Valentine Dessert Idea: Strawberry and Pistachio Mousse Cake with Red Berry Gelée
I'm going to begin this post with the weather forecast, just because I'm too excited over it :). While the rest of the country is covered with deep snow, even ice, when Texas is snowing, when midwest is hit with very cold temperature and storm, when everywhere in radio or TV talks about how to stay warm and all, here is low 70F in CA! Spring arrived a bit early this year, not that I'm complaining, in fact, I'm way too excited! It's usually raining the whole time in January and February and very cold, while we had our share of rain in December or early January, we're having sunshine ever since! For the first time since last Summer, I opened my window in the afternoon, I worked in the garden a little bit, I even wear shorts last night because it was too warm in my room! I'm planning to wear a cotton dress today too!
Last Friday night, when I was heading out from work at around 9:30pm (yes, this has become regular, even 11pm :() to grab some dinner with coworker, I managed to give him a slight heart attack I think. I saw the plum blossom (or cherry blossom) tree in the parking lot and they're blooming! I immediately squealed out of joy, I think he gave me this you're-a-weird-woman type of stare, he must have thought I'm some kind of a mad woman probably. If you know me, I wait for this time to arrive each year, just to see the cherry tree blossoming, covered with beautiful pink/white little flowers. It is not fully bloomed yet, but it made it looks more exotic and zen that way :). I think if I were by myself and out in the day,
I would have picked a few branches to preserve it at home, take a gazillion picture of it, decorate cake with it, and stare until the flowers felt creep-ed out by me (if it's even possible). Yes, I love cherry blossom that much! Each year when it's blossoming, I always manage to make some fondant cake and decorate with cherry blossom theme here and here, both for my brother's bday. He did complain why does he always get this girly cake on his birthday, but hey the baker gets all the power to decide how she wants to decorate it, right? It was always raining in the previous years and it was always late in the season by the time I have time to make cake, so I haven't been able to decorate with real flowers in the past, but hopefully I will this year.
Pistachio joconde:
2 whole eggs
75 g almond powder
75 g confectioners' sugar
30 g pistachio paste
20 g flour
70 g egg whites
20 g granulated sugar
15 g melted butter
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Combine the eggs, almond powder, confectioners' sugar, and pistachio paste in a mixer bowl.
Beat the mixture for about 10 minutes until it's thick
In another bowl, beat the egg whites and granulated sugar until it forms a soft peak, set aside.
Sift the flour into the almond mixture and fold well.
Add a little bit of the meringue to the almond mixture, fold lightly.
Add the melted butter, fold.
Finally, add the rest of the meringue in two addition and fold carefully until it is well-combined
Divide the batter into two 8" square pan, it'll be thin
Bake the cake for about 10 minutes or until the top is slightly brown
Red Berry Jelly
50 g strawberry puree
50 g raspberry puree
75 g sugar (adjust depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
1 tsp. gelatin (bloomed with 1 Tbs. water)
Combine the two red berry puree and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil
Melt the gelatin in a microwave for a few seconds, then add it into the puree.
Let cool slightly and pour into 8" square cake ring that has been lined with plastic wrap (for easier removal
Pistachio Bavarian Cream:
2 egg yolks
30 g sugar
20 g pistachio paste
80 g milk
1/8 vanilla bean seeds (or used vanilla pods)
3/4 tsp. gelatin powder (bloomed with about 1 Tbs. of water)
90 g heavy cream
Bring the milk and the vanilla bean to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan.
Meanwhile, whisk the yolk, sugar, and pistachio paste until thick and pale
When the milk is ready, temper the yolk mixture by pouring a little of the milk into the yolk, mix well.
Add the rest of the milk in a steady stream while whisking it.
Pour the mixture back in a saucepan and put it back on the stove under low heat
Bring the mixture to about 82 C, stirring constantly (or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon)
Melt the gelatin in a microwave for a few seconds (5-10 seconds), then add it into the milk mixture
Run it through a strainer to remove lumps, if any
Let cool to room temperature (use icebath to speed up the process)
In the meantime, whip the heavy cream until soft peak.
When the milk is no longer warm, fold the two together.
Pour the mixture on top of the frozen red berry jelly (still in a cake ring), and put it back in the freezer
Strawberry Mousse
325 g strawberry puree
130 g sugar (adjust depending on the sweetness of the strawberry)
1.75 tsp. gelatin (bloomed with approximately 2 Tbs. of water)
240 g heavy cream
25 g granulated sugar
Bring the strawberry puree and the sugar to a boil
Melt the gelatin in a microwave, and add it to the hot puree
Remove from heat and let cool (use icebath to speed up the process)
Meanwhile, whip the cream and the sugar until it forms a soft peak.
When the strawberry puree is no longer warm, fold the puree with the cream
Use immediately
To Assemble:
Grand Marnier/Kirsch/Framboise eau-de-vie/any alcohol of your choice (fruit flavored is preferred) 8” square cake ring with 1.75”-2” high
Put one layer of pistachio joconde in the bottom of an 8” square cake ring
Moistened with enough alcohol (you can also mix the alcohol with simple syrup if you want). Don’t over-soak it as you don’t want the cake to taste like alcohol
Spread a thin layer of strawberry mousse on top of the joconde, then put the frozen pistachio cream/red berry jelly on top with the pistachio cream on top.
Spread another thin layer of strawberry mousse on top
Layer the other pistachio joconde, brush with alcohol
Pour the remaining strawberry mousse, and level the top with a metal spatula
Put the whole thing (with the cake ring intact) in a freezer and leave it overnight
When it’s completely frozen, warm the cake ring either with a blow dryer or a torch and remove the ring from the cake
With a hot knife, cut the cake into rectangles, wiping the knife before another cut.
