The French Pastry School-Week Ten - Chocolate

                                                              L'Art de la Pâtisserie  Week 10

Monday

Swiss Rocher:

• Assemble 1 set-up with 1cm bars.
• Temper dark chocolate.
• Pour praline paste into chocolate.
• Blend well with whisk.
• Make sure there are no lumps.
• Pour into frame.
• Should be fluid enough to fill in corners.
• Tap and shake to make filling even.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Direct Tempering:

• Preserves crystals that already exist.
• Melt pistols.
• Pistols contain only Beta 5 crystals.
• Do not allow chocolate to get too cold or unstable crystals will grow.
• Use heat gun to warm edges of bowl.
• Over agitating the chocolate at this stage can over crystallize chocolate.
• use more "good" melted chocolate to encourage Beta V crystals grow.

Covering Rum Truffles:

• Lay out the table logically; truffles on left, chocolate in middle and clean tray on the right.
• Wear gloves.
• 1st coating of chocolate; Put some warm, tempered or untempered, chocolate in palm of hand.
• Roll cool, rounded filling in thin layer of chocolate.
• Let fully set in cooler.
• 2nd coating of chocolate should be tempered.
• Roll truffle in chocolate covered palm.
• Place in bottom half of cocoa powder covered tray.
• Using a dipping fork, roll truffle toward top of tray.
• Cover truffle completely in cocoa powder.
• Leave truffle in cocoa powder tray for 24 hours.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• Shake truffles in tamis to remove excess cocoa powder.

Hand Dipping Normandy Cream Filling:

• Tilt melting bowl.
• Line sheet tray with silpat.
• Place filling in chocolate.
• Using dipping fork, push one end of candy down to turn it over.
• Expose top of candy.
• Scrape top of candy off.
• Lift candy with end of fork.
• Tap candy on surface of chocolate.
• Drip.
• Slide candy off of fork onto silpat.
• Leave it alone.
• Clean dipping fork off on spatula.
• Stir chocolate in melting bowl.
• Be aware of edges and surface of chocolate in melting bowl.  It can cool around the edges.
• Cover melting bowl/warming bin when not in use.

When dipping candies, the first one should be hardened by the time the fourth one is being dipped.  Couverture shows everything.  Make sure centers are clean and smooth.  Transfer sheets should be left on surface of finished candies for at least 24 hours.

Filling Cointreau Caramels in Poly Molds:

• Fill pastry bag with Cointreau Caramel filling.
• Cut off ¼ inch tip off pastry bag.
• Holding tip of pastry bag low inside cavity, squeeze filling only full enough that it stays below the rim of the mold.
• Allow to sit for 24 hours in chocolate cooler.

Capping Cointreau Caramels in Poly Molds:

• Cover half sheet tray with parchment paper.
• Fold parchment over end of sheet tray.
• Look to make sure that all the fillings are lower than the bottom of the shells.
• Thin edges are a danger point.
• One quick pass with a heat gun.
• Pour tempered chocolate over top of cavities.
• Gently tap on table.
• Scrape chocolate off of top of mold and into parchment lines sheet tray with rubber bench scraper.
• Clean scraper on edge of sheet tray.
• Check for air bubbles.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

Seeding Method for Tempering Chocolate:

• Seeding starts with no crystals.
• Fully melted chocolate.
• Chocolate should be 45ºc.
• Add 15-20% pistols to total weight of melted chocolate.
• Pistols contain Beta 5 crystals.
• Agitate, stir, while adding pistoles.
• Melt out chunks.
• Use parchment strip to test for temper.
• Chocolate should set up in 3-4 minutes.
• Look for quality of set with no streaks.

Blocks of chocolate or finely grated (shaved) chocolate works better for seeding method than pistols.  

Tuesday

Unmolding Chocolate molds:

• Flex mold in opposite directions while holding in on the side of the table.
• Turn mold upside down over cake board.
• Tap once firmly on cake board.
• Move the candies that release out of the way.
• Tap to remove remaining candies.
• If there are 1 or 2 stuck candies, place tray in cooler for 15 minutes.
• Set aside candies with cracks, holes or scrapes which are good entry points for bacteria.
• Cut one candy in half to look at the interior.
• Consolidate the good candies.

Swiss Rocher:

• Remove the the filling from the frame.
• Do not put a top coat of chocolate on the filling.
• Cut on guitar cutter.
• Cutting is for portion control
• Wearing gloves, dived and pinch squares of filling into ball.
• Allow to rest in chocolate cooler.
• Roll rough circles into smooth balls.

