Birthday present to myself! ~ 送給自己的生日蛋糕^^

Having been asked to make cake for many friends’ birthday, I realized that I have not made my own birthday cake before! Some said that I should have others bake me a cake and someone did (thanks Mei & family!). Nevertheless, I still want to make one and not just for me but also for my brother and Linda, my evil twin. Our birthdays are within days from each other, one stone three birds =)

This dome shaped cake is a 1st for me and composed of 8 components!! It has a beautiful name - Cité Jardin - city garden, giving hints of all the beautiful red, green, brown hues. It is the work of Yoshiya Inoue of Puissance located in Japan. His original composition was of pistachio dacquoise/pistachio crème brûlée/confiture de fruits rouges/white chocolate mousse/white chocolate glaze but since the pistachio paste I ordered was on back order, I opted for a different composition.

When one look at the components, it may look busy with all the different ingredients but they were actually quite subtle. The exotic taste of saffron-infused crème brûlée, the subtle bitterness of matcha génoise, chewy macarons gives it a very contrasting texture and all these flavors work wonderfully together. Though the mousse and baravois was surprising light to me but it may taste rich and creamy to some so serve more raspberries on the side to cut the creaminess.

Decoration-wise, to bring out the garden theme, I stick to Inoue’s use of wood grain chocolate decoration, colorful fresh fruits, sprig of mints and added a personal touch of Isomalt sugar decoration, and a dust of matcha. Overall I was happy with the result except that next time I won’t do a macaron insert. It got lumpy from the moisture and didn’t give me the crumbly texture I hoped for. There is always room for improvement ^u^



Cité Jardin – makes one 19cm/7 ½ dome
Composition is as follow:

1) matcha génoise
2) mascarpone mousse
3) saffron-infused crème brûlée insert
4) matcha macaron crumbs insert
5) white chocolate bavarois filling
6) white chocolate glaze

#1 ~ Matcha Génoise (recipe here)
The cake can be baked a day in advance. Once cooled, cut out a 13mm/½in thick and 16 ½cm/6 ½in diameter round. Wrap with food wrap and store at room temperature.

#2 ~ Saffron-infused Crème Brulée Insert -1 8in/18cm round pan

220g heavy cream
60g whole milk
20g boiled water
12 saffron threads
40g egg yolks
40g granulated sugar

Place the saffron threads in a small bowl, add the boiled water and let steep for 5 minutes. Pour the saffron-infused water and saffron into a small saucepan, add in the milk and heavy cream, heat over medium heat to just boiling. Remove from the heat, put the lid on and let infuse for 10 – 15 minutes then strain the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 240°F/120°C. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks till pale in color, then pour the saffron-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour, and mix until combined. Place a napkin over the mixture to soak up the bubbles that formed from whisking. Pour into the pan, place it into a large roasting pan then pour hot water into the roasting pan all the way up half way of the pan and bake for about 40 minutes or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.

Let cool then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight until firm up.

#3 ~ White Chocolate Bavarois Filling
260g heavy cream
110g whole milk
56g quality white chocolate, finely chopped
45g egg yolks
20g granulated sugar
6g gelatine leaf
18g egg white
9 g caster sugar

Prep:
- Line a 19cm/7 ½in half sphere mold with food wrap, press firmly onto the mold to push out air bubbles, leave a 2in/6cm tail outside the mold.

Place the gelatine in icy water, soak until soften, squeeze out the water, set aside. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl then place it over a pot of simmering water, stirring constantly until completely melted. Place in a warm water bath to keep warm.

Bring the milk to just boiling then remove from heat. Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large mixing bowl, slowly pour in the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly until combined.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat until thicken and the temperature reaches 170°F /85°C, about 2 minutes. Add the pre-soaked gelatine, mix well then using a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of it to the melted chocolate mixture and mix well. Fold in the remaining egg mixture until incorporated. Set the bowl in an icy water bath to cool.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold 1/3 of it into the chocolate mixture, mix well then fold in the remainder of the whipped cream until incorporated. Using a hand mixer, whisk the egg white until foamy then gradually add in the caster sugar, whisk until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of it to the chocolate mixture, mix well then fold in the remainder of the meringue until incorporated. Pour into the prepared mold and slightly tap it on the counter to release air bubbles. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.



#4 ~ Mascarpone Mousse (recipe here)
Pour the mousse into a piping bag without a tip, set aside.

#5 ~ White Chocolate Glaze
The glaze jellifies quickly, you should make it at the last minute.

240g quality white chocolate, finely chopped
200g whole milk
80g corn syrup
7g gelatine leaf

Prep:
- Pre-soak the gelatine, set aside.

Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl then place it over a pot of simmering water, stirring constantly until completely melt.

Bring the milk and corn syrup to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning the mixture. Pour the hot mixture into the melted chocolate, using the rubber spatula, stir until completely incorporated, add in the pre-soaked gelatine and mix well. Let cool while checking the texture regularly. As soon as the mixture is smooth and coats a spoon well, use immediately.

#6 ~ Matcha Macarons – 30 sandwiches

Italian meringue method
55g egg white
150g caster sugar
40 g water

Tant pour tant
150g almond flour
150g powdered sugar
15g matcha
55g egg white
1 drop green food coloring

Chocolate ganache filling
Raspberry Buttercream

Prep:
- On the back side of 2 parchment papers, trace 3cm/1 ¼in circles about 3cm/1 ¼in apart. Flip them over and line the baking sheets.
- Prepare 2 sheets of foil the size of the baking sheets.

