Napoleon

This is a very traditional French desert. Its not a three coloured dessert in the American sense at all. Traditionally made with white and chocolate fondant alternately poured over the top. Now it is usually made with puff pastry dough, pastry cream, and garnished with powdered sugar which is then branded with a rod to remove a portion of the powdered sugar in a design on the top.

This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 702

Formula: yields aprox 12 pieces
Puff dough, 1 sheet pan
Pastry cream, 1.5 kg
Powdered Sugar, as needed


MOP:

• Make a batch of pastry cream. Set it over ice, or let it refrigerate to cool.
• Brush off any excess flour from the puff pastry. Dust the sheeted out puff pastry with sugar, on both sides. 
• Cut the puff pastry into three 6" wide by x" long. The length does not matter so much as long as it is consistent.
• Place the puff strips onto a parchment lined sheet pan, place another parchment on top, and then two or three sheet pans on top of that. You want to weigh the puff pastry down so that it does not rise when baking.
• Bake at 400° F in a deck oven for about 20 minutes. You want to give it a long bake because moisture is being trapped between the sheet pans. You are looking for the puff to caramelize with a dark golden brown colour when its done.

• Immediately take the weighted sheet pans off when you cool the puff pastry.
• When the puff pastry has cooled transfer them to a cutting board and trim down excess so that all three strips are the exact same size (this is a faster method but you can also trim down excess at the very end if you want). Cut with a serrated knife.
• Place one sheet of puff on parchment. Spread a thin layer of pastry cream along the sheet, about 1 pt.
• Stack the second sheet of puff on top, spread a thin layer of pastry cream.
• Stack the third sheet of puff on top. Refrigerate to set the layers, about 30 minutes.
• When the layers are set and do not move take it out from the refrigerator and slice to 1" pieces. 

Vanilla Panna Cotta

Panna Cotta is a custard dessert that usually has some kind of flavouring added to it. Ours ended up as a more flavourful custard then a pot de creme or crème brûlée, the taste was light with a more complex palate because of the citrus.

Formula: yields 6 souffle cups
2 Vanilla beans, each
340 g Sugar
1 L 680 ml Heavy cream
1 Orange zest
480 g Whole milk
18 g Gelatin powder, can use sheet gelatin as well

MOP:

• Get an ice bath ready
• Split vanilla beans and scrape seeds into the sugar.
• In a sauce pan heat heavy cream, vanilla-sugar mixture, vanilla pod, and orange zest. Bring to a scald and then remove the vanilla pod.
• While this is scalding, bloom your gelatin.
• Add the gelatin to the heated cream mixture, to dissolve.
• Remove mixture from heat and stir over an ice bath to cool and thicken. 
• When the mixture has thickened to a pouring consistency pour into souffle molds, or other mold of your choice.

Bread Pudding

You can use any kind of bread for a bread pudding and you can also use any kind of custard to fill it. You want to make sure that the flavours you are using compliment each other, or contrast each other that is still pleasing. Different choices that you can make are to substitute the kind of milk/cream that you use for the recipe making it pair better with a richer or less rich bread; for instance you would not want to use heavy cream with a brioche formula because the mouth feel will be too dense for most people.

This formula is modified from the formulas in the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 626 and pg. 633

Formula: yields 1 hotel pan and 5 souffle cups
5 kg Crème Brûlée
602 g Bread, large diced
8 oz. Figgs*, remove stems
12 oz. Almonds*, slivered

*These are flavour and texture additives that are optional and also interchangeable for any sweet or savory item.


MOP: large assembly

• Cut bread into a large dice, 1" cubes. Line on a sheet pan. 
• Bake the bread cubes in a oven that is above 300° F until the bread is hard and slightly golden. 
• Remove and let cool.

• Make the Crème Brûlée
• Line a hotel pan with the bread cubes
• Pour the Crème Brûlée over the bread cubes.
• Push down on the bread cubes so that they can fully absorb the liquid. If you do not do this step your bread pudding will unevenly bake and some of your cubes will retain more moisture while the others remain dry. This will make it difficult to tell when the bread pudding is baked.
• Bake in a water bath in a deck oven on a rack at 375° F for approximately 30 minutes. You can test for doneness by pushing down on the bread cubes, if water does not come up then the custard is set.
• Remove from oven and let it cool before refrigerating.
• Chill completely before serving.

