Puddings & Tarts

INGREDIENTS
https://www.theflavorbender.com/chocolate-profiteroles-pastry-cream/

For profiteroles:
226 g water
115 g unsalted butter cubed and at room temp.
130 g AP flour sifted
226 g eggs weighed without the shell, about 4 large eggs
generous pinch of salt
1 tbsp white sugar optional
1/2 tsp vanilla extract optional

Creme Patissiere
3 cups milk
9 tbsp sugar
Pinch of salt
4 tbsp cornstarch
1.5 tbsp vanilla bean paste / extract / 1 vanilla bean pod
5 large egg yolks
1 large egg
4.5 tbsp unsalted butter softened

For chocolate sauce:
6 oz semi sweet chocolate
⅓ cup cream
4 tbsp unsalted butter softened
Generous pinch of salt
1 tbsp agave / corn syrup optional
2 tbsp bourbon optional

METHOD
Make profiteroles:
Preheat oven to 420°F.

Place salt, water, sugar (if using) and butter in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When the water is just starting to boil (butter should be melted at this point), add the flour in one go (do this with the saucepan away from the stove/heat) and vigorously mix the flour in so that it absorbs all of the water (use a wooden spoon or spatula to do this). When the flour has absorbed the water and it’s forming a dough, return the pan to the stove (medium heat).

Cook the dough for 2-5 minutes while you mix and move it around in the pan until you get a dough that pulls away from the sides of the pan, forms oil droplets on the surface and when you stick a spoon in the dough, it stays upright.

Transfer the dough to a bowl, and let it cool down slightly for a few minutes. With a hand held mixer (or whisk), mix the dough while adding the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Make sure the eggs are lightly beaten so that you can stop adding eggs immediately, when you reach the right consistency – a dough with a glossy sheen with pipeable consistency.

Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper and mist the surface with water (either using a mister or lightly sprinkle water with your hands – this is an optional step).

Pipe 1 – 1 ½ inch round choux pastry mounds on to the baking sheet, with at least 1 inch space between each. (When piping choux pastry, keep the tip slightly embedded just under the surface of the piped choux pastry. This is to ensure the piped shape is as smooth as possible). Then gently flatten the pointy tip with a damp finger.

Transfer the piped choux pastry to the oven, and immediately lower the heat to 375°F. Bake in preheated oven for 30 – 40 minutes in the center of the oven, or until the choux pastry shells puff up and are golden brown on top. Do not open the oven door at least until you have reached the 25 minute mark.

Remove from the oven, and prick each shell with a toothpick and let them cool down completely.

Creme Patisserie
If using vanilla bean pods, split the bean and scrape the vanilla seeds/caviar out of the beans.

Add the bean and caviar with the milk into a saucepan. Heat the milk over medium high heat and bring it to a boil.
While the milk is being heated, place the sugar, egg and yolks, cornstarch and salt in a bowl. Whisk until you have a thick, smooth mix. (If you are using vanilla bean paste or extract, add it to the egg mix too). Place the egg mix on top of a towel or napkin (to prevent it from slipping), and then set it aside until the milk comes to a boil.

As soon as the milk starts to bubble, remove it from the heat. Slowly pour about a half of the hot milk in a thin stream, into the egg mix, WHILE WHISKING CONSTANTLY to temper the egg mix. When the eggs have been tempered, add the egg mix back into the hot milk in the saucepan.

Heat the custard base, over medium heat, while whisking vigorously until it starts to thicken – this should take about 1 – 2 minutes.

While whisking, let the custard come to a boil (the custard will release bubbles). Cook for a further 1-2 minutes after you see the first bubbles break the surface. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Whisk in the butter, until it’s completely mixed in.

Pour the custard into a bowl and immediately cover the surface with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is touching the whole surface. This is to prevent a custard skin from forming on top.

Let the custard cool down to room temperature and then let it chill in the fridge for a few hours, until it’s completely chilled.

Use as needed after the pastry cream has been chilled.

Make chocolate sauce:
Place all the ingredients, except for the butter and bourbon, in a saucepan or microwave-safe bowl.

Heat over medium low heat (or over a double boiler). Stir and melt the chocolate to get a smooth, shiny sauce. This can be done in the microwave as well.

While the sauce is warm, add the softened butter and bourbon and whisk to mix completely.
Use immediately. If it cools down too much, you can warm it up again in the microwave in 15 second intervals.

ASSEMBLY
Cut an ‘x’ on the bottom of the choux pastry (see photos in the post). Pipe in the pastry cream (with a bismarck tip), until the pastry cases are almost full.

Place the profiteroles on a plate and keep in the fridge (covered) until ready to serve. The cases are best filled as close to serving time as possible, to prevent them from getting too soggy.