Pistachio-Cinnamon Molded Bobbon:

• Melt 50-75% of white chocolate pistoles to maintain beta V crystals.  This helps the ganache set up.
• In a small pot; blend smooth the pistachio paste, salt, ceylon cinnamon.
• Do not turn on the heat.
• Add a little bit of cream at a time to ensure even distribution of chunks.
• Cream/pistachio paste should be completely without lumps.
• In a small bowl; combine soft butter and trimoline very well.
• Have pastry bag ready.
• Heat the cream mixture to a quick boil.  Get it off the heat immediately.
• Pour cream over half melted white chocolate.
• Let sit for 15 minutes.
• With a whisk, mix from the center and work toward the outside.
• Do not incorporate air bubble.
• Add ⅓ of the chocolate emulsion to the butter once it has reached 38-40ºc.
• Add butter mixture into chocolate mixture.
• Whisk until just smooth.
• Cover bowl with plastic.
• Set aside, at room temperature, for 20-30 minutes.
• Filling should now be less than 32ºc.
• Pour into pastry bag.
• Cut ¼ inch of tip of pastry bag.
• Place tip of bag deep into chocolate cavity.
• Pressure, fill, stop and pull toward inside of cavity to keep any ganache from messing up top of mold.
• Place in chocolate cooler to set.

This is the only ganache we have made with white chocolate.  The recipe calls for white chocolate couverture.  We are not using couverture.  This adjustment may affect fluidity as higher percentages of cocoa butter add fluidity to chocolate.  31% cocoa butter and 35% of cocoa solids are required in couverture and we will have less of this.  Our texture may be softer as cocoa butter adds strength to candy/ganache recipes.  If your ganache is too soft, switch to couverture.

It is imperative that no cream is evaporated when it is brought to a boil.  If too much water is evaporated, the fat solids will be too plentiful, get big and bind together.  This will break the ganache every time   Mixing ganache with a whisk from the center of the bowl creates the core of the ganache.  It is the foundation of the emulsion.  

A good, fluid ganache will settle into chocolate mold cavities easily.  The chocolate cap will stick better after it has set.  Allowing fillings to set in the chocolate cooler dries them out.  This means that they will not shrink later and their lower moisture content will make their shelf life longer by discouraging bacterial growth.

Filling Molds for Pistachio-Cinnamon Ganache:

• Polish molds with cotton balls.
• Have ready; spackle tool, rubber scraper and offset spatula.
• Line tray with parchment.  Lay some parchment over the edge for cleanly scraping excess chocolate.
• Warm mold briefly with heat gun.
• Use tempered chocolate.
• Put tempered chocolate in deli cup.
• Fill each cavity.
• Solidly tap mold on table top ten times.
• Flip over and drain over parchment lined tray.
• Tap edge lightly.
• Scrape with spackle tool.
• Turn mold back over. 
• Clean off top and sides of mold.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• May be filled with ganache on the same day.

Hand Dipping Ganahe fillings:

• Stir chocolate mixture in warming bin every three to four candies.
• Ganache centers/filling should be room temperature.
• Tilt warmer for easy access.
• Drop filling into chocolate dipper.
• Flip it over with chocolate fork.
• Move off to side.
• Scrape top.
• Tap, tap.
• Allow to drip a moment.
• Pick up candy with tip of chocolate fork.
• Place on sheet to set up.

Use transfer sheets, acetate, texture sheets or silpats to create designs on dipped chocolates.  Marking chocolate is for distinguishing flavors and for appeal.  Always drop dipped chocolates on far side of tray and work towards you.  Chefs like good hand dipping skills.  

Wednesday

Enrobing Machine:

We used the enrobing machine today.  Two people placed the fillings on the chain belt.  Two people caught the enrobed candies, stenciled them and cut the parchment from the belt.  Two more people trimmed the parchment and placed the finished candies onto sheet trays and speed racks to be stored properly in the chocolate cooler.

  

Cocoa Butter Transfer Sheets

Butter Mass of Grand Marnier:

• Prepare #9 round tip in pastry bag.
• Room temperature butter.
• Whip butter in mixer.
• Add sifted 10x and salt to butter.
• Whip until light in color and very fluffy.
• Temper milk chocolate couverture.
• Pour chocolate into butter.
• Mix immediately.  This protects chocolate from setting up too fast.
• Scrape the bowl.
• Mix until smooth, no lumps and mass holds its shape.
• Add Grand Marnier very slowly.
• Stop as soon as alcohol is added or 10x may become grainy.
• Scrape. 
• Whip once more for 20 seconds.
• Fill piping bag.
• Pipe long, nice tubes on back of half sheet tray lined with parchment.  Do not worry about bubbles.
• Place in chocolate cooler uncovered.
• Let rest for 24 hours.

Butter mass is very European.  The Swiss and Germans enjoy this confection.

Average ratio is 1 of butter and ½ of alcohol and 2 parts chocolate to 1 part sugar.

Royaltine:

• Temper milk chocolate.
• Add hazelnut paste.
• Stir well until smooth.
• Can microwave for 5 seconds if it is too cold.
• Blend feuilletine completely or it will get soggy.
• Use two spoons to form small mounds.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

Hazelnut paste is 100% roasted hazelnuts.  Untempered chocolate may be added to the hazelnut paste but it must be table tempered before adding feuilletine.