I thought you should know:
- Must let the piped cookies sit out until dry to touch before baking to prevent them from cracking during baking.
- Press the piping tip on the baking sheet when piping for uniformly shaped macarons. Do not suspend the tip in the air!

Sift together almond flour, matcha, and powdered sugar twice then place the mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add 55g egg white to the flour mixture and stir until it forms into a sticky ball, set aside.

Heat water and caster sugar over medium heat until it thickens and reaches 230°F/116°C. While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg white at high speed in the bowl of a mixer using the whisk attachment; whisk until pale and foamy. Reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden! Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until it becomes thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch, about 5 minutes. Add in a drop of green food coloring, fold until incorporated.

With a rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the meringue into the almond/sugar/matcha flour mix, fold until incorporated then fold in the remaining meringue and fold until completely incorporated. With the rubber spatula, scoop and spread the batter, in a full circle, on the inside wall of the mixing bowl. Repeat this scoop & spread process also known as macaronnage, for a total of 15 times. Lift some batter with the spatula, it should falls into the bowl in a ribbon fashion, and has a glossy look.

Pour the batter into a piping bag with a round tip and pipe the batter from the center of the drawn circle onto the baking sheets. Pipe about 60 circles. Let dry at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking to allow skins to form. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F/220°C, with racks in upper and lower thirds.

When the batter is dry to the touch, place into the preheated oven and bake for 2 minutes, then quickly turn it down to 300°F/150°C, bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets (upper and lower racks), cover the sheets with foil, and continue to bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to cool on the cooling rack. Once cooled, slide a knife (fragile, must be careful) underneath the macarons to remove from the parchment paper.




Wood Grain Pattern Chocolate Decoration
80g bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
120g white chocolate, finely chopped

Chop the bittersweet chocolate into tiny pieces and place into a dry heatproof mixing bowl. Temper the chocolate by melting it in the microwave. Need to do it on medium for 4~5 times and at 30 second interval. Stir the chocolate each time the microwave stops until becomes completely melted and smooth. Cool for 2 minute.

Spread out a few 2.5x14in/6x40cm acrylic strips on the back of a jelly roll pan. Dip the pattern side of the wood grain comb into the chocolate, and draw the pattern on the acrylic strips. Chill in the fridge to set.

Melt and temper the white chocolate using the same method as above. Let cool to touch then spread the melted chocolate evenly with a spread knife on top of the chilled chocolate pattern. Place in refrigerator to chill and set. Carefully peel off the chocolate and break/cut into desired size.

Sugar Decoration
Some Isomalt sugar

Preheat oven to 360°F/180°C。Sprinkle the Isomalt sugar evenly on a jelly roll pan lined with silpat silicone sheet, place another silpat sheet on top, and press it down lightly. Bake for 5 minutes, remove from oven, press it lightly using a rolling pin then return it to the oven and bake for 5 minutes until sugar completely melted. Let cool completely then break/cut into desired size.

Assemble your dome:

Prep:
- Line your mold with food wrap, press firmly onto the mold to push out air bubbles, leave a 2in/6cm tail outside the mold.
- Cut the saffron crème brûlée into 16 ½cm/6 ½in round.
- Cut the matcha génoise into 16 ½cm/6 ½in round.

THIS IS FOR UNMOLDING FROM UPSIDE DOWN TO RIGHT SIDE UP. You will want to tap your mold gently on the countertop after each time you pipe mousse in to get rid of any air bubbles.

Snip off a little corner of the piping bag with the mascarpone mousse, pipe to about 1/3 height of the mold, spread evenly. Push the bavarois filling into the mousse; it will fill to 2/3 full. Pipe another layer of the mascarpone mousse, place macaron halves on top, then the saffron crème brûlée insert, another layer of mascarpone mousse and then top with the matcha génoise (syrup side down) round, press lightly. Chill in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Unmold the cake by grabbing the food wrap and carefully pull upward. Once loosen, turn it out on a wire rack. Make the glaze now. Place the cake along with the rack over a large baking pan, pour the glaze on top and let flow down to cover the entire cake. The glaze jellifies quickly so work fast; let set for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Cover the entire side of the cake base with a pattern of 1 macaron half & 2 raspberries. Place the chocolate and sugar decorations at the top of the dome then arrange some fresh fruits like strawberries, raspberries, kiwi berries and mints on top then a dust of matcha powder.



給不少的朋友做過生日蛋糕﹐但卻從沒給自己做過一個。有人說讓他人做一個給我就好了﹐為什麼需要自己動手呢? 因為這個蛋糕是要和另外兩個人- 我弟跟好姐妹Linda分享的。我們的生日很近﹐想說一石三鳥嘛﹗還有﹐今年第一次收到一個朋友做給我的生日蛋糕﹐好感動哦~~~~~~謝謝Mei跟她的姐姐們還有她可愛的侄女 ~~

這款用半圓形模具做的蛋糕是首次嘗試﹐更別說是用上8種不同風味口感的甜點素材組合而成。這個充滿田園氣息的蛋糕有個很美很符合它的名字 : Cité Jardin就法文的[田園都市]的意思﹐是日本Puissance 甜點店的井上佳哉師傅的作品。蛋糕本來是由開心果風味的杏仁蛋白蛋糕﹑開心果烤布蕾﹑白巧克力慕斯﹑果醬﹑和白巧克力奶油淋醬組合而成﹐可因我沒能買到開心果膏等材料﹐我將蛋糕的組合改了。

