Chocolate Valentino

I seriously can't believe that its the end of February. School has been really hectic and I couldn't find any time for myself, let alone time to bake. :/

Anyway, I finally completed it since this Daring Bakers' Challenge was pretty straight forward and simple. A flourless chocolate cake, served with home-made ice-cream. I paired the warm chocolate cake with a salted-caramel & almond ice cream. Overall, it was a really good combination and we really liked it alot. However, the cake had a rather weak structure and wasn't very easy to slice at all. But the flavour of the cake was intense! I used 72% cocoa chocolate and boy did it taste divine. It was moist, chocolaty and really really fudgy. (: (: (:

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef. They have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Chocolate Valentino
adapted from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 stick plus 2 T unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated

Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water and melt, stirring often. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed.With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F
Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Cream Puffs

I'm a sucker for cream puffs and nothing here in sg can beat the ones I've tasted in japan. Two of my