Thursday, January 27, 2011

Daring Bakers January 2011 - SPUMONI ENTREMET..and I WAS THE HOST!


"Don't confuse: Jell-O with whipped cream for dessert and J-Lo with whipped cream for dessert."



SPUMONI ENTREMET
maraschino cherry cake,
pistachio cremeux,
french chocolate mousse 
maraschino gelee


I was lucky enough to finally host a Daring Bakers Challenge. I have to say it was more difficult than I had imagined. I thought you just give them a recipe a few pictures and off you go. However, everything is checked, double and triple checked by the Daring Baker's admins, Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice


I wanted to pick something very daring. Something bordering on professional baking . Here is my post .....


Hello Daring Bakers! I am Astheroshe from the Blog, accro. Accro is French for addicted. I, like everyone here, love to bake. I graduated in 2009 from Culinary School as a Pastry Chef. I however, did it for fun, and do not work professionally as one. One day, I may own my own place. Even though I have the “professional “credentials, my skills are still “green”. I love this forum to challenge and improve my skills. I hope we are not all baked out from the December/New Year’s holidays?
Joconde imprime /entremets. A joconde imprime (French Baking term) is a decorative design baked into a light sponge cake providing an elegant finish to desserts/torts/entremets/ formed in ring molds. A joconde batter is used because it bakes into a moist, flexible cake. The cake batter may be tinted or marbleized for a further decorative effect.
This Joconde/spongecake requires attentive baking so that it remains flexible to easily conform to the molds. If under baked it will stick to the baking mat. It over baked it will dry out and crack. Once cooled, the sponge may be cut into strips to line any shape ring mold.
Entremets (French baking term)- an ornate dessert with many different layers of cake and pastry creams in a mold, usually served cold. Think Trifle in a mold vs. a glass bowl.
A joconde imprime is the outside cake wrapper of the Entremets dessert. (See photo below - the striped cake at the bottom of this dessert is the Joconde imprime) 


Recipe Source: I received this recipe from Chef John O. while attending The International Culinary School in Atlanta, Georgia USA.

Blog-checking lines: The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.


Joconde Sponge

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan
Ingredients:
¾ cup/ 180 ml/ 3oz/ 85g almond flour/meal - *You can also use hazelnut flour, just omit the butter
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons/ 150 ml/ 2⅔ oz/ 75g confectioners' (icing) sugar
¼ cup/ 60 ml/ 1 oz/ 25g cake flour *See note below
3 large eggs - about 5⅓ oz/ 150g
3 large egg whites - about 3 oz/ 90g
2½ teaspoons/ 12½ ml/ ⅓ oz/ 10g white granulated sugar or superfine (caster) sugar
2 tablespoons/ 30 ml/ 1oz / 30g unsalted butter, melted
*Note: How to make cake flour: http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2009/09/how-to-make-cake-flour/

Directions:
  1. In a clean mixing bowl whip the egg whites and white granulated sugar to firm, glossy peeks. Reserve in a separate clean bowl to use later.
  2. Sift almond flour, confectioner’s sugar, cake flour. (This can be done into your dirty egg white bowl)
  3. On medium speed, add the eggs a little at a time. Mix well after each addition. Mix until smooth and light. (If using a stand mixer use blade attachment. If hand held a whisk attachment is fine, or by hand. )
  4. Fold in one third reserved whipped egg whites to almond mixture to lighten the batter. Fold in remaining whipped egg whites. Do not over mix.
  5. Fold in melted butter.
  6. Reserve batter to be used later.

Patterned Joconde-Décor Paste

YIELD: Two ½ size sheet pans or a 13” x 18” (33 x 46 cm) jelly roll pan

Ingredients

14 tablespoons/ 210ml/ 7oz/ 200g unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups plus1½ tablespoons/ 385ml/ 7oz/ 200g Confectioners' (icing) sugar
7 large egg whites - about 7 oz / 200g
1¾ cup/ 420ml/ 7¾ oz/ 220g cake flour
Food coloring gel, paste or liquid 

COCOA Décor Paste Variation: Reduce cake flour to 6 oz / 170g. Add 2 oz/ 60 g cocoa powder. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together before adding to creamed mixture.