咋看到材料的組合可能會讓人感到構成的材料很多很忙﹐甚至繁複鋪陳的程度，足以令人咋舌﹐但味道﹑口感、氣味出乎意料的融合﹐口感鋪陳和我想像一樣的極端精緻、豐富、多樣化﹐使甘美的香氣合而為一。質地細緻綿密柔軟的馬斯卡朋慕斯包裹著帶有濃郁乳香口感綿密的白巧克力芭芭羅瓦餡心﹑富茶香的抹茶馬卡龍﹑充滿異國香氣的番紅花風味烤布蕾﹑再以襲人的淡雅茶香的抹茶海綿蛋糕托底﹑最後以富濃郁奶香的白巧克力鏡面包過著。為配合田園的主題﹐跟著井上師傅用鮮艷覆盆子﹑迷你奇異果﹑薄荷香草﹑木紋巧克力裝飾跟糖片裝飾蛋糕的頂端﹐然後在蛋糕週圍用1塊抹茶馬卡龍2顆覆盆子的花樣整個包圍﹐最後撒些抹茶點綴組合成這個鮮艷亮眼的蛋糕。

蛋糕最後只跟弟及家人分享﹐因為Linda旅行去了。如往常﹐甜點一上桌就給一掃而空。品嚐過程裡，從視覺到味蕾到整個心靈的滿足，久久難以忘懷。

田園都市

1) 抹茶海綿蛋糕
2) 馬斯卡朋慕斯
3) 番紅花風味烤布蕾
4) 抹茶風味馬卡龍
5) 白巧克力芭芭羅瓦餡心
6) 白巧克力鏡面

#1 ~ 抹茶海綿蛋糕 (點這裡)
蛋糕可以前一天烤好﹐包好室溫存放。

#2 ~ 番紅花風味烤布蕾 - 直徑8in或18cm圓形烤模1個

220g 鮮奶油
60g 全脂奶
20g 熱水
12根 番紅花
40g(3個M尺寸) 蛋黃
40g 砂糖

用小碗盛著番紅花﹐加熱水泡5分鐘後﹐倒進小鍋中。跟著將奶﹑鮮奶油也倒進小鍋﹐用中火慢慢加熱﹐ 煮至沸騰時立刻熄火﹐蓋上鍋蓋泡10 – 15分鐘。

預熱烤箱至240°F/120°C。將蛋黃和砂糖混合充份攪拌勻至淡白﹐慢慢注入過濾後的番紅花熱奶漿﹐邊倒邊攪拌﹐攪拌均勻後在奶漿上方鋪上一片餐巾紙﹐輕輕地吸取掉泡沫後倒進模具中。將模具放進有深度的烤盤裡﹐然後注入熱開水達模具一半的高度﹐再放進預熱過的烤箱裡烘烤40分鐘。當搖晃模具時布蕾中央會抖動但週邊不動即烤好了。取出﹐待室溫放涼﹐蓋上保鮮膜﹐放冰箱冷卻一個小時或一個晚上。



#3 ~ 白巧克力芭芭羅瓦餡心

260g 鮮奶油
110g 全脂奶
56g 白巧克力﹐切碎
45g 蛋黃
20g 砂糖
6g 魚膠片
18g 蛋白
9 g 細砂糖

事前準備:
- 在一個19cm/7 ½ in的半圓形模具裡鋪上一層保鮮膜(四邊留約2in/6cm的尾巴)﹐按壓出氣泡讓保鮮膜貼服﹐備用。

明膠片用冰水泡軟之後擠掉水分﹐備用。將切碎的白巧克力倒進一個耐熱容器中﹐隔熱水加熱融化後﹐放溫水浴中保溫。

將牛奶倒進鍋子裡用中火加熱﹐煮沸後離火。將蛋黃和糖混合倒進一個大的拌碗中﹐用電動攪拌器以中速打發至顏色變淡白﹐然後邊打發邊細絲般的慢慢地注入滾燙的牛奶﹐拌勻後﹐倒回小鍋中以小火加熱﹐用打蛋器持續不斷的攪拌至變稠至溫度為170°F /85°C後離火﹐約2分鐘。加進泡軟的魚膠片攪拌融化後﹐邊攪拌邊慢慢地拌進融化的的白巧克力中﹐用橡皮刀攪拌至順滑﹐使其乳化。過濾後﹐放冰水浴中降溫。

用電動打蛋器打發鮮奶油至變富含空氣出現軟角的程度﹐然後將3分1拌進微溫的巧克力漿中﹐用橡皮刀輕輕的源邊往下刮翻切拌勻。拌入剩下打發好的鮮奶油﹐輕輕的拌勻。

用電動攪拌器以低速打發蛋白至起泡﹐然後分數次的加入細砂糖打發﹐打至富含空氣出現結實尖角的程度為止。將3分1拌進巧克力乳漿中﹐用橡皮刀輕輕的源邊往下刮翻切拌勻﹐再拌入剩下的蛋白霜拌勻。倒進鋪了保鮮膜的模具中﹐輕輕敲一下釋放氣泡後﹐放進冰箱冷藏凝固最少2個小時或一個晚上。

