Bonnuit ma petit Éclairs.

Chocolate and Vanilla Eclairs

I am exhausted and hot. My right arm is sore and my hands are pruned. Before you jump to all sorts of wild conclusions, I'll come right out and tell you. It's all thanks to the Daring Baker's. These Daring Baker's sure know how to make you sweat, especially in the height of summer on a particularly steamy day in August. That day would be today. Yes, today - meaning I left this challenge to the last possible day, the same day I had to post it. The challenge? Chocolate Éclairs by none other than the god of pastry himself - Pierre Hermé - chosen by Tony Tahhan of Olive Juice and MeetaK of What's for Lunch Honey? This challenge involved copious amounts of vigorous stirring and whisking which led to a very sore right arm. It also left me with a heap of dirty dishes to wash, leaving me with the kind of pruned fingers you'd get after an hour long bath.

Once again I have to admit I wasn't altogether too thrilled with the choice of challenge this month. It isn't the first time I have made choux pastry or éclairs for that matter, so I felt pretty confident in what would result. And it's not that I don't like chocolate. It's simply that at this time of year, I crave fruit. Summery, juicy stone fruit. Anyways, I got over my slight disappoint, which lasted all of 5 seconds. I was thrilled to finally try a Pierre Hermé original recipe, and I decided to keep it pretty much by the book this time since I have already played around with these before. I split his recipe for pastry cream in two and added vanilla beans to one and melted chocolate to the other. I definitely prefer the lighter vanilla pastry cream to a thin chocolate glaze then chocolate on chocolate but I wanted to give it a try. Everything came together quite easily, other than the physical effort required to whisk! Since I only just finished tonight, I haven't tried them yet - so I will be back to report on the taste test. Photos are also uninspired due to no natural light left so I plan to shoot some more tomorrow.


Update: I finally got around to tasting these delicious morsels. As I suspected, the clear winner was the vanilla pastry cream filled eclair. It's a matter of personal taste, but to me something as airy and ethereal as choux pastry pairs best with equally light and angelic flavours. The chocolate pastry cream, while delicious, bore more resemblance to a ganache in my opinion, which weighed down an otherwise featherlight dessert.

Pierre Hermé’s Cream Puff Dough - all recipes below from Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé

(makes 20-24 eclairs)

• ½ cup (125g) whole milk
• ½ cup (125g) water
• 1 stick (4 ounces; 115g) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs, at room temperature

In a heavy bottomed medium saucepan, bring the milk, water, butter, sugar and salt to the boil.Once the mixture is at a rolling boil, add all of the flour at once, reduce the heat to medium and start to stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon. The dough comes together very quickly. Do not worry if a slight crust forms at the bottom of the pan, it’s supposed to. You need to carry on stirring for a further 2-3 minutes to dry the dough. After this time the dough will be very soft and smooth. Transfer the dough into a bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using your hand mixer or if you still have the energy, continue by hand. Add the eggs one at a time,beating after each egg has been added to incorporate it into the dough. You will notice that after you have added the first egg, the dough will separate, once again do not worry. As you keep working the dough, it will come back all together again by the time you have added the third egg. In the end the dough should be thick and shiny and when lifted it should fall back into the bowl in a ribbon.The dough should be still warm. It is now ready to be used for the éclairs as directed above.

Notes: Once the dough is made you need to shape it immediately. You can pipe the dough and the freeze it. Simply pipe the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets and slide the sheets into the freezer. Once the dough is completely frozen, transfer the piped shapes into freezer bags. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

Chocolate Pastry Cream

• 2 cups (500g) whole milk
• 4 large egg yolks6 tbsp (75g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
• 7 oz (200g) bittersweet chocolate, preferably Valrhona Guanaja, melted
• 2½ tbsp (1¼ oz: 40g) unsalted butter, at room temperature

