by Eddy Van Damme on March 8, 2010
At times you need desserts which please nearly everyone. When professional pastry chefs make dessert for hundreds of people or a baking enthusiast makes dessert for a party of 10, a dessert is needed which appeals to everyone.
Desserts made with mascarpone cream belong in this class. Nearly everyone likes the sophisticated flavor of mascarpone cheese, making it a perfect choice to use for large groups of people. What is especially nice about mascarpone cream is that it harmonizes excellently with an incredible amount of other flavors. Making it possible for a professional pastry chef to make one batch of mascarpone cream and turn it into a variety of desserts. The baking enthusiast at home can make desserts in a glass by filling verrines (glasses) with mascarpone cream and finish some with one type of coulis and fruit and some with a complete different flavor profile.
For this tart I ordinarily use a hazelnut crust, since I especially like the buttery flavor of the nuts paired with the mascarpone cheese. For some applications I like to add liquors or certain essence to the mascarpone cream to highlight other components in the dessert. However, for this tart, I made the cream aux naturel. The ganache however is complimented with a little cassis or black current liqueur.
Getting it all together!
The hazelnut tart dough can be made weeks in advance if frozen. Defrost the dough overnight in a refrigerator and bake as required. The dough makes double of what you need for one tart, divide the dough in half and prepare one tart ring. Roll the remaining dough about 3 credit cards thick and cut in circles. When baked fill with ganache, lemon curd, crystallized chocolate….The mascarpone cream can be made a week in advance as well and kept in the freezer. Fill one mousse ring with a dimension smaller than the tart ring with the mascarpone cream, about one third full. Fill the rest of the cream in small silicone domes for a decorative element on the surface of the tart. Remove both from the freezer once the tart shell is baked and cooled.
For the red effect, spray the tart with red tinted cocoa butter or use a sieve filled with dehydrated raspberry powder.
Hazelnut tart dough
Yield: Hazelnut tart dough for 2- 8 inch (20 cm) tarts
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| 2 sticks |
(8 oz) |
Unsalted butter , soft |
240 g |
| 1 Cup |
(4 oz) |
Powdered sugar |
120 g |
| 1 |
(1) |
Large egg |
1 |
| ½ teaspoon |
( ½ tsp) |
Salt |
2.5 g |
| 1 teaspoon |
(1 tsp) |
Vanilla extract |
2.5 ml |
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| 1 Cup |
(4 oz) |
Hazelnut flour |
120 g |
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| 2 Cups |
(9 oz) |
All purpose –pastry flour |
270 g |
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- In a bowl mix the butter until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and combine well. Scrape the bowl and add the egg, salt and vanilla extract. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Mix in the hazelnut flour. Add all the flour at once and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Chill the dough until firm. About 30 minutes in the freezer or chill overnight in the refrigerator.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface about 3 credit cards thick.
- Line the tart ring. Prick the dough with a fork and place in a 375°F (180°C) oven. After a few minutes check the tart, if bubbles develop prick the dough. Bake until golden brown. About 15 minutes and let cool.
Ganache with cassis liquor
| ¼ cup |
(2 oz) |
Heavy cream |
60 g |
| 1 Tbsp |
( ½ oz) |
Invert sugar |
15 g |
| 3 oz |
(3 oz) |
52-54% chocolate, chopped |
90 g |
| 1 Tbsp |
(.5 oz) |
Cassis liquor |
15 g |
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- In a saucepan bring the heavy cream and invert sugar to a boil.
- Place the chocolate in a bowl and add the boiled cream in 5 increments. Stir with a spatula. Add the liquor.
Mascarpone cream
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| 2 |
(2) |
Gelatin leaves |
2 |
| ¾ Cup |
(6 oz) |
Whipping cream (34-36 %fat) |
180 g |
| 4 |
(4) |
Large egg yolks |
4 |
| ¼ Cup |
(2 oz) |
Water |
60 g |
| 6 Tablespoons |
(3 oz) |
Extra fine granulated sugar |
90 g |
| 8 oz |
(8 oz) |
Mascarpone cheese |
240 g |
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- Place the gelatin leaves in very cold water and set aside.
