Classic Genoise

Another basic recipe that I learned from the chef is Classic Genoise. A genoise is an Italian sponge cake which is using whole eggs, unlike American sponge cake where yolks and egg whites are beaten separately. What we did in the class was preparing a genoise for the Strawberry Shortcake layers. As it is very hard to get a nice and sweet strawberry in the supermarket now, I thought I could use these recipe for my Lemon Mascarpone Layer Cake. I guessed the Strawberry Shortcake needs to wait until end of the year or early next year when it is easier to get good strawberries...wow! that's a long wait...errr...let's see. At the meantime, here is the recipe for a Classic Genoise.

Ingredients:

3 eggs
80g caster sugar
80g cake flour
20g cornflour
20g melted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two 6-inch round baking pan and line their bases with a parchment paper.
2. Prepare a double boiler. In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine and whisk the eggs and the sugar. Put the bowl on the double boiler, continue whisking until the mixture is slightly warm and foamy. Remove from the heat. Put the bowl in the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the eggs mixture to a ribbon stage.
3. Sift the flour onto the eggs, add in the melted butter and fold carefully until just incorporated. It might be a little bit lumpy bit it is okay. You do not want to over-mix the batter or it might deflate.
4. Spoon the mixture evenly into the pans. 
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Note: 

A genoise can substitute lady fingers in making a tiramisu. It also can be used to make a roulade or swiss roll.

Macarons

I made 4 attempts over 2 years to bake macarons before I decided to call it a day and swore that I need to learn the techniques from the expert. Even before these attempts, I did a lot of research, I spent hours reading the tips and the dos and don'ts of macaron making...but still, I ended up with a bunch (a lot) of failed macaron shells in the bin. When I was reading the tips from well known bloggers, it seems so easy and I thought I fully understand them but when I was in the kitchen doing the exact same process and procedures...everything went WRONG!! So after the fourth unsuccessful attempt, I quit and told myself that I need to watch and learn from the guru.

In my first class in Taylor's last month, Chef Karam taught us how to make macarons but not just any macarons...they are Laduree's macarons. Yes, I heard about Laduree but not as much as I heard about Pierre Herme. From what I gather from the www, Pierre Herme is claimed to be THE best macaron but since I haven't tasted it, I'm at no position to judge it. But I'm sure they taste great.

Being trained at Laduree during his younger days, of course my chef claimed that his Laduree's version is the best. What a good macaron looks like? The top of the shell is shiny, it has ruffled straight feet and when you break it into 2 with your fingers...the shells didn't break into pieces. When you bite it, it is chewy and not crunchy like you are eating a biscuit. All in all, a good macaron is a perfect shell with nice ruffled feet and chewy texture.

The moment I bite into the chef's Laduree macaron, it was like falling in love for the first time...I was on cloud nine...the nutty taste of the shell which I love so much is very prominent and it wasn't as sweet as all the macarons that I have tasted previously. Now that I have learned to make them and understand the macaron as a whole, I am beginning to appreciate what macarons are all about. Macarons are about challenging yourself, perseverance, humble but confident and strive for perfection. YES! It is challenging and I'm still perfecting my macarons.

Ingredients: (digital scale is a must, don't convert into cups!)

125g ground almond

125g confectioners' sugar
45g egg whites
125g caster sugar
45g egg whites
Coloring gel

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together ground almond and confectioners' sugar with the first egg whites and coloring. Using a wooden or silicone spatula, stir until it becomes a paste.
2. In a small deep saucepan, put the sugar and add a little bit of water until it just wet. Cover the pan with an aluminum foil. Prick a fee holes on the foil using your sugar thermometer. Suspend the thermometer in the pan and boil the sugar until it reaches 118C. 
3. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, on medium speed whisk the second egg whites until foamy. Once the sugar reaches 118C, remove from the heat and straight away pour it into the foamy egg whites in a slow steady stream from the sides of the bowl. Whisk until firm peaks form and the meringue looks smooth and shiny.
4. Fold the meringue into the ground almond mixture and pipe onto a sheet on the baking tray. Rap the tray a few times and leave them to dry for 30 minutes to an hour.
5. Bake at 150C for about 8-10 minutes depending on your oven.
6. Cool completely before applying your choice of filling.

Peach Almond Tart

The main observation that I learned from the pastry class was always digitally measure the flour, the sugar, other dry ingredients, butter and eggs. An accurate measurement is crucial for some delicate pastries or confectioneries so digital scale is a must in one's kitchen. For milk and cream, use measuring cups. Water and vanilla extract...just trust your instinct! :)

Ingredients:

Shortcrust Pastry
200g all purpose flour
100g cold butter, cut into 1 inch cubes
30g caster sugar
1 egg

Almond Filling
70g butter, at room temperature
75g caster sugar
80g ground almond
1 egg
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
Zest from half lemon
1 peach, sliced



Instructions:

Shortcrust Pastry

1. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour and add sugar. Rub the butter into flour mixture until crumbly and resembles a coarse breadcrumbs. 
2. Add in the egg and knead until it forms a soft dough that doesn't stick to the bowl.  If it is too dry, add a tablespoon of cold water at a time to soften it. 
3. Form the dough into a ball, put it onto a plastic wrap, using your palm flatten it a bit, wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Almond Filling

1. While your pastry is in the chiller, prepare the almond filling.
2. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale. Add in the egg and vanilla and beat for a minute. 
3. Using a silicone spatula, fold in the almond, flour and zest until incorporated. Set aside.

Assembly:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle with a diameter of 8 inches. 
3. Line an 6 inch tart pan with the pastry. Press down into corners and sides. Trim the edges or crimp it if you want. 
4. Using a fork, prick the pastry base a few times and blind bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the pastry from the oven and allow to cool until you can touch the tart pan with your bare hands.
6. Spread the almond filling and garnish with some peach slices.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Variation:

You can also use apples and pears instead of peaches.