Directions:
  1. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (use stand mixer with blade, hand held mixer, or by hand)
  2. Gradually add egg whites. Beat continuously.
  3. Fold in sifted flour.
  4. Tint batter with coloring to desired color, if not making cocoa variation.
Preparing the Joconde- How to make the pattern:
 
  1. Spread a thin even layer of décor paste approximately 1/4 inch (5 millimeter) thick onto silicone baking mat with a spatula, or flat knife. Place mat on an upside down baking sheet. The upside down sheet makes spreading easier with no lip from the pan.
  2. Pattern the décor paste – Here is where you can be creative. Make horizontal /vertical lines (you can use a knife, spatula, cake/pastry comb). Squiggles with your fingers, zig zags, wood grains. Be creative whatever you have at home to make a design can be used. OR use a piping bag. Pipe letters, or polka dots, or a piped design. If you do not have a piping bag. Fill a ziplock bag and snip off corner for a homemade version of one.
  3. Slide the baking sheet with paste into the freezer. Freeze hard. Approx 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from freezer. Quickly pour the Joconde batter over the design. Spread evenly to completely cover the pattern of the Décor paste.
  5. Bake at 475ºF /250ºC until the joconde bounces back when slightly pressed, approx. 15 minutes. You can bake it as is on the upside down pan. Yes, it is a very quick bake, so watch carefully. 
  6. Cool. Do not leave too long, or you will have difficulty removing it from mat.
  7. Flip cooled cake on to a powdered sugared parchment paper. Remove silpat. Cake should be right side up, and pattern showing! (The powdered sugar helps the cake from sticking when cutting.)
Preparing the MOLD for entremets:
You can use any type of mold. I would suggest:


  1. Start with a large piece of parchment paper laid on a very flat baking sheet. Then a large piece of cling wrap over the parchment paper. Place a spring form pan ring, with the base removed, over the cling wrap and pull the cling wrap tightly up on the outside of the mold. Line the inside of the ring with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping top edge by ½ inch. CUT the parchment paper to the TOP OF THE MOLD. It will be easier to smooth the top of the cake.
  2. A biscuit cutter/ cookie cutter- using cling wrap pulled tightly as the base and the cling covering the outside of the mold, placed on a parchment lined very flat baking sheet. Line the inside with a curled piece of parchment paper overlapping.
  3. Cut PVC pipe from your local hardware store. Very cheap! These can be cut into any height you wish to make a mold. 2 to 3 inches is good. My store will cut them for me, ask an employee at your store. You can get several for matching individual desserts. Cling wrap and parchment line, as outlined above.
  4. Glass Trifle bowl. You will not have a free standing dessert, but you will have a nice pattern to see your joconde for this layered dessert.
Preparing the Jaconde for Molding:

Video: MUST WATCH THIS. This is a very good demo of the joconde and filling the entremets:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca4eLDok-4Q

  1. Trim the cake of any dark crispy edges. You should have a nice rectangle shape.
  2. Decide how thick you want your “Joconde wrapper”. Traditionally, it is ½ the height of your mold. This is done so more layers of the plated dessert can be shown. However, you can make it the full height.
  3. Once your height is measured, then you can cut the cake into equal strips, of height and length. (Use a very sharp paring knife and ruler.)
  4. Make sure your strips are cut cleanly and ends are cut perfectly straight. Press the cake strips inside of the mold, decorative side facing out. Once wrapped inside the mold, overlap your ends slightly. You want your Joconde to fit very tightly pressed up to the sides of the mold. Then gently push and press the ends to meet together to make a seamless cake. The cake is very flexible so you can push it into place. You can use more than one piece to “wrap “your mold, if one cut piece is not long enough.  
5. The mold is done, and ready to fill.
 
*Note: If not ready to use. Lay cake kept whole or already cut into strips, on a flat surface, wrap in parchment and several layers of cling wrap and freeze

Entremet- Filling Options:
It is nice to have a completed dessert so you can unmold and see the Joconde working. Fill with anything you desire. Layers of different flavors and textures! However, it needs to be something cold that will not fall apart when unmolded.