#4 ~ 馬斯卡朋慕斯(點這裡)
將慕斯倒進擠袋裡備用。

#5 ~ 白巧克力鏡面
鏡面很容易凝固﹐所以最好在裝飾前製作。

240g 白巧克力﹐切碎
200g 全脂奶
80g 玉米糖漿
7g 魚膠片

事前準備:
- 明膠片用冰水泡軟之後擠掉水分，備用。

先將切碎的白巧克力隔熱水加熱融化備用。將牛奶和玉米糖漿混合倒入小鍋裡﹐用中火加熱﹐不時攪拌讓液體不會煮焦﹐煮沸後離火。將奶漿倒入白巧克力中﹐用橡皮刀攪拌均勻至順滑﹐加入泡軟的明膠片﹐拌勻至融合﹐放涼備用。

#6 ~ 抹茶風味馬卡龍 - 30個

義式蛋白霜
55g 蛋白
150g 細砂糖
40 g 水

Tant pour tant
150g杏仁粉
150g 糖粉
15g 抹茶
55g蛋白
1滴綠色食用色素

苦甜巧克力甘那許夾心餡
覆盆子風味奶油餡心

事前準備:
- 準備兩張烤纸﹐然後在每一張的反面畫上直徑3cm間隔3cm的小圓圈。鋪在烤盤上。
- 準備兩張相等於烤盤大小的包裝鋁箔紙﹐備用。

要注意什麼呢?
- 擠出麵糊後要放置到表面乾燥為止才可進烤箱。
- 擠麵糊時先固定一個點再擠出是要訣。

混合抹茶、杏仁粉、糖粉﹐過篩2次後倒進一個大的拌碗中。將55g的蛋白倒進粉中﹐用橡皮刀確實攪拌勻成膏狀後靜置備用。

把水和細砂糖混合倒進小鍋中﹐以中火熬煮至出現黏稠狀﹐用手指沾黏(非常燙喔﹗)會牽出糖絲的程度(約230°F/116°C) 即可。在煮糖漿的同時﹐將55的蛋白用電動打蛋器以高速打發至起泡但還沒出現尖角的程度。轉低速繼續仔細打發﹐然後邊打發邊細絲般的慢慢地注入滾燙的糖漿(千萬不要攪拌糖漿不然會結晶)，完全注入糖漿後轉中速繼續打發﹐直到冷卻出現結實尖角的程度至光滑立體狀態為止﹐約5分鐘。最後倒入1滴綠色食用色素﹐拌勻。

將3分1的蛋白霜拌入的抹茶杏仁粉糰中﹐用橡皮刀從底部往上翻起的方式拌勻。分兩次加入剩餘的蛋白霜 ﹐拌勻後進行macaronnage*程序。將麵糊從底部往上翻起再往拌碗的內壁壓推勻15次至表面紋理細緻且有光澤的麵糊為止。

將麵糊裝入擠花袋中﹐在先前畫了圓圈的烤盤紙上擠出圓形的麵糊。先固定一個點﹐再從上方擠出比直徑2cm稍小的圓形。總共擠出60個﹐放置30分鐘讓表面乾燥﹐用手摸不沾黏即可。放置的同時預熱烤箱至400°F/200°C。

待表面形成薄膜後用400°F/200°C烘烤2分鐘﹐然後迅速降溫到300°F/150°C繼續烘烤5分鐘。迅速取出烤盤各自覆上包裝鋁箔紙﹐放回烤箱時將烤盤調換 (上下烤架) 好 讓馬卡龍烤的均勻﹐再烘烤5分鐘﹐取出﹐放網架上靜置放涼後用抹刀取下﹐備用。



木紋圖案巧克力裝飾
80g 苦甜巧克力﹐切碎
120 g 白巧克力﹐切碎

苦甜巧克力切碎後﹐放進一個耐熱的碗裡。碗一定要確實擦乾﹐不可有任何水份。放進微波爐裡加熱。分4~5次﹐每一次間隔為30秒的加熱及調溫巧克力。每一次都要確實攪拌勻至完全融化的狀態﹐放涼約2分鐘。

將蛋糕卷專用模具或方形模具倒轉﹐鋪上矽膠條(2.5x14in/6x40cm)。用木紋梳子沾取少量的調溫後的巧克力﹐塗抹在矽膠片上劃出圖案﹐放進冰箱凝固定形。

將白巧克力調溫融化後﹐用抹刀的前端沾取少量薄薄地填平在凝固定形後的苦甜巧克力上﹐在常溫下凝固後﹐再放進冰箱定形。

烤糖片裝飾
適量 Isomalt糖

預熱烤箱至360°F/180°C。將Isomalt糖均勻的灑在烘烤膠蓆上﹐蓋上另一片烘烤膠蓆﹐輕壓﹐然後放進烤箱烤5分鐘。取出﹐用桿麵棍輕壓一下﹐再烘烤5分鐘至完全融化後取出。放涼後將糖片切成你需要的大小。

組合及裝飾蛋糕:

事前準備:
- 在一個19cm/7 ½ in的半圓形模具裡鋪上一層保鮮膜(四邊留約2in/6cm的尾巴)﹐按壓出氣泡讓保鮮膜貼服﹐備用。
- 將烤布蕾切割成16 ½ cm/6 ½ in的圓形片﹐備用。
- 將蛋糕體切割出16 ½ cm/6 ½ in 的圓形片﹐備用。