Swiss Rocher (second step).

• Medium plastic bowl with pralinettes.
• Small plastic bowl with untempered, melted dark chocolate.
• Coat Rocher filling with chocolate.
• Drop into pralinettes.
• Cover Rocher completely with pralinettes.
• Place uncovered in chocolate cooler.
• Let rest for 24 hours.

Pralinettes are caramelized granulated almonds.

Capping Pistachio-Cinnamon Shells:

• Temper chocolate.
• Cover bottoms of shells with melted chocolate.
• Tap 10 times on table.
• Scrape excess chocolate off of top and sides.
• Place in chocolate cooler.

Turn in Self Evaluation:

Organization:

Briefly describe your current organization skills.  Share what you've learned in class about organizing yourself for product production.

Answer:

Our workspace is limited but very efficient.  Each team must have easy access to their own tools.  My partners and I have all gravitated to one side of the table and tend to stay there.  If I need a tool, I do not have to ask my partner to move.  This saves time and causes less frustration and distractions.  I try to designate the bottom left hand side of the table for a sheet tray filled with the day’s scalings.  This tray, in turn, becomes the dirty dish collector.  It is much easier to keep things organized then it is to work in a mess and then have to clean it all up.  I do this by removing labels before I stack them, putting tools away that are no longer in use and keeping the table top clear for only immediate work.  I find that making a copy of recipes is easier than bringing in my entire book. 

When I began the program, I would do all of the recipes in the order that the chef demoed them.  I now keep a, “to-do” list and divide it up with my partner.  This makes it much more flexible when it comes to fitting all of the day’s work together in an efficient and logical way.  I have learned to look around and access where the other teams are in their production schedules to see if we might share a tray or some piece of equipment.  This communication has opened up many new doors.  We are no longer operating separate of one another.  The nature of chocolate production has made this particular lesson essential.  I still have a strong urge to purge and keep things clean.  This program has only reinforced how important it is to stay organized, clean as you go and work in a logical order.

I take stock of my ingredients, tools and equipment before I begin a recipe.  I don’t want to be in the middle of something and have to ask my partner to run and get me a silpat or sieve.  It takes a moment but pays dividends in the end.  Chef En-Ming  keeps her labels on the pot or bowl up until the exact moment she begins working.  This was revelatory to me because I have thrown away labels and gotten myself and my partner confused in the past.  This is my favorite new trick.

Team Work:

Briefly describe your current approach to team work.  Share what you've realized about team work, from seeing other teams in class plus being partners with different people.  How are you applying your new team work skills?  What's changed?  What's stayed the same.

Answer:

My current approach to team work is that it is key to getting production done in an efficient manner, affects the quality of the product, fosters camaraderie and is not as difficult as I might have initially thought.

I have grown very comfortable with my partner and I am nervous about getting a new one.  These partnerships are mini relationships and it takes a little time to get to know one another’s preferences, strengths and personality.  I realize that each new partner assignment presents an opportunity to learn more about myself and to possibly learn a new and better way or working.  I have learned that you must be loyal to your partner and not talk behind their back.  The ones that say the least about their partner, good or bad, seem to preserve the relationship and present a united front.  The teams that have the highest level of frustration, outbursts, mess and confusion don’t seem to know how to talk to one another.

I like a partner who asks questions and takes the time to lay out a plan for the day.  It is best to jump in during slower moments and do some dishes, put some things away or ask if your partner needs help then to constantly tell other people what they should be doing.  It not only models a good behavior but shows respect.

The other team work is class team work.  This has also changed so much from the first week of class.  There used to be a lot of frustration and grumbling where now there is direct communication and willingness to help individuals that, in turn, helps the entire class.  There are still some people who function as individuals but I believe that they are trying to break out of that shell.  Believing the best about your teammates and having faith in them builds an overall sense of being on the same side.  I used to be more concerned about my individual duty but now I make sure to have that done and then look around to see who needs help getting their duty done.  I may still mention it to the team that I’m doing their job (I need to stop this) but I do it to get it done. 

Finally, having had four different instructors and three different interns, has allowed me the opportunity to compare and contrast different styles of teaching and leadership.  I’ve thought a lot about positive and negative reinforcement, patience, clarity of presenting information and professionalism.  The best interns and teachers seem to be the most positive, organized and in control of their emotions.  They model the behavior they want to see in FPS students and, as a student, I am constantly aware of how I am working in my space, working with others and maintaining an organized space, efficient  production and displaying a good work ethic.

Thursday

Sorting Chocolate Candies:

• Inspect top, bottom and sides.
• Look for bubbles, cracks or filling bubbling through.

Storing Chocolate Candies:

• Store in freezer, well wrapped.
• Place in cooler for 48 hours minimum.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 48 hour minimum.
• Well wrapped, room temperature for 24 hours.
• Unwrap and serve.

