When I'm going to bake, I try to find out what people prefer so that I don't make something they dislike. I love it when people like Wayne tell me to pick something myself. This time I was inspired by Ann Reardon on How To Cook That and fell in love with her pictures of Strawberry Fraisier, which translates to "Strawberry Strawberry". It is a fancy and delicious strawberry shortcake. I made all the recipes on one day and assembled the next.
Chocolate Decorations
Ingredients
1 bar Ghirardelli White Chocolate, finely chopped
Equipment
Silpat or flexible baking sheet
Icing comb
Pastry rings or other items for shaping
To make the chocolate decoration, melt the chocolate, keeping it no higher that 93 degrees to keep it in temper, and pour out on a silpat. Using the icing comb, make a streak through it. Put it in the refrigerator to chill several hours. Here you can see I have used pastry rings to make them curved. You can use anything to shape it. The trick is getting them off without breaking them.
Store them in the refrigerator while you make the rest of the dessert.
Sponge Cake
Ingredients
200g (7.05 ounces) (approx 12) egg yolks
300b (10.58 ounces) (approx 7) egg whites
250g (8.82 ounces) or 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
250g (8.82 ounces) or 1 and 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Equipment
12 ring baking pan
Stand mixer with whip attachment
Preheat oven to 350F, prepare baking pan with Crisco to prevent sticking. Add half the sugar to the whites and the other half to the yolks. Whisk the whites until you can turn the bowl upside down without it falling out. Using the same beaters whisk the yolks. Sift the flour over the egg whites then add the yolks and fold it all together until you can’t see any streaks. Pour onto the baking pan rings. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside to cool. When cool, cut of domed top and cut horizontally in half. Store in refrigerator while preparing other parts of the dessert.
Pastry Cream
I replaced Ann Reardon's pastry cream recipe for one a know and trust. It comes from Martha Stewart's cupcake book. Pastry cream is like custard and is delicious. Try not to eat the whole thing by itself.
Ingredients
12 large egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup corn starch
6 cups whole milk
4 teaspoons vanilla
1) Whisk egg yolks until smooth in large bowl. Combine sugar, corn starch, and salt in large sauce pan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, gradually add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook until mixture thickens and begins to bubble, about 5 minutes.
2) Whisking constantly, slowly pour one third of the milk mixture into the egg yolks. Pour mixture into remaining milk mixture in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil and is thick enough to hold its shape when lifted with a spoon, 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
3) Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl. Cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on the surface to prevent a skin form forming. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days).
Strawberry Gel
This recipe turns out like a fruit leather. Next time I might find something else to replace it as a topping.
Ingredients
500g (16. ounces) or more strawberries, washed and hulled (frozen is ok)
4g (.14 ounces) or 2 teaspoon agar agar (use slightly more gelatin if you can't find agar agar)
Blend the strawberries and strain to remove and seeds. This should leave you with about 350g (10 ounces) of strawberry puree. Place puree in a sauce pan and sprinkle over the agar agar. Heat until boiling, continue to stir allowing the agar to dissolve. Line cookie sheet with foil, turning up the edges so that it doesn't run off. Pour onto foil and spread thinly. Place in fridge to set. Make sure it is level. Once set, put in freezer. This makes it easier to cut.
Strawberry Decorations
36 strawberries, roughly the same size to slice (I bought 3 baskets so that I would have plenty to choose from)
12 strawberries to be used on top
Holding a strawberry upside down, slice it in half vertically. Then slice each of those vertically. All slices should be in the same direction. It should look like it went through a cheese slicer. Save the inner, larger slices, in one bowl. Chop the outside pieces and save in a separate bowl.
Simple Syrup
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
Put water and sugar in small sauce pan and boil until sugar is disolved. Refrigerate until needed.
Assembly
1) Use the baking pan to assemble the desserts. Put in 1/2 a cake in the bottom of each pan. There should be room to put strawberries around the edges. If it is too big trim it a little.
2) Put sliced strawberries around the edges of the cake.
3) Brush on some simple syrup to add some moisture.
4) Put the pastry cream in a large piping bag using a large round tip. Fill until strawberries are almost covered.
5) Sprinkle some chopped strawberries on top of the pastry creme and poke them down into it.
6) Add the other half of the cake on top.
7) Cut out the gel with a cookie cutter and place on top of the cake.
8) Let them set in the refrigerator until right before ready to serve.
9) When ready to serve, push the dessert up from the bottom and place on plate. I found the little gold circles at a cake supply store. Top with white chocolate decorations and a strawberry.
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| Happy Birthday Wayne! |