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In the meantime, combine the yolks, sugar and cornstarch together and whisk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Once the milk has reached a boil, temper the yolks by whisking a couple spoonfuls of the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Continue whisking and slowly pour the rest of the milk into the tempered yolk mixture.Strain the mixture back into the saucepan to remove any egg that may have scrambled. Place the pan over medium heat and whisk vigorously (without stopping) until the mixture returns to a boil. Keep whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 more minutes (still over medium heat). Stir in the melted chocolate and then remove the pan from the heat. Scrape the pastry cream into a small bowl and set it in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process. Make sure to continue stirring the mixture at this point so that it remains smooth. Once the cream has reached a temperature of 140 F remove from the ice-water bath and stir in the butter in three or four installments. Return the cream to the ice-water bath to continue cooling, stirring occasionally, until it has completely cooled. The cream is now ready to use or store in the fridge.

Notes: The pastry cream can be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. In order to avoid a skin forming on the pastry cream, cover with plastic wrap pressed onto the cream. Tempering the eggs raises the temperature of the eggs slowly so that they do not scramble.

Chocolate Glaze (makes 1 cup or 300g)

• 1/3 cup (80g) heavy cream
• 3½ oz (100g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 4 tsp (20 g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces, at room temperature
• 7 tbsp (110 g) Chocolate Sauce (recipe below), warm or at room temperature

In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and slowly begin to add the chocolate, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stirring gently, stir in the butter, piece by piece followed by the chocolate sauce.

Notes: If the chocolate glaze is too cool (i.e. not liquid enough) you may heat it briefly in the microwave or over a double boiler. It is best to glaze the eclairs after the glaze is made, but if you are pressed for time, you can make the glaze a couple days ahead of time, store it in the fridge and bring it up to the proper temperature (95 to 104 F) when ready to glaze.

Chocolate Sauce (makes 1½ cups or 525 g)

• 4½ oz (130 g) bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup (250 g) water
• ½ cup (125 g) crème fraîche, or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup (70 g) sugar

Place all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure to stir constantly. Then reduce the heat to low and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until the sauce thickens. It may take 10-15 minutes for the sauce to thicken, but you will know when it is done when it coats the back of your spoon.

Notes: You can make this sauce ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for two weeks. Reheat the sauce in a microwave oven or a double boiler before using. This sauce is also great for cakes, ice-cream and tarts.

Panna Cotta Dreams

Clockwise from left: Honey-Almond Panna Cotta with Macerated Peaches, Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis and Cappuccino Panna Cotta with Cocoa Whipped Cream

I always look forward to throwing dinner parties. There's something magical about gathering around a table with great friends, enjoying delicious food and fine wines together as the hours slowly pass. Before you know it, it's midnight and your guests reluctantly start to leave because it'll be an early start to get to work in the morning. You linger at the door saying good-bye for another half hour before anyone actually leaves. You shut the door still smiling, because of course all the fun has blocked your memory of the dishes waiting to be done.

On this particular occasion, there were plenty of dishes to do after a dinner party of 10 guests with 3 courses. The dessert alone created 40 dirty dishes! All I can say is thank god I have a dishwasher. Of course, I had to take the opportunity to try out some new recipes. We started with a Tomato, Goat Cheese and Onion Tart. I served each slice of tart with some spring greens tossed in dijon vinaigrette and a balsamic syrup drizzle on the plate. The tart was surprisingly simple to make and proved to be a hit. The fresh tomatoes helped cut through the richer flavours of caramelised onions and goat cheese. The main was an Herbed Roast Beef with Tomato Madeira Confit. The original recipe calls for a fillet or beef but I had made this once before and used an eye-round of roast beef with spectacular results. The thinly sliced medium rare beef is brought to new heights with the unctuous tomato confit. For dessert, I decided to experiment with a trio of lush Panna Cottas. I love the idea of having a few small tastings of desserts so that you can get some variety without being to weighed down at the end of a large meal. My new issue of Gourmet had arrived with a stunning recipe for Honey-Almond Panna Cotta with Lemon-Thyme Peaches. I knew I had to make it so with that recipe decided, I chose to make two others - a simple Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Strawberry Coulis as well as a Cappuccino Panna Cotta with Cocoa Whipped Cream.