Covering Swiss Rocher:

• Add 8% canola oil to tempered chocolate.
• Place hand blender into chocolate and shake to remove air  bubbles.
• Blend in canola oil for fewer than 30 seconds.
• Drop in a Rocher.
• Scoop richer out with metal spider.
• Tap, tap.
• With gloved hand, place on parchment lined tray.
• Look for air bubbles.
• Should be able to see tips of nuts.
• No fee and do not let them roll around.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

This is a very traditional Swiss Rocher recipe.  Vegetable oil makes chocolate thinner, adds fluidity and allows the nuts to show.  More fat will make the chocolate take longer to set.  It also softens the bite.  A hot environment is not good for extra added oil.  Hand blender can heat up chocolate too much and take it out of temper.

Gianduja:

• Set up: silpat line sheet tray with 1" chocolate circle discs and a pastry bag with french tip.
• Melt half of Gianduja.
• Add other half of chopped Gianduja.
• Mix with paddle on medium speed.
• Scrape sides and make sure all of the pieces have melted down.
• Paddle until mix starts to hold its shape.
• Add butter and mix until just combined.
• Fill pastry bag.
• Pipe single rosette onto chocolate discs.
• Place in chocolate cooler for 24-48 hours.

Italian chocolate mixed with roasted hazelnuts and sucrose.  Open candy that is not enrobed.  Sugar + roasted hazelnuts + chocolate = Gianjuja.  Establish structure first and add butter second.  The butter will soften the mixture and add flavor.  Could top rosette with caramelized hazelnut or other roasted nut.

Butter Mass Sticks:

• Using a ruler, mark butter mass at 2" intervals.
• Cut 2" segments with warm, dry knife.
• Loosten from parchment.
• 1st coat:  Using gloved hand, coat sticks with untempered chocolate.
• 2nd coat:  Using gloved hand, coat sticks with tempered chocolate.
• Place directly into sifted 10x.
• Using dipping fork, roll sticks to cover with 10x.
• Leave in 10x overnight in chocolate cooler. 

Butter sticks are very fragile.  Could substitute cocoa powder for 10x.  Rum truffles, Swiss Rocher and Butter Sticks get packaged in cello bags.

Panning Demo:

• Place almonds in panner.
• Turn on mixer.
• Add a little chocolate at a time.
• Use stiff spatula to keep almonds from sticking to sides of panner.
• Add untempered chocolate when previous addition as dried.
• Add chocolate slowly.
• Separate almonds if they stick.
• Only add more chocolate when 1st layer is set.
• Slow speed 
• Hold spatula in one spot, pressure against wall.
• Pull out samples to check for evenness.
• Watch out for bald spots of chocolate on the almonds.
• Add 10x and liquor at the end of chocolate addition.
• Spread out on parchment lined tray.
• Store in chocolate cooler for 24 hours.

Using caramelized almonds that have been roasted evenly through, coat evenly with chocolate a little at a time.  If the chocolate gets lumpy the almonds or chocolate is too cold. Friction from the panner will heat up the mixture.  

Friday

Stage:

Floriol - 1220 W. Webster Ave, Chicago, Illinois

7:00am - 12:00pm  Owner: Sandra Holl    

I washed and sorted blueberries, washed, pitted and slice plums, buttered tins and filled tart shells with passion fruit cream.  I learned that the beautiful tart shells are the result of large chunks of butter and a couple lamination turns.  

Sandra allowed me to take a box of pastries for my classmates to try.  We tasted croissants, Blueberry Buckle, Canelé and a Gateau Basque.  For the croissant lover, they were a hit, but the overall winner was the Gateau Basque which is almond cream goodness.  

I went back on Saturday with my good friend Priscilla Pardini and her sister, Deborah Pardini.  Lunch began with a shared Croissant and Spicy Tomato soup.  We ordered and shared the Vegetable Tartine, Vegetarian Sandwich and the Quiche.  We loved the quiche but they were all outstanding.  The crust is unparalleled.  Deborah bought a Fougasse and we all shared the Gateau Basque. Sandra Holl said hello and was busy and gracious all at the same time.

Mendiants aux Fruits Sec:

• Any selection of dried fruits and nuts.
• Look for color.
• Line tray with acetate, silpat, flexipan or mold to get the desired shape.
• Use tempered chocolate.
• Piper 2" circles of chocolate.
• Tap, tap sheet on table to spread and smooth chocolate.
• Lay nuts on by color.
• Push them in a bit so that they stick.
• Each circle should have the same design pattern.
• Do not place fruits and nuts near the edges.
• Fill up nicely but do not overfill.
• Place in chocolate cooler.
• Allow to rest for 24 hours.
• Package.

Fruit and nut bars.  In France, these are used as samples for children.  

Sorting and Packaging:

Deep Clean:  

We did a really great job of deep cleaning and packaging and finished on time!

