Plating for Gold A Decade of Dessert Recipes from the World and National Pastry Team Championships

TISH BOYLE is the editor of Dessert Professional magazine and the former editor of Chocolatier. She is the author of several books on baking and pastry, including Chocolate Passion, Diner Desserts, The Good Cookie, The Cake Book, and the Grand Finales series. Her articles and recipes have appeared in such publications as the New York Times, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, and Every Day with Rachael Ray. An experienced pastry chef who trained at école de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris, she frequently serves as a judge in pastry competitions. | http://www.tishboyle.blogspot.com/

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Recipe: STRAWBERRY AND ALMOND MILK DELIGHT,

RED CURRANT AND WINE JUS

STRAWBERRY AND ALMOND MILK DELIGHT, RED CURRANT

AND WINE JUS

(TEAM NOTTER 2000, Ewald Notter, Sébastien Canonne, Jacquy Pfeiffer)

Knowing that the degustation judges would be tasting a lot of desserts, Pastry Chef Sébastien Canonne decided to present a light dessert with clean and classic flavors for the 2000 National Pastry Team Competition. The gold medal–winning creation features a dome of Strawberry Sorbet and Almond Milk Ice Cream on top of an almond paste–topped sablé. A simple Red Currant and Wine Jus adds acidity and a touch of innovation to this beautiful dessert.

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Almond Paste

90 g (3.17 oz/1/3 cup) almond paste (70%)

35 g (1.23 oz/1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp) roasted almonds (skin on), chopped

4.5 g (0.15 oz/1 tsp) almond liqueur

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the almond paste, roasted almonds, and almond liqueur on low speed until blended.

2. Roll the paste out thinly, to a thickness of about 1/8 in (3.17 mm), and cut out at least twelve 3-in (7.6-cm) rounds. Store in an airtight container at room temperature until ready to serve.

Sablé Cookies

140 g (5 oz/1 stick plus 2 Tbsp) unsalted butter (82% butterfat)

0.37 g (0.01 oz/pinch) sea salt

50 g (1.76 oz/1/2 cup plus 1 tsp) almond tant pour tant

47 g (1.65 oz/1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp) confectioners’ sugar

1/2 Tahitian vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

30 g (1.05 oz/1 1/2 large) hard-boiled egg yolks, passed through a fine-mesh sieve

30 g (1.05 oz/1 1/2 large) egg yolks

175 g (6.17 oz/1 1/2 cups plus 1 1/2 tsp) pastry flour, sifted

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the salt on high speed. Add the tant pour tant, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds and mix well. Add the hard-boiled egg yolks and raw egg yolks and mix until blended. Remove the bowl from the mixer stand and fold in the sifted flour. Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

3. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 0.1 in (2.5 mm) and cut out at least twelve 3-in (7.6-cm) rounds from the dough. Place the rounds on a silicone baking mat–lined sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Red Clear Glaze

400 g (14.1 oz/3 1/2 cups) fresh strawberries, washed and hulled

200 g (7 oz/1 cup) granulated sugar

50 g (1.76 oz/2 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp) glucose syrup

225 g (7.9 oz/3/4 cup) neutral glaze

1. In a saucepan, combine the strawberries and 100 g (3.5 oz/1/2 cup) of the sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the strawberries release their juice. Strain and return the juice to the saucepan. Add the remaining 100 g (3.5 oz/1/2 cup) sugar and the glucose and bring to a boil. Add the neutral glaze, stirring to combine. Transfer the glaze to a covered container and let stand at room temperature until ready to use.

Almond Milk Ice Cream

6 g (0.21 oz/scant 1 Tbsp) ice cream stabilizer

124 g (4.37 oz/2/3 cup) granulated sugar

1080 g (38 oz/4 1/2 cups) whole milk

45 g (1.58 oz/1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp) nonfat dry milk

68 g (2.4 oz/3 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp) Trimoline (invert sugar)

85 g (3 oz/1/3 cup plus 2 1/2 tsp) heavy cream (35% butterfat)

250 g (8.8 oz/3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp) almond paste (70%)