Unfortunately as I was too busy serving, I didn't get any pictures of the starter or main. Not to mention that the pictures of the desserts are sorely lacking any style, but I had to at least get an image of these beauties before they disappeared. And disappear they did! Each little serving was devoid of any lingering smears, cream or sauce. A definite success that I look forward to repeating. The Honey-Almond Panna Cotta was my personal favourite, even though I am partial to both vanilla and coffee. All three were outrageously tasty, but the combination of honey, almond and peaches was stellar! I urge you all to make it immediately. Seriously, I'll wait here. Let me know what you think.

Honey-Almond Panna Cotta with Lemon-Thyme Peaches - adapted from Gourmet, July 2008

For panna cotta:

• 1 1/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (from a 1/4-ounce envelope)
• 2 tablespoon water
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used full fat Greek yogurt)
• 1/4 cup mild honey
• 1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract

For peaches:

• 1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon-thyme leaves (I used regular thyme and added a squeeze of lemon juice)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 peaches, peeled if desired, pitted, and thinly sliced (I used a small dice for the peaches)

Make panna cotta:

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small heavy saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften. Stir in cream and 1/8 teaspoon salt, then heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring, until gelatin has dissolved.
Whisk together yogurt, honey, and almond extract, then whisk in cream mixture.
Pour mixture into 4 small bowls and chill, covered, until set, at least 8 hours.

Prepare peaches:

Mince lemon thyme with sugar, then toss with peaches. Let macerate, stirring occasionally, at room temperature 20 minutes. While peaches macerate, let panna cotta stand at room temperature.
To serve: Top bowls of panna cotta with peaches and their juice. Drizzle with additional honey if desired.
Cooks' note: Panna cotta can be chilled up to 3 days.

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Cappuccino Panna Cotta - adapted from Tyler Florence

Cocoa Whipped Cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Espresso Panna Cotta:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon espresso beans, roughly ground
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
• 1/2 a vanilla bean

First add the cocoa powder to the heavy cream for the cocoa whipped cream. Stir well to combine then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Begin preparing the espresso panna cotta by placing the heavy cream, ground espresso beans, sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and add these along with the bean to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and steep for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the powdered gelatin and using a whisk stir over low heat to warm the mixture and dissolve the gelatin. Do not let it simmer. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve (this not only removes the vanilla bean and espresso beans, but also any undissolved gelatin) then pour into individual espresso cups. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

Once you put these in the refrigerator you can finish preparing the cocoa whipped cream (alternatively, you can do it just before you serve the panna cotta). Whip the cocoa cream until it begins to thicken and then add the confectioners' sugar. Whip until soft peaks form and serve a spoonful over each of the panna cotta servings. Top with a raspberry.

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Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta - adapted from Gale Gand

For Panna Cotta:

• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1/2 cup sugar

In a small bowl, combine the water and gelatin and let soak about 10 minutes (do not stir). Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the cream, vanilla bean and sugar to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. As soon as it simmers, turn off the heat and add the gelatin mixture, stirring to dissolve the gelatin. If the gelatin doesn't completely dissolve in 3 minutes, return the mixture to the heat and warm gently until dissolved. Pour the mixture into 6 to 8 ramekins or dessert cups. Chill, uncovered, 2 hours.

Serve with Strawberry Coulis.

Ready to serve

Wordle

My wordle.

Holla!

Challah Bread

Last week on Project Runway, Blane managed to get the ever-poised and articulate Tim Gunn broaden his near perfect vocabulary. "Holla! Holla at yo boy!" To hear Tim struggle to drop his R's and sound 'urban' was absolutely hysterical. Once I wiped the tears of laughter away I started to think about how bizarre it must seem to someone so utterly correct. "What does it mean?" he asked. No one could explain, they just kept repeating "Holla, you know? Holla at yo boy?!"



According to the Urban Dictionary:

Holla
1. A word used to acknowledge the presence of a fellow companion

2. For a man to express interest in a particularly impressive female specimen

3. To contact via telephone

Eg.
1. Is that mah boy ova there? HOLLAAAAA!

