Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

 

I thought I'd start off today's post with a somewhat obvious observation. Once you start baking (and inevitably sharing all of the diet-busting goodness with those around you) you tend to get a reputation for being "the girl who bakes," which can be a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing because once folks learn about your new found hobby, they're pretty willing to sample the results, and often end up being the best providers of honest feedback. This is great in-and-of itself because feedback leads to practice, and practice makes better, right? 

However, you may also begin fielding requests to bring baked goodies to every clam bake, birthday party and office function known to man. Now, I love baking, but if I had to whip up desserts every day, our kitchen would never be clean and I'd start to resent my new favorite hobby. So--as I suspect is the plight of many amateur bakers--I've had to perfect the ancient art of "No." In doing so, I've been able to focus on one thing at a time and ultimately make a better dessert, so I like to think it's a win-win for everybody! That leads me to today's recipe, which I used for another office party last month. 

The above ended up being a modified version of this Martha Stewart recipe for chocolate cheesecake, minus the chocolate ganache on top and with raspberry garnish instead. The crust I tweaked by adding crushed hazelnuts, which I'm a big fan of. Before you use them, make sure to blanch and toast them a bit to bring out the flavor. Also, make sure to blind bake the crust for about 10 minutes before adding the chocolate filling. Enjoy!

For the Crust:

1 package of Oreo Cookies (8-9 oz.) 

1 cup blanched, dry roasted and pulverized hazelnuts

1 stick unsalted butter

Freestyle Friday #2 - Passion Fruit & Mango Cheesecake

Hello everyone! I hope you've all enjoyed this week's French pastry. On this episode of Freestyle Friday (which I decided to publish a day early), I thought I'd return to my favorite flavor combination: passion fruit and mango. After using about half a bottle of fruit concentrate in Chef Felder's passion fruit creme recipe, I didn't want the remainder to go to waste, so I decided to try this cheesecake. I've never made one before, so I was a bit nervous. I find a lot of homemade cheesecakes to be too "cheesy," or just too much like a slab of Philly topped with canned fruit. Not all that appetizing, in my opinion. This one, however, turned out surprisingly light, and I'll definitely make it again.

I did make a few tweeks, to includ the addition of a bottom crust:

For the Crust:
1 box animal crackers (pulverized)
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick unsalted butter

I also changed the topping a bit, because I didn't have any unflavored gelatin (which, incidentally, is a bit hard to find on Amazon as well...unless you're buying in bulk). Instead, I diced up two fresh mango and soaked the fruit in a mixture of passion fruit concentrate and mango-flavored jello. Once that set up a bit, I poured the topping over the cooled cheesecake, and popped it back in the refrigerator to chill completely overnight. Yum! The office had cheesecake for breakfast :)

Pate Sucree - Tarte Creme de Citron (Lemon Curd Tart)

Citrus is so delightful in summertime, and now that it's August, I couldn't wait to try this recipe for Lemon Curd Tart from section one of Chef Felder's book. I was much happier with the crust this time around, as I finally managed to roll it out to the proper thickness (about 1/8 inch thick). The candied lemon peel was so much fun to make, and it was incredibly simple. Water, sugar, lemon! Too cool :)

From Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry

For the Candied Lemon Slices:
1 lemon, sliced paper thin
1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz., 100 g) sugar
3/4 cup (200 ml) water

For the Pate Sucree (Sweet Pastry):
1 stick (4 oz., 120 g) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (3 oz., 80 g) confectioners' sugar
1 vanilla bean, 1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. (1 oz., 25 g) ground almonds
1 pinch salt
1 egg
1 2/3 cups (7 oz., 200 g) all-purpose flour

For the Lemon Curd:
2 lemons, pealed (yellow zest only, no white pith!)
1/2 cup (120 ml) lemon juice
2/3 cup (4 oz., 120 g) granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz., 175 g) unsalted butter, diced

Freestyle Friday #1 - Our Family's Blueberry Pie

I thought I'd take a break from the book occasionally to post some recipes that aren't Felder's own. I'll be posting them on Fridays, from now on, but still plan on regular updates with French pastries throughout the month. First is a personal favorite of mine: blueberry pie. Growing up in the Midwest, and of French-Canadian and Scottish/Irish heritage to boot, my family had pie for dinner probably once a week. Meat pie, chicken pot pie, shepherds pie, you name it. Suffice it to say, it is now one of my standard fall back options for dinner or dessert.

However, up until this point, I had never made my own pie crust! So, I took the opportunity to rectify this handicap in time for a coworker's farewell party a few weeks ago. Rumor had it that the guest of honor was a fan of blueberry pie, so I jumped at the chance to bake one from scratch. Thankfully, both of my parents have really great fruit pie recipes, so all I needed to supply was the crust. I ended up using the same Pate Brisee from Chef Felder's plum tart, and it really turned out well (despite the fact that I forgot to blind bake the bottom crust...amateur mistake). Next time, I think I'll roll the crust a bit thinner, and make sure to blind bake before adding the fruit. There's always room for improvement!