將裝著馬斯卡朋慕斯的擠袋剪去一角﹐先擠些慕斯填滿模具至3分滿﹐推勻並薄薄地鋪平至模具邊緣﹐輕輕敲一下模具釋放氣泡。將白巧克力芭芭羅瓦餡心填入馬斯卡朋慕斯中﹐然後再擠入一層馬斯卡朋慕斯至模具7分滿。鋪上馬卡龍片﹐將烤布蕾填入慕斯中﹐再一層薄薄的馬斯卡朋慕斯﹐推平﹐最後鋪上塗了糖水的蛋糕片﹐往下輕按﹐將蛋糕放入冰箱冷卻定形3小時或一個晚上。

取出蛋糕﹐兩手拉著保鮮膜往上提﹐待蛋糕體可以拉離模具時翻轉倒扣脫模。製作巧克力鏡面。

將蛋糕連網架擺放在深的烤盤上。將微溫的鏡面淋在蛋糕上﹐任鏡面溢滿源周邊流下包覆整個蛋糕(連烤盤一起提起輕敲一下會幫助甘那許源邊流下)。記住這時動作要迅速，因為溫度容易下降﹐鏡面很快就會凝固。將蛋糕放冰箱凝固定形30分鐘才可以裝飾蛋糕。

以1個馬卡龍片2個覆盆子的比例貼在蛋糕的側面。將烤糖片﹑木紋圖案巧克力裝飾隨意的插在蛋糕的頂﹐然後擺放一些新鮮的覆盆子﹑草莓﹑迷你奇異果﹐及薄荷等等。最後在表面撒一些抹茶粉即可。

Isn't it gorgeous? This gorgeous arrangement is the topper on a cake that Mei made for my birthday. Mei is the owner of this lovely flower shop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
我不是說過Mei送我一個手工蛋糕嗎? 這些花是她用作裝飾蛋糕用的。是不是很漂亮?﹗當然啦﹐她可是花店老闆娘耶﹗

Blueberry & Kumquat Cream Cheese Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust ~ 藍莓﹑金桔奶油乳酪卡士達塔

I have heard so many praises from my fellow food bloggers about a book titled - The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern that I decided to purchase a copy for me. However, it turned out that the book has been out of print for sometime. I have searched numerous used book stores but no sight of it then I found copies available at Amazon but I wasn’t ready to pay hundreds dollar for it. Nevertheless, I finally made the purchase and I’m glad I did. This beautiful book by Claudia Fleming is a gem. Her minimalist approach and use of local, seasonal ingredients in her desserts are so inspiring. Her recipes seem simple to make but they all have a little twist (cracked-pepper ice cream anyone?) to them making them special and unique.

Who is Claudia Fleming? She was the award winning pastry chef at the famed Gramercy Tavern in NYC but in 2006, she and her husband (also a renowned chef) moved from New York City to Long Island, New York, to open The North Fork Table & Inn, which features a seat-in restaurant and guest rooms. Btw, I just found out she re-printed her book and you can order it off her site here.

The first recipe I tried from this book was this dainty blueberry cream cheese tarts with graham cracker crust. I’m not a tart person as the others I had before seem too sweet for my taste. So why pick this recipe? I was convinced by the picture in the book! Also, I thought the graham cracker shells were supposed to be made from the store brought cracker like the way we made cheesecake crust but I was wrong. It is actually graham cracker crust, redolent of honey and cinnamon and has a crispy texture. The cream cheese custard is soft, airy and melts at the tip of your tongue and pair so well with the sweet-tangy blueberry & kumquat compote – perfect for spring~



Blueberry & Kumquat Cream Cheese Tarts with Graham Cracker Crust

Graham Cracker Tart Shells
makes about 10 (1 ½x4in) flute shell & 12 (2x4in) financier tart shell

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup Demerara sugar
¼ cup honey
2 cups all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth over medium speed until the mixture is smooth, fluffy and light in color. Add the honey and beat until combined; set aside.

Combine the flours, salt, and cinnamon in another bowl then add to the butter mixture in two batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Mix until the dough is well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic and form into a disk. Chill until firm, at least an hour and up to two days.

Preheat the oven to 325°F/165°C. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. Use a rectangular cutter or knife to cut out the dough to fit the tart pans, press the dough gently into the tins, trimming away any excess dough. Prick dough all over with a fork and let chill for 20 minutes or until the dough is firm enough. Chill longer if necessary.

Bake tart shells until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. They can be made a day in advance. Also, they can be kept up to 3 months in the freezer when stored in an airtight container.

Cream Cheese Pastry Cream
makes about 4 cups

1 cup milk
5 tbsp sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 ½ tbsp corn starch
6 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Combine ¾ cup of the milk and 3 tablespoon of the sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk the remaining ¼ cup milk into the yolk mixture. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add a little of the hot milk to the yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from cooking. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly as you pour.

Return the custard to the stove and bring it to a boil, whisking constantly. Let the custard cook for 1-2 minutes until it thickens. Add the cream cheese and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Using a fine sieve; strain the mixture into a clean bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.

Beat the heavy cream over medium speed until soft peaks form. Whisk the pastry cream until smooth and fold in the whipped cream until combined.




Blueberry Compote - 2 1/2 cups

2 ½ cups blueberries
1 tbsp sugar

In a medium saucepan combine 1 cup of the blueberries with the sugar. Cook over low heat until all the berries have popped and the juices come out.