Personal Reflections:

This was very technical module but Chef En-Ming Hsu did a great job of breaking it down for us.  The class was very organized and I learned some core information about how chocolate and ganaches function.

My experience at the French Pastry School as exceeded my expectations.  

The French Pastry School-Week Eight - Tart

 L'Art de la Pâtisserie  Week 8

Monday

Tart week with Chef Patrice Caillot

Partner-Julia     Table 5   Kitchen 1

6 minute meringue:

• Add a little sucrose to egg white powder.
• Split sugar into three parts.
• Sift 10x.
• In mixer bowl with whisk attachment; egg white powder, ⅓ sucrose, vanilla paste, egg whites and pastry cream powder.
• Whip on high for two minutes.
• Add ⅓ sucrose.
• Whip on high for two minutes.
• Add remaining sucrose.
• Whip on high for two minutes.
• Add sifted 10x.
• Finish incorporating with rubber spatula.
• Fill pastry bag fitted with #16 tip.
• Attach parchment at corners with meringue.
• Piper large teardrops.
• Sprinkle with sucre grande/almond mixture.
• Bake at 200ºf for more than two hours.

Caramelizing sugar does not change the sweetening power but it does change the flavor.  Finished meringue should have a slightly caramelized color.  All meringues should have a 2 to 1 ratio of sugar to egg whites.

Pâte à Foncer:

Pie dough

• Use the paddle.
• Soften butter.
• Creaming method but do not incorporate too much air.
• Butter first, sucrose, salt and pastry cream powder.
• Add 25% of the flour, lightly mix.
• Add water.
• Add rest of flour.
• Do not give strength to the dough by over mixing it.
• Fraiser the dough by putting it on the table, using a flat scraper.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in cooler overnight.

Pie dough should always be made the day ahead so that the starches can absorb the moisture.  If it is used on the first day the dough will be soggy.  Remove the sugar in a pie dough to make it savory.  Pâte à Foncer makes a nice quiche dough.

Pâte à Sablée:

• Soften butter.
• Sift 10x.
• Cream butter without incorporating too much air.
• Add sifted 10x all at once.
• Add vanilla.
• Add almond flour.
• Add a ⅓ room temperature eggs.
• Add ½ the flour.
• Add the rest of the eggs.
• Add the rest of the flour.
• Frasier the dough.
• Wrap in plastic wrap.
• Store in cooler overnight.

Almond Cream:

• Warm the butter.
• Cream the butter.
• Add salt.
• Add Kirsch.
• Do not over whip or once baked, it will fatty after cooling.
• Add eggs.
• Add pastry cream powder.
• Add almond when ready to use.
• Can be stored directly in pastry bag in cooler.

Nougtine Crisp:

• Warm nuts for 10 seconds in microwave.  Over warming will cause oil to separate from nuts.
• Add a little sucrose to the pectin to help release it from its container.
• In a small pot, add cream, butter, glucose.
• Warm cream mixture on low to 40ºc.  
• Add pectin.
• Bring to a boil.
• Add sugar.
• Cook to 106ºc.  Very important!
• Transfer to a plastic bowl.
• Stir to cool down.
• Add cocoa powder and stir until there are no lumps.
• Add nuts.  Can be any nuts.
• Spread with offset spatula between two sheets of parchment paper.
• Roll with a rolling pin until thin.
• Place in freezer until ready to bake.

Nougatine crisp is very sensitive to humidity.  Should be super thin and crispy when baked.  It makes a nice layer for a cake.

Cocoa Barry Callebaut Movie:

The movie explained the process of hand pollinating the cocoa trees, harvesting and production of chocolate.  They are a sponsor of the school.

We got out of class early and everyone cleaned in an efficient manner.

Tuesday

Rolling Pàte à Foncer:

• Lightly butter tart 180mm tart rings.
• Use 2mm thickness rolling strips.
• Bang dough with rolling pin.
• Work dough a little.
• Roll and turn using bars to achieve 2mm thickness.
• Fold rolled out dough in half and position over tart ring.
• Fold dough inward and push corners with thumb.
• Do not stretch the dough.
• Push dough around top edges.
• Use rolling pin to cut off excess around the top.
• Push dough back up the sides of tart ring.  
• Place in cooler.
• Clean top with knife or crimpers.
• Double check bottom corners for good square angle.

Assembling Apricot tart:

• No egg wash with almond cream filling.
• Pipe almond cream into tart shell.  Do not overfill.
• Sprinkle almond on top of cream.
• Place apricots around in circular pattern.  Be generous.
• Bake on Silpain.  This is a silpat made for baking bread.  It crisps.
• Bake at 350ºf for at least 45 minutes.
• Make sure the bottom is baked thoroughly.
• When cool, glaze with 1 to 1 apricot glaze to clear glaze mixture.

