by Eddy Van Damme on August 31, 2010
For certain events a professional pastry chef is often faced with having to prepare bite size cookies which are attractive looking and at the same time delicious. Shortbread is usually a good candidate for such instance since they have an undeniable elegance about them.
The shortbread featured here is in many places in the world called a petit four sec. Dipping the shortbread in crystallized chocolate is optional but it is something I prefer to do since it elevates something which is rather simple to something exceptional.
Getting it all together!
Unbaked shortbread freezes very well and thus can easily be made in advance. Once baked it is best the day it is made. However, when well packaged it does last several days. You can certainly dip the entire shortbread in chocolate and thus extending the shelf life even further.
Hazelnut shortbread
Note: Protein or gluten content varies in flour, even within a specific type and thus has an effect on the final texture. Since shortbread is all about the texture it may be necessary to slightly adjust the amount of flour and or replace part of the flour with corn starch.
Yield: 40
| 8 oz |
(8 oz) |
Unsalted butter, soft |
240 g |
| 7/8 cup |
(3.5 oz) |
Powdered sugar |
105 g |
| ½ teaspoon |
( ½ tsp) |
Salt |
2.5 g |
| 1 teaspoon |
(1tsp) |
Vanilla extract |
5 ml |
| ¾ Cup |
(3 oz) |
Hazelnut flour, toasted |
90 g |
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| 1 + ¾ Cup |
(8 oz) |
Pastry flour |
240 g |
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- Mix the butter and powdered sugar until well blended but not creamed.
- Add salt, vanilla and vanilla extract. Mix in the toasted hazelnut flour.
- Add flour and mix until just combined. Place in a refrigerator until cold enough to be rolled.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface and cut into desired shapes.
- Bake at 350°F (180°C) until light golden brown, about 14 minutes.
- When cool dip into crystallized or tempered chocolate.
Thank you for visiting my Pastry blog!
by Eddy Van Damme on August 24, 2010
During the summer months I always infuse or “brew” cold coffee at our home. The full and dynamic flavor with low acidity that cold brewed coffee provides is something that I love. Infusing cold allows you to detect flavor nuances in the coffee which are nearly impossible to detect when brewed hot. Ordinarily I pour some of the cold infused coffee concentrate in some water with a touch of sugar and cream and serve it on the rocks.
At times I will add a touch of gelatin to cold brewed coffee and serve as dessert. Along with a small crème brûlée or a small amount of vanilla or chocolate gelato it is very delicious.
To make cold brewed coffee it is important to start off with excellent coffee which has no bitter or harsh undertones. My preference to use is espresso made by Kimbo ®; this Italian coffee has slight chocolate and buttery undertones which are perfect for this dessert.
Getting it all together!
The brewing or infusing process takes 12 hours so do this step ahead. The infusion will last for a week in the refrigerator.
Cold Brewed Coffee
| 1 Cup |
(1 cup) |
Ground coffee |
1 cup |
| 3 Cups |
(24 oz) |
Spring or mineral water |
720 g |
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- Combine the ingredients in a non reactive container and cover with plastic food wrap.
- At room temperature infuse for 12-18 hours.
- Strain through a cheesecloth or a very fine chinois.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Mix about ½ cup of cold brewed coffee with ½ cup of water (or as desired). Add sugar and milk if desired. Serve on ice.
Cold Brewed Coffee gelée
Yield: 3-4 servings
| 1 Cup |
(8 oz) |
Cold brewed coffee |
240g |
| 1 Cup |
(8 oz) |
Spring Water |
240 g |
| 2 teaspoon |
(1/3 oz) |
Extra fine granulated sugar |
10g |
| ½ teaspoon |
( ½ tsp) |
Vanilla extract |
2.5 g |
| 3 |
(3) |
Gelatin sheets |
3 |
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- Bring the water to a boil and add the sugar. Let cool to lukewarm and add the coffee infusion. Meanwhile place the gelatin sheets in iced water to bloom.
- Squeeze the gelatin sheets to remove excess water and add to above. Add vanilla and pour into desired glasses.
- Place in a refrigerator and let firm for a few hours.
- Place a crème brûlée on top and sprinkle with sugar. Caramelize and serve with caramel chocolate sauce (On baking 2 edition page 550) and cocoa nibs.