Our Family's Blueberry Pie:

For the filling:
5 cups blueberries
1/4 cup tapioca
1 tsp corn starch
3/4 cup granulated suger
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 orange, zested

For the Pate Brisee (pie dough):
1 stick (4 oz., 125 g) unsalted butter, diced
2 cups (9 oz., 250 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 Tbsp (1 1/2 oz., 40 g) sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) cold water

Mix all of your filling ingredients in a bowl, and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the pie dough, divide into two discs, refrigerate for at least 2 hours, then roll out each disc to about 1/8 inch thick. Lay the bottom crust in your pie shell, prick the bottom and sides all over with a fork, and blind bake at 400 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes. Remove the bottom crust and fill with your berries. Cover with the top crust and crimp as you see fit. Use a pastry brush to cover the top with an egg wash (1 egg beaten), and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake again until the top crust is golden, about 25-30 minutes. Voila!

Creme Passion-Banane (Passion Fruit-Banana Creams)

Hello again! As promised, this next recipe is also from section two of Chef Felder's book. When I saw the ingredients, I knew I had to try it immediately, because passion fruit is one of my favorite flavors. Sadly, my husband isn't a fan, so I rarely have reason to cook with it. This time, however, my own preferences overruled group consensus...if only for the sake of my education :) 

Adapted from Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry

Passion Fruit Cream 

1/2 cup (125 ml) passion fruit juice

1/2 cup (5 1/2 oz., 160 g) mashed banana

5 eggs

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (3 oz., 90 g) granulated sugar

1 stick (4 oz., 120 g) unsalted butter, diced

Topping

2 fresh, ripe mango, diced

As I've mentioned before, one of the trickiest things for me at the moment is finding the proper ingredients, and most of the time I have to go to Amazon. However, when it comes to finding shelf stable 100% passion fruit juice, even those with specialty stores in their immediate area may find themselves struggling. I took a chance on this passion fruit concentrate from Amazon, and I have to say the results have been wonderful. It's 100% juice, no sugar added, and very sour in its undiluted state, but when used in baking it provides the perfect amount of tartness and passion fruit flavor. When paired with a bit of fresh mango, this dessert was a tropical and refreshing treat that was lighter than I expected, and one I'll definitely be returning to when I need my passion fruit fix. I just hope I'll find a more inventive way of plating it, next time!

Verrine Chocolat-Framboise (Chocolate Raspberry Custard)

Hold onto your hats, folks! I've already gone off the reservation. Well, sort of. Although the idea of spending several weeks slogging through section one of Chef Felder's book (Les Pates et Les Tartes) filled me with glee, I couldn't help but take a detour through section two (Les Cremes). So much for going in sequential order. Oh well. The happy result is pictured above, a scrumptious and incredibly decadent chocolate custard.

From Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry

Verrine Chocolat-Framboise (Chocolate Raspberry Custard Cups)

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (3 oz, 80 g) granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
7 oz. (200 g) bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70% cocoa)
10 oz. (300 g) raspberries
2/3 cup (150 ml) milk
5 Tbsp (100 ml) heavy cream

I used Ghirardelli's 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips, and was very pleased with the result. The custard is rich, so you only need a small portion, and the raspberry flavor is quite pronounced. This would be a perfect dessert to make for a dinner party, since it's quick and easy and needs to chill for at least two hours before serving. Dole out individual portions in miniature serving dishes, top off with a few fresh raspberries (our grocery store was out, so I had to opt for frozen) and some chocolate shavings, and voila! The husband and I had our Bastille Day chocolate fix in a flash. Vive la France! Up next from my detour through Les Cremes of Chef Felder, Creme Passion-Banane (Passion Fruit-Banana Cream). Stay tuned!

Pate Brisee - Tarte aux Quetsches (Plum Tart)

Well friends, after three weeks of not having heard back from the publishers, I've gotten the distinct impression that I never will. So, I've decided to forge ahead by 1) simply listing the recipe ingredients, and 2) sharing the (hopefully tasty) end results with all of you! First up is Chef Felder's Pate Brisee, which also works well as a basic pie dough. After attempting the below plum tart, I ended up using this same dough recipe for our family's blueberry pie, and it turned out pretty well. I'll definitely continue to experiment with this dough, and hopefully improve my crust-rolling technique.