Rolling Sablée Tart Shell:

• Butter rings or dough will collapse.
• Bank with rolling pin.
• Work dough a little.
• Roll and turn.
• Roll to 4mm thickness using rolling bars.
• Fold in half and position over tart ring.
• Press corners.
• Place in cooler.

Baking Sablée Tart Shell:

• Par bake in deck oven for 10 - 15 minutes.
• Cool and remove tart shell from ring.
• Egg wash even layer inside and outside.
• Bake in convection oven until golden brown.
• Cool completely. 
• Use a microplane to smooth out the top edge.

Egg washing the inside of tart shell protects it from moisture.  Egg washing the outside of tart shell makes it look nice.  Lemon tart is best made and eaten on the same day.  It can be frozen but not with the meringue decorations.

Lemon Cream:

• Double boiler.
• Have ready a strainer over a bowl, tall deli cup and hand blender.
• Have a paper towel ready to catch condensation from bottom of bowl.
• Whisk sugar into lemon juice.
• Place eggs, extra sugar and sea salt into top of double boiler.
• Zest lemon directly into bowl to preserve flavor oils.
• Whisk lemon juice into eggs.
• Cook to 80ºc.  Do not cook to fast or cream will have eggy taste.
• Whisk while heating.
• Strain lemon cream.
• Cool to 60ºc.
• Pour into tall deli cup.
• Add butter.
• Hand mix until emulsified.
• Cover surface with plastic wrap.
• Place in cooler.

Assembling Lemon Tart:

• Pour lemon cream into tart shell.
• Use an offset spatula to smooth lemon cream.
• Use meringue drops to decorate tart.  Italian Meringue may be used during baking but will not have the same crispiness as Meringue Delight.

Inverted Puff Pastry:

• Mix butter and flour.
• Roll between acetate into 14 x 9" rectangle.
• Place in cooler.
• Dissolve salt into cold water.
• Use paddle to slowly mix flour and water.  Just bring it together.
• There is no butter in detrempe.
• Roll dough between acetate into a 9 x 8" rectangle.  
• Place in cooler for one hour.

Flour gets mixed into the butter and is wrapped around the detrempe.  This method is less fatty when baked and crisper.  The pieces do not shrink as much as the regular puff pastry when the are rerolled.  When adding at least 10% of flour to butter, it makes it stronger and able to hold up during initial folding.  Invert puff pastry can handle turns a little faster.  An hour between turns is acceptable.

Folding the dough for Inverted Puff Pastry:

• Place the butter onto the counter.
• Place détrempe evenly toward the bottom of the butter.
• Fold butter in half and over the dough.  Turn 1.
• Make sure edges are even.
• Keep opening on the right.
• Roll out to length of silpat.
• Fold into thirds.  Turn 2.
• Place in cooler for one hour.
• Roll length of silpat, fold in thirds.  Turn 3.
• Repeat.  Turn 4.

Wednesday

Inverted Puff Pastry:

• Roll out dough 3 times longer than width.
• Complete turns 5 and 6.

Sablée Tart Shells:

• Lightly butter tart rings.
• Work the dough a little.
• Roll out dough with 4mm bars.
• Turn and roll.
• Fold in half and position over tart ring.
• Fold forward and push in corners.
• Cut with rolling pin.
• Pinch sides and edges.
• Pour onto Silpain.

Nougatine:

• Remove parchment.
• Place onto silpat and large pan.  Nougatine spreads a lot while baked.
• Bake in convection at 340ºf for 12-15 minutes.

Darkened almonds are an indicator of doneness.  Nougatine should be crispy, not chewy, when cooled.

Lemon Curd:

• Have paper towel ready to collect condensation from bowl.
• Put whole eggs, sucrose, lemon juice, lemon zest, butter and sea salt into bowl on a double boiler. 
• Whisk.
• Cook slowly to 78ºc.
• Strain.
• Pour into par baked tart shells.
• Bake for 1-2 minutes to set the curd.  Should jiggle like jello.
• Place in freezer to cool.

Vanilla Crème Légère (Pastry Cream with addition of whipped cream):

• Line a half sheet pan with plastic wrap.
• Place all ingredients, but only half the sucrose, into medium sized pot.
• Whisk egg yolks and remaining half of sucrose in plastic bowl.
• Whisk pastry cream powder into yolk mixture.
• Bring cream to a simmer.
• Temper egg yolks with a little hot cream.
• Strain yolk mixture into pot of cream.
• Turn on the heat and whisk.
• Bring to a boil while whisking.
• Cook for at least one minute or a starchy flavor will remain.
• Using a clean spatula, pour pastry cream into a plastic wrapped pan.
• Cover with plastic wrap.
• Place in freezer for five minutes.
• When cool, place in cooler.

Chocolate Custard Tart:

• Place whole eggs, whole milk and  heavy cream in a pot.
• Place chocolate in a bowl with a strainer.  
• Using a rubber spatula, stir and slowly cook cream/egg mixture to 70ºc.
• Pour 70ºc mixture over strainer and into chocolate.
• Whisk the mixture until chocolate is smooth and completely incorporated.
• Pour into par baked tart shell.
• Bake for 3 minutes to set the custard.  Should shake like jello.