2. Watch out, I'm bout to holla at this fine bitch.

3. Boy, it was absolutely magnificent to see you again. Holla at me this evening, we can have tea and crumpets.

It's amusing to me how these words become such a part of our culture yet no one truly asks why. Then they are eventually instated in the dictionary. Bling-bling can now be found in Webster's Dictionary as of 1999. Will Holla be next? Will Tim replace "Make it work" with "Holla"?

All this talk of Holla got me thinking about Challah. I grew up eating this traditional Jewish bread every Friday at Synagogue and to this day it reminds me of my childhood. My dad would always tear off an enormous chunk and hand it to me to nibble on and wash down with lemonade from the punch bowl. The toasted crust contrasted the sweet and fluffy custard yellow innards. Sometimes they'd have raisin Challah too, but I've never been a fan of raisins in bread. I like my Challah plain, I find it's sweetend eggy flavour perfectly satisfying without any additions.

Last week I happened upon a lovely Challah post on Tastespotting from Dine and Dish. Just the sight of the Challah made me salivate and I could almost smell the fragrant honeyed scent. The recipe was for a bread-machine Challah dough and I knew I had to immediately pull my abandoned bread machine out of retirement to give this a try. I mean, how could I resist attempting to make Challah with minimal effort? The bread machine would do all the hard work of making the dough, and I would get to do the fun part of forming the braid!

The results were far superior to what I could have ever wished for. The scent of freshly baked Challah filled the house, much to my husband's delight upon his return from a hard day at work. The crust transformed into a perfectly shiny, golden brown speckled with poppy seeds. The innards were light and airy, the colour of custard and just sweet enough. I think this was the best Challah I have ever eaten and I am delighted to have found such an easy recipe to bring a bit of my childhood into my home as often as I please. The leftovers made the most delicious french toast the next morning, just one more reason to bring the bread machine permanently out of retirement!

Braided Challah Bread (Bread Machine) - from Recipezaar

Dough:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup water
  

Egg wash:

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbs water

Place ingredients into bread machine according to manufacturers directions.
Set on dough cycle and run until end of cycle.

Place dough onto a lightly floured board and divide into three equal parts. Stretch or roll each part into 9″ ropes and braid. Place on greased cookie sheet, cover and let rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix together egg yolk and water and brush evenly over bread, then sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds, if desired. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on wire rack.

I dare you not to like this.

Almond Gateau with Praline Buttercream

Hello? Is anybody there? It's me - Merav. I know I haven't been here for a while. I am trying to change that. With the backlog of food I have to blog about, it really shouldn't be too difficult to start. So please have a little more patience - perhaps this chocolate covered gateau will keep your attention for a while longer?

Once again, the Daring Baker's have dragged my ass out of seclusion and dirtied my kitchen with yet another multi-pot/utensil recipe. Not that I'm complaining - when the end result looks like this it somehow erases the memory of a sink full of dishes. This month's challenge comes courtesy of Chris from Mele Cotte who chose a Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream from "Great Cakes" by Carol Walter. Upon first sight of the challenge, I was both excited about the decorating potential but also a little disappointed that in the height of summer (90+ degree days here) we would be creating an intensely rich cake and not utilising the bounty of fresh fruits available. I got over it pretty quickly though and eventually set out to make the cake.

We were permitted to replace Hazelnuts with any other nut if we preferred. Since my food processor died and I have yet to replace it, I knew there would be no way to grind the hazelnuts smooth enough by hand. I went ahead and used the pre-ground almond meal I had on hand. To be honest, almond is my favourite nut so I probably would have chosen it over hazelnut regardless of my food processor predicament. I also decided to halve the recipe and make mini-cakes, as I knew that one large layer cake would sit uneaten in my fridge for weeks. The recipe also called for a Swiss buttercream but I could just not be bothered this time to stand over a bain-marie whisking away in this heat. I decided to use a cream cheese based buttercream, which I also much prefer flavour-wise. I used sliced almonds in my praline. Once cooled, I broke it into pieces, smashed it up in a bag with a rolling pin as much as I could, and then ground it further in a mortar and pestle. This step was a royal pain! Obviously I couldn't grind it enough to become a smooth paste but I mixed the powder into the buttercream with delicious results! For the soaking syrup, I used Amaretto liqueur which helped to bring out the delicate almond flavour. I stuck with the apricot glaze as I love apricots and believe they pair beautifully with almond. In the end, I omitted the whipped cream layer because I just felt it wasn't necessary.

