Claire Elizabeth: September 2011

Herman the German!

11:33

College: Cheesecake, Savarins and Fudge!

16:18

This week at college we were given three new recipes: cheesecake, fudge, and savarin. I have made both cheesecakes and fudge before, but never a savarin and so I was looking forward to learning something new.

We started with the cheesecake, which was not a baked one, but instead set with gelatin. The cheesecake could be made using our own ideas and flavourings, the only rule was that the finished dessert had to contain strawberries in some shape or form!

My cheesecake creation!

Our group decided to make a strawberry coulis, and swirl this through the cheesecake to give a ripple effect. We also added chopped almonds and oats to the biscuit base to give a more complex texture. Although we worked in groups, we each produced our own individual dessert to plate up ourselves. Everyone seemed to have some great ideas- there were balsamic reductions, strawberries with basil, and spun sugar creations- I did feel a little intimidated by all the talent in the room! I decided to top my cheesecake with a florentine biscuit, piped whipped cream and fresh strawberries- I'm not quite sure if the combination worked but it didn't look too bad!

Whilst the cheesecakes were setting, we started on the fudge, in which we all made our own batch. Again we were given the basic recipe but could add our own ingredients/flavourings. To half of mine I added white chocolate and pecan nuts, and to the other half, sliced almonds and glace cherries.

Tower of fudge!

I had a little bit of a disaster with my fudge boiling over in the pan (oops!) but the finished result was good and I think I may stick to using this new recipe in the future as it is absolutely delicious!

Lastly we made our savarins. A savarin is a yeast raised cake that is baked in a ring shaped mould and soaked in sugar syrup after baking. They are generally sliced in half after baking and cooling, before being filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit. I used creme chantilly and whisky-soaked raisins to fill mine, then topped it with strawberries and sliced almonds. It looks a little messy, but it was hard to make such a pudding look pretty!

Next week we tackle croissants, danish pastries and genoese sponge- I can't wait!

macarons

Battle of the Macarons!

11:58

I am a big fan of macarons- Parisian style that is, and when I went to Paris I couldn't wait to taste a selection from some of the big boys including Laduree and Pierre Herme.

Laduree, a famous patisserie in Paris, claims to be the creator of the macaron. Their pastry chefs bake these little cakes every morning, and they are then filled and put aside for 2 days before going on sale. This time allows them to create the 'perfect balance between texture and flavour'.

Laduree on a quieter day!

On my visit to Laduree, I couldn't believe how busy it was- the Parisians really do go mad for these small delicacies. There was a wide range of colours and flavours on display, and I opted for three flavours:- Pure Origin Chocolat from Madagascar, Praline, and Foret Noire (or black forest to us in the UK!). Apparently, all these flavours are seasonal ones, although I didn't realise this at the time.

I started with the Foret Noire. The macaron shell was very soft, but not that crisp on the outside. Inside was a thick layer of filling flavoured with cherries and chocolate. I found that the tang from the cherries combined wonderfully with the rich dark chocolate flavour. I wanted more, so onto the next- Pure origin chocolat. Again the texture was very similar to the Foret Noire- maybe it is more difficult to achieve that classic crisp exterior with chocolate macarons? Anyway, this macaron was rich, dark and delicious- the flavour was wonderful for such a small cake.

I love praline, so I had high hopes from the last macaron, and I certainly wasn't disappointed. The exterior was crisper than the chocolate macarons but was just as soft inside- a perfect macaron in my opinion. The flavour was nutty and delicious just as I had expected.
I was very impressed with Laduree's macarons but I was expecting them to be of a very high standard. The only problem is I just wanted to eat more and more but at 1 euro 70 per piece I certainly couldn't afford to!

I next moved on to Pierre Herme, whos macarons are priced at 1 euro 95 each, quite a pricey macaron I must say! There certainly wasn't as much choice here in terms of flavours, but there were some that seemed a little more experimental that what Laduree had to offer. I decided to go for something a little different so I chose the chocolate and passion fruit macaron- a egg yellow colour shell with a dark brown chocolate filling.

I was curious as to how the flavour of the passion fruit would come through in this macaron but on taking the first bite I found that the fruit flavour certainly stood out! Infact, I found it to be rather overpowering and I'm not quite sure I liked the combination.