- In a cold bowl whisk the whipping cream to very soft ribbon consistency. Absolutely do not whip to a peak! Set aside.
- Fill a saucepan with a small amount of water and bring to a boil and then turn to a low simmer. In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and measured water. Add the sugar and whisk well. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the yolk mixture reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove from heat.
- Remove the gelatin leaves from the water and squeeze well to remove excess water. Whisk the gelatin into the yolk mixture. Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract and whisk smooth.
- Add the soft whipped heavy cream and gently fold into the above using a spatula. Fill into an oiled and sugared ring mold immediately, about one third to half full. Use the remaining cream for small silicone domes.
by Eddy Van Damme on March 1, 2010
Black currant Danish
If I had to name the five most delicious fruit flavors on earth, black currant would without a doubt, be on my list. It’s hard to imagine a flavor more majestic than black currant or cassis. Its mouth watering sweet –tart flavor with hints of violet and its royal color make it an absolute favorite of mine. Add to this it’s amazingly high content of important antioxidants and vitamins and it’s clear to see that black currants are an all around winner.
I have always liked the combination of black currant and almond in desserts and for a while I have been toying how to successfully incorporate black currant into a breakfast item. After several attempts I have finally achieved what I have envisioned, a black currant flavored almond cream, spiraled up in a flakey buttery Danish. To accentuate the black currant flavor even more, I made a black currant glaze which turns a noble amethyst purple. I bet you know exactly what I would be serving for breakfast, if Price stayed the night at our house….
For the Danish featured on the photo I have used my standard Croissant recipe with proper resting periods. Pretty soon I will publish a full article on croissant making.
When selecting almond paste make sure it contains enough almonds-fruit. The recipe below is based on almond paste containing 63% almonds. If using a higher sugar containing product, reduce the sugar in the recipe.
Black currant Frangipane
| 1 lb |
(1 lb) |
Almond paste (63% almonds) |
480 g |
| ½ Cup |
(4 oz) |
Extra fine granulated sugar |
120 g |
| 1 Stick |
(4 oz) |
Unsalted butter |
120 g |
| 5 |
(5) |
Large Eggs |
5 |
| ½ Cup minus 1 Tbsp |
(2 oz) |
Pastry or cake flour, sifted |
60 g |
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| 1 Cup |
(8 oz) |
Black currant (Cassis) puree |
240 g |
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To avoid stubborn almond paste lumps, follow the directions closely.
- In a mixing bowl fitted with a paddle attachment mix the almond paste and sugar for several minutes.
- Add a small amount of butter and mix until the mixture becomes smooth. Gradually add the remaining butter waiting for previous added amount to be fully incorporated.
- Add eggs one at a time waiting for previous added amount o be incorporated. On low speed incorporate the flour.
- Remove from machine and stir in the black currant puree.
Black currant glaze
| ¼ Cup |
(2 oz) |
Black currant puree |
60 g |
| 1 ½ Cup |
(6 oz) |
Powdered sugar (Confectioners) |
180 g |
| 2 Teaspoon |
(2 tsp) |
Black currant-cassis liquor (optional) |
10 g |
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- Using a whisk, whisk the ingredients smooth.
by Eddy Van Damme on February 22, 2010
Perfect dark chocolate mousse
When I visualize a great chocolate mousse it holds certain characteristics. For example, a perfect chocolate mousse should be creamy and smooth and not leave a kind of dryness on the roof of your mouth. In fact it should spoon very easily without being too firm and melt very nicely away on our tongue. It also needs to be light in consistency, too much fat can make the mousse heavy and simply too rich. After eating a serving of chocolate mousse we should not feel “Full”, but rather satisfied.
In terms of chocolate flavor strength, it oftentimes depends on what else is being served with the chocolate mousse. If a rather sweet mango coulis or sorbet is served along with the mousse, then it is important to ensure that the mousse is made with a chocolate containing a higher amount of cocoa mass. If you are serving the chocolate mousse in a verrine with a bittersweet chocolate sauce then choosing a less bitter chocolate may be the better choice.
