Baking 211 Day 11

Last practical of the year!! Whoohoo!

AND....

I made a 100%!

Today's plate's theme was Tarte Tatin-a classic French dessert. It is basically an upside down apple pie with with caramel sauce.

So, I made a puff pastry Vol-A-Vent (sort of like a well, or little cup), filled it with saboyan sauce (egg yolks, sugar, and white wine), and let it over flow with sauted apples. On the side I added a caramel parfait.
The components of the plate were great...I just wish I could have plated it better. Chef loved it. I didn't. I couldn't get a good picture of it...for some reason it just looks messy in the picture.

Well, that is all for now. =)
Merry Christmas!! 
See you next year!

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Petit four practical

For our practical last friday, we had to present five petit fours. This is my petit four platter.

top-madeleines. right-fresh fruit tartlets with lemon curd. bottom-macaroons with raspberry filling. left-cats's tongue. middle-mini feulle d' automne

I made a 96%!

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Baking 111 Day 12

Today in class we were told we had to come up with our own petit four and present it in front of the class. Chef said we could make anything we wanted, as long as we could classify it as a petit four. If we chose something that we had made in class, we had to change the flavors. My partner, Holly, chose to make the opera cake. But instead of using the classic coffee and rum flavors, she made a mint opera cake. It was the best one out of everybody's! It was amazing!

I made cherry cheesecake cookie bites. Instead of a regular cracker crumb crust, these little bites have a chocolate chip cookie as a crust. In the original recipe, these are made in regular muffin tins. They make great individual desserts. I just used smaller muffin tins. They came out great! Everyone seemed to like them.

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Baking 111. Day 9

We made the cutest little tartletts today. These are so easy to make, and they are very popular!

Today was the first time I got to work with poured fondant. Haha, I wasn't very succesful with it. We made a petit four joconde. (with apricot jam).

As you can see, some people were okay at it, some weren't so lucky.

This picture is a few of everyone's consolidated onto one sheet tray.

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Baking 101. Day 13

Babas! I hadn't heard of these until today. They were different, but good. I will deffinitly make these again soon!

in the oven!

waiting to be garnished.

Baba.
Milk 4 oz
Instant yeast 1/4 oz. (double if using fresh yeast)
Bread flour 2 1/2 oz
Eggs 5 oz
Bread flour 7 1/2 oz
Sugar 0.25 oz
Salt .2 oz (1 tsp)
Butter 4 oz

Mixing.
Sponge method.
Warm milk. Dissolve yeast. Add flour and mix to make sponge. Let rise until double.
Gradually mix in eggs then dry ingredients until soft dough forms.
Beat in butter a little at a time until it is completely absorbed and the dough is smooth.
Dough is very soft and sticky.

Makeup.
Pipe into Savarin ring molds.
Let rise until double in size.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.
Soak in syrup (recipe follows) and garnish with cream and fruit.


Dessert Syrup.
Water 24 oz
Sugar 20 oz
Spice personal prefence.

Mix sugar, water, and spice. Boil.
ANY spice works in this. Today, I used Chinese Five Spice. It was delicious! Give it a try!

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Baking 101. Day 12

Today we made scones. I LOVE scones. I flavored these with cranberries and almonds. I can not wait to make these for breakfast one morning! Scones+coffee=love!

We are also learning about pate a choux, so we made mini elcairs and religieous. These small pastrys are filled with pastry cream.

Scones.

Cake flour 8 oz

Sugar 1.25 oz

Baking Powder 1 Tbsp

Salt pinch

Honey .5 oz

Cream 9 fluid oz.

Garnish 2 0z

Mixing.

Sift dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Add to dry.

Add garnish. Mix until combined. Work into a dough ball. Flatten onto double sheet pan.

Cut into six slices. Eggwash and sprinkle with sugar (optional.)

Bake in 350 degree oven.

Pate A Choux.

Water 10.5 oz

Salt pinch

Sugar pinch

Butter 4.75 oz

All Purpose flour 5.75 oz

Eggs 5

Mixing.

Melt butter in sugar, salt, and water over low heat.

Bring to quick boil.

Pull off heat. Stir in flour.

Put back on moderate heat. Cook until dough ball forms (about 30 seconds). (stirring constantly)

Pour into a bowl. Add eggs one at a time, until you get it at the right consistancy. (amount of eggs always changes. You could use two, or eight.)

When batter is dropped from a spoon, your should get a "V" shape hanging from the spoon.

Pipe onto sheet tray into desired shapes.

Bake in 400 degree oven.

After cooled, fill with pastry cream, or butter cream.

Decorate as desired.

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