"Chocolate Desserts" by Pierre Herme (Part 2)

[Patrick S]

Nutella tart

I'm out of Valrhona...I used E. Guittard 64% L'Harmonie.

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Looks great! How'd you like it?

[Ling]

The chocolate? It's not my favourite for straight eating...it is good in the tart, but I prefer the flavour of Valrhona Manjari or Guanaja.

Oh yeah, I used the chocolate almond dough for the Nutella tart so I could get a triple hit of chocolate-y goodness. (The filling is very good--the baked chocolate, butter, and egg mixture on top is very soft and rich without being too dense. )

Edited March 2, 2006 by Ling (log)

[filipe]

As promised...just for a start

[Ling]

^Ahh...the famous "Cherry on the Cake"!

[Mette]

Haven't done much baking lately due to starting a new job, but I did make the Concorde for New Year's eve. As stated many times in this thread, there wasn't enough batter to make the meringue sticks for garnish. Instead, I garnished it with raspberries, flown all the way from Kenya for our dining pleasure, and some lime peel and served it with a lime and raspberry sauce. The cake was very tasty and a great mix of textures - and the tart fruits took the edge off the very rich taste.

I am almost embarrased to post the image - partly because the cake is placed on the counter amidst the flotsam of a dinnerparty (please ignore the gin bottle) and partly because this thread has evolved into a showcase of beatiful confectionary photography - I am in awe (and need chocolate cake NOW)

Edited March 7, 2006 by Mette (log)

[filipe]

I've tried the Pavé for the first time tonight. It ended not being a "pavé" because I HAD TO use my new dome shaped flexipans, but it's the same recipe.

Here's how it turned up

Will taste it tomorrow... just tasted the ganache while making it and thought it was too sweet...

[Alinka]

filipe -

Mmm-mmm-mmm! Look at that fluffy frosting!

For the Oscar party last week I made the Grand Chocolate Tart again, but with so many modifications that I am not sure I have the right to post it here -

I'm telling you, this is the best sweet tart dough I've tasted! And I sooo played around with the filling this time. But they way, I have to ask: does anyone else have problems with the cake layer? I've made the tart three times, and every time the cake layer looks beautiful going into the oven, with nicely firm whipped whites, but then does not bake through at the temperature and time specified. It seems that the temperature is too high, and the time is too short?..

[SethG]

Those all look great, folks. I have to try out that Concorde. I have so many egg whites in my freezer, just sitting there.....

[Patrick S]

Looks good, Mette! I think that the next time I make this I will replace the meringue discs with daquoise, which are one of my current Favorite Things.

Alinka, excellent tart and excellent photo! I agree with you on the tart dough. Its still probably my favorite.

[filipe]

About the pavé...

The first time I've tried the ganache i thought it too sweet. Guess it was because it was a bit warm. I've done a "normal" version tonight and it is really amazing, much better than what I had got with my "dome version" a few days before.

[Dorie Greenspan]

Felipe, just seeing the pix from the rue de Vaugirard shop makes me long to be there. Thanks for giving us something to dream about.

As for the caramel-chocolate ganache -- it's one of my favorites, but I think, like everything in pastry, it depends on proportion. Licking the spoon gives you one sensation and tasting just the right amount of ganache with just the right cake and just the right amount of that cake gives you another. It's part of what makes baking so delicious -- and so much fun -- don't you think?

[filipe]

Felipe, just seeing the pix from the rue de Vaugirard shop makes me long to be there.  Thanks for giving us something to dream about. 

As for the caramel-chocolate ganache -- it's one of my favorites, but I think, like everything in pastry, it depends on proportion.  Licking the spoon gives you one sensation and tasting just the right amount of ganache with just the right cake and just the right amount of that cake gives you another.  It's part of what makes baking so delicious -- and so much fun -- don't you think?

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You're wellcome

I couldn't agree more with you Dorie. I'm now willing to try this ganache with other cakes and taste the results. I was a bit aprehensive when I went to do it - I'm not very lucky with caramel. But it turned out to be amazingly easy to do and with an awesome result. I think it will make nice combinations with orange or lemon sponges. Maybe I'll try to use it with the Per Se yuzu genóise....

[Ling]

I was just wondering about everyone's opinion of the Cocoa cake used in the pave and the Black Forest cake. Is it a light cake or a dense one? I really like the Epicurious double chocolate cake recipe (tweaked by several talented Egulleters) and was wondering if I should use that recipe instead (scaled down in size so I get roughly the same cake/filling ratio PH suggests.)

(I ran a search and noted that lemoncurd found a discrepancy in the weight listed for the sugar in the cocoa cake already. )

[Patrick S]

I was just wondering about everyone's opinion of the Cocoa cake used in the pave and the Black Forest cake. Is it a light cake or a dense one? I really like the Epicurious double chocolate cake recipe (tweaked by several talented Egulleters) and was wondering if I should use that recipe instead (scaled down in size so I get roughly the same cake/filling ratio PH suggests.)

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It's pretty dense compared to the Double Chocolate cake. What I like about it is that it is very easy to work with -- you can easily cut it into layers without it falling apart.

[Dorie Greenspan]

I'm with Patrick on the cocoa cake's cutabilty. I also think it's a terrific all-purpose cake and typical of many French cakes, in that it is good on it's own, but not spectacular solo -- and it's not meant to be. The cake is created to be a team player, to be an ideal companion to other components, like syrups, fillings, glazes and fruits.

[Patrick S]

I tried the chocolate rice pudding. I used 3C of milk rather than 3.75 since others found the pudding to be a little soupy using the full amount in the recipe. I used the Manjari chocolate rather than the Guanaja. I also used just a little more sugar than the recipe called for.