Using a spatula incorporates fewer air bubbles.  Using a strainer is a safety measure. 

Italian Meringue for the Lemon Tart:

• Add water to the pot first.
• Add sucrose and glucose.
• Cook to 125ºc.
• Whisk egg whites to soft peak stage.
• When sugar reaches 111ºc, speed up the mixer on the egg whites.
• At 125ºc, slow down the mixer and pour sugar slowly down the side of the bowl and into the egg whites.
• Feel the bowl with hand.  When it starts to get warmer you can pour sugar faster.
• When meringue is strong and glossy it is ready.
• Place meringue in a pastry bag with pastry tip of choice.
• Pipe design onto lemon tart.
• Bake in hot oven, 450ºf, for 1-2 minutes or torch meringue for color.

Over whipping the egg whites can cause the meringue to be grainy.  Cooking the meringue to a higher temperature makes it stiffer and stronger which is better for piping.  Baking meringue has a better flavor than torching it.  The meringue fluffs up, like a marshmallow, and has a toasty flavor from being in the oven.

Thursday

Puff Pastry for St. Honoré:

• Roll and turn dough.
• Cut 20cm circle with cake ring.
• Dock dough.
• Place in freezer.
• When firm, cover with parchment and cooling rack.  The weight keeps it from puffing.
• Bake at 350ºf for 40 minutes.

Sablée Breton:

• Using a food processor.
• Briefly spin butter to soften.
• Put in all other ingredients.
• Run food processor.
• Scrape once.
• Run food processor and check for lumps.
• Wrap in plastic.
• Place in cooler.

Sablée means crispy and Breton is Brittany in England.  Sablée Breton can be used for tart crust or cookies.

Pâte a Choux:

• Temper eggs.
• Sift flour.
• Put cream, milk, salt and butter into pot.
• Heat milk cream mixture and bring to a light boil.
• Turn off heat.
• Add flour all at once.
• Stir using a rubber spatula.
• When dough is crackling and dry, put it on the paddle mixer.  
• Add eggs slowly to incorporate.
• Batter should make a V shape flowing slowly from the paddle when it is done.  If batter is too dry, add warm milk to achieve proper constancy.
• May freeze raw dough.

Adding too many eggs makes the finished product eggy and tough.

Piping Choux onto Puff for St. Honoré:

• #11 tip.
• Fill pastry bag.
• Piper ring around docked puff pastry dough circle.
• Piper non connecting circular ring on inside of circle.
• Egg wash.
• Place in freezer.
• Pipe rest of dough into puffs.
• Freeze if not baking right away.

Poured Fondant:

• Should not be warmed over 40ºc.
• Add simple syrup to soften.
• Use at 35 - 36ºc.
• May flavor with vanilla, coffee, caramel or chocolate (only use cocoa paste as fondant is already very sweet).

Finishing the Mille-Feulle:

• Sprinkle 10x on large puff.  
• Bake at 450ºf until sugar is melted and caramelized.
• Flip puff over and repeat on other side.
• Cut into thirds while still warm.
• Allow to cool completely.
• Trim edges with a serrated knife.
• Build on overturned sheet pan lined with parchment.
• Refresh pastry cream in mixer with whisk attachment.
• #14 tip, fill pastry bag with vanilla pastry cream.
• Pipe pastry cream onto first puff rectangle.
• Place second puff rectangle on top and pipe more pastry cream
• Place last puff rectangle on top and cover with parchment paper.
• Press evenly down with half sheet pan.
• Pour 35-36ºc poured fondant on top and smooth with offset spatula.
• Place chocolate fondant in paper cone and pipe long, thin lines long ways on the top of poured fondant.
• Drag clean pairing knife vertically every 2 inches.
• Drag clean pairing knife vertically, in the other direction between first lines.
• Trim messy sides with serrated knife after glazing. 

Using confectioners sugar that does not have cornstarch is better but difficult to find.  Overheating poured fondant causes it to loose its shine.  Poured fondant is best commercially purchased.  It is not worth the time involved to make it from scratch and does not result in a superior product.

Friday

Sixth Stage:

Floriol - 1220 W. Webster Ave, Chicago, Illinois

7:00am - 12:00pm  Owner: Sandra Holl    Baking Manager: Betsy Grzywa

I started the day by cutting aged white cheddar batons for the savory croissant.  Floriol uses fresh flowers from their rooftop garden.  We picked nasturtium leaves and violets.  Just a few on a platter looks really nice.  I buttered cannele molds using a soft paintbrush.  Some bakeries use a combination of butter and beeswax.  I generously buttered muffin pans and covered them with saran for later.  