Strain the mixture into a bowl and discard the solids. Add the rest of the blueberries into the syrup and toss to combine.

Kumquat Compote
Make 48 halved kumquats

400g (about 24) kumquats
2 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ cup water

Wash and pat dry kumquats. Remove calyces, cut them in half horizontally then pit with a fork. Bring sugar and water to boil, add the kumquats. Cover with a paper towel (directly on kumquats) and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat.

Remove from heat and let sit overnight at room temperature. Trash the paper towel and remove the kumquats and transfer to a bowl. Reheat the poaching syrup to a boil then remove from heat. Add the kumquats back into the syrup and let sit overnight at room temperature. Place the compote (discard the syrup) in an airtight container and keep refrigerated; good up to a week.

To assemble:
Spoon the pastry cream into each tart shell and top with the blueberries or candied kumquats, sprinkled with finely chopped pistachios. Serve soon after assembling.



有頗多bloggers推薦一本名為The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern的書。他們跟著食譜做出來的甜點很是吸引人。我好奇它是不是像大家說的那麼棒﹐所以決定也買一本來看看。去過幾家大型的連鎖書店也找不到﹐問店員才知道這書絕版了。去信出版社﹐得到的答案是他們不會再印這本書了。沒辦法﹐只好往賣舊書的書店碰運氣。可是去過很多店﹐都是失望而回。終於在Amazon看到有人出讓﹐可是要$100 USD多﹐而且還是圖書館的書﹗半個月前﹐終於找到非圖書館版本又價錢比較合理的。收到書的那天真的好激動 ;p

好在書沒讓我失望。食譜的名字很有詩意﹐看似簡單但處處看到驚喜之處例如胡椒口味﹑羅勒口味的冰淇淋。可惜照片很少﹐要不然就完美了。而這本書的著者是紐約星級Gramercy Tavern餐廳的前甜點總廚Claudia Fleming。她以採用當季的食材製作甜點和節約風格而著名。現在想吃到她的甜點就需前往她和丈夫經營位於紐約州Long Island的小旅館囉。這是我下一次到紐約必去的地方。如果你有興趣買她的書可前往她的旅館網站訂購(按這裡)。我剛剛才得知她自己出資重新出版這本書。嗚嗚嗚。。。我買貴了。。。

其實我不是很喜歡塔派類的甜點﹐因為印象中這些都很甜膩。那麼為什麼我還選擇這個藍莓奶油乳酪卡士達塔呢? 很簡單﹐因為照片很漂亮﹗而且這個肉桂甜塔皮聽起來很好吃的樣子。果不其然塔皮在烘烤時﹐廚房是滿滿的肉桂香﹐真的好香好香。奶油乳酪做成的卡士達醬輕盈細緻輕易的在舌尖上化開﹐和我以前嘗過的甜膩口感完全不一樣﹐好驚喜哦﹗最愛的是糖煮藍莓﹐本來吃起來很酸﹐可是將跟糖煮過的莓汁混合後就變的剛好﹐我留起了一半佐原味優格吃。看冰箱還留著早前做好的糖漬金桔﹐就拿了一些做餡料﹐也很配。甜酸適中﹐很開胃﹐很適合春﹑夏季節吃的一道點心。就連不愛吃甜的媽媽都一口氣吃了3個塔﹐還帶了一些給她的朋友。希望你也會喜歡~



藍莓﹑金桔奶油乳酪卡士達塔 – 約22個

肉桂甜塔皮– 10個直徑1 ½ x 4寸船形塔皮跟12個直徑2 x 4寸長方形塔皮

1杯 無鹽奶油 - 室溫放軟﹐切成小方塊
¼杯 黃糖
¼杯 甘蔗糖或黑糖
¼杯 蜜糖
2杯 麵粉
½杯 低筋全麥麵粉
1茶匙 鹽巴
½茶匙 肉桂粉

將麵粉﹑低筋全麥麵粉﹑鹽巴﹑和肉桂粉混合備用。將切成小方塊的奶油﹑砂糖用電動攪拌器以中速攪打至奶油變淡黃色呈蓬鬆狀後加入蜜糖﹐攪拌勻﹐然後加入混合好的粉類快速拌勻成糰塊。將麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐揉至軟滑成球狀。輕壓成扁圓片﹐蓋上保鮮膜﹐放進冰箱靜置最少60分鐘(最久兩天)醒麵。

烤箱預熱至325°F/165°C。取出麵糰﹐放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐將麵糰桿成約厚3mm或1/8寸的薄片後用長方形的餅乾模具吸出或用刀子切割出薄片。鋪進塔派模裡﹐壓實塔皮底及塔皮壁﹐用刀子將多出來的麵皮切掉﹐再用叉子戳刺氣孔。蓋上保鮮膜﹐放進冰箱冷藏約20分鐘定型。