The texture of the macaron was not that crisp on the outside but lovely and soft in the middle, with a smooth and thick filling. This was all very good, but for me, the passion fruit was just far too strong- maybe I ought to try a different flavour next time!

Although I particularly wanted to try macarons from Laduree and Pierre Herme, I also thought I'd try out some from a few other patisseries. It was hard to decide exactly where to buy some as you can get macarons virtually everywhere in Paris- even McDonalds sell them!

I picked up a rose macaron from Arnaud Delmonter (see the full review here) which was very good, and also a caramel au beurre sel macaron from Gerard Mulot which had such an intense butterscotch flavour, with a slight salty after taste- it was rather perfect!

Another excellent macaron I ate was in Un Dimanche a Paris. This was a pink macaron with an intense raspberry filling which was fruity and delicious. The macaron itself was perfect- a thin crisp outer shell with a melt in the mouth soft centre and a generous amount of filling. You can see from the photo below that this macaron was made to perfection- there is a good pied (or foot) on each biscuit, a smooth shiny shell and a fairly thick layer of filling. I think I can honestly say that this was the best macaron I tried.

In Angelina, I picked up a 'Mont Blanc' macaron based on their famous pastry that consists of a meringue base topped with whipped cream, chestnut puree. This macaron was unfortunately not as good as the others I had tried on my trip so I was a little disappointed. I thought it smelt a little like cardboard (not a good start!) and the exterior of the shell was just too thick and crunchy, and the centre not soft enough. However, the overall flavour was good and the chestnut did come through- could have done with more filling though! Although this was the worst macaron I tried, it certainly wasn't bad and it doesn't affect my overall opinion of Angelina- their hot chocolate is to die for. Next time I'm in Paris, I'm definetely heading back for a taste of their real Mont Blanc pastry! (see below)

Angelina's Mont Blanc, courtesy of Paris Patisseries

Overall, all the macarons were good and I now know what to aim for when making my own, although I do believe that the ones I have made in the past were not half bad!

bread

First day at college

15:49

La Patisserie des Reves

Paris: Last day!

12:04

Well it was my last day in Paris today (boohoo!) and it started off to be a miserable rainy day-typical! However, my aim was to visit a few final patisseries that I hadn't yet been to and I think I did rather well in finding them!

I started the day by popping into my local boulangerie, as I thought I ought to give it a go considering it was just around the corner from me!

I decided to buy a loaf of the brioche aux noix (brioche with nuts that is) to take back to the UK and share with my family as they do enjoy this sweet bread. On entering the shop, I really liked the fact that the bakery was open and you could see the baker at work (see the photo below!)

After this, I set off to find some more patisseries and first came across Des Gateaux et du Pain, a large shop with a very modern layout. However, I didn't stop for long here and decided to move onto the next on my list- Sadaharu Aoki, a patisserie which gives a Japanese touch on classic French pastries. This was a really small shop, and the pastries looked interesting but nothing took my fancy so again onto the next!

La Patisserie des Reves had a really interesting shop layout, and the cakes looked delicious, without being too fancy. I had a lovely chat with one of the girls in here (who's english was excellent I must say!) and she gave me some advice as to what pastries to choose. She told me that her personal favourite was the madeleine- a moist sponge cake dotted with hundreds of tiny vanilla seeds for an intense vanilla flavour. As I had not yet eaten a French madeleine during my trip, this is what I decided to buy (and because it was a lot bigger than most of the madeleines you get elsewhere!).

Just before leaving, I was also given a complimentary vanilla marshmallow which was an absolute delight! It was so much better than any of those packaged marshmallows you can buy here in the UK- it was so soft and just melted in the mouth..mmmmm!

The madeleine had a lovely vanilla aroma, and the cake itself was fairly dense and moist inside without being heavy. The vanilla seeds really made what could have been a fairly plain cake into a flavoursome and tasty treat. However, it would have been even nicer with some good vanilla ice cream on the side!

Later on in the afternoon, I made a stop at Un Dimanche a Paris to treat myself to a coffee and more expensive pastries, please read my review here!

I finished my last evening in Paris with some more petit fours and the last of my macarons. The petit fours I bought from Stohrer and although they were tasty, I didn't think they were of quite the same standard as the ones I had earlier in the week from Gerard Mulot.