My Entremet

I started with the decor paste/joconde batter listed above and made vertical stripe pattern.( the outer wrapper)




Maraschino Cherry Cake -from Cake Central

Ingredients
  • 2/3 Cup butter, softened
    1 1/2 Cups sugar
    5 egg whites, beaten until stiff peaks form
    2 2/3 Cups flour, unsifted
    2 1/2 tsp baking powder
    1 tsp salt
    3/4 Cup milk
    1/4 Cup Maraschino cherry juice
    16 Maraschino cherries, cut into eighths
    1/2 Cup chopped nuts (optional) (I use pecans)

Instructions

1. Grease and flour two 9-inch pans. 2. Cream together butter and sugar 3. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together. 4. Mix milk and cherry juice together. 5. Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar mixture, alternating with milk and cherry juice mixture, in thirds. 6. Stir in chopped cherries and (optional) nuts. 7. Gently fold in egg whites until well incorporated into batter. 8. Pour into pans 9. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. 


 Cherry cake punched out with cutter


Pistachio Cremeux - like a Bavarian, but made with a nut base.


 Ingredients 

140g Heavy Cream
34 gs egg yolks 
27 g sugar
3.5 grams gelatin
9 g Pistachio paste 
1/2 cup toasted ground pistachios 
1/4 teaspoon almond extract 


Directions

1. Prepare cream, yolks, sugar, extract - as for a cream anglaise.
2. Add gelatin and pistachio paste while still hot
3. Mix well and then strain
4.Pour into a ring mold and freeze until set.

 French Chocolate Mousse- Tyler Florence recipe

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 eggs, separated*
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Whipped cream and chocolate shavings, for garnish

Directions

Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler). Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, 1 by 1, beating with a whisk until incorporated. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.
Gradually and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, delicately fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse. Divide mousse into 4 individual glasses. Cover and chill for several hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings before serving.


 Here are the layers


 Next time I make this I will use a full chocolate Bavarian so the layer is more stiff. Also, less chocolate layer and more pistachio...my favorite:)


                                                   I am happy with 4 matching desserts!


Looking foward to FEBRUARY challenge ............

41 comments:

  1. Looks nice! It was, indeed, a daring challenge!

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  2. This was the best DB challenge since I'm a member! It was a great fun!

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  3. Thanks for an amazing challenge and for being a great host. What a wonderful technique to master. Great job!

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  4. thanks Lauren, Mushitza, and Laura.. I am glad you all embraced this challenge :)

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  5. What a lovely idea for Daring Bakers!! Joconde sponge is one of my favorites.

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  6. Thanks for hosting! This was so fun!

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  7. Thank you for a very challenging challenge! I've been meaning to make one of these for a while now so I was excited to have it for the Daring Bakers challenge!

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  8. Wow, yours looks incredibly fabulous, thank you so much for hosting-I really learned a lot with this challenge.

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  9. Thank you so much for hosting this challenge! It was both fun and challenging, and I was able to make an imprime which I've been wanting to do!

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  10. I really enjoyed this challenge, thanks so much! I must say that your maraschino cake looks drool worthy too!!

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  11. Astheroshe, I can't thank you enough for hosting this DARING challenge. I LOVED it so much! This is the kind of thing I mostly enjoy doing in my kitchen! The recipes provided were excellent! Your Entremets are adorable and perfectly made. They sound delicious!!
    This was definitely one of my favorite challenges so far and I'm willing to do it again and again!!

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  12. Thanks for an amazing challenge - I enjoyed it very much, and I have never made anything like this before. Yours looks gorgeous - I especially love the maraschono cherry cake - it has a nice ring to the name, and the pretty delicate pink is right up my alley.

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  13. Thank you all for all your excitement! I was happy host, and hope to again in the future :) Everyone did such a fabulous job ! My plan was to introduce everyone to something extravagant, and i think i succeeded.

    Looking foward to FEB!!

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  14. Firstly, your entremets are beautiful. Each element looks wonderful individually, then put together it is like magic! Second, thank you SO much for this challenge! This is the kind of dessert I would look at in a bakery and wonder how it was done. I had so much fun and can't wait to do it again! THANK YOU!

