success!

just a quick note

and an apology for not posting a new recipe for over a week

i won first place in the category for third year apprentices
at "zimt&sterne" (translation: cinnamon&stars) in münster

which is a baking and decorating trade show.

the theme was "winter time"

and my personal theme was "the snowqueen", inspired by the fairy tale from h.c. andersen.

pictures will follow soon

to tide you over a first peek:

pralines. the end. @school.

this was the beginning of the pralines.

now we cut them, covered them with chocolate and decorated them.

so here they are, from left to right:

soft hazelnut brittle

and tonka bean ganache with a sheet of the hazelnut brittle under it

nougat-sugar brittle candies

because the tonka praline is made up of mostly dark chocolate we decided to cover it in milk.

the others are covered in dark chocolate due to their very sweet fillings.

yum yum.

cuisinphilie. mora. bovida. cookery shops in paris.

  these are three cookery shops i discovered in paris.

oh, how i wish i would have such well stocked shops here as well.
somewhere to browse for
silicon forms,
chocolate molds,
cooper cookware
and cooking odds and ends.

ladurée.

a few words before i start in:

those who read my blog, few or many, 

i spent the past weekend in paris at my lovely friend sarahs.

the special occasion were the "chocolate masters" i wanted to see and a reunion with the city i fell un petit peu with in love.

i do not want to overload you with all my impressions at once, so in the next week (or weeks) i will post something of my trip.

so much to be said:

i ate a lot of good food, saw a lot of neat places and was inspired.

...

oh glorious

sweet

delicious

apple

so tender

soft

buttery

when caramelized

...

i've given tarte tatins my fair try.

here here and here.

they have turned out lovely.

one better than the other.

it is said that the ladurée tarte tatin is one of the best in paris.

of course i had to try it.

for 5,90 euro i got my tatin in a petit box and a pretty bag along with it.

this quaint tarte had a beautiful apple pattern

and was bedded on a light and crunchy puff pastry.

superb.

salon du chocolat professionel et le "chocolate masters 2011" @paris.

en premier:

félicitations!

frank haasnoot of our neighbors in the netherlands has won the world chocolate masters.

can you find his showpiece? 

hint: it's the crazy warrior dude.

  

 

cocoa beans

chocolate

browns&blacks

dragons

serpents

goddesses

gold 

ornaments

jewlery

smaragd

sapphire 

ruby

flowers

vegetation 

aztec buildings

past friday i was lucky enough to be a witness of the challenge,

of the work

and the showpieces.

the theme of this years mastership was

"cacao, the gift of quetzalcoatl”

 the contestants must have sweated water and blood.

it was warm in there.

yet they seemed so calm.

they worked so professionally.

i was amazed.

there was a lot more to see though than just the mastership.

i tasted different chocolates, 

awed a number of machines 

and wowed the decor offered at this exposition. 

i saw sugar works, 

new molds and forms for cakes and pralines

and was introduced to new teaching facilities. 

it was worth the trip.

just looking at the showpieces live

and being able to inspect them up close and from different angles 

was such an enrichment. 

if you want more information 

and want to see more pictures and videos

go to:

world chocolate masters.

p.s. i saw so many "stars" of my métier.

got me all googly-eyed and giggling.

 

fig tarte with crème pâtissière.

i run my finger on the surface, 

it feels like leathery skin.

who would know that the inside

is soft, moist and full of fertile seeds?

i simmer the fruit, 

they are wading in the water.

i tumble them about.

a cut reveals the flesh, 

a burst of colors, 

befitting of an autumn tree, 

shades of red and purple.

they find their bed

in a soft pillow of vanilla cream.

...

one of my favorite autumn fruit.

figs make a great eye-catcher

and

add a subtle, unique flavor to any dessert or composition.

try poaching them in wine, 

the flavor is superb.

this is a simple vanilla tarte, 

made special with this exceptional fruit.

fig tarte with crème pâtissière

 

 

one tarte, 22 cm in diameter

pâte brisée:

100g butter

60g powdered sugar

10g eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

large pinch of salt

165g all-purpose flour

 

 

 crème pâtissière:

 

 500g milk

100g sugar

45g cornstarch

80g egg yolks (4 egg yolks)