In conclusion - though this cake took 3 days to make - the results were divine! The cake was moist, delicate and had a slight chew to the texture thanks to the almonds. The buttercream had a hint of caramelly praline but wasn't cloyingly sweet, in part thanks to me leaving out 3 cups of the sugar it asked for! All in all, I still think this cake is suited better to colder days and climates, but it was a joy to bake and those who ate it licked their plates! Check out all the other Daring Baker's creations for more jaw dropping gorgeousness.


Filbert Gateau with Praline Buttercream - From Great Cakes by Carol Walter:
Click here to see the Original recipe

Genoise:

Because of the amount of nuts in the recipe, this preparation is different from a classic genoise.

• 1 cup ground almond meal
• 1 tbs cornstarch
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar, divided ¼ & ¼
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp grated lemon rind
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/8 cup warm, melted butter (100 – 110 degrees)

Position rack in the lower 3rd of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with greased parchment paper.

Whisk together the almond meal and cornstarch. Set aside. Put the yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, and beat until thick and light in color, about 3-4 minutes on med-high speed. Slowly, add 1/4 cup of sugar. It is best to do so by adding a tablespoon at a time, taking about 3 minutes for this step. When finished, the mixture should be ribbony. Blend in the vanilla and grated lemon rind. Remove and set aside. Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl of the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed, until soft peaks. Increase to med-high speed and slowly add the remaining ¼ cup of sugar, over 15-20 seconds or so. Continue to beat for another 30 seconds. Add the yolk mixture to the whites and whisk for 1 minute. Working quickly, sprinkle the nut meal in about 2 tablespoons at a time – folding it carefully for about 40 folds. Be sure to exclude any large chunks/pieces of nuts. Again, work quickly and carefully as to not deflate the mixture. When all but about 2 tbsp of nut meal remain, quickly and steadily pour the warm butter over the batter. Then, with the remaining nut meal, fold the batter to incorporate, about 13 or so folds. With a rubber spatula, transfer the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula or back of a spoon. If collected butter remains at the bottom of the bowl, do not add it to the batter! It will impede the cake rising while baking. Tap the pan on the counter to remove air bubbles and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know the cake is done when it is springy to the touch and it separates itself from the side of the pan. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Invert onto a cake rack sprayed with nonstick coating, removing the pan. Cool the cake completely. If not using the cake right away, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, then in a plastic bag, then in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If freezing, wrap in foil, then the bag and use within 2-3 months.

Sugar Syrup:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 tbs Amaretto or dark rum or any other flavored liqueur

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the liqueur. Cool slightly before using on the cake. Can be made in advance.

Praline Paste:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 2/3 cup sugar

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly butter. Put the sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet. Heat on low flame for about 10-20 min until the sugar melts around the edges. Do not stir the sugar. Swirl the pan if necessary to prevent the melted sugar from burning. Brush the sides of the pan with water to remove sugar crystals. If the sugar in the center does not melt, stir briefly. When the sugar is completely melted and caramel in color, remove from heat. Stir in the nuts with a wooden spoon and separate the clusters. Return to low heat and stir to coat the nuts on all sides. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble. Remember – extremely hot mixture. Then pour onto the parchment lined sheet and spread as evenly as possible. As it cools, it will harden into brittle. Break the candied nuts into pieces and place them in the food processor. Pulse into a medium-fine crunch or process until the brittle turns into a powder. To make paste, process for several minutes. Store in an airtight container and store in a cool dry place. Do not refrigerate.

Praline Buttercream: adapted from Bon Apetit, June 2006

• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time, beating well until smooth. Mix in 1/3 cup of the Praline paste.