The rice pudding is great. I put the pudding in the serving glasses last night, and then scraped every last bit out of the bowl using my finger. After chilling in the fridge overnight, it was quite firm. If you make this recipe, definitely make the optional caramelized rice crispies too -- they go perfectly with the pudding.

[Pille]

I tried the chocolate rice pudding.

I used 3C of milk rather than 3.75 since others found the pudding to be a little soupy using the full amount in the recipe. I used the Manjari chocolate rather than the Guanaja. [...] If you make this recipe, definitely make the optional caramelized rice crispies too -- they go perfectly with the pudding.

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Yipppee - I made this one, too, though mine didn't look as elegant as yours, Patrick. I didn't like the sound of the rice crispies (I don't have breakfast cereal in the house anyway), but next time try then. I also used a bit less milk, and the chocolate was Green&Black bittersweet dark, which was great. Otherwise I stuck to the recipe.

It was very-very delicious. With all those tips and pictures on this thread, I may even try some of the cakes one day in the book

[filipe]

[For those of you don't read Portuguese, you can try to load/translate the page using Google language tools.  The translation is far from perfect but you can get the gist.  Here's a link: Filipe's partially translated Blog: XOCOLATE

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Dear John,

thanks a lot for the translation tool... but it's quite depressing reading that english ehehe I guess that it has a lot to do with my use of some uncurrent expressions or oral abreviations on my writings which machines just don't know what they mean/ how to translate them. Anyway, thanks again

Example :

AUTO TRANSLATED VERSION:

Penalty this today to tar always to encravar each time q I try to make uploadduma photo.... grrrr! He is p'ra tomorrow.

HAND TRANSLATED VERSION:

It's a shame that today this is allways cracking when I try to upload a photo... grrr!! I'll have to leave it for tomorrow...

Edited March 15, 2006 by filipe (log)

[NYC Mike]

Made the Deep Chocolate Cream with Rasberry Coulis from the Dessert book last night. The taste was just out of this world but I have a question about the consistency of the cream, perhaps I went wrong somewhere or could make adjustments for preference.

After refrigerating for a few hours the chocolate was almost the consistency of ganache. It was liquid going in the cups and spoon-able afterwards but quite thick, I imagined it was supposed to be more like a pudding which was looser. Perhaps I cooked the creme too long before adding to the chocolate or could I increase the liquids?

Could someone that has tried this before offer tips?

Thanks,

Mike

PS here is a pic hopefully showing the consistency sorry for the poor quality and thanks Jmahl for the how-to.

Edited March 16, 2006 by NYC Mike (log)

[John DePaula]

Decided to try my hand at the Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise*. (*Can anyone tell me under what circumstances one uses 'dacquoise' vs. 'dacquois?' I see them both in print and would like to use it correctly.)

It's been a while since I made a dacquois but these were great and simple. The texture was just right and they simply melt in your mouth. The left-over batter makes great light-as-air cookies, too.

I made a couple of changes to Hermé's recipe: 1) I used only hazelnut powder; 2) rather than make a 9" tart, I made little individual 4" tarts.

I think I read somewhere that these are especially good after freezing. Supposedly, the freezing/thawing will give them a pleasantly chewy texture. Always nice to have a do-ahead recipe. Thoughts?

[Ling]

I was just wondering about everyone's opinion of the Cocoa cake used in the pave and the Black Forest cake. Is it a light cake or a dense one? I really like the Epicurious double chocolate cake recipe (tweaked by several talented Egulleters) and was wondering if I should use that recipe instead (scaled down in size so I get roughly the same cake/filling ratio PH suggests.)

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It's pretty dense compared to the Double Chocolate cake. What I like about it is that it is very easy to work with -- you can easily cut it into layers without it falling apart.

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Thanks Patrick and Dorie, the cocoa cake is in the oven now.

[RuthWells]

Decided to try my hand at the Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise*.  (*Can anyone tell me under what circumstances one uses 'dacquoise' vs. 'dacquois?'  I see them both in print and would like to use it correctly.) 

It's been a while since I made a dacquois but these were great and simple.  The texture was just right and they simply melt in your mouth.  The left-over batter makes great light-as-air cookies, too.

I made a couple of changes to Hermé's recipe:  1) I used only hazelnut powder; 2) rather than make a 9" tart, I made little individual 4" tarts.

I think I read somewhere that these are especially good after freezing.  Supposedly, the freezing/thawing will give them a pleasantly chewy texture.  Always nice to have a do-ahead recipe.  Thoughts?

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Those look wonderful, John. I would definitely try freezing them -- it will tenderize the meringue most delectably.

[John DePaula]

Those look wonderful, John.  I would definitely try freezing them -- it will tenderize the meringue most delectably.

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Thanks, Ruth.

I just tried one of these that had been refrigerated overnight and the meringue was delicate and crunchy. I enjoyed the light crunch and thought that the texture of the meringue with the ganache was perfect.

I also tried some of the "leftover" cookies that I made with the remaining batter. These had sat out covered overnight. They were softer and a more chewy. Still good but surprisingly different.

As the recipe says, this dessert is intended to be served cold and I agree.

[sanrensho]

I just tried one of these that had been refrigerated overnight and the meringue was delicate and crunchy.  I enjoyed the light crunch and thought that the texture of the meringue with the ganache was perfect.

If it isn't asking too much, what temperature and baking time does PH recommend for his dacquoise recipe?

Thanks.

[Patrick S]

I just tried one of these that had been refrigerated overnight and the meringue was delicate and crunchy.  I enjoyed the light crunch and thought that the texture of the meringue with the ganache was perfect.

If it isn't asking too much, what temperature and baking time does PH recommend for his dacquoise recipe?

Thanks.

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325F for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

John, your daquoise looks delicious!