取出﹐放入烤箱烤20分鐘或至塔皮呈金黃色。取去擺放在網架上放涼。



奶油乳酪卡士達醬 – 約4杯

1杯 全脂奶
5湯匙 砂糖
4個 大的蛋黃
2 ½湯匙 玉米粉
6oz 奶油乳酪
1茶匙 香草荳精
½杯 鮮奶油

將3/4 杯牛奶跟3湯匙砂糖混合裝進小鍋裡，以中火煮至砂糖融化沸騰即離火備用。另一個拌盤裡加進蛋黃﹑玉米粉﹑剩下的2湯匙砂糖﹐拌勻後拌入剩下的1/4 杯牛奶﹐攪拌均勻。將熱奶漿慢慢地注入蛋糊中﹐這時要用打蛋器不斷攪打﹐拌勻後﹐倒回小鍋中以低火加熱。用打蛋器持續不斷的攪拌至變稠﹐約2分鐘﹐然後拌進奶油乳酪及香草精﹐不停攪拌至順滑﹐離火。將蛋黃醬過濾後﹐倒進碗中﹐在蛋黃醬表面蓋上保鮮膜(黏著蛋黃醬)﹐放進冰箱冷藏約60分鐘。

將鮮奶油打發至出現軟角的程度﹐拌入放涼的蛋黃醬中﹐用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻即可。倒進密閉的容器裡﹐放冰箱可存放3天。

糖煮藍莓 – 2 ½ 杯
2 ½杯 藍莓
1湯匙 砂糖

將1杯藍莓和砂糖倒進平鍋裡﹐以低火煮至砂糖融化﹐藍莓變軟成漿為止﹐約3分鐘。將藍莓漿過濾取汁。將剩下的藍莓拌進莓漿中﹐拌勻即可。

糖漬金桔
24粒 金桔　
2杯 砂糖
1½杯 水

作法：
把金桔洗乾淨﹐抹乾﹐去蒂﹐橫的切成兩半﹐再用叉子去籽。將水和砂糖裝進小鍋裡﹐開中火煮沸﹐把金桔加進去﹐用一片*紙巾覆蓋在金桔上﹐繼續煮兩分鐘﹐離火﹐在常溫中放涼置一晚。

丟掉紙巾﹐把金桔撈出來﹐僅加熱糖漿﹐煮沸後熄火。此時才將金桔放回糖漿中﹐在常溫中放置一晚。把糖漿倒掉﹐倒進密閉容器中﹐可冷藏存放一個星期。

*紙蓋的作用是要使金桔沉入鍋內﹐完全浸泡在糖漿裡。

組合:
將奶油乳酪卡士達醬舀進塔皮至8分滿﹐舀些糖煮藍莓﹐再以薄荷葉裝飾一部分的塔。剩下的隨意的擺放金桔﹐再撒些切碎的開心果仁裝飾。

Kuri Matcha Choco Verrines ~ 栗子抹茶可可和風物語

It is so wonderful that the sun is out after weeks of stormy weather! I had caught the blue bug from all that rain and didn’t want to do anything but lay in the bed! Now that it is sunny and warm, I am motivated to be back in the kitchen ^^

This Japanesey sweet is my take on a dessert featured in the Japanese version of ELLE à Table (Jan/09). I like the layering effect showed in the magazine and was convinced by the intrigue combination of chestnut and matcha. The two is a fairly common pairing in making wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets), but this nothing short of deliciousness combination seem somewhat unpopular or common in western pastry. If you have a recipe made of the two, would you mind sharing? I’m just mad about them!

The sweet is composed of spongy fragrant matcha génoise, rich & dense flourless chocolate cake, candied chestnuts, light & melt-in-your-mouth chestnut Chantilly then a dusting of cocoa powder and a piece of candied chestnut complete this lovely, Springy dessert - giving it not just a lovely presentation but a contrasting texture of light and dense. All the components were simple to make and you can make them a day in advance (except the chestnut Chantilly). Though I was very happy with the result but I couldn’t stop thinking that this may taste even better with Jasmine mousse, maybe you can try this combo and let me know how it turns out =)



Kuri Matcha Choco Verrines – makes six 8oz glasses
¼ recipe Matcha Génoise, diced
¼ recipe Chocolate Valentino, diced
1 recipe Kuri (chestnut) Chantilly Cream
8 whole chestnuts in syrup (available at Japanese markets)
Some cocoa powder

Matcha Génoise
100g granulated sugar
70g all purpose flour
15g matcha
20g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs

Prep:
- Sift together flour and matcha, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 360°F/180°C.
- Lightly butter a 12 x 9in/28 x 24cm roll cake pan and line it with parchment paper.

Brings a small pot of water to boil, set aside. Melt the butter in a microwave, set aside to cool.

Using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs together in a heatproof bowl then add sugar and beat until blended. Place the bowl over the pot of boil water and continue to beat over medium speed until it is foamy and warm to the touch. Remove from heat, continue to beat in a circular motion until it doubles in volume and soft peaks form. Gradually add in the sifted matcha flour mix using a rubber spatula and fold gently until incorporated. Add in the melted butter, quickly fold until completely incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spread and smooth out the batter using the spatula. Tap the pan slightly on the counter to release any air bubbles, place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Slice it into small cubes.




Kuri (chestnut) Chantilly Cream
200ml heavy cream
3tbsp chestnut cream or crème de marrons
1tbsp caster sugar
¼ vanilla bean, split open and seeds scraped out

Bring 50ml heavy cream, vanilla pod & seeds, and the chestnut cream to just simmer over medium heat; stirring occasionally to prevent from burning. Remove from heat and continue to stir until the two are fully incorporated. Remove vanilla pod and place the saucepan in an ice water bath to cool.

Place the remaining cream, sugar in a bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Fold in the cooled chestnut cream mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Pour the whipped cream into a piping bag w/o a tip, let chill in refrigerator.

