Meringue-Topped Chocolate Cream Torte

      This last week has been absolutely insane at school, and I'm getting ready for another crazy week and a half. Everybody is cramming for AP tests coming soon, and mine (AP global history) is on the 16th - until then, I'm pretty much confined to my couch and my books. Since I know you are most likely in a nicer situation, I wanted to take a minute to share this great recipe with you, which I made a few weeks ago for a big family gathering when I was in Brazil.
     It's always interesting for me to bake in Brazil because while many are the same, some ingredients are just slightly different in a way that will have a big impact on a recipe. This year, when trying to make a chocolate cream pie, I discovered that heavy cream (which is hard to find fresh in Brazil, so we buy it canned) there has a slightly larger ratio of water to fat, and therefore has to be strained before being made into whipped cream. Left with a bowl of un-whipped cream and some egg whites, I resorted to a thin layer of meringue with a little cream folded in to make it a little less airy (I'm all for airiness, but trust me, here, this works better). The result? Everybody LOVED it.
    This isn't a traditional chocolate cream pie, but it sure is delicious. The crispy crust, creamy filling and light topping go perfectly together. This torte disappeared, no joke, within five minutes.
    Enjoy!

Meringue-Topped Chocolate Cream Torte

(filling adapted from King Arthur Flour)

2 cups crushed butter cookies or shortbread

a pinch of salt

8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) melted butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream, divided

2 cups milk

2 egg whites

6 teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons heavy cream, lightly whipped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together the cookies, salt, and melted butter. Press into a 10" springform pan. Bake until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool.

Place the chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla extract in a 2-quart mixing bowl; set aside.

In a medium saucepan away from heat, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa and salt. Whisk in 1/4 cup of cold heavy cream until the mixture is smooth, with no lumps. Repeat with another 1/4 cup of the cream. Whisk in the egg yolks

Place the saucepan over medium heat, and gradually whisk in the remaining cream and milk.

Bring to a boil, whisking constantly as the mixture thickens; boil for 1 minute

Remove the pan from the heat and pour the mixture over the reserved chocolate and butter.

Whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Pass the filling through a strainer into a bowl to remove any lumps.

Place plastic wrap or buttered parchment paper on the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and chill thoroughly.

Heat your broiler to high.

Once the cream and crust are cooled, spread the cream in the crust. 

In a cool metal bowl, beat together the egg whites and the sugar until they form stiff peaks. Fold in the lightly whipped heavy cream. Spread the mixture over the chocolate cream.

Broil the torte just until the meringue is lightly browned. Careful - it will burn quickly (and melt your filling).
Refrigerate until serving.

KitKat Ice Cream Torte

Remember how I was telling you about Brazilians and how much they love trifles? Well, this is a frozen trifle. A frifle? I decided to call it a torte.
In this party-perfect dessert, brigadeiro, the gooey chocolate made of sweetened condensed milk and cocoa powder that is often rolled into little truffles, is layered with KitKats and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream is filled with chocolate shavings- we bought it that way, but it's easy to do yourself if you can't find it to buy. The three layers go perfectly together: the crunchy, cookie-like KitKats, the gooey, chocolatey brigadeiro, and the creamy, cool ice cream.
According to my aunt, who taught me how to make this, it is easily adaptable. Don't want all the chocolate flavor in the brigadeiro? Just leave out the cocoa powder and make it just with the sweetened condensed milk and butter. If you don't want vanilla ice cream with chocolate shavings, substitute a different add-in or change the ice cream altogether. However you make it, I promise it will be delicious. Enjoy! <3

KitKat Ice Cream Torte

Enough KitKats to cover a 9x9" pan, cut into fourths
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup sweetened cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup chocolate shavings

Cover the bottom of a 9x9" pan with the chopped KitKats.
In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the sweetened condensed milk, butter, and cocoa. Microwave for 2 minutes, stir, 2 minutes, stir. Continue microwaving in 1-minute increments, stirring inbetween, until the mixture reaches the consistency of a caramel sauce: too thin to scoop, but too thick to drizzle easily. Pour over KitKats and put pan in the fridge until cool.
Soften the ice cream by microwaving for 15 seconds or leaving out at room temperature for a while. Stir in the chocolate shavings and spread the ice cream over the chocolate layer. Freeze until serving, at least an hour.

TWD Rewind: Peanut Butter Torte

This week's TWD recipe was Fluff-Filled Chocolate Madeleines. I really wanted to make these, but I didn't have time. BUT, we had two of my friends and their parents over for dinner, so I decided to make a rewind for dessert. I decided on the Peanut Butter Torte, which took forever to make but was so worth it. It starts off with an Oreo crust. Then comes a peanut butter mousse, which has chopped peanuts and chocolate chips stirred in to make it crunchy. Finally is a layer of chocolate ganache, with more chopped peanuts on top. All put together, it's really good. My only comment is that Dorie says this serves 6-8 people. Um, no. We cut 11 quite big servings and only ate about half of the torte (because it is so rich). We ended up calculating that the whole torte could feed 25! If you want to try the recipe for yourself (please do), you can find it in the book. Enjoy!