Overall I've had a really great time in Paris- it has been really interesting and enjoyable seeing all the sites and of course, eating the lovely pastries inbetween! Everything I have tasted has been absolutely divine and I really don't know how I'm going to cope when I get back to the UK! Luckily, I'm starting a patisserie course on Tuesday and I hope that it will give me the skills I need to master the art of pastry so that one day I will be a true patissier myself!

Paris patisseries

Paris Patisseries: Un Dimanche a Paris

11:48

Today, my last day in Paris, I managed to find Un Dimanche a Paris. Again this is a patisserie that I read about on Paris Patisseries, and it is in Adam's top 12 patisseries in Paris so I was expecting something good!

When I arrived, I was very pleased to see that they also had a salon de the, as it was a rainy miserable day and I was in need of a hot drink and something sweet (no surprise there!). After 3pm, the cafe/restaurant serves just hot drinks, pastries and chocolates-perfect!

I was rather unsure as to what to have, so I opted for 'le cafe gourmand' which was a selection of 4 small pastries with coffee. I was looking forward to seeing what petit fours I would get, and when they I arrived I couldn't wait to get started!

The four little sweets were a pate aux fruits (fruit jelly), lemon meringue tart, macaron and a moelleux au chocolat (chocolate fondant cake). I thought I'd save the best until last so I started with the pate aux fruits and finished with the cake!

The pate was soft, sweet and flavoursome- I couldn't quite work out if it was mango or passion fruit but when I asked I was told it was orange- ha! (I'm sure I could taste a tropical fruit...). Next I moved on to the lemon tart. The disc of pate sable pastry was crisp and unsweetened, the lemon curd tangy and lemony (always good). Inbetween the lemon and meringue was a thin white disc. Upon my first bite I realised that this was actually white chocolate, and its sweet and creamy taste took the edge of the sharpness of the lemon. Very nice.

The macaron was a bright pink colour and I wondered if it was possibly rose flavour. However, after my first bite I realised that it was either strawberry or raspberry, and by the time I had finished it I concluded that it was raspberry! The macaron had a perfect crisp exterior and a beautifully soft centre. The flavour was immense- really fruity and not tangy (as raspberries can be) but not overly sweet like jam either. I've tasted a few macarons over my trip (including Laduree) and I think this was my favourite so far!

Okay...so now for the one I saved until last, and oh boy I'm glad I did. The cake was nice and weighty and had a lovely chocolatey aroma. It was just what I had expected- a moist chocolate cake with a melting middle- very similar than the one I had yesterday from Arnaud Larher but slightly darker.

Everything was excellent, and I was very impressed. The only problem was, I could have eaten about five times as much, and if I could afford to try every pastry on the menu then I would have!

Arnaud Larher

Paris: Day five

14:14

Today I took a trip up to Montmartre to visit the Sacre Coeur and the famous Moulin Rouge.
I wasn't expecting much, as I felt I had already seen many of the main sites, but I was pleasantly suprised. Monmartre is beautiful- narrow cobbled streets lined with cafes, restaurants and gift shops. The place was also full of street artists creating amazing works of art. It really was lovely. I first picked up some biscuits from Biscuiterie de Montmartre (which I have told myself I must save to take home!) before having a look around the Dali musuem (an interesting find).

After visiting both the Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge, I went on to find Arnaud Larher, a prizeworthy patissier from what I have read. His pastry creations in the shop window looked incredible, and although I was tempted by these, it was an incredibly hot day and I didn't think that any of them would make it back to my apartment safely!

Instead I chose a Moelleux Chocolat Praline, which looked dense and chocolatey- perfect! It was rather weighty aswel, so I knew this was a good buy!

I took the first bite. Wow. It was even better than I had expected. I've never tasted anything like it- rich, dense, moist and chocolatey. The cake was almost brownie-like in texture, but without the chewyness. Instead it was tender and melted in the mouth. The middle was a soft, gooey chocolate fondant filling- rich and dark but not at all bitter. The centre was then topped with a disc of crispy praline which was absolutely delicious. I've had some good chocolate cake throughout my life but nothing compares to this. My god I would kill for the recipe!

As if I hadn't had enough, in the afternoon I hopped on the Metro to find Jacques Genin and indulge in another scrumptious pastry. You can see my review by clicking here.

This evening I still have a couple of macarons to taste, and my opinion on those will be coming soon!

Tomorrow is unfortunately my last day and I expect I will spend it making the most of living the parisian lifestyle and hopping in and out of any pastry shops that happen to be open on a Sunday!