml

3/4 cup                                        175 ml

1 cup                                           250 ml

Weight Measurements

U.S                                              Metric

1/4 ounce (oz)                                   7 g

1/2 ounce (oz)                                 14 g

1 ounce (oz)                                    28 g

3 ounces (oz)                             85 g

4 ounces (oz)                                 113 g

8 ounces (oz)                                 227 g

12 ounces (oz)                               340 g

16 ounces (oz) or 1(lb)                  454 g

Calling All Future Bakeologists!

Hey there sweeties!

Your syllabus includes demonstrations on all things sweet! From breads to cake decorating to perfecting the french macaron, you name it I will make it! If you haven't already guessed, I have a thing for baking.... scratch that I have a passion for baking. I recently just graduated from Johnson and Wales University with my Bachelors in Baking and Pastry Arts, so I know a little about the industry.

Establishing this blog was not just to get my name out there but to network with fellow bakers and share recipes and techniques from across the world. This isn't your typical food blog with recipes this is an opportunity to share my passion with those who also have a similar passion. If you want a recipe or to see something made, just send me an email and it will be added onto the list! Thank you for the future support and lets bake!

                                   Welcome to the magical land of Bakeology!