Having said that, when you use for example this recipe for chocolate mousse, but instead of using chocolate containing 65% cocoa mass, you use one of 70% or 75%. (And everything else in the recipe was unchanged) You will end up with more than just a stronger chocolate flavor. In fact, more cocoa mass in chocolate means less sugar which translates into a less moistening from sugar. So the mousse will have a firmer set and be less creamy.
Chocolate mousse can be made many ways. With a Bombe batter, Italian meringue, pasteurized egg whites or a Crème Anglaise. For certain applications I like to use a specific method. This featured chocolate mousse is one I like when eaten very simply by itself in a verrine or glass. It is made using both a Bombe batter and an Italian meringue and utilizing both makes the mousse particularly good for this use.
Some Pastry Chefs may not agree, but I like to use couverture chocolate when making chocolate mousse. I formulate based on couverture chocolate, I prefer the result. Of paramount importance when making good chocolate mousse is ensuring that the temperatures are right. When melted chocolate is mixed with the other ingredients it needs to be done at correct temperatures. If the melted chocolate is too cold when the other ingredients are incorporated, it will result in a heavy and very undesirable mousse. Chocolate mousse starts to set or begins to crystallize below 85°F (29°C), therefore it is important to ensure that the chocolate is at the right temperature. If not, the ingredients will not homogenize properly and the mousse will be heavy, crystallize or set prematurely before it is deposited in the ring, verrine, silicone mold….
Whipping cream is another very important part of a successful chocolate mousse. Oftentimes we think that a higher fat content cream means a more stable mousse. Perhaps during storage, but during the folding process it translates into damage to the air cells. A cream with a fat percentage of 34-36% is ideal. Always whipped to a very soft consistency, I do not like to say to say “soft peaks” because often, soft peaks turn into over whipped peaks….. Any cream which is over whipped and used in a mousse turns into a less then desired product.
Dark Chocolate Mousse
| 16 oz |
(16 oz) |
Bittersweet chocolate couverture(64% cocoa) |
480 g |
| ½ stick |
(2 oz) |
Unsalted butter |
60 g |
| 9 |
(9) |
Large egg yolks |
9 |
| ¾ Cup |
(6 oz) |
Extra fine granulated sugar (a) |
180 g |
| 9 |
(9) |
Large egg whites |
9 |
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| 1 ¼ Cup |
(10 oz) |
Extra fine granulated sugar (b) |
300 g |
| ½ Cup |
(4oz) |
Water |
120 ml |
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| 2 Cups |
(16 oz) |
Whipping cream (34-36% fat, whipped to a very soft peak consistency) |
480 ml |
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- In a bowl melt the chocolate and butter over Bain Marie or microwave oven to 135°F (57°C), Hold at this temperature in water bath and set aside.
- Fill a saucepan with a small amount of water and bring to a boil and then turn to a low simmer. In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar (a) and whisk well. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the yolk mixture reaches at least 165°F (74°C).
- Remove from heat and whip until lukewarm, about 95°F (35°C)
- Meanwhile make the meringue, place the egg whites in a machine bowl fitted with a whip. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan combine the granulated sugar and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling wash away any sugar crystals stuck to the side of the pan using a brush dipped in water. Any added amount of water will have no effect on the outcome.
- Boil without stirring to 244°F (118°C). A few degrees before the syrup reaches it required temperature start whipping the egg whites in medium speed. When the syrup is at its required temperature, pour it immediately along the edge of the bowl avoiding pouring syrup on the whip.
- Whip until the meringue measures about 86°F (30°C), remove from machine.
- Recheck the temperature of the melted chocolate and reheat if necessary. Add one fourth of the whipped cream to the chocolate and whisk into a ganache.
- Immediately add and fold in the bombe batter. Add and fold in to meringue in increments. (re-creaming the meringue right before it is being added is essential)
- Gently fold in the soft whipped cream and immediately fill into the molds, rings, verrines….