Pate Brisee - Tarte aux Quetsches (Plum Tart)

Adapted from Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry
 
For the Pate Brisee (pie dough):
125 g butter, diced
250 g all-purpose flour
40 g granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
125 ml cold water

For the Filling:
Six plums (pitted and sliced into 1/16ths)
50 g plain, fine breadcrumbs
25 g granulated sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Optional:
1 cup lavender simple syrup (see Lauren Craig's blog, Perpetually Chic, for a very easy recipe)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest
1 tsp cornstarch

Other:
9 inch tart pan with removable bottom 

I've never made a plum tart before, but this first recipe looked absolutely divine. How can you not fall in love with a glistening, purple star burst of fruit surrounded by sweet pastry? I was sold. I did make a few modifications, however, and I was pretty happy with the result. Instead of slicing the plums in half and filling the crust with bare fruit, I cut them into thin crescents, soaked them in a bit of lavender simple syrup, lemon zest, and corn starch, and arranged them in a pinwheel. I also used a bit of the syrup left over, mixed it with a tablespoon of apricot preserves, and used that to glaze the fruit after pulling the tart from of the oven. While I didn't get as much of the lavender flavor as I was hoping for, the fruit looked beautiful, and the glaze covered any plum slices that may have dried out a bit while baking. Topped off with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar, and voila! Bon appetit!

Vanilla Madeleines

Nothing brightens a Saturday morning like a nice cafe latte and madeleines. Madeleines are these soft-but-crunchy cookie-slash-cake things that are moist, buttery, and undeniably French. I've always wanted to try making them, but lacked the proper hardware (a.k.a. a bright & shiny madeleine pan). Oh, what a happy day it was when my madeleine pan arrived. Unfortunately, the box had been pulverized in the mail, and everything inside of it was covered in glucose (which I had also purchased at the time in anticipation of making pate de fruit). After a good scrubbing in the sink, it was time to bake. I used this recipe from The Bionic Baker, and the end result was absolutely divine. I will, however, be purchasing a different pan from Amazon, as the non-stick one I tried turned the madeleines a bit dark for my taste. Right now I've got my eye on this one, which comes highly recommended by blogosphere royalty, Chez Pim.

I know I've promised you recipes from Chef Felder's book, but after two weeks of waiting, I still haven't heard a peep from the publishers. Huff. Oh well. Patience is a virtue, right? If I can wait four hours for my brioche dough to rise, rise, and rise again, I guess I can wait another week for word from the powers that be.

In the meantime, I've been busying myself with recipes from other sources. Next up on my madeleine list are ones flavored with bergamot. Recipe courtesy of Chez Pim herself!

The Tea Party

As I wait to hear back from Rizzoli publishing--the company behind the candy-pink tome that is Chef Felder's, "Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry"--about reprinting rights for this blog, I thought I'd provide a little back story on my obsession. 

I'm sure you all remember Jacque Torres' Dessert Circus. If you don't, it's a must see. Mr. Chocolate himself is an absolute genius, and I can still remember watching the show on PBS at some ungodly hour on Sunday mornings. I must've been in elementary school. Forget Spiderman cartoons; what kid wouldn't love watching pools of molten chocolate and sugar become the most mouth watering creations known to man? Unfortunately, I didn't have pounds of chocolate, off-set spatulas, or marble counter tops to work with back then. My candy creations came out of Wilton molds, and quite honestly...they tasted like paste. I was discouraged. So off I went to pursue education and employment far from the colorful, delicious world of pastry. But like many childhood dreams, the thought of creating delectable desserts always lingered in the back of my mind...

Fast forward to last year, when I found myself with more time on my hands--and less creative outlets--than I could bear. So I started cooking, and with cooking came baking, and with baking came scouring the blogosphere for tasty recipes that would keep me occupied. I became obsessed with G Bakes, The Fromagette, and Amy Glaze. I watched Kings of Pastry and swooned.

And then I had an idea: a tea party. I know, it's not a sugar show piece, but it was something manageable, something I could pull off without having to swing by the old stand-by, Amazon.com, when our local grocery store fails to provide the basics (which is always). This is when I knew my bubbling dessert addiction was going to be hard to control: the moment I got bored enough to host afternoon tea--ala scones, finger sandwiches, and petit fours of considerable quantity and variety. After two days of cleaning, prepping, and baking (with the help of my wonderfully supportive husband) I knew there was no going back. This was just the tip of the iceberg...

Adventure is Out There!

Hello! Welcome to The French Pastry Blog. My name is Leslie, and I love dessert. More precisely, I love the world of pastry chefs--the raspberry tarts, the chocolate showpieces, the sugar pulling--but only recently found the time to devote to it. Therefore, I decided to start a blog chronicling my journey through Chef Christophe Felder's new book, "Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry." I figured, if I'm ever going to attend pastry school--I hope I hope I hope--then I'd better start learning the basics! So cross your fingers, click your heals, and say a prayer for my waistline, because this is about to get real.

P.S. Before I begin, I'd just like to say "thank you!" to my amazing husband for supporting this idea in the first place. I promise, sweetheart, I won't burn the house down. I'd also like to thank my sister-in-law, Mandy, for being the inspiration for this blog. She has been documenting her travels throughout Europe at Girl in Geilenkirchen, and has such a natural talent for writing, I can only hope to follow in her footsteps. I'll try my best!

~Leslie