Sandra Holl's friend Zoe Nathan just wrote a book, Huckleberry, and it had arrived in the mail.  Sandra was very excited and the book looks beautiful.  It is still on pre-order and becomes available on September 9th.  Sandra was making meringue bowls for a lemon cream.  I asked her if they were Italian Meringue and she said she likes the ease and speed  of the Suisse Meringue.  She also recommend Harold McGee's book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen and said it should be a cook's bible.  Bien Cuit means cooked well and many people ask about the dark bake on all the croissants, cannele, breads, etc.  This is also called, "French Dark" and many Americans think that things have been burnt.  A good dark color on baked goods brings out more flavor.  Some French bakers say that good color is 30 seconds from being burnt.

I was able to make a fruit crumble on my own today.  The cooler was full of ripe fruit and I chose peaches, plums and raspberries.  6 quarts of large dice fruit, 1 knob of fresh grated ginger, zest and juice of 1 lemon,  ½ a cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar.  I mixed the fruit, put them in jam jars, pushed them down to fill them tight (fruit shrinks a lot during baking) and topped with a sweet, oatmeal crumble topping.  When it was bubbling and oozing over the sides, Sandra took it out of the oven.  I should have taken a photo of the finished product.

Practice  is important in rolling out croissants and many people have different techniques.  I rolled a few trays and egg washed several croissants.  My final job was to scale and make a sweet bun topping by mixing the zest of 16 oranges with brown sugar, sucrose and cinnamon in the mixer.

The savory team made me a sandwich to go.  Thinly sliced, marinated zucchini, fresh buffalo mozzarella, pesto on house made focaccia.  I chose the green bean, corn and potato side salad.  It had a slight kick to it and was very good.

Sablée Breton:

• Bang cold dough with rolling pin.
• Do not overwork dough.
• Roll, turn, roll, turn.
• Roll dough 8mm thick.
• Cut desired size with round cake ring.
• Bake in lightly buttered tart ring.

Vanilla Crème Légère:

• In a pot; vanilla bean, milk, half of the sucrose, butter.
• In plastic bowl; whisk other half of sucrose into egg yolks.
• Whisk pastry cream into yolk mixture.
• Bring milk mixture to light boil briefly.
• Temper yolks with hot milk mixture.
• Pour yolk mixture through a strainer into pot.
• Whisk.
• Boil for at least one minute while whisking vigorously.  
• Mixture should be shiny and elastic.
• Place in freezer until cold to touch.
• Place in cooler when cool to touch.

Pastry cream + whipped cream = Crème Légère

Pastry cream + whipped cream + gelatin = diplomat

Pastry cream + Italian Meringue = Chiboust 

Tahitian vanilla does not take the heat well and should be added at the end of cooking or upon cooling.  Pastry cream powder must be cooked completely or the finished flavor will be starchy and when reworked, the water will separate from the pastry cream.

Saigon cinnamon is very strong.  Ceylon is milder.  French people do not love, or use, cinnamon the way Americans do.

Rustic Apple Tart:

• Peel apples.
• Use melon baller to core ends.
• Cut into slices and use melon baller to clean core.
• Flambé apples in Calvados or lightly sauté in butter and cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Allow to cool on parchment lined pan.
• Place lightly buttered cake ring on larger puff circle.
• Egg wash puff on the outside of cake ring.
• Sprinkle hazelnut flour on inside crust of the cake ring.
• Build apples up on inside of cake ring.  
• Sprinkle to of apples with more hazelnut flour or cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Remove cake ring from puff.  Apples will remain in the middle.
• Bake at 350ºf until bubbly. 
• Outside edges of puff will rise and the inside will remain flat.

May substitute hazelnut flour with almond flour.  Apricots may be substituted for apples.

Assembling St. Honoré:

• Bake puffs and puff/choux base.
• Cool.
• Count how many puffs are needed to go around circumference of base.
• Make a hole in the back of the puffs with a star tip.
• Whip cream to soft peak.
• Soften vanilla pastry cream in mixer bowl with whisk attachment.
• Whisk/fold whip cream into vanilla pastry cream in three stages.
• Finish incorporating whipped cream with a rubber spatula.
• Fill puffs with crème légère.
• Make a dry caramel.
• Dip puffs into caramel.  
• Cool.
• Dip bottoms of caramel puffs into caramel and attach to the outer puff ring on base.
• Fill inside of base with vanilla créme légère.  Top with more créme légère in a decorative pattern.
• Place one caramel puff on top, center of St. Honoré.

St. Honoré is a famous place in Paris and  is made to order in France.  It is very sensitive to humidity.  Color on the caramel is up to the individual.  Dropping, not pressing, just caramel dipped puffs into rounded, silicone molds, makes the caramel very smooth and uniform.

Final Thoughts:

"The power of sweet." Chef Jacquay Pfeiffer

Fraiser is to crush dough with flat table scraper to ensure a smooth texture and even mixing.

Détrempe is the first step in making a puff pastry and means, "water dough."