Apricot Glaze:

• 1/3 cup thick apricot preserves
• 1/2 tbs water

In a small, yet heavy saucepan, bring the water and preserves to a slow boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. If the mixture begins to stick to the bottom of the saucepan, add water as needed.Remove from heat and, using a strainer, press the mixture through the mesh and discard any remnants. With a pastry brush, apply the glaze onto the cake. If the glaze is too thick, thin to a preferred consistency with drops of water.

Ganache Glaze:

• 6 oz. (good) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, like Lindt
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1 tbs Amaretto, or dark Jamaican rum (optional)
• ¾ tsp vanilla
• ½ - 1 tsp hot water, if needed

Blend vanilla and liqueur together and set aside. Break the chocolate into 1-inch pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer into a medium sized bowl and set aside. Heat the cream and corn syrup in a saucepan, on low, until it reaches a gentle boil. Immediately and carefully pour over the chocolate. Leave it alone for one minute, then slowly stir and mix the chocolate and cream together until the chocolate is melted and incorporated into the cream. Carefully blend in vanilla mixture. If the surface seems oily, add ½ - 1 tsp hot water. The glaze will thicken, but should still be pourable. If it doesn’t thicken, refrigerate for about 5 minutes, but make sure it doesn’t get too cold!

Assembling Cake:

Divide the cake into 2 layers and cut out as many circles as possible using a round cookie cutter. Using a pastry brush, moisten the layers with the warm sugar syrup. Spread the bottom layer with a ¼-inch thickness of the buttercream. Place the middle layer over the first, brush with sugar syrup, spread with buttercream. Moisten the cut side of the third layer with additional sugar syrup and place cut side down on the cake. Gently, press the sides of the cake to align the layers. Refrigerate to chill for at least 30 minutes. Brush the top and sides of the cake with warm apricot glaze, sealing the cut areas completely. Chill while you prepare the ganache. Place a rack over a large shallow pan to catch the ganache drippings. Remove the gateau from the refrigerator and put it the rack. With a metal spatula in hand, and holding the saucepan about 10 inches above the cake, pour the ganache onto the cake’s center. Move the spatula over the top of the ganache about 4 times to get a smooth and mirror-like appearance. The ganache should cover the top and run down the sides of the cake. When the ganache has been poured and is coating the cake, lift one side of the rack and bang it once on the counter to help spread the ganache evenly and break any air bubbles. (Work fast before setting starts.) Patch any bare spots on the sides with a smaller spatula, but do not touch the top after the “bang”. Let the cake stand at least 15 minutes to set after glazing. To garnish the cake, fit a 12 – 14-inch pastry bag with a tip. Fill the bag with the reserved praline cream and or ganache. Decorate as you please. Refrigerate uncovered for 3-4 hours to allow the cake to set. Remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 3 hours before serving. Leftover cake can be covered with foil and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Better late than never...

Danish Braid filled with Cream Cheese, Nectarine and Blueberry

Hellooooo? Helloooo? Is there anybody out there? I know I have been missing for a while now but I am determined to blow the dust off my keyboard and get back to work! My poor, desolate and deserted blog is not happy with me at all however. At long last I was finally ready to make my way back into the world of blogging and take on the June Daring Bakers challenge. I had finally completed the challenge on time but once again - Blogger was down and would not let me post on time! Excuses, excuses, I know. But like they say, better late than never, right? And it would truly be a shame not to share this delectable pastry with you.

Thanks to Kelly and Ben's wonderful choice, I was truly challenged this month to make Danish Pastry and a Danish Braid. Though the task seemed daunting at first, it came together in a breeze and truly made me look like a pro to my husband and friends! The dough was supple and soft, extremely easy to work with. Speckled with orange zest, cardamom seeds and vanilla beans - the flavour and aroma were to die for! I decided to fill my braid with a homemade fruit filling and cream cheese. I made a delicious 'jam' of nectarines, blueberries, vanilla bean, cinnamon and sugar which I spread atop a layer of cream cheese whipped with sugar and an egg. After braiding the dough, I realised I made an incredibly stupid mistake - I forgot to assemble it on top of a piece of parchment paper for easy transportation to the baking sheet! It took me a while to pick up the long, delicate braid from the counter andplace it on the baking sheet but I somehow managed with minimal damage. Once proofed, I brushed the braid with an egg wash and baked it until golden brown. The scent in the air was irrisistable! We devoured the braid with copious cappuccino's and espresso's - the perfect accompaniement if you ask me! Make sure you check out the other Daring Baker's braids for a myriad of fillings and shapes!