Daring Bakers: Orange Tian

The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris.

Sorry, I'm still away without the camera, so no pictures until Tuesday. So this month's Daring Bakers challenge was Orange Tian. I had never heard of this before, so I was excited to try it. When I looked over the recipe, no one part of it seemed particularly hard, there were just a lot of steps. So here we go:

Step one: Orange Segments. I didn't know how to segment an orange, so I used a youtube video, which really helped (link at the bottom). It got easy after a while!

Step two: Caramel. This was fairly easy to make, except for a quick scare when I added the juice and it bubbled like crazy. I think I may have over-cooked it, though, because it came out tasting sort of bitter.

Step three: Pate Sablee. This was very easy to make, since basically you are just dumping stuff in a food processor! I liked that it was very easy to roll out. I had some left over, so I baked some into plain cookies, which were very yummy.

Step four: Orange Jam. I had never made jam before, and it was a lot of fun. The only thing I found annoying was the blanching, because it took a really long time. I made a double batch so that we could keep some for toast and things like that, and we loved it.

Step five: Whipped Cream. This was simple. The only issue I had was that the jam didn't mix in easily (it stayed in clumps). I used agar agar instead of gelatin, because I'm vegetarian, and it worked out fine.

Step six: Assembling. I don't have individual cookie cutters that have high enough sides, so I used a springform pan, which was fine. First you put in a layer of orange segments. Then comes the whipped cream, then a jam-covered round of pate sablee. In to the freezer it goes!

Step seven: EAT. I thought it was just okay. The pate sablee and the jam were great, but the caramel was bitter and the whipped cream was sort of bland.

All in all, this was a fun challenge. The finished dessert was okay, but I probably won't use this recipe again. If you want to give it a try for yourself, let me know how it goes! Enjoy!

Orange Tian:

Equipment required:
• Cookie cutters . Ideally, you should have about 6 cookie cutters to build the desserts in and cut the circles of dough (see photo). The cookie cutters will be the size of your final dessert, so they should be the size of an individually-sized tart mold. If you don’t have round cookie cutters you could use an individually-sized cheesecake mold without its base.
• A food processor (although the dough could be made by hand too)
• A stand-up or hand mixer
• Parchment paper or a silicone sheet
• A baking sheet
• A rolling pin

For the Pate Sablee:

Ingredients U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for Ingredients
2 medium-sized egg yolks at room temperature
granulated sugar 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon; 2.8 oz; 80 grams
vanilla extract ½ teaspoon
Unsalted butter ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams ice cold, cubed
Salt 1/3 teaspoon; 2 grams
All-purpose flour 1.5 cup + 2 tablespoons; 7 oz; 200 grams
baking powder 1 teaspoon ; 4 grams

Directions:
Put the flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

In a separate bowl, add the eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar and beat with a whisk until the mixture is pale. Pour the egg mixture in the food processor.

Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain a ¼ inch thick circle.

Using your cookie cutter, cut out circles of dough and place on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.

For the Marmalade:

Ingredients U.S. Imperial Metric Instructions for Ingredients
Freshly pressed orange juice ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams
1 large orange used to make orange slices
cold water to cook the orange slices
pectin 5 grams
granulated sugar: use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked

Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.

Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.

Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and let them cool.

Once they are cool enough to handle, finely mince them (using a knife or a food processor).

Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar . If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.

In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice and the pectin. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).

Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.

For the Orange Segments:

For this step you will need 8 oranges.

Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl and make sure to keep the juice. Add the segments to the bowl with the juice.

[See YouTube video in the References section below for additional information on segmenting oranges.]

For the Caramel:

Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredients
granulated sugar 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
orange juice 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons; 14 oz; 400 grams

Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.

Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.

Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert. When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.

[Tip: Be very careful when making the caramel — if you have never made caramel before, I would suggest making this step while you don’t have to worry about anything else. Bubbling sugar is extremely, extremely hot, so make sure you have a bowl of ice cold water in the kitchen in case anyone gets burnt!]

For the Whipped Cream:

Ingredients U.S. Metric Imperial Instructions for Ingredients
heavy whipping cream 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
3 tablespoons of hot water
1 tsp Gelatine
1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar
orange marmalade (see recipe above) 1 tablespoon

In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream. Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream using a hand mixer on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously. Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade.
[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]

Assembling the Dessert:

Make sure you have some room in your freezer. Ideally, you should be able to fit a small baking sheet or tray of desserts to set in the freezer.

Line a small tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet. Lay out 6 cookie cutters onto the parchment paper/silicone.

Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.

Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked circles of dough ready to use.

Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.

Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.

Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.

Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.

Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the circle of dough) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cookie cutter, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.

Resources:

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-tian.htm (An article about the dessert known as tian.)

YouTube link on how to segment an orange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG5mcEEBlcI

To learn more about Pectin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectin

What to substitute for Pectin: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Dictionary/P/Pectin-6222.aspx

TWD Rewind: Hidden Berry Cream Cheese Torte

Oh my god... yum. :D

Once again, I'll start by saying that this week's (very late!) TWD post will be up later today. But for now, I'm posting this one. Yesterday we had friends over for dinner, and I decided to make this torte. Boy am I glad I did! It starts off with a buttery shortbread crust, which was wonderful on its own. However, I think it was too thick at some places. Then comes a layer of jam. I used mixed berry. Finally, a layer of cheesecake made with cream cheese and cottage cheese. I accidentally put in too much cinnamon, so it wasn't as light in color as the picture in the book is, but it tasted wonderful. All in all, definitely something I'll make again and recommend to everyone. If you want the wonderful recipe, you can buy the book or find it here. Enjoy!
(so sorry about the blurry picture - i just wanted to show how thin the jam layer is)

TWD: Cherry... uh... Currant... Fudge Brownie Torte

This week's Tuesdays With Dorie recipe was chosen by April of Short and Rose. She chose the cherry fudge brownie torte, which is composed of a dense, rich layer of cherry brownie (cherry jam, dried cherries, and kirsch), and a thinner layer of light and creamy mascarpone mousse. I was going to make the brownie layer when I realized the closest thing to kirsch we had was Cassis, which is a black-currant flavored liquor. I couldn't find dried cherries at the supermarket, either, so I decided to go all the way and use currant jam and dried currants. It worked out great!

This was quite a time-consuming recipe. For the brownie, you had to cook the currants with syrup, and melt the chocolate and butter over another saucepan, and use an electric mixer - basically make the kitchen look like a tornado went through. But, it was finished, and the mousse was quick and easy. Yum!

I probably won't make this again, simply because it took so long, and it was also a bit too rich. But, it was delicious, and I would recommend trying it. If you want the recipe, you can buy the book or find it here. Enjoy!

TWD Rewind: Banded Ice Cream Torte

As you can tell, I'm working on catching up with the TWD recipes. I wasn't able to make last week's espresso cheesecake brownies, and probably won't be able to make the chocolate souffles for next week, but I'll try. This torte was for a wedding shower, and since the bride's favorite ice cream is chocolate chip, and here in Brazil you can't find raspberries as easily, we decided to use the chocolate chip. At my grandma's, where we're staying, there is no springform pan, so we had to buy one. On the wrapping it said it was 9 inches, but when we got home it was actually 12. We didn't want the torte to be too thin, so we basically doubled the ice cream. However, we didn't double the chocolate gajavascript:void(0)nache, so the torte ended up tasting like ice cream with thick chocolate sauce. Well, that's what I think, but everybody at the party loved it, so I guess either it was really good and I just didn't think so, or they really like hot fudge sundaes. Despite how mine turned out, I think this recipe would be good as the original. 

And if you want the recipe - well, I think you know how it goes. Something about buying the book? 

Have fun!

Strawberry Torte

I know, I know, I haven't posted in a long time. I'm sorry. But that doesn't mean that I haven't been baking. This is a torte that I made with my mom on Saturday. The original recipe was from allrecipes. I followed one of the reviews for the sauce, but there are a few things that I think could be changed. The following recipe is what I think the recipe should be, so try it and let me know if it works! It should, so don't be scared    :)

Strawberry Torte (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients: 

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup minus 1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (if you don't have this, use another teaspoon vanilla)

1 pint minus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

2 12 oz packs ladyfinger cookies (you won't use them all, but 1 pack isn't enough)

1  1/2   16 oz. packs frozen strawberries

1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch

3/4 cup white sugar

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

fresh strawberries

Instructions:

In a sauce pan, cook 1 pack frozen strawberries and 1 tablespoon cornstarch until strawberries are soft and sauce is thick. Remove from heat and puree with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. 

In a separate sauce pan, cook 1/2 pack frozen strawberries with 1/2 tablespoon corn starch. Puree with 1/4 cup sugar. 

Whip cream cheese, sugar (1st measurement given above), and vanilla together.

In a separate bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.

Arrange ladyfingers around sides and bottom of an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, standing ladyfingers lengthwise around sides of pan. I found that this was easiest by standing some one the side, then against them on the bottom, and repeating this until it was done. 

Pour 1/2 of the filling into the pan, then another layer of ladyfingers. Take the smaller batch of strawberry sauce and pour it over the ladyfingers.

Pour remaining filling over sauce. Mix gelatin into larger batch of strawberry sauce. Pour over the filling. 

Let cool for a little and decorate with fresh strawberries. 

Chill until serving.

Peace and Dee Love,

Sophia