Vanilla Petits Fours With Raspberry Filling And Marzipan Food

VANILLA PETITS FOURS WITH RASPBERRY FILLING AND MARZIPAN

Steps:

• For genoise:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter pan and line bottom with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on each end. Butter paper.
• Make brown butter: Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Watch carefully and do not stir. Eventually, bubbling noise will quiet and solids will drop to bottom of pan. When solids have turned dark brown, remove butter from heat and strain through cheesecloth into a medium bowl. Cool to lukewarm.
• In the metal bowl of standing mixer, whisk together eggs and sugar. Set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture is quite warm (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl from heat and lock back into mixer base. Using whisk attachment, beat at high speed until mixture has tripled in volume and cooled to room temperature, about 7 to 10 minutes.
• While eggs are being beaten, sift flour and salt into a medium bowl and set aside. Stir vanilla into brown butter and set aside.
• When eggs have tripled in volume, turn off mixer. Sift one third of flour mixture over eggs and fold in gently but thoroughly. Sift and fold in remaining flour mixture, half at a time.
• Stir 1 cup of batter into butter-vanilla mixture. Quickly fold butter mixture into remaining batter until just combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle of oven until top is browned and cake shrinks away from sides of pan, about 15 to 20 minutes. Invert onto a rack, peel off parchment paper, and cool. Cake can be made and cooled 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
• For cognac syrup:
• In a small saucepan bring water and sugar to boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in cognac. Syrup may be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before using.
• For assembly:
• Stir jam in a small saucepan over moderately low heat until hot and thinned. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer to remove seeds.
• Using a long serrated knife, cut cake into quarters. Cut each quarter horizontally into 2 very thin layers, for a total of 8 layers. Place 1 layer cut-side up on work surface. Brush lightly with syrup.
• Spread with a thin layer of jam. Top with a second layer, cut-side down, and apply syrup and jam in same manner. Add 2 more layers, both cut-side down, in same manner. Repeat to create a separate stack of 4 layers.
• Knead marzipan (before unwrapping) for a few seconds to warm and soften. Unwrap, press into a disk, and dust with confectioner's sugar. Dust a board and rolling pin with confectioner's sugar. Roll out marzipan to an 8- by 20-inch rectangle and cut into 2 8- by 10-inch rectangles.
• Carefully lay 1 rectangle of marzipan over 1 cake stack, smoothing top. Use a paring knife to neatly trim edges of marzipan flush with edges of cake. If sides of cake are not even, trim them as well. Repeat with other marzipan rectangle and other cake stack. Chill cakes 1 hour.
• Using a long serrated knife warmed in hot water and dried, cut cakes into 1 1/2-inch squares. Use a gentle sawing motion to cut through marzipan layer, then press down to cut through cake. During cutting process, frequently wipe knife with a hot, damp cloth and dry thoroughly.
• For decoration:
• Make simple syrup: In a small saucepan bring water and sugar to boil over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and keep warm. Place fondant in a metal bowl and attach a candy thermometer to side of bowl. Set over a pan of barely simmering water and stir gently. Do not let fondant get over 105°F, or it will lose its shine. When fondant starts to warm, stir in simple syrup, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is thin enough to pour easily. Turn off heat, but leave bowl over water.
• Place a petit four on a fork and hold above fondant. Use a large spoon to pour fondant over cake until completely covered. Scrape bottom of fork against rim of bowl to remove excess fondant, then use a second fork to gently slide petit four onto a wire rack.
• Repeat with remaining petits fours. (Stir bowl of fondant regularly to prevent a crust from forming. If fondant begins to thicken during dipping process, rewarm over pan of simmering water, taking care not to overheat.) Cool petits fours 20 minutes.
• While petits fours are drying, prepare royal icing according to package instructions. Transfer half of icing to a medium bowl. Add pink coloring, a very small amount at a time, and mix with a spoon until icing is evenly pink. Tint remaining icing pale green in same manner. Fit one pastry bag with #101 tip and fill with pink icing. Fit other bag with #1 tip and fill with green icing.
• When petits fours are dry, pipe a pink rosebud on each. To make first petal of rosebud: Position #101 tip with wide end touching surface of cake, thin end raised at a 45-degree angle and pointed slightly to the left (about 10 o'clock). Squeeze and pivot the tip (thin end should travel around thick end to about 2 o'clock) to form a fan. Continue squeezing as you raise tip slightly off surface of cake and move it toward you and to the left (ribbon of icing should fold over itself). Stop squeezing and pull away.
• To make second petal of rosebud, start with tip tucked to left of inside edge of first petal, wide end down. Squeeze as you lift tip and move it toward you and to the right (ribbon of icing will curve up and over first petal). When you've covered bottom of first petal, stop squeezing, touch surface of cake, and pull away. Pipe rosebuds on remaining petits fours in same manner.
• Add green sepals and calyx to each bud. To make sepals: Position #1 tip just below rosebud and pipe 3 short lines up onto bottom of bud (1 line in the middle and 1 on either side). Lines should start from same spot just below bud.
• To make calyx: Insert tip into point where sepals converge just below rosebud. Squeeze for a moment, letting icing build up, then pull away 1/8 inch and stop squeezing.
• Once assembled, petits fours can be kept, covered, at room temperature for 2 days. Keep dry - fondant will melt if exposed to moisture. Do not refrigerate.
• *Available at baking supply stores and from New York Cake, 800-942-2539.

MARZIPAN PUMPKIN PETITS FOURS

Steps:

• Make the cakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat nonstick mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk the sugars and eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in butter until combined completely. Fold flour mixture into pumpkin mixture until no trace of flour remains (batter may be lumpy).
• Scoop batter into tins, filling cups 1/2 full. Bake until testers inserted in the centers come out clean, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer to wire racks, and let cool. (Cupcakes can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days.)
• Make the frosting: Beat cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, spices, and vanilla with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Assemble the pumpkins: Cut tops from 2 cupcakes, and reserve bottoms for another use. Using a small offset spatula, spread 1 teaspoon frosting on the cut side of 1 cupcake top. Sandwich with other cupcake top, creating a round pumpkin shape. Spread 2 teaspoons frosting smoothly on sides of cupcake sandwich, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and frosting. Refrigerate until very firm, at least 3 hours (or overnight).
• Knead together equal amounts fondant and marzipan, adding orange or brown food coloring until desired color is reached. (Reserve some fondant and marzipan to make white pumpkins if desired.) Dust a surface lightly with confectioners' sugar, and roll fondant mixture to 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch round cutter, cut out circles.
• Place 1 pumpkin cake in center of 1 fondant circle. Bring sides of circle over cake, smoothing out folds, and press to enclose. Flip pumpkin over, and using a toothpick, make vertical grooves along sides. Poke a hole on top for a stem, and insert a chocolate stick. Repeat with remaining cakes and fondant. Using a clean, dry pastry brush or paintbrush, brush pumpkins with luster and pearl dusts if desired. These pumpkins will keep at room temperature up to 1 day.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PETIT FOURS

Steps:

• MAKE RASPBERRY PUREE:.
• Thaw 1.5 packages frozen raspberries. Press berries berries through a fine-mesh strainer, using a rubber spatula. (Yield approximately 1-1/2 cups puree).
• MAKE THE RASPBERRY SPONGE CAKE:.
• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Butter 15"x10" jelly roll pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and butter the paper.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• Mix 2/3 cup Raspberry Puree and butter in a small saucepan. Heat to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the Chambord and remove from heat.
• Place eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl.
• Beat with electric mixer at high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and lemon-colored. Lower to medium speed and very carefully pour the hot Raspberry Puree into egg mixture, beating well.
• Add the flour mixture, beating on low speed until incorporated. Spread batter in prepared pan.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touch. Cool the cake in the pan for 5-10 minutes.
• Invert onto a wire rack and peel off the parchment papaer. Cool completely.
• MAKE THE RASPBERRY GANACHE:.
• Heat the cream and 2/3 cup Raspberry Puree in a medium saucepan over medium heat to a boil, stirring occasionall. Remove from heat.
• Add chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the Chambord. Pour into jelly roll or baking pan.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let it stand at room temperature until cooled and thickened, about 1 to 2 hours. (The Raspberry Ganache can be made ahead and refrigerated until needed. Bring ganache to room temperature or gently reheat until spreadable.).
• ASSEMBLE THE PETITS FOURS:.
• Cut cake in half crosswise, making two 10"x7.5" rectangles.
• Spread 2/3 cup Raspberry Ganache over one layer. Top with second layer.
• Wrap cake in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Cut cake into 1" squares. Place half the cake squares on a wire rack set over baking sheet.
• Freeze remaining cake squares.
• Place the Raspberry Ganache in a 4 cup microwave-safe measuring cup with a pouring spot. Microwave on medium(50%) for minute. Stir until smooth. (Ganache should be thin enough to pour.).
• Slowly drizzle the ganache over each petit four, coating all sides evenly. Return any ganache on baking sheet to measuring cup.
• Repeat melting and pouring the ganache over cakes until each petit four is coated. Repeat with remaining cake squares.
• Chill petit fours in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• DECORATING THE PETITS FOURS:.
• Place Solid Ivory into small microwave-safe cup. Microwave on medium (50%)for 1 minute. Stir until smooth.
• Tint pink with red food coloring. Spoon into parchment cone, pastry bag, or teaspoon and drizle petits fours with melted pink icing.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour to set decoration. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.