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  15. Thanks so much for hosting this challenge. This was my first challenge and I must say I panicked a little when I first read it, but it was so much fun! I'm so glad I joined DB. Your desserts look beautiful!

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  16. These are stunning and sound delicous - thanks so much for such a technical challenge - I loved it! And it was made manageable by your fantastic instructions. I'm sure you'll be breathing a sigh of relief now that this month is over. Time for a well earned slice of cake...

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  17. Très belle réalisation.BRAVO!!!!
    A très bientôt.

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  18. Thanks and Merci Nadji, Debbie and Makey! Great job to you all :)

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  19. Thanks for hosting such a great challenge! I really enjoyed learning how to make the joconde, it really makes cakes look that one step more amazing! Yours looks wonderful!

    Bring on February! :)

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  20. Thank you Asthe for the AWESOME challenge. I think it was everything that a Daring Baker challenge should be.

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  21. Thanks for choosing such a fun and creative challange! Love the look of your dessert. The cherry chocolate combo sounds fab

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  22. Astheroshe, thank you so much for hosting this month's challenge! I never would have imagined tackling something like this, I learnt so much through this challenge. Your one looks beautiful

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  23. Love the finish on the entremet picture right at the beginning. Yes, hosting is hard work but fun too. :)
    Thank you so much for choosing this for the DB challenge. I learnt something new, enjoyed doing it and shall be using this a lot in the future.

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  24. Thanks for a great challenge, its become a firm favourite in our house.

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  25. Just adding my thanks to this long list. It really was challenging, but very rewarding. I would love to learn more about how to get that gelee topping looking thicker on mine. And I like the idea of your cherry cake - would love to taste that. Thanks again Astheroshe!

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  26. Thank you Asthe! This was a very amusing challenge for me and so interesting, too! Thanks again!
    Ago

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  27. As everyone else has said, thank you so much for this challenge! And yours is absolutely gorgeous!

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  28. Thank you for the great challenge!
    Certainly I'll have to practice more because mine didn't work out as planned, but it's a beggining! I'm really challenged to make the joconde imprime untill perfection, as yours!

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  29. Thank you so much for such an awesome challenge - this one was really great! Seriously, I think this one got more responses than almost any other I have seen so far, which is truly a testament to what a great choice it was. I learned so much and can't wait to try it again!

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  30. thanks for a great challenge... ive made joconde before, but i dont usually made this kind of dessert... thank you very much!

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  31. Thanks for such an awesome challenge. I wish I didn't leave mine till the last minute seeing all of the amazing creations the other Daring Bakers made. I'm definitely making this dessert again, it is so impressive yet quite simple :)

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  32. Thanks so much for such a brilliant challenge! This was a great technique to learn. I can't wait to perfect it and make all sorts of fancy desserts. It was great fun & your instructions/links were very helpful.

    Your entremets look so beautiful and tasty. I love the cherry cake. Must try that next time.

    Thanks again!

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  33. Thanks for hosting that challenge and choosing that recipe! I really loved it.

    Your entremets are very pretty and look divine!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  34. Beautiful work! And I totally want that cherry cake right now!

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  35. I am super late in posting my challenge, but I just wanted to thank you for probably my most favorite DB challenge thus far! On another note, your entremet look beautiful, and that pistachio cremeux sounds fantastic!

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  36. First of all, thanks for the challenge it was fabulous! Then, thanks again for the nice visit to my blog. And finally, loved your joconde and entremet creation, very original. THANKS!

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  37. Thank you for the great challenge! I'd seen these sort of treats around but never thought to investigate how the pattern was actually made. I think it appeared to be a very complicated thing when in fact, if you just know how, it's not that difficult.

    Had a great time with this, thanks!

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  38. Thank you for challenging us with this! Yours came out so stunning and the flavors sound amazing!

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  39. Thank you so much astheroshe for such a great challenge, before completing it I'd never ever imagined I can make such a complicated dessert! Now I'm so pumped and can't wait to make another one for the v.day coming soon!
    Thanks again!

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  40. First time I see this! It looks amazing and I love the flavours!
    I really loved this challenge, thanks a lot!
    :)

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