1/2 vanilla bean

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

25g butter

4 medium sized figs

1 1/2 cups water

50g powdered sugar

2 tbsp honey

make pâte brisée: 

cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt.

add flour, blend well.

chill for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.

 then roll the dough around 3-4mm thick, then press into your tarte form.

poke the bottoms with a fork, to avoid air bubbles.

bake for around 15 minutes, or until golden-brown at 180 degrees celcius.

let cool.

make crème pâtissière.
heat milk with sugar, vanilla and salt.
meanwhile beat egg yolks and cornstarch until thick.
make sure, that your milk is only heated slightly, then add your egg mix, stirring constantly.
it's important that your milk isn't too hot, or else the egg yolks will scramble.
turn up heat and wait for the creme to boil, stirring constantly.
let it boil shortly, don't forget stirring, then take from heat and keep on stirring on a cold water bath.
when it has cooled off to about 70 degrees celcius, add the cut butter and stir.
now you may pour your creme into your pie shell and spread it smoothly with a spatula.
let cool.

prepare the figs:
to poach the figs, stir the sugar and honey into the water and bring to a simmer.
place the figs in the water and simmer for around 10 minutes, "tumbling" them about occasionally.

let cool, then cut into fourths.
place them decoratively on your tarte.

voilà!

pralines. the beginning. @school.

our next subject in school is chocolates and pralines.

we are making 

nougat-sugar brittle candies

soft hazelnut brittle

and tonka bean ganache with a sheet of the hazelnut brittle under it.

 

lemon tarte with meringue. tarte au citron meringuée.

i trace the roof of my mouth with my tongue.
the lemon tang is still present.
although the tarte is (long) gone.

i think about how easily my teeth slide through the custard.
hit the crisp crust.
the smooth, butter taste.
both from the filling and it's pastry fortress.

the white, weightless something makes a squishy sound.
air is deflated.
sweet and sour complement each other.
a give and take.

...

a delicate combination.
a balance not easy to achieve.

be assured, this is it.

please, take your time savoring every bite.
it's worth it.

lemon tarte

one tarte, 22 cm in diameter

pâte brisée:

100g butter

60g powdered sugar

10g eggs

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

large pinch of salt

165g all-purpose flour

lemon custard:

3 eggs

270g sugar

180g lemon juice

lemon zest of 2 lemons

pinch of salt

260g butter

8g gelatine

 meringue:

80g egg white

100g sugar

make pâte brisée: 

cream butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt.

add flour, blend well.

chill for at least 1 hour before rolling it out.

 then roll the dough around 3-4mm thick, then press into your tarte form.

poke the bottoms with a fork, to avoid air bubbles.

bake for around 15 minutes, or until golden-brown at 180 degrees celcius.

let cool.

make the meringue:

turn your oven up to 200 degrees celcius.

whip egg whites and half of the sugar until white and frothy. 

add the rest of the sugar.

beat until stiff.

fill into pastry bag and pipe onto a silicon mat in any way you would like.

i marked 18 cm, as to be smaller than my tarte, started in the middle and piped circularly. 

bake for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

remove from oven, turn off oven. 

after the oven has cooled down slightly, place the meringue into the oven again, onto the lowest rack.

leave to dry until the oven is cold.

for the custard: 

soak gelatin in cold water, if using leaf gelatine.

if using powdered gelatine, just stir in into hot mixture later.

mix eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar and salt.

cut butter into cubes and add.

heat on high heat, stirring constantly.

do not leave your custard, or else your eggs might scramble!

when your custard boils, boil for one minute, remove from heat and stir in the gelatine (if using leaf gelatine, squeeze out excess water slightly).

let cool slightly, then pour into the tarte form.

let cool.

when your tarte has hardened, loosen your meringue from your silicon mat carefully and place on your lemon tarte.

cupcakes.

red beet buttermilk cupcake with a vanilla buttercream and raspberry core.

a little something for a dear friend's birthday.

sugar @school.

we molded sugar again.

and i poured some sparkling stars.

tinkle, tinkle, little star...

marzipan figures and a cake @mönnig.

adorable tiny marzipan figures

and a cool soccer cake.

don't you wish you were @ "konditorei mönnig"? 

pralines @mönnig.

some impressions of our praline production.

ganache fillings like egg nog, kirsch, "heavenly" truffles.

don't you wish you were @ "konditorei mönnig"?