Dip them in the chocolate sauce or pour the warm chocolate sauce over the profiteroles just before serving.

https://www.meilleurduchef.com/en/recipe/pasteis-de-nata.html

INGREDIENTS

For the reverse puff pastry:
150g flour
75g water
3g salt
150g unsalted butter (or extra dry butter)
50g flour

For the cream:
35g flour
250ml milk
175g castor sugar
250ml water
80g egg yolks
A good pinch of ground cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon
Vanilla extract
A pinch of salt

Utensils:
Kitchenaid K45 Classic Stand Mixer
Wooden Rolling Pin 50cm
Flour Brush
Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Ø 25cm
Matfer Professional Whisk 30cm
Small Piston Funnel

METHODS

For the dough:
In a food mixerrecipient, shape the flour into a fountain. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can totally make puff pastry from scratch. Arrange the flour in the shape of a fountain on your workbench. Add the salt and cold water.
Using the dough hook, start kneading at low speed to incorporate the flour, then increase the speed until a ball forms. If you are not using a mixer, gather the flour with your fingers by drawing it into the water until all the flour is incorporated and you obtain a ball.
Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can prepare the dough the day before and store in the fridge overnight.
For the preparation of the butter:
Shape the flour into a fountain. Place the butter in the centre. The butter should be at room temperature, cut into cubes.
With your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until homogeneous. Shape the butter into a rectangle, with a thickness of 1 cm. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can prepare the butter the day before and store in the fridge overnight.
For the turns: Place the butter on a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the butter into a long strip. Roll out the dough into a rectangle, to the same width and half the length of the butter strip. Place the dough rectangle in the centre of the butter strip. Fold the top part over the dough then the bottom part. The dough should be wrapped with butter. Roll out lengthwise, to a thickness of 1 cm.
For the first double turn: Fold the top quarter of the dough over. Remove the flour excess with a flour brush or a pastry brush. This is really important, as we don’t want to add any extra flour to the dough. Fold the bottom quarter of the dough over. The ends should not meet in the centre. There should be a gap of approximately 2 cm.
Fold the dough in half from the gap in the centre. This operation is called a double turn (which equals two single turns). This folding method is also called “portefeuille” (“wallet turn”).
Wrap the dough block in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Place the dough on a floured surface, with the folds to the side.
For the second double turn: Roll out lengthwise, to a thickness of 1 cm. Of course, you can use a manual laminator for this recipe. Fold the top quarter of the dough over. Fold the bottom quarter of the dough over. The ends should not meet in the centre. There should be a gap of approximately 2 cm.
Fold the dough in half from the gap in the centre. The second double turn is now complete. Inside-out puff pastry requires two double turns and one single turn. Wrap the dough block in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For the single turn: Place the dough on a floured surface, with the folds to the side. Roll out lengthwise, to a thickness of 1 cm.Fold the top third of the dough over then fold the bottom third over. There should be three layers of pastry. Wrap the dough block in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
The reverse puff pastry is now finished. The longer you store it in the fridge, the better the results. I strongly recommend making this pastry the day before.
The following day: Roll out the reverse puff pastry on a floured surface into a regular rectangle. Roll out the dough lengthwise. The puff pastry should be compact, without any air bubbles. Shape the dough into a roll then slice into portions to a 1cm width.
Using an oil spray, grease the pastéis de nata moulds. Take a portion of dough and flatten it with your thumb on a floured surface to create a disc shape. Line one mould with the pastry disc making sure the pastry comes up a few millimetres to cover the rim. Repeat the operation and arrange the moulds on a baking sheet. Refrigerate.
For the cream filling: Organise all the necessary ingredients.
Zest one lemon, making sure you only zest the yellow part (the white layer will give a bitter taste). Place the lemon zest in a saucepan. Add the castor sugar, the water, ground cinnamon and the vanilla extract Bring to a boil then cook until the temperature reaches 105°C. It should take 3 or 4 minutes.
Pour the flour in a mixing bowl, add half of the milk and whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. Add the salt.Add the remaining milk and combine with a whisk.
Transfer the preparation into a saucepan and bring to a boil. The consistency should be similar to a béchamel sauce. Add the syrup to the preparation. Leave the lemon zest for now. Combine well with a whisk until homogeneous, without lumps. Leave to cool for 30 minutes.
Remove the pastry cases from the fridge and cut the pastry excess along the sharp rim of the mould. Set aside.
Add a little bit of warm preparation to the egg yolks. (Do not trust the quantity of eggs shown in the photo, as proportions were doubled for this recipe.) Combine well with a whisk.
Pour the mix into the rest of the warm cream and combine with a whisk until homogeneous. Pour the preparation in a funnel dispenser.
You should now have 10 uncooked pastéis de nata.
Place in a fan-assisted oven preheated at 240°C (gas 9). The cakes should take about 15 minutes to cook. The surface should be puffed and golden.
The cakes should take about 15 minutes to cook. The surface should be puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. The puffing will stop while cooling down. Set aside until cooled down completely before serving. Pastéis de nata are best served cold or slightly warm. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cup whole milk
2 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup dark rum

Method

Place the milk and heavy cream in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to just a simmer, (just before scalding at 75-80c or 170-175f on a candy thermometer), stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, beat the the egg yolks on medium speed with a hand-mixer until they are light in color. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick and pale yellow in color.