Crème Brûlée
| 1 Cup |
(8 oz) |
Whipping cream |
240g |
| ¼ Cup |
(2 oz) |
Milk |
60 g |
| 5 Tbsp |
(2.5 oz) |
Extra fine granulated sugar |
75g |
| ½ teaspoon |
( ½ tsp) |
Vanilla bean paste |
2.5 g |
| 3 |
(3) |
Egg yolks-Extra large |
3 |
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- Bring the cream, milk and sugar to a boil. Add the vanilla bean paste and cover with plastic food wrap. Infuse until lukewarm, about 25 minutes.
- Place the yolks in a bowl, add a few tablespoons of the infusion and whisk well until smooth. Add a little more and repeat. Add the remaining amount and pour through a chinois.
- Pour in silicone forms for above process. The crème brûlée mixture can also be poured into standard ramekins.
- Place in a water bath and bake at 300°F (150°C) until the crème brûlée no longer trembles. Freeze the silicone filled crème brûlée overnight before unmolding. Crème brûlée in ramekins is not unmolded.
by Eddy Van Damme on August 17, 2010
The combination of strawberries and a balsamic vinegar reduction is a classic for good reason, made with ripe and flavorful strawberries it is simply amazing. For a while now I have been thinking on how to make the strawberry-balsamic reduction work in a frozen entremet or ice cream cake. After several experiments and fine tuning I must say that this particular frozen entremet is really, really good. At times strawberry ice cream can make you long for a deeper strawberry flavor, but not here, this hybrid of gelato and sorbet is rich and robust in flavor.
The sweetness of the meringue is dually tamed here, first by the addition of cocoa nibs and second by the balsamic vinegar, which is the perfect accompaniment to the strawberry flavor.
Getting It All Together!
Prepare the meringue up to a week in advance, store airtight to maintain crispness. Assemble the frozen entremet or frozen ice cream cake a full day before serving, this will allow proper firming in the ring.
Assembly: Upside down
Prepare a French meringue as described in On Baking, second edition on page 414and fold in 3 oz (90 g) cocoa nibs along with second amount of granulated sugar. Pipe into circles, slightly smaller of the rings diameter. Bake as described and trim slightly after baking to make the meringue slightly smaller than the ring.
Place a ring on a patterned silform and set aside.
Fill the bottom of the ring with just churned strawberry gelato. Place a meringue layer onto the gelato. Fill with a small amount of gelato and then the balsamic reduction. More gelato and finish off with the meringue disk. Freeze overnight.
Turn upside down and unmold with the use of a torch.
Strawberry gelato
Yield: one 8 inch (22 cm) cake
| 3 Cups |
(24 oz) |
Strawberry puree, professional Quality and cold in temp. |
720 g |
| 1 ½ |
(12 oz) |
Filtered or Spring water |
360 ml |
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| 2 Cups minus 2 Tbsp
1/2 teaspoon |
(15 oz)
(1/2 tsp) |
Extra fine granulated sugar
Pectin |
465 g
2 g |
| 6 Tbsp |
(3 oz) |
Invert sugar |
90 g |
| 1 Cup + 2 Tbsp |
(9 oz) |
Whipping cream, non whipped |
270 g |
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- Pour the water in a saucepan. Combine the sugar with the pectin (if using) real well and whisk into the water, add the invert sugar. Bring to a full boil and remove from heat. Cover with plastic food wrap and place in an ice bath to completely cool.
- Add the cream and cold strawberry puree. Ensure that the mixture is very cold before churning.
Balsamic vinegar reduction recipe
Yield: 4-5 Tablespoons (60-75 g)
| 2 Cups |
(16 oz) |
Balsamic vinegar |
480 g |
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- Bring the balsamic vinegar in a non reactive saucepan (such as stainless steel) to a boil and bring to a medium simmer.
- Simmer approximately 20-30 minutes until the mixture thickens and coats a spoon (The consistency of whipping cream). Be careful as near the end the product can burn if reduced too much.
- You can always reduce more if necessary; the reduction should be sweet and sharp simultaneously.
Tip: At home I usually reduce balsamic vinegar outside on the burner of the grill since it is a very smelly process!
