Pear And Pistachio Cake With Belle De Brillet And Vanilla Custard Food

PEARS BELLE HELENE

Steps:

• Peel, halve, and core the pears and sprinkle over them the lemon juice to stop them from discoloring. In a wide shallow pan (in which the pears will fit in 1 layer - otherwise cook them in batches) put 1 1/4 cups water, the sugar, and the vanilla bean, if using. Bring to a boil, stirring every now and again to make sure the sugar dissolves, then lower the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, if using. Put the pears into the liquid, cut side down, and raise the heat again so that the syrup boils up and the pears are covered by it. You may need to spoon the syrup over. After half a minute or so, lower the heat, then cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes; turn the pears, cover the pan again, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Continue poaching until the pears are cooked and translucent; they should feel tender (but not soggy) when pierced. They may need more or less cooking time - it depends on the pears. Take off the heat, keep covered, and leave to cool.
• Now the chocolate sauce: place the chocolate, broken up into small pieces, in a thick-bottomed pan with the coffee and sugar and melt over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Then pour in the cream, still stirring, and when it is very hot pour into a warmed sauceboat or a bowl with a ladle.
• To serve, arrange pears cut side down on a big flat plate and pour some syrup over. (Any remaining syrup will keep in the refrigerator or freezer and can be used to pour over apples or other fruit when making pies or crumbles. You can wash the vanilla pod, wipe it and put it in a canister of sugar.) Offer with ice cream, sauce, and pistachios, if using, served separately; allow diners to help themselves.

TARTA DE SANTIAGO

Steps:

• Crust: Add the egg and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix, starting on low speed; gradually raise the speed and beat until frothy. Reduce the speed and add the flour in several additions; mix for another minute. When the dough is slightly dry and still loose, pour it onto a piece of plastic wrap and gather together into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Remove dough from the refrigerator; dust a clean work surface and a rolling pin with flour. Roll the dough into a flat circle by applying even pressure and rotating the dough between passes.Butter the bottom and sides of the tart pan. Use a bench scraper to lift the dough and gently lay it inside the pan. Press the crust into the fluted sides, using excess dough to patch any holes or gaps. Trim any excess dough from the edges. Line the crust with parchment paper or aluminum foil, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake for about 20 minutes.
• While the crust bakes, prepare the filling: Crack the eggs into a bowl; set aside. Add almonds to the bowl of large food processor; pulse until they resemble a coarse meal. Pour chopped almonds into a bowl, and add 2 cups back to the food processor. (Reserve the remaining chopped almonds for another use.) Grate the lemon peel and part of a cinnamon stick (equivalent to a large pinch) directly into the bowl of the food processor. Finally, add the sugar. Process the mixture to incorporate the ingredients. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the eggs. The final mixture should be a smooth, evenly mixed batter.
• Remove the parbaked tart crust from the oven; the crust should be completely set and slightly golden brown. Remove the pie weights. Pour in the filling, which should come up to just under the top of the tart ring. Carefully carrying the tart pan by the sides (remember, the bottom is removable!), return the tart to the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
• While the tart is baking, prepare the rhubarb compote: Slice the stalks of rhubarb on an angle into 2-inch batons. (You will need about 2 cups.) Heat a large, wide sauté pan over medium heat; add the butter. When the butter begins to foam, add the sugar and stir to dissolve. (If using berries instead of rhubarb, adjust sugar to taste.) Once the sugar has dissolved, add the bay leaf and rhubarb and stir to combine. Zest the lemon directly into the pan, and stir again. If the mixture is dry and sandy, add a few tablespoons of water to help the mixture to come to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer the compote, 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, remove the rhubarb from the heat. The rhubarb should maintain its shape, but be soft enough to provide no resistance to a cake tester. After 25 minutes, check that the tart is golden and puffed up, and remove from oven. Use a cake tester to verify that the center is set and not runny; then allow to cool completely. Once the tart is cool, remove the tart ring. If you're using a stencil, center it on top of the tart. Place powdered sugar into fine-mesh sieve and evenly dust the tart. Use a knife to carefully remove the stencil. Serve each slice with a spoonful of the rhubarb compote.

VANILLA CUSTARD WITH RASPBERRY MASH

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
• Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into individual dessert dishes and chill. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. (The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap if you are keeping it longer than that.)
• Raspberry Mash: Place 1/4 of a pint of raspberries in a bowl with the sugar and mash it with the back of a fork. Toss in the remaining 1/4-pint of raspberries and gently toss to coat.
• Whip the cream with the sugar and serve on the custard and mash.

MANGO TART WITH COCONUT CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the flour and confectioners' sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn to low speed and add the 2 sticks of butter a few pats at a time. Once all the butter has been added, beat until the flour, sugar and butter begin to form a dough and it holds its shape when pressed together with your fingers. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead and bring together to form a ball. Pat the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Place into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.
• Spray eight 4-inch fluted tart pans with removable bottoms with nonstick cooking spray. Cut the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a disc. Press the dough into each tart shell, using your fingers to press the dough up the sides of the tart shell. Trim any excess dough that overhangs from the top. Dock the dough with a fork. Place the tart shells into the fridge to chill for 5 minutes.
• Line the inside of the tart shells with parchment paper and fill with baking beans. Transfer the shells into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and baking beans, then put back into the oven for another 5 minutes. Allow to cool before filling.
• To make the pastry cream, add the egg yolks, 4.4 ounces (125 grams) of the granulated sugar and the cornstarch to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the yolks are pale yellow and peaks begin to form, a few minutes. Scrape down the edges of the bowl with a spatula and beat again to ensure the ingredients are fully incorporated together.
• Add the coconut milk, salt and vanilla beans with the pod into a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from the heat and gradually, very little at a time, add the heated coconut milk into the whipped egg yolk mixture with the stand mixer on low speed. It's important to add it very gradually to temper the eggs so they will not scramble. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan that the coconut milk was heated in and turn the heat to medium-low. Whisking constantly, cook until the pastry cream has thickened and reaches the consistency of pudding, about 5 minutes. Transfer the thickened pastry cream back into the stand mixer bowl and whisk on medium speed. Add the remaining 3 1/2 tablespoons (50 grams) butter one pat at a time. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes to cool it down. Spread the pastry cream onto a quarter sheet tray and cover with plastic wrap, pressing down onto the pastry cream itself to avoid a skin from forming on the top. Place into the fridge to chill for 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag and set aside.
• To make the glaze, set up an ice bath in a large bowl and set aside. Add the gelatin sheets to a bowl with some water to bloom for 5 to 10 minutes. Add 3.8 ounces (110 grams) of water and the remaining 3.8 ounces (110 grams) of granulated sugar to a small saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and stir to melt the sugar. Add the lemon juice, then the bloomed gelatin and stir over medium heat until melted. Transfer into a bowl and set over the ice bath.
• Arrange the mango slices in a line and fan out. Roll to create a rose. Fill each tart shell with pastry cream and top with a mango rose. Brush the glaze over the top of each mango tart. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

ORANGE-VANILLA FROZEN CUSTARD

Steps:

• Whisk the cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan; whisk in the cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 cup milk until smooth.
• Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 7 to 8 minutes (do not boil). Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water. Add the cream and stir until cool. Remove from the ice bath; stir in the vanilla, orange juice concentrate and orange zest. Cover and chill until cold.
• Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. Scrape into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe into cups.

BAKED PEAR CUSTARD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray a 9" cake pan with cooking spray and place the pear slices in the pan.
• Whisk the butter, eggs, milk, salt, granulated sugar, flour and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
• Pour the batter over the pears. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the custard is golden and firm to the touch. Dust the top with powdered sugar before serving.