Assemble:
Spoon some Chocolate Valentino cubes into the glasses (I use champagne flutes) to ¼ height of the glasses then spoon in matcha génoise cubes next to 2/4 full. Snip off a little corner of the piping bag, and pipe the cream to ¾ full, place some candied chestnuts on top then pipe more cream until almost to the top. Sprinkle some cocoa powder and top off with a piece of candied chestnut. Voilà!



這個和風甜點的靈感來自一款在日版ELLE à Table(01/09)看過的點心。我承認是因為照片拍的很漂亮﹐所以我才給吸引住的。再看它的材料配搭居然是我最愛的抹茶跟栗子的組合﹐我可沒理由拒絕了。其實抹茶跟栗子的組合是和菓子常見的風味﹐但在製作西式點心方面這個搭配並不是很普遍。好可惜喔~

很喜歡這個甜點的味道鋪陳 – 由有著襲人的淡雅茶香的抹茶海綿蛋糕﹑濃郁濕潤的純巧克力蛋糕﹑質地輕盈細緻口感清爽不膩帶有淡淡奶香的栗子風味香堤麗鮮奶油﹑還有藏在香堤麗鮮奶油中的鬆軟綿密帶著微甜的栗子甘露煮交揉出絕妙的層次及鮮明的口感﹐讓人為那份美味著迷感動。這個甜點適合用透明度高的容器來呈現﹐這樣才能看到它賞心悅目的漂亮層次。而因為它本身很精緻﹐裝飾上方簡單的用濾網過篩可可粉﹐再擺放一顆栗子甘露煮就可以了。

我覺得將栗子風味香堤麗鮮奶油變成茉莉風味慕斯﹐味道應該更迷人典雅。如果你剛巧不愛栗子﹐不妨嘗試這個組合吧 ^O^

栗子抹茶可可和風物語– 約6杯
¼ 份量的 抹茶傑諾瓦士﹐切丁
¼ 份量的 巧克力華輪天奴蛋糕﹐切丁
1 ½ 杯 栗子風味香堤麗鮮奶油
8顆 市售栗子甘露煮(購自日本超市)
少許 可可粉



抹茶傑諾瓦士 ~ 直徑12 x 9in/28 x 24cm長方形模具1個
100g 砂糖
70g 麵粉, 篩過
15g 抹茶
20g 無鹽奶油
3個 L尺寸全蛋

事前準備:
- 將抹茶和麵粉混合篩過備用。
- 將一烤架移到烤箱中格﹐烤箱預熱至360°F/180°C。
- 模具抹上厚厚的奶油﹐再鋪上烘烤紙﹐備用。

先燒開一小鍋的水﹐備用。將奶油切丁﹐倒進一個耐熱的容器裡﹐然後放微波爐加熱融化﹐靜置放涼備用。

將蛋倒進耐熱拌碗中﹐用電動攪拌器以中速打散﹐加進砂糖﹐攪打至顏色變淡。將拌碗放小鍋上隔熱水加熱打發﹐不停攪拌至微溫發泡。停止加熱﹐繼續以劃圓圈的動作打發至富含空氣會如緞帶般重疊時即可。分數次加進篩過的抹茶麵粉﹐用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻﹐然後拌入放涼的融化無鹽奶油﹐同樣的以橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻。

一鼓作氣地將麵糊倒進烤模中﹐推勻﹐輕輕敲一下烤模釋放氣泡後﹐放進預熱過的烤箱裡﹐烘烤約15分鐘。當週圍會因烤熟而稍稍縮小﹐烤模和蛋糕體間就會出現空隙﹐輕按蛋糕中間時感覺到彈性即烤好。也可以用竹籤插入中央﹐慢慢拔出時不會沾黏﹐就烤好了。從烤箱取出﹐翻轉倒扣脫模﹐擺在網架上整個放涼。將海綿蛋糕橫切成小丁備用。

如果不立刻使用﹐可將蛋糕包好放冰箱存放﹐可以保存3天。使用前靜置回溫即可。



栗子風味香堤麗鮮奶油 – 約1 ½ 杯份量
200ml 鮮奶油
3湯匙 市售栗子醬
1湯匙 細砂糖
¼條 香草豆﹐開半刮籽

將50ml的鮮奶油﹑香草豆及籽﹑栗子醬混合倒進小鍋中﹐以中火煮至剛沸騰﹐期間要不時的攪拌以免煮焦。離火﹐確實攪拌勻栗子奶漿後﹐丟掉香草豆﹐放冰水浴中放涼。

將鮮奶油和細砂糖放入拌碗中﹐用電動打蛋器先以低速打發鮮奶油至起泡﹐再轉中速攪打至出現尖角的程度。拌入放涼的栗子奶漿﹐用橡皮刀源邊往下刮翻切拌勻即可。將栗子香堤麗倒進擠袋裡﹐剪去一角﹐放冰箱冷藏備用。

組合及裝飾:
將切成小丁的巧克力華輪天奴蛋糕舀進杯中至4分1滿﹐然後舀進丁狀的抹茶傑諾瓦士至4分2滿。將栗子香堤麗擠進杯中至4分3滿﹐填入切碎的栗子甘露煮﹐然後再擠栗子香堤麗至滿頂。撒一些可可粉﹐再擺放栗子甘露煮點綴裝飾即可。