Temper the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture by gradually adding about ½ cup of cream mixture at a time to the egg mixture, until about a third of the cream mixture has been added, whisking constantly while you are adding the cream mixture.

Whisk the egg mixture back into the cream mixture in the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or container with a pouring spout on it. Stir in the vanilla extract. Refrigerate for at least four hours to overnight. Add rum to raisins in an airtight container and put in fridge over night alongside the custard mixture.

Pour custard into an ice cream maker and process. Strain the raisins. When the ice cream is at soft serve consistency add 4-6 spoons of rum and all the raisins. Churn until the mixture thickens. Typically it doesn’t thicken as much as before you added the rum. Transfer to a freezer proof container (I like to use a loaf pan) and place in freezer to desired firmness is reached. About 2 litres of ice cream.

Ingredients

8 pears
100g caster sugar
100g butter
2 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 large cinnamon stick
2 tbsp brandy
500g block all-butter puff pastry

Method

Core the pears, then peel as neatly as possible and halve. If you like, they can be prepared up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge, uncovered, so that they dry out.

Tip the sugar, butter, star anise, cardamom and cinnamon into an ovenproof frying pan, about 20cm wide, and place over a high heat until bubbling. Shake the pan and stir the buttery sauce until it separates and the sugar caramelises to a toffee colour.

Lay the pears in the pan, then cook in the sauce for 10-12 mins, tossing occasionally, until completely caramelised. Don’t worry about them burning – they won’t – but you want to caramelise them as much as possible. Splash in the brandy and let it flambé, then set the pears aside.

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using a plate slightly larger than the top of the pan, cut out a circle, then press the edges of the circle of pastry to thin them out.

When the pears have cooled slightly, arrange them in the pan, cut side up, in a floral shape, with the pears around the edge pointing inwards. Rest the cinnamon stick on the top in the centre, with the cardamom pods scattered around.

Drape the pastry over the pears, then tuck the edges down the pan sides and under the fruit (see Gordon’s guide). Pierce the pastry a few times, then bake for 15 mins. If a lot of juice bubbles up the side of the pan, pour it off at this stage (see guide). Reduce oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4 and bake for 15 mins more until the pastry is golden. Leave the tart to stand for 10 mins, then invert it carefully onto a serving dish.

Ingredients

500g strawberries
175g caster sugar (plus 2 tablespoons)
250ml full fat milk
750ml whipping cream
1 vanilla pod
10 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Method

Hull and roughly chop the strawberries, put them into a bowl and sprinkle over the 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and leave them to steep and infuse with flavour.

Pour the milk and cream into a heavy-based saucepan, and add the vanilla pod, split down the middle lengthways. Bring the pan nearly to the boil and then take it off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and the 175g sugar until thick and pale yellow. Take the vanilla pod out of the milk and cream and pour, whisking the while, the warm liquid over the yolks. Put the cleaned-out pan back on the heat with the cream, milk, egg and sugar mixture and stir the custard until it thickens, then take it off the heat and pour it into a bowl to cool. Place ice into a larger bowl with water. Place smaller bowl with custard over the freezing water and whisk until cold.

Puree the strawberries in a processor, and when the custard is cool fold in the lemon juice and strawberry puree. Place into fridge for 4 hours or over night.

Add to ice cream maker until consistency is similar to soft serve. Freeze for around 4 hours.

Ingredients
2 cup whole milk
2 cup heavy cream
8 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Method

Place the milk and heavy cream in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to just a simmer, (just before scalding at 75-80c or 170-175f on a candy thermometer), stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, beat the the egg yolks on medium speed with a hand-mixer until they are light in color. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until sugar is dissolved and mixture is thick and pale yellow in color.

Temper the hot cream mixture into the egg mixture by gradually adding about ½ cup of cream mixture at a time to the egg mixture, until about a third of the cream mixture has been added, whisking constantly while you are adding the cream mixture.

Whisk the egg mixture back into the cream mixture in the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher or container with a pouring spout on it. Stir in the vanilla extract. Refrigerate for at least four hours to overnight. (Overnight is best and yields the smoothest consistency.)

Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s directions. Transfer to a freezer proof container (I like to use a loaf pan) and place in freezer to desired firmness is reached. About 1.8 litres of ice cream.