A few drops of bitter almond essence

1. In a small bowl, combine the stabilizer with 62 g (2.18 oz/1/3 cup) of the sugar.

2. In a saucepan over low heat, bring the milk to a temperature of 40°F (4°C) and mix with the dry milk. Bring the milk to 78°F (25°C) and stir in the remaining 62 g (2.18 oz/1/3 cup) sugar, and the Trimoline. Bring the mixture to 97°F (35°C) and stir in the cream. At 99°F (37°C), whisk in the almond paste. At 114°F (45°C), add the stabilizer and sugar mixture. Heat to 185°F (85°C), stirring constantly, and cook for 2 minutes. Cool down rapidly in an ice water bath to 40°F (4°C). Stir in the bitter almond essence. Cover and refrigerate the base for 4 to 12 hours.

3. Using an immersion blender, homogenize the base. Process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to an airtight container and freeze until ready to use.

Strawberry Sorbet

247 g (8.7 oz/1 cup plus 3 Tbsp plus 2 1/4 tsp) granulated sugar

1 kg (35.27 oz/4 1/3 cups) fresh strawberry puree

91 g (3.2 oz/1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp plus 1/2 tsp) water

86 g (3 oz/1/2 cup plus 2 tsp) glucose powder

4.3 g (0.15 oz/1 1/2 tsp) sorbet stabilizer

1. Add 100 g (3.5 oz/1/2 cup) of the sugar to the strawberry puree and whisk to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water to 105°F (40°C) and whisk in the remaining sugar, glucose powder and sorbet stabilizer. Heat to 185°F (85°C), then cool down rapidly to 68°F (20°C) in an ice water bath. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

3. Fold in the strawberry puree and blend with an immersion blender. Process the base in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and freeze until ready to use.

Red Currant and Wine Jus

37 g (1.3 oz/1/3 cup) fresh raspberries

37 g (1.3 oz/1/4 cup) fresh blueberries

45 g (1.5 oz/3 Tbsp plus 2 tsp) granulated sugar

190 g (6.7 oz/3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp plus 1 1/2 tsp) red wine

60 g (2.1 oz/1/4 cup) water

1/8 Tahitian vanilla bean, split lengthwise

1/3 bay leaf

3 whole black peppercorns

Grated zest of 1 orange

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Cornstarch, as needed

1. In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, blueberries, sugar, red wine, water, vanilla bean, bay leaf, peppercorns, and citrus zest. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue to boil until the berries start to break down a bit. Strain and return the juice to the saucepan.

2. If necessary, thicken the sauce by adding a small amount of cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of water. Bring to a boil to activate the cornstarch. Remove from the heat and cool.

ASSEMBLY

Colored white chocolate garnishes

Pulled sugar S-shaped garnishes (see recipe below)

Red currants

1. Line twelve 3-in (7.6-cm) demisphere molds with Strawberry Sorbet, leaving a cavity in the center of each mold. Fill the cavities with Almond Milk Ice Cream. Top each with a round of the Almond Paste and then a Sable Cookie. Freeze until firm.

2. Unmold the demisphere molds and glaze with the Red Clear Glaze. Arrange each dessert in the center of a plate. Garnish each dessert with the white chocolate and pulled sugar decorations. Spoon some of the Red Currant and Wine Jus onto each plate, and garnish with some fresh red currants.

Basic Sugar Syrup for Blowing and Pulling

Basic Sugar Syrup for Blowing and Pulling

MAKES 2.1 KG (74 OZ/6 1/2 CUPS) SUGAR SYRUP FOR BLOWING AND PULLING

1.36 kg (3 lbs/6 3/4 cups) granulated sugar

454 g (1 lb/scant 2 cups) filtered water

284 g (10 oz/3/4 cup) glucose syrup

10 drops tartaric acid

1. Place the sugar and water in a 3-quart nonreactive pot over high heat. Before the mixture boils, remove any scum that forms on the surface.

2. Once the mixture comes to a boil, scrape the glucose and tartaric acid into the mixture, stirring gently to combine. At this point, the ideal boiling time is 15 minutes per pound of sugar, although this will depend on the humidity and altitude of your cooking environment. Cook the syrup to 320°F (160°C) as fast as possible and with the heat concentrated directly under the center of the pan. Once the sugar reaches temperature, it is ready to use.

Recipe from Plating for Gold (Wiley) by Tish Boyle.