Decorate
Decoration:
Red berry jelly
Pink heart macaron
Halved pistachio pieces
Fresh strawberry
for full instruction please see : gourmetbaking.blogspot.com
Last Friday night, when I was heading out from work at around 9:30pm (yes, this has become regular, even 11pm :() to grab some dinner with coworker, I managed to give him a slight heart attack I think. I saw the plum blossom (or cherry blossom) tree in the parking lot and they're blooming! I immediately squealed out of joy, I think he gave me this you're-a-weird-woman type of stare, he must have thought I'm some kind of a mad woman probably. If you know me, I wait for this time to arrive each year, just to see the cherry tree blossoming, covered with beautiful pink/white little flowers. It is not fully bloomed yet, but it made it looks more exotic and zen that way :). I think if I were by myself and out in the day,
I would have picked a few branches to preserve it at home, take a gazillion picture of it, decorate cake with it, and stare until the flowers felt creep-ed out by me (if it's even possible). Yes, I love cherry blossom that much! Each year when it's blossoming, I always manage to make some fondant cake and decorate with cherry blossom theme here and here, both for my brother's bday. He did complain why does he always get this girly cake on his birthday, but hey the baker gets all the power to decide how she wants to decorate it, right? It was always raining in the previous years and it was always late in the season by the time I have time to make cake, so I haven't been able to decorate with real flowers in the past, but hopefully I will this year.
Pistachio joconde:
2 whole eggs
75 g almond powder
75 g confectioners' sugar
30 g pistachio paste
20 g flour
70 g egg whites
20 g granulated sugar
15 g melted butter
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Combine the eggs, almond powder, confectioners' sugar, and pistachio paste in a mixer bowl.
Beat the mixture for about 10 minutes until it's thick
In another bowl, beat the egg whites and granulated sugar until it forms a soft peak, set aside.
Sift the flour into the almond mixture and fold well.
Add a little bit of the meringue to the almond mixture, fold lightly.
Add the melted butter, fold.
Finally, add the rest of the meringue in two addition and fold carefully until it is well-combined
Divide the batter into two 8" square pan, it'll be thin
Bake the cake for about 10 minutes or until the top is slightly brown
Red Berry Jelly
50 g strawberry puree
50 g raspberry puree
75 g sugar (adjust depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
1 tsp. gelatin (bloomed with 1 Tbs. water)
Combine the two red berry puree and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a gentle boil
Melt the gelatin in a microwave for a few seconds, then add it into the puree.
Let cool slightly and pour into 8" square cake ring that has been lined with plastic wrap (for easier removal
Pistachio Bavarian Cream:
2 egg yolks
30 g sugar
20 g pistachio paste
80 g milk
1/8 vanilla bean seeds (or used vanilla pods)
3/4 tsp. gelatin powder (bloomed with about 1 Tbs. of water)
90 g heavy cream
Bring the milk and the vanilla bean to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan.
Meanwhile, whisk the yolk, sugar, and pistachio paste until thick and pale
When the milk is ready, temper the yolk mixture by pouring a little of the milk into the yolk, mix well.
Add the rest of the milk in a steady stream while whisking it.
Pour the mixture back in a saucepan and put it back on the stove under low heat
Bring the mixture to about 82 C, stirring constantly (or until the mixture coats the back of a spoon)
Melt the gelatin in a microwave for a few seconds (5-10 seconds), then add it into the milk mixture
Run it through a strainer to remove lumps, if any
Let cool to room temperature (use icebath to speed up the process)
In the meantime, whip the heavy cream until soft peak.
When the milk is no longer warm, fold the two together.
Pour the mixture on top of the frozen red berry jelly (still in a cake ring), and put it back in the freezer
Strawberry Mousse
325 g strawberry puree
130 g sugar (adjust depending on the sweetness of the strawberry)
1.75 tsp. gelatin (bloomed with approximately 2 Tbs. of water)
240 g heavy cream
25 g granulated sugar
Bring the strawberry puree and the sugar to a boil
Melt the gelatin in a microwave, and add it to the hot puree
Remove from heat and let cool (use icebath to speed up the process)
Meanwhile, whip the cream and the sugar until it forms a soft peak.
When the strawberry puree is no longer warm, fold the puree with the cream
Use immediately
To Assemble:
Grand Marnier/Kirsch/Framboise eau-de-vie/any alcohol of your choice (fruit flavored is preferred) 8” square cake ring with 1.75”-2” high
Put one layer of pistachio joconde in the bottom of an 8” square cake ring
Moistened with enough alcohol (you can also mix the alcohol with simple syrup if you want). Don’t over-soak it as you don’t want the cake to taste like alcohol
Spread a thin layer of strawberry mousse on top of the joconde, then put the frozen pistachio cream/red berry jelly on top with the pistachio cream on top.
Spread another thin layer of strawberry mousse on top
Layer the other pistachio joconde, brush with alcohol
Pour the remaining strawberry mousse, and level the top with a metal spatula
Put the whole thing (with the cake ring intact) in a freezer and leave it overnight
When it’s completely frozen, warm the cake ring either with a blow dryer or a torch and remove the ring from the cake
With a hot knife, cut the cake into rectangles, wiping the knife before another cut.
Decorate
Decoration:
Red berry jelly
Pink heart macaron
Halved pistachio pieces
Fresh strawberry
for full instruction please see : gourmetbaking.blogspot.com
0 Response to "Valentine Dessert Idea: Strawberry and Pistachio Mousse Cake with Red Berry Gelée"
Posting Komentar