Danish Braid - inspired by Sherry Yard, The Secrets of Baking

For the dough (Detrempe - Makes 2-1/2 pounds dough):

• 1 ounce fresh yeast or 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 2 large eggs, chilled
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the butter block (Beurrage):

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Dough: Combine yeast and milk in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed. Slowly add sugar, orange zest, cardamom, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, eggs, and orange juice. Mix well. Change to the dough hook and add the salt with the flour, 1 cup at a time, increasing speed to medium as the flour is incorporated. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if it is sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Butter block: Combine butter and flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then beat for 1 minute more, or until smooth and lump free. Set aside at room temperature.

After the detrempe has chilled 30 minutes, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 18 x 13 inches and ¼ inch thick. The dough may be sticky, so keep dusting it lightly with flour. Spread the butter evenly over the center and right thirds of the dough. Fold the left edge of the detrempe to the right, covering half of the butter. Fold the right third of the rectangle over the center third. The first turn has now been completed. Mark the dough by poking it with your finger to keep track of your turns, or use a sticky and keep a tally. Place the dough on a baking sheet, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. - Place the dough lengthwise on a floured work surface. The open ends should be to your right and left. Roll the dough into another approximately 13 x 18 inch, ¼-inch-thick rectangle. Again, fold the left third of the rectangle over the center third and the right third over the center third. No additional butter will be added as it is already in the dough. The second turn has now been completed. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes. Roll out, turn, and refrigerate the dough two more times, for a total of four single turns. Make sure you are keeping track of your turns. Refrigerate the dough after the final turn for at least 5 hours or overnight. The Danish dough is now ready to be used. If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, freeze it. To do this, roll the dough out to about 1 inch in thickness, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and freeze. Defrost the dough slowly in the refrigerator for easiest handling. Danish dough will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Danish Braid: Makes enough for 2 large braids

• 1 recipe Danish Dough
• Filling of your choice

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll the Danish Dough into a 15 x 20-inch rectangle, ¼ inch thick. If the dough seems elastic and shrinks back when rolled, let it rest for a few minutes, then roll again. Place the dough on the baking sheet. Along one long side of the pastry make parallel, 5-inch-long cuts with a knife or rolling pastry wheel, each about 1 inch apart. Repeat on the opposite side, making sure to line up the cuts with those you’ve already made.- Spoon the filling you’ve chosen to fill your braid down the center of the rectangle. Starting with the top and bottom “flaps”, fold the top flap down over the filling to cover. Next, fold the bottom “flap” up to cover filling. This helps keep the braid neat and helps to hold in the filling. Now begin folding the cut side strips of dough over the filling, alternating first left, then right, left, right, until finished. Trim any excess dough and tuck in the ends.

Proofing and Baking - Spray cooking oil onto a piece of plastic wrap, and place over the braid. Proof at room temperature or, if possible, in a controlled 90 degree F environment for about 2 hours, or until doubled in volume and light to the touch. Near the end of proofing, preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Position a rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan so that the side of the braid previously in the back of the oven is now in the front. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake about 15-20 minutes more, or until golden brown. Cool and serve the braid either still warm from the oven or at room temperature. The cooled braid can be wrapped airtight and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or freeze for 1 month.

The curtain never came up for this Opera!

Ugh, I'm such a loser! Once again life has been too hectic for me to complete the challenge this month and as you can see - I haven't even had a chance to blog the past 2 months! I was so looking forward to attempting this Opera Cake challenge but will have to feast with my eyes instead on the amazing creations all the Daring Bakers have made. Check them out at the Daring Bakers Blogroll.