One of the most luxurious ice cream or gelato is without a doubt pistachio. Irresistible when combined with chocolate, strawberries, apricots ….

You certainly can turn this into gelato and replace whipping cream with an equal amount of milk. Doing so will bring out a more pronounced pistachio flavor but the reduction of fat will in turn decrease   conservation. (Not a problem if consumed say day as it was churned) Either way, use the amount of pistachios as indicated in this recipe to obtain a most wonderful texture and flavor.

Pistachio Ice Cream |Pistachio Gelato

1. Bring milk, cream, milk powder, pistachios (135 g-4.5 oz), invert sugar and 75 g (2 oz) sugar to boil.
2. Whisk 60 g (2 oz) granulated sugar and ice cream stabilizer *(if using) together and whisk rapidly in yolks until doubled in volume.
3. Pour 250 ml (8 oz) of boiled mixture into yolks and whisk smooth.  Pour tempered yolk mixture into remaining cream, on low heat and while constantly stirring using a rubber spatula heat to 83°C (183°F).
4. Remove from heat. Pour mixture into a blender (pacotize) and mix until pistachios are superfine and green color is obtained.
5. Chill immediately in ice bath. Cover and chill overnight in refrigerator.
6. Lightly toast remaining pistachios in oven. Chop in medium pieces and place in freezer.
7. Following day churn in pre-chilled ice cream machine.  When ice cream is churned add frozen and chopped pistachios.
8. Use as desired.

In many assortments of chocolates, the pistachio variety can be one of the most eye catching, indeed, bright green pistachios on chocolate is a very striking look.  The filling of pistachio chocolates can be approached in different ways.  Using almond paste as a base, which is further enhanced with pistachio paste and other ingredients is popular and delicious resulting is a texture similar as marzipan. However, not all countries in the world are fond of this particular texture and therefore another approach of pistachio chocolates may have to be used.  Regardless of how you make fillings for chocolates, important to remember is that pistachio flavor can easily be lost in ganache made of bitter dark chocolate.

The pistachio chocolates recipe featured here is made using cream, pistachios, white chocolate and Dumante pistachio liqueur.  Instead of pistachios a good quality unsweetened pure pistachio paste can also be used.  Adding aromatized pistachio paste is an option if yet a stronger pistachio flavor is desired. The pistachio chocolates featured on the photos are made without green food color, if a greener color is desired add coloring after adding Dumante pistachio liqueur.

Pistachio Chocolates

1. In a saucepan bring to boil cream, pistachios, fleur de sel and invert sugar.  Remove from heat and pour into a well made blender. Mix until very smooth paste is obtained. Add Dumante pistachio liqueur.
2. Remove from blender and stir in chocolate. If part of chocolate refuses to melt completely, place bowl for 5-10 seconds at a time in microwave oven.
3. Pour pistachio ganache between confectionary rulers.
4. Allow crystallizing for 18-24 hours slightly below 20°C (70°F).  Do NOT refrigerate at this stage as doing so will encourage mold and bacteria growth. (W hen ganache is removed from a refrigerator condensation will form on the surface, the condensation will be trapped when ganache is dipped in tempered chocolate. It is exactly in that area where mold and bacteria start to grow.)
5. Cut in desired size and enrobe in tempered dark chocolate. Decorate with pistachios.

Gianduja certainly belongs in a collection of good quality chocolates and can equally be effective in many desserts. It pairs very well with a vast amount of flavors which makes it very appealing for us in the pastry atelier. Flavors such as coffee, passion fruit, citrus, chocolate, certain peppers are prime candidates for pairing.

This Gianduja cremeux can also be made with an in house version of Gianduja as I show here .  If using the in house version you will have to slightly increase the gelatin amount. However may I recommend keeping the gelatin amount low to retain a very silky and tender textured cremeux?

Gianduja Cremeux:

1. Place gelatin sheets in ice water and set aside.
2. Bring cream and milk to boil. Meanwhile whisk yolks and sugar to ribbon consistency. Add one fourth of boiling mixture to yolks and whisk rapidly.
3. Pour tempered yolks to remaining boiled cream and heat gently while constantly stirring using a rubber spatula to 82°C (183°F).
4. Remove from heat, press gelatin sheets and whisk into the mixture.  Whisk in Gianduja. Add Frangelico.
5. At this stage the mixture may look foamy and it is best to set into an ice bath stirring occasionally. This will slowly erase the foamy layer and allow a beautiful surface when poured in verrines.
6. If using cake or dacquoise in the verrine, pre-chilling the cremeux will prevent these from floating to the surface. “Gluing” these down with chocolate is also effective.
7. Pour in verrines, cover with plastic food wrap and place in refrigerator. Setting will take 4 hours and complete setting will take 15 hours.
8. Decorate with lime marshmallow as shown on my site here and chocolate caramel tuile.

Frangelico with its deep rich aroma of hazelnuts can bring finesse to a variety of desserts. Pairing can successfully be done with grapefruit and other citrus, chocolate, coffee and several other ingredients. Mascarpone cheese is another product which makes a great combination with Frangelico. This dessert certainly winks to tiramisu although it does not contain coffee, in fact the genoise is moistened in Frangelico syrup. We in the profession know that our customers do like Tiramisu-esque desserts and therefore this one may be a good dessert for serving a large gathering of people (Hotel-Country Club events…).

Our friends at PCB creation http://www.pcb-creation.fr/ have a great amount of pastry specialty items to give desserts a special flair. The mascarpone cream featured here was poured on one of their structure sheets named matlelassees.  When using such sheets ensure that your products are well frozen before removing the structure sheets to obtain a clean look. As a side, note one of the greatest North American interior designers John Saladino often uses matelassee fabric in his interior designs and the House of Chanel uses matelasee pattern on watches and more.  How close indeed the world of patisserie is connected to the world of design.

Mascarpone cream

1. Place the gelatin leaves in very cold water and set aside.
2. In a cold bowl whisk the whipping cream to very soft ribbon consistency. Absolutely do not whip to a peak! Set aside.
3. Fill a saucepan with a small amount of water and bring to a boil and then turn to a low simmer.  In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and measured water. Add the sugar and whisk well. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the yolk mixture reaches at least 165°F (74°C). Remove from heat.
4. Remove the gelatin leaves from the water and squeeze well to remove excess water. Whisk the gelatin into the yolk mixture. Add the mascarpone cheese and vanilla extract and whisk smooth.
5. Add the soft whipped heavy cream and gently fold into the above using a spatula. Pour onto a structure sheet fitted with a frame.
6. Top with a sheet of baked genoise and moisten with Frangelico liquor.
7. Once frozen remove the structure sheet and cut into desired size.

Frangelico moistening syrup

1. Combine the ingredients.

Simple desserts do not necessarily translate into boring. A minimal composition of raspberry mint sorbet sandwiched between thin sheets of cocoa nib topped chocolate is an example of such.

For most sorbets I recommend a combination of sugars such as invert sugar, glucose and granulated sugar. Invert sugar and glucose along with pectin (or other stabilizing product) will control crystallization and provide a smoother product with a very good mouth feel.  Stabilizers are especially helpful when sorbet is stored in freezers which do not maintain a steady temperature.

Raspberry Mint Sorbet

1. Pour water in saucepan. Thoroughly combine granulated sugar with pectin. Add to water, add glucose. Whisk to boil.
2. Allow to cool and preferably allow maturing for 4 hours (or several days) in a refrigerator before adding fruit puree.
3. Add invert sugar, mint extract and fruit puree.
4. Churn in ice cream machine. If working with a semi commercial ice cream machine ensure that the machine is not over filled, that it has been well pre-chilled and that the sorbet mixture is very cold when adding to machine.  This will ensure fast churning and thus resulting in a very smooth texture. (The longer the sorbet is being churned the larger the ice crystals will be)

Noble chocolate cream is a cousin of chocolate cremeux but made without egg yolk. Another difference is that it contains higher amount of milk than whipping cream, this allows the chocolate flavor to be fully pronounced. (High fat content has a tendency to masks flavors) Since no eggs are present and a smaller amount of cream is used, the gelatin is slightly increased. However this cream is not firm or gelatinous, instead it is silky, luxurious and superbly creamy without carrying an overly rich feeling.

For this cream I recommend using chocolate with cocoa mass content in the mid 50 range with a deep and well pronounced chocolate flavor.

For our Patisserie student readers: A higher amount of cocoamass does not necessarily equal a stronger chocolate flavor. Chocolate flavor intensity will rely on several factors such as the cocoa butter content, roasting of the beans and more. (Think of coffee beans, one brand will make rich tasting coffee while another brand will be mild).

Since this cream does not contain eggs or cream which is whipped, it is a prime candidate to compare chocolate brands and how well they perform  in terms of residual chocolate flavor.  Use different brands of chocolate containing identical cocoa mass may reveal surprising results. Often, what is superior in terms of tasting it as pure chocolate may leave a less pronounced flavor as a finished product.

Note: If the Noble cream develops a firmer set than desired, reduce the amount of gelatin. Not all chocolate will result in the the same setting.

Noble Chocolate Cream

1. In a saucepan heat milk and invert sugar to 180F (81C).Remove from heat and add bloomed gelatin sheets.
2. Add chocolate and using an immersion blender mix until smooth. A whisk can be used as well. If needed melt gently in microwave oven. Gradually add the whipping cream (non whipped)
3. Pour into desired glasses (verrines) and place in refrigerator.
4. Finish as desired.

Many grocery stores in the world carry machine made cookies/petit four/biscuits which are made with pure butter, good quality chocolate and natural ingredients. This certainly makes it more challenging for us in the pastry lab to produce these products which surpasses the competition. One advantage we have is that many of our cookies/petit four can easily be adjusted to the seasons or specific holidays. A second benefit is that we can use ingredients which have a rather short shelf life which the giant manufacturers cannot.  Another plus is that some cookies are only amazing the day they were made. Take for example a chocolate chip cookie, highly desired when they are soft and chewy which can only be produced by a bakery/Patisserie/home. Interesting about these cookies is that in many parts of the world these are baked to a crisp state. In the United States, the crisp version of chocolate chip cookies are primarily made by the giants and packaged.

Petit Four

1. Roll chilled coconut shortbread* 2.5 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Cut into circles and bake at 180°C (375°F)) until blond in color- not golden brown.
2. Using a small star tip pipe a border of almond macaronade* on the edge.
3. Return to same degree oven and bake until golden color. If needed use a double baking sheet to prevent excess browning of the bottom.
4. Once cooled place a slice of candied kumquat in each petit four.
5. Fill with crystallized milk chocolate or low cocoamass dark chocolate. (Or a blend of the two)

*Coconut shortbread recipe on Pg 389 in On Baking, second edition or Pg 382 in On Baking third edition.

* Almond macaronade recipe on Pg 343 in On Baking, second edition or Pg 338 in On Baking third edition.

Of all the chocolates Mendiants are one of the easiest and fastest to make and are very much appreciated by our clients. Traditionally they are made with dark chocolate and a variety of nuts and candied fruits but the ones featured here are made with Valentines in mind.

Since many of our customers are not excited about white chocolate you may decide to add some additional flavoring to enhance it to your standards. For these I added vanilla bean to the white chocolate as it blends very well with the freeze dried strawberries, dried cherries, cranberries and macadamia nut.

Freeze dried strawberries will get soft when exposed to a refrigerator or high humidity. Packaging these is recommended.

Mendiants

1.Crystallize the white chocolate.

2.Pipe 8-10 disks at a time of chocolate just large enough to hold one piece of each fruit/nut.

3.Immediately place the dried fruits onto the chocolate disks. If desired decorate with gold leaf.

4.Store dry and at room temperature.

When we think about Valentine’s Day the heart is what primarily comes to mind. For many years the only device we had to create a heart, was a heart shape cutter. Things have changed for the better and now we have access to 3 dimensional heart shaped Flexipan. Pastry Chefs the world over, like to use these since they facilitate beautiful desserts, in quick and hygienic ways with unsurpassed results.

The possibilities are endless, whether you want to mould a lemon-passion fruit cream as shown on my site here, a Bavarian, a mousse etc.  Working Pâtissiers already know, but for the enthusiastic pastry students out there, it is important to remember that when making mousses and creams for Flexipan to keep the following in mind. If your recipe has temperature guidelines follow these strictly and make certain that the whipping cream is only whipped to a very soft consistency.  Of course these rules apply anytime, however to ensure a beautiful molded mousse or cream using Flexipan, make certain the recipe was correctly performed and this way you truly will obtain unrivaled products.  The chocolate mousse recipe below works tremendously well in Flexipan and I highly recommend you give it a try. The texture and flavor of the chocolate mousse will not disappoint.  If desired serve the chocolate mousse with raspberry sorbet and caramel tuile as featured in the picture.

Chocolate mousse

1.Whip the whipping cream to very soft consistency. (Thick but slightly pourable)

2.Bring the milk to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to cool for 2 minutes. Remove gelatin from water and press to remove excess water. Whisk into the hot milk.

3.Pour half of the milk-gelatin mixture into the chocolate and whisk well. Gradually add the remaining milk and whisk until smooth.

4.Allow the mixture to cool down (or bring to) to (110°F) 43°C and add all the whipped cream at once. Using a rubber spatula fold gently until combined.

5.Pour into the Flexipan and place in freezer overnight.

6.Unmold the next day and coat with cocoa gelée or desired glaze.

7.Decorate as desired.

We all know that many plated desserts can go from ordinary to extraordinary by simply adding an eye catching tuile. It is the reason why so many of us use them in our work on a daily basis. Made round, square, into long strips, curved, left flat, rolled, the possibilities are nearly endless. Besides being placed on a plated dessert they also fit perfectly on a petit four platter and can be delicious when dipped in chocolate.

Tuiles suffer quickly when exposed to humidity and are therefore best made daily or packaged air tight with desiccant.  Personally, for even results I prefer to make tuiles using Flexipan since it allows for efficient work with excellent results.  Certainly Silpat can be used as well.

The recipe below is composed of lime and grapefruit juice but these juices can be replaced with passion fruit. Some tuiles can be a greasy upon removal from the oven but these are well balanced and do not require pectin or glucose. For the students out there, tuiles need to be scaled exact to ensure a lacy texture.

Tuiles Recipe

1. Cream the butter and add powdered sugar and salt. Cream until light.
2. Gradually add the fruit juices.
3. Blend in the flour. Allow to mature for 1 hour before baking or overnight in a refrigerator.
4. Pipe small amount s of the batter into Flexipan or onto Silpat. If desired place a slice of candied kumquat onto the batter and bake in a 350°F (180°C) oven until light golden.
5. For shaped tuiles remove from the pan and shape into desired forms. For flat tuiles allow to cool in pan.
6. Once cooled store airtight with a desiccant.