Guatemala San Sebastian Coffee Chocolate Mousse Food

BASQUE-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Lay one 16-inch piece of parchment across the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and lay another 16-inch piece on top crosswise. Press the parchment into the bottom of the pan and crease along the sides, making it as flush as possible to the sides of the pan and allowing the parchment to come at least 2 inches above the sides. Put the pan on a baking sheet.
• Combine the cream cheese, sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed, scraping down the bowl once halfway through to ensure there are no lumps of cream cheese, until the mixture is very smooth and light, a full 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time with the mixer running, beating 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the bowl, turn the mixer to low and add the cream and vanilla; raise the speed to medium and beat for 30 seconds. Remove the mixer bowl. Sift the flour over the batter and fold the flour into the batter with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake until the cheesecake is deep golden brown on top but the center is still quite jiggly, about 2 hours. Let cool completely (the cake will fall dramatically as it cools).
• Release the pan to remove the cake and gently pull the parchment from the sides. Transfer the cake to a serving platter using an offset spatula.

SMOKED SALMON MOUSSE IN CUCUMBER BOATS

Steps:

• In food processor, chop up salmon into a paste. Add cream cheese, salt and pepper, and heavy cream to make a mixture loose enough to pipe out into cucumber boats. Peel cucumbers and halve lengthwise. Slice cucumbers into 2-inch lengths. Use melon baller to scoop out the cucumber to make into small boat-shapes. Spoon salmon mixture into pastry bag fitted with a star tip, and pipe mixture into each cucumber "boat." Garnish with fresh dill.

SHRIMP MOUSSE TOPPED SALMON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To sear the salmon, sprinkle the fillets with the salt and pepper. Heat a pan over high heat with the oil until the pan is smoking hot. Place the salmon into the heated pan, reduce the heat and allow to sear on the first side for 2 to 3 minutes. Then flip and sear the second side, about 2 minutes. Then remove from the pan and allow to cool.
• To create the mousse topping, first whip the whites until stiff. Next, in a food processor, puree the shrimp, and then add the parsley and seafood seasoning and pulse 7 to 8 times. Next, remove the shrimp and place in a bowl. Add the whipped whites and mix in a folding fashion. After creating the topping, evenly portion about 2 tablespoons of the mousse on top of the cooked salmon fillets.
• To finish the salmon, evenly spread the seasoned breadcrumbs on top of the mousse. Finish in the oven, cooking for 10 minutes. Then remove and serve.

MANCHESTER TART

Steps:

• If you are making your own pastry dough, aerate the flour by sifting it together with the salt and sugar into a large bowl. Add butter in pieces and rub it in with your fingertips until you reach a texture similar to fine bread crumbs. (Try to keep your hands cool). Add cold water gradually, mixing only enough water as you need to make the dough form. Form the dough into a disk (for ease of handling), and place it in a bowl covered with plastic or a clean damp towel, and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. When rested, roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, to a thickness of about 1/8-inch and line a well buttered 9 1/2-inch flan pan with a removable bottom. Trim away any excess pastry hanging over the edge of the pan. Place pastry shell into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Line the base of the chilled pastry shell with parchment paper. Then fill with ceramic pastry weights (or dried beans) and place on a baking tray in the oven and partially bake ("blind bake") for 25 minutes. Remove the weights/beans, prick the base of pastry to prevent bubbling-up of base, and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to dry out the base. Remove pastry shell from oven and allow to cool. Also allow oven to cool to 350 degrees F.
• While the pastry shell is cooling, prepare the sponge cake batter:
• Heat the milk over low heat. Add the butter and let it melt into the milk. Set the pot aside temporarily. Beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl with an electric beater until it is about triple in volume and is the consistency of soft whipped cream. Return the pot with the milk to the stovetop and heat until hot. Sift cake flour and baking powder together several times to aerate. Sift the 1/3 of the flour and baking powder into the bowl of beaten eggs and sugar, and fold together. Repeat for each remaining third of the flour mixture, folding together after the addition of each third. Then, add the hot milk and butter all at once and fold in.
• For the filling and topping: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Spread the jam over the base of the cooled pastry shell and pour the cake batter over the top of the layer of jam. Then sprinkle the surface of the cake batter with coconut. Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the surface springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Then while wearing oven mitts, push base of tin upwards from bottom to release tart from sides of pan. You may want to use a spatula to also slide the tart off the base onto your serving plate; however, if it starts to break apart, the nearly invisible base of the flan pan enables you to use it for service with little consequence to your presentation.

CUCUMBER CANOES OF SALMON MOUSSE

Steps:

• In food processor, chop up salmon into a paste. Add cream cheese, salt and pepper, and creme fraiche to make a mixture loose enough to pipe out into cucumber boats. Peel cucumbers and halve lengthwise. Slice cucumbers into 2-inch lengths. Use melon baller to scoop out the cucumber to make into small canoe-shapes. Spoon salmon mixture into pastry bag fitted with a with star tip, and pipe mixture into each cucumber "canoe." Top with a small amount of pineapple.