Individual Make Up: one variation

• Cut circles the size of a souffle cup out of the bread. Toast the bread like for the large make up.
• Place the circle on the bottom of a souffle cup.
• Place a layer of figs on top, then a layer of almonds. 
• Pour the Crème Brûlée over each mold, letting the fillings come up to the surface in a natural way.
• Bake in a water bath. Bake at 375°F for approximately 15-20 minutes.
• Cool and refrigerate before un panning.

This one was underbaked. The
custard should look firmer.

• When the individual cups are cool, place in a hot water bath to warm up the sides of the souffle cup.
• Turn the cup over onto a plate, the custard should fall out. If it doesn't fall immediately then tap the top gently, or push in the sides gently until the custard falls out. 

I like this make up for the individual bread pudding because it looks more rustic. It also allows for the dessert to still look like a custard with a dense crust, that is now on the bottom of the plate. You can easily garnish this with figs and almonds to accentuate the items that you can not see until you cut into the dessert. 

Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pavé

This pumpkin soufflé has a really tasty hazelnut streusel for a bottom. This makes a really nice holiday treat, or seasonal dish.

This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 436

Hazelnut Streusel Formula: yields one sheet pan

100% Pastry flour, 739 g

62% Brown Sugar, 458 g

50% Hazelnut Meal, 370 g

76% Butter, 562 g

Total: 288%

MOP: 

• Mix all ingredients in mixer with paddle attachment, mix until streusel is formed.
• Press about 85% of the streusel down on a sheet pan, with an pan extender. Reserve the extra streusel for assembly.
• Bake at 350° F in a convection oven for about 12 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown.
• Let cool before filling.

This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 437

Pumpkin FIlling Formula: yields one sheet pan

100% Cream cheese, 1.463 kg

2 Vanilla bean, each

0.96% All spice, 14 g

1.92% Cinnamon, 28 g

74.65% Sugar, 1.092 kg

6.85% Maple syrup, 100 g

54.79% Pumpkin puree, 801 g

54.79% Eggs, 801 g

Total: 293.96%

MOP: scale and bring all ingredients to room temperature

• Cream the cream cheese, vanilla bean, and spices together in mixer using the paddle attachment. Scrape down bowl as needed.
• Once this mixture is smooth add sugar slowly, mix until incorporated. Scrape down bowl as needed.
• Add maple syrup. Incorporate.
• Add pumpkin puree and mix until smooth. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
• Add eggs in stages. Mix to just incorporate. Scrape down bowl as needed.

• Pour this mixture into a cooled prebaked hazelnut crust.
• Sprinkle the remaining streusel over the filling.
• Bake at 300° F in a convection oven for about 35 minutes or until the filling is set. Check this for doneness like a cheesecake or a souffle. The center should jiggle slightly. You can also touch the center and if it does not stick to your fingers then its done.
• Cool completely or over night. Portion when completely cool.

Assembly:

• Cut cooled pavé cleanly into 2" x 2" squares. You will need to keep a damp cloth to clean your chefs knife as your cut.
• Place in the center of a clean white plate.
• Use a squirt bottle with a sauce of your choice (raspberry sauce was used in this picture). At a 90° angle squirt a dollar coin sized circle. If you do not squeeze at a 90° angle you will not get a perfect circle.
• Use a spoon to drag a leaf shape around the brownies. You can use the spoon to make dots after the line has stopped extending. 

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

This is a really decadent and well balanced carrot cake formula. If you want to bake it like a cake then you will need to bake it at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time, 325° F for 25-30 minutes is what is recommended in the book. As a general rule larger items get baked for lower temperatures for longer periods of time.


This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 701
Formula: yields about 60-80 cupcakes
50.6 % Canola oil, 477 g
57% Buttermilk, 537 g
145.6% Sugar, 1.372 kg
5.1% Vanilla, 48 g
50.6% Eggs, 477 g
75.9% Bread flour, 715 g
24.1% Pastry flour, 227 g
3.8% Baking soda, 36 g
1.5% Cinnamon, 14 g
1% Salt, 9 g
75.9% Pineapple, crushed, 715 g
83.5% Carrots, grated, 787 g
24.1% Coconuts, shredded, 227 g
38% Walnuts, toasted, 358 g
Total: 636.70%




MOP: Well method
This formula can easily be done by hand, or with a mixer.

• Prep muffin pans. Spray and dust fully with flour.
• Sift dry ingredients: bread flour, pastry flour, baking soda, salt.  Set aside.
• Combine tenderizers and spices: pineapple, carrots, coconuts, walnuts, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Combine oil, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl.
• Add sifted dry ingredients in stages. Fully incorporate.
• Fold in tenderizers and spices until combined.
• Use a portion scoop and fill prepped muffin pans 2/3 of the way up (aprox. 6 - 7 oz.)
• Bake at 370° for 10-15 minutes in a convection oven.
• De-pan by knocking the muffins out of the pan. Turn the muffins over and let cool, completely on a wire rack (the wire rack helps avoid soggy-ness).

Assembly:

• Frost the cupcakes with a cream cheese icing. Use a large star tip: 826 or 828 tip. Pipe a large, flat, rosette on top of each cupcake.
• Top with carrot design if you desire.

Devils Food Cake

From now on, and for the previous brownie entry, these formulas are all from a class that is about bulk production and plating. So if the formulas seem very large and anyone wants to try to make them at home and needs help rewriting the formula for personal use just let me know.



Formula: yields two sheet pans
2# 5 oz. Cake flour
3# 13 oz. Sugar
1 1/4 oz. Baking soda
2 1/2 t Baking powder
1# 8 oz. Eggs
20 oz. Vegetable oil*
25 fl. oz. Buttermilk
1 oz. Vanilla extract
25 fl. oz. Water, warm**
15 oz. Cocoa Powder***


*can, and we did substitute 1# 9 oz. melted butter. Butter gives a richer taste.
**if the water is not warm it will not combine with the cocoa properly. It'll either not emulsify or will be too thick. You want a liquid ganache consistency to form.
***you could substitute unsweetened chocolate (at least 60%) for the cocoa powder and warm water


MOP: Well method
This can easily be mixed by hand. Same steps occur if you are using a electric mixer or mixing by hand.

• Combine warm water and cocoa powder in large mixing bowl. Whisk until combined and smooth.
• Add wet ingredients to cocoa mixture. 
• Sift dry ingredients together.
• Add dry ingredients into wet ingredients, in three stages.
• Pour batter in greased and lined cake pans. Pour from center and use an offset spatula to move the batter into the corners. Make sure the batter is level. You want to make sure to handle the batter as little as possible.
• Tap the pan on the counter before baking.
• Bake at 325° F for 25-30 minutes.
• Check for done-ness, the cake should be solid and the cake should bounce slightly at your touch.
• Let cool completely.

Assembly:

• Sandwich both layers between a thin layer of buttercream. Press down to make sure the buttercream is even to the edges.
• Spread a thin layer of buttercream on the top of the cake. You do not need to frost the sides because the sides will be trimmed like in a brownie.
• You can texture the top, like a brownie if you choose.

Brownies

 This formula makes a very rich fudge like brownie. For plating we cut it very small: 2"x 2" squares cut in half into triangles. Anything much larger then that would be too sweet and dense, not just for my tastes.


This formula is from the Michel Suas Book Advanced Bread and Pastry, A Professional Approach, Pg. 434
Yields: 1 sheet pan

100% Butter, 1 kg
74% Butter, cubed, 740 g
74% Eggs, 740 g
172.80% Sugar, 1.728 kg
0.80% Salt, 8 g
3.4% Vanilla extract, 34 g
100% Pastry flour, 1 kg
Total: 525%


MOP:

• Sift flour and set aside until needed.
• Melt chocolate in a double broiler, when the chocolate is more liquid add the cubed up butter.
• Let the chocolate mixture cool down to 80° F - 90° F.
• In a separate double broiler whisk eggs and sugar together, heat to 90° F.
• Continue whisking egg mixture until it reaches a ribbon consistency.
• Fold in the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, off heat.
• Fold in flour
• Pan a sprayed sheet pan.
• Bake at 325° F in a convection oven for approximately 30 - 35 minutes, it should feel firm to the touch. The finished brownie should look like it has a light coloured dull flakey surface which peaks out to a shinny glossy layer underneath.
• Cool throughly before cutting.

• Frost with boiled icing when the brownies are cooled. Use your offset spatula to spread the icing and to texture the brownie. You can use a different kind of icing; ganache is often used to garnish or top brownies.

Plating:

• Cut, dragging your knife across for smooth lines, into 2" x 2" squares with your sharpened chefs knife. If the knife gets gummy then have a wet towel on hand so you can clean the blade before each cut.
• Cut these squares in half diagonally, creating lots of triangles.
• Place two triangles on top of each other on a clean white plate.
• Use a squirt bottle with a sauce of your choice (chocolate sauce was used in this picture). At a 90 degree angle squirt a dollar coin sized circle. If you do not squeeze at a 90 degree angle you will not get a perfect circle.
• Use a spoon to drag a leaf shape around the brownies. You can use the spoon to make dots after the line has stopped extending.