We are one day away from concluding tart and gateaux de voyage week. Another busy day, and another mountain of dishes later…
Pumpkin pie was finished today – sweet potato in this one.
We did a session on chocolate decorations as well, as you can see!
Caramel flan was completed, but didn’t look too pretty so I plan to level it off with a caramel topping to pretty it up. That one used puff pastry to line the pan.
Leftover puff pastry was also used for apple turnovers (below), a gorgeous apple streudel, tarte fine (apple with pastry cream on puff pastry, below), pithivier with almond cream filling, palmiers…. a multitude of things one can do with puff pastry!
We tasted Canelés, a custard like dish with interesting crispy crust baked in special molds lined with beeswax. Yumm.
Carrot cake was baked in several layers, to be sandwiched with cream cheese icing tomorrow (and decorated with chocolate of course). Brownie decorations were also constructed in chocolate. Coffee cake batter was made and refrigerated for baking tomorrow with fruit layers.
Crunchy hazelnut feuilletine, and raspberry cherry confit inserts were made (layers made to the size of baked products and then added to the top or middle during decorating); raspberry ganache, marscapone cream, milk chocolate, pistachio and white chocolate ganache were made for whipping and piping tomorrow during decorating. Raspberry and dark chocolate mousse inserts were constructed, and chocolate chip cookies were baked. Cheesecake was made with leftover sweet pastry which had been grated, baked and compressed with more butter for the crust. All of the re-use tips are music to my Scottish blood as nothing gets wasted.
The poached pear tart was baked and the poached pears sampled (poached in red wine and spices, fabulous! though not everyone liked them…. Blueberry tart was constructed with previously made blueberry filling and Portugese custard tarts (Pastel de Natel) assembled with leftover puff pastry.
And still to come tomorrow Quiche Lorraine, and all that decorating! The buffet tomorrow promises to be spectacular…. My poor partner is lactose intolerant and can’t eat most of what we are making 😞. I am enjoying my morning breads, pulling a different one out of the freezer each day, making some room for this week’s additions; sourdough with raisin and cranberry inclusions disappeared earlier this week, and today chocolate sourdough with citrus peel. There is no room for real food in the freezer anymore! Where are my visitors?