Tag: birthday

Summary: These recipes have been adapted from the cook book Tartine by Elisabeth M Prueitt and Chad Robertson, the chefs and owners of Tartine, a beloved San Francisco bakery.

Prep Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours

Preparation time: The traditional recipe can be made in stages. As a whole the recipe requires at least 4 hours of time, and 4 hours of refrigeration, BUT the cake, pastry cream and syrup can be made days ahead of assembly to help ease the time burden. Once these three are made, the cake will take about half an hour to assemble followed by 4 hours of refrigeration.

Basic Chiffon Cake – Ingredients:

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (270 ml) (5½ oz/155 gm) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 3 large egg yolks
• ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
• 5 large egg whites
  
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to moderate 160°C.
   
2. Line the bottom of an 8-inch (20 cm) spring form pan with parchment paper. Do not grease the sides of the pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. Add in all but 3 tablespoons (45 ml.) of sugar, and all of the salt. Stir to combine.
4. In a small bowl combine the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla and lemon zest. Whisk thoroughly.
   
5. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly for about one minute, or until very smooth.
6. Put the egg whites into a stand mixer, and beat on medium speed using a whisk attachment on a medium speed, until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat on a medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until the whites hold firm and form shiny peaks.
7. Using a grease free rubber spatula, scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Removed the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack.
10. To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the pan and remove the spring form sides. Invert the cake and peel off the parchment paper. Refrigerate for up to four days.

Crème patisserie / Pastry Cream – Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar
  
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tsp gelatin
• 1/2 tablespoon water
  
• 1 cup low fat cream

Method:

1. Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and scald, bringing it to a near boiling point. Stir occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer add the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the eggs to the sugar and cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
3. When the milk is ready, gently and slowly while the stand mixer is whisking, pour the heated milk down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture.
4. Pour the mixture back into the warm pot and continue to cook over a medium heat until the custard is thick, just about to boil and coats the back of a spoon.
5. Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for ten minutes stirring occasionally.
6. Thermomix: Place all ingredients in TM bowl. Cook at 100C/ Speed 5 / 7-8 minutes}. Transfer to a heat proof bowl, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Proceed.
7. Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream a piece at a time until smooth. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill in the refrigerator for up to five days.
8. In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes to soften.
9. Put two inches (55 mm) of water into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
10. Measure 1/4 cup of the chilled pastry cream into a small stainless steel bowl that will sit across the sauce pan with the simmering water, without touching the water.
11. Heat the cream until it is 120 F (48.8 C). Add the gelatin and whisk until smooth. Remove from the water bath, and whisk the remaining cold pastry cream in to incorporate in two batches.
12. In a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it holds medium-stiff peaks. Immediately fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.

Simple Syrup – Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup vanilla sugar
• 1/3 cup water

Method:

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. Stirring is not necessary, but will not harm the syrup.
3. Remove the syrup from the heat and cool slightly. Transfer to a lidded container or jar that can be stored in the refrigerator. Simple syrup can be stored for up to one month.

Pistachio Marzipan – Ingredients:
Makes 142gms, enough for a 9″ disk
From Cake Bible by Rose Berenbaum

• 1/4 cup pistachios, roasted at 180C for 5-7 minutes
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsps + 1 tsp corn syrup, home made recipe here
• 1/2 tsp glycerine or unflavoured oil
• 1-2 drops of green food colour, optional

Method:

1. Scrape as much skin off the pistachios as possible. Process them in a food processor until a smooth paste is obtained. {Thermomix: Speed 10 /5-7 seconds. Repeat 2-3 times}.
   
2. Add sugar and process until well blended. {Thermomix: Speed 10 / 10 seconds. scrape the sides}
3. Add the corn syrup and glucerine and process for another 20 seconds, until well blended.{Thermomix: Speed 10 / 10 seconds. scrape the sides} The mixture will appear dry, but a small amount pressed between your fingers should hold together. If it seems too dry, add more corn syrup, 1/4 tsp at a time.
   
4. If you wish a deeper green, add a drop or 2 of green food colouring. Process until the marzipan has a smooth dough like consistency. Knead briefly until uniform in colour. You can use the marzipan at once, but its easier to work with if you rest it for an hour.
   

Mango Mirror – Ingredients:

• 2 medium ripe mango, coarsely chopped
  
• 70g sugar 100 ml water
• 2 Tbsp lime juice {you can use lemon juice}
• 2 Tbsp water, extra
• 1 1/4 tsp unflavored gelatin several drops of yellow food coloring

Method:

1. Place mango flesh, sugar, and 50 ml water in saucepan. Cook over low heat, crushing the flesh with back of a spoon to start juices flowing.
   
2. Simmer for 10 minutes. Pour through a colander and drain into a bowl. Do not press down the pulp too much or your mango mirror won’t be shiny because of the pulp.
   
3. Place lime juice and extra water in a small bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over this mixture; set aside until spongy.
4. Put the mango juice into a pan and bring to a simmer. Pour over the gelatin mixture and stir to dissolve. Tint to desired color with yellow food coloring. Place bowl over bowl of ice water and stir occasionally until the mixture is syrupy and just beings to thicken(do not let jell).

Fraisier Assembly:

• Components:
• 1 baked 8 inch (20 cm) chiffon cake
  
• 1 recipe pastry cream filling
• ⅓ cup simple syrup or flavored
  
• 1kg mangoes, peeled, diced into 1/2″ pieces
• 1 recipe pistachio marzipan

Method:

• Line the sides of a 10-inch (25 cm) spring form pan with plastic wrap. Do not line the bottom of the pan.
• Cut the cake in half horizontally to form two layers.
  
• Fit the bottom layer into the prepared spring form pan. Moisten the layer evenly with the simple syrup. When the cake has absorbed enough syrup to resemble a squishy sponge, you have enough.
• Hull and slice in half enough strawberries to arrange around the sides of the cake pan. Place the cut side of the strawberry against the sides of the pan, point side up forming a ring.
• Pipe cream in-between strawberries and a thin layer across the top of the cake.
• Hull and quarter your remaining strawberries and place them in the middle of the cake. Cover the strawberries and entirely with the all but 1 tbsp. (15 ml) of the pastry cream.
• Place the second cake layer on top and moisten with the simple syrup.
• Lightly dust a work surface with confectioners’ sugar and roll out the almond paste to a 10-inch (25 cm) round 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick. Spread the remaining 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of pastry cream on the top of the cake and cover with the round of almond paste.
  
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
• To serve release the sides of the spring form pan and peel away the plastic wrap.
• Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes: The gelatin will continue to stiffen day by day. The longer you let your finished cake sit, the more firm it will become. Also, it’s worthwhile assembling the cake on the platter it will be displayed on. Plcae the bottom layer on the platter, then affix the dessert ring / cling wrap lined spring form pan around the bottom layer. It saves the hassle of trying to move the cake after assembly.
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