Vol~Au~Vents, The Daring Baker's Challenge September 2009

Tutti Frutti Vol~Au~Vents,

simply delicious! Chocolate puff pastry filled with seasonal berries and mandarine orange

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan

Mushrooms & Crème Fraîche Vol~Au~Vents

The challenge was to make puff pastry using recipe by Michel Richard, but I couldn't resist to twist his recipe a little by adding cocoa powder to the butter. Don't worry, I made his original version as well. Voila, I had chocolate puff pastry and a regular puff pastry. Love them both, although the layers were not perfect, they tasted absolutely wonderful!!! I also, dare to say that the chocolate puff pastry was more challenging to work on.

If you interested to try the chocolate version, here is what to do:

Let the butter soften a little, then process the butter in an electric mixer with paddle attachment until smooth, then add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, continue to mix until well combine. Transfer to a piece of plastic wrap, form into square (about an inch high), wrap, then refrigerate until very cold. Then follow the recipe as directed, it will also help if you watch this video on how to enclose the butter, to roll and fold.

Thank you to Steph for hosting this month challenge. I had so much fun and couldn't be more happier with the result. I also want to thank Lisa and Ivonne who created the wonderful Daring Baker's Challenge.

Chocolate Croissant Dough

Remember my first croissant that I made back in April? I was curious if I can play with the recipe a little, I figure if a regular puff pastry can be made into chocolate puff pastry, I don't see why I can not do the same with the regular croissant dough. The recipe I used here was based on the book from Baking with Julia, then added ½ cup of cocoa powder to the butter. Here is my adaptation.

The Dough:

1 ounce compressed (FRESH) yeast

3¾ cups all-purpose flour

⅓ cup sugar (I think I used ½ cup)

2 tsp salt

1 cup (approximately) whole milk, I used mineral water sans gas (because I ran out of milk).

• Put the flour, sugar, salt, and milk, or water in a mixer bowl, crumble the fresh yeast into it. With a dough hook, process on low speed until form a soft dough. Add more milk, or water if the dough seems too dry, one tablespoon at a time. Continue to process until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. Wrap loosely in plastic, and let the dough rest for 30 minute to relax the gluten, then refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.

The Butter:

4½ sticks unsalted butter, slightly soft (cold according to the book, but I found it very difficult to process in a mixer)

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• Attach the paddle in your mixer, beat the butter until blended. Add the cocoa powder, continue to beat until well incorporated. Stop the machine, scrape with rubber spatula all the way down into the bowl to make sure that the butter is evenly blended with the cocoa.
• Transfer to plastic wrap, form the butter into an oval 6 to 7 inches long. Refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.

To incorporate the butter:

• Place dough on a well floured counter top, roll the dough into 11 inches wide by 18 inches long. Brush excess flour.
• Place the butter in the center, fold the top and bottom of the dough over the butter. Do the same with both side, by gently stretch up and over, so you will have a neat package.
• Roll the dough into a rectangle about 15 inches long and 7 inches wide (it doesn't have to be exact). Place the dough into a baking sheet, refrigerate for about 1 to 2 hours.

To Roll and Fold:

• Place the chilled dough on the counter top (don't forget to flour your counter top well) with long side facing you. Roll the dough into rectangle, about 24 inches long and 14 inches wide (approximately).
• Fold the dough into third as you would fold a brochure. Transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper , mark the parchment with "1 turn" as a reminder. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. In the book, the dough need only 2 more turns, but I did 3 more turn, so I have total 4 turns.
• Second turn: flour your counter top, place the dough with the fold side is in your left. Roll the dough as you did before, fold, place it on the same baking sheet, mark the parchment with "2 turns", then refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• If you want to do the third turn, do the same as on roll and fold as the second turn, but mark the paper with "3 turns
• Last turn: roll the dough (don't forget to floured your counter top) into rectangle about 24 to 26 inches long and 14 inches wide (again, doesn't have to be exact), fold the left and the right side of the dough into the center, then fold one side over the other like closing a book. Brush off the flour, wrap in plastic, refrigerate at least 2 hours. After chilling the dough for 2 hours, the dough is now ready to be roll, cut and shape into croissant. If you are not planning to use it immediately, it can be store in the freezer up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using it.

Your head probably spinning by now to read my instruction, I am so sorry ... I just don't know how to write, I tried hard you see, but thank goodness I think I can make your life a bit easier, and spare you from headache by showing you what I think is a good video. I hope it will help to understand on how to make a simple turn (which I did to make this dough). The video also show how to do the double turn. It is more forgiving that you can imagine. Hope this help!

So, the result?

For me, this is very delicious croissant (if you like chocolate of course). I didn't even bother to add jam or jelly that I would normally do with the regular croissant. I was in heaven, and pretty happy with my success trial.

Green plum (Reine Claude) Tart.

If you never had the delicious and beautiful green plums (aka Reine Claude Prunes) before, you better seek this immediately at your local market.

Ingredients:

1 recipe for sweet pastry dough, keep cold in the refrigerator

10 green plums, slice into pieces

½ cup to ¾ cup sugar

2 eggs

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

a few blueberry, just for color (optional)

• Roll out the pastry dough to fit an 11 inches tart pan. Transfer the dough onto the pan-trim the excess. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375⁰F
• Whisk the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer bowl until thick and pale. Add a pinch of salt to the egg mixture, mix gently. Pour the mixture directly into the tart shell. Arrange the plum slices neatly, living a little gap in between. If using blueberry, scatter them here and there. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the top starting to form a beautiful crust. Cool completely before serving.

Apricot Tart With Chocolate Puff Pastry

Still have leftover chocolate puff pastry, and already felt the urge to make a new batch. As some of you might remember, I mentioned that I really enjoy making laminated pastry. I find this activity very therapeutic, releases my stress level, and make me happy. My youngest sister starting to think the same way. Apparently, I can really bring good influence to my family. I really hope that my two sisters will try this recipe. My youngest sister was already successfully made some of my recipes. Anyway, I thought it's a good idea to use my last batch of chocolate puff pastry and make an apricot tart, just before the apricot really disappear from the market.

If you don't have chocolate puff pastry, use the regular store bought puff pastry (just make sure that you buy only listed butter as the main ingredient), or you can also use regular sweet pastry (recipe here).

Ingredients:

1 sheet of chocolate puff pastry, regular puff pastry, or 1 recipe of sweet pastry

3 pounds (more or less depending the size of your apricot) apricot, quartered

¼ cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 pinch baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Confectioner's sugar for serving (optional)

• Butter well a 10 inches or 11 inches tart pan. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 400⁰F.

• Sift the flour, and the baking powder. Set aside.

• Roll out the puff pastry a little bit bigger then the size of your tart pan. Transfer the pastry onto the pan, trim off the excess. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

• Beat the sugar, butter, and the vanilla in a mixer until light an fluffy. Add the egg, beat couple more minutes until pale. Add the flour, fold gently with rubber spatula just enough to mix the ingredients together.

• Take out the pastry from the refrigerator. Spread this mixture over the pastry. Arrange the apricot, standing them upright in circular motion. Bake 25 minutes until the crust is golden. Take it out from the oven, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar over the apricot. Return the pan back in the oven, and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the apricot is nicely glazed. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

I am not good at convincing people how good my recipe is, but I must say that nothing beat this apricot tart (I wish I can just send a slice to each of you). It is so good, that I honestly can eat the whole pan my myself. I know ... what you are thinking, I don't eat what I make????. Trust me, I do, I do ... (and do put a few pounds too, yao... ) and my family and friends notice this! In fact, my sister was jokingly said to me, hmmm, getting a bit plump, are we?

Vanilla and Lime flan

This flan tasted unlike any other flan I've ever made. It was really delicious, and the lime zest really add a nice aroma and almost gingery taste. A perfect dessert for hot summer weather!

Recipe adapted from Food Network Special,

Planet food: Mexico

Step 1. make Caramel

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbs water

• Boil the sugar and water together in a medium heat. When it reach caramel color, pour the caramel into a 9 inches cake pan, swirl. Put aside.
  

Step 2. Boil gently:

2 cans condensed milk

2 cans whole milk, use the condence milk can to measure the milk

3 lime zest

1 vanilla bean, scape the beans

In the meantime,

• Prepare a large bowl, place 6 eggs in the bowl, slightly beaten the eggs. Then pour gently about a cup or so the hot milk mixture (above) to the eggs. When the eggs has tempered, pour the rest of the milk mixture, whisk briskly.

• Pour this onto prepared cake pan. Bake in water bath (place the cake pan inside another pan that is larger than the cake pan. Fill the larger pan with water about half way) at 360⁰ F oven for 1 hour.

• Cool - then refrigerate overnight, or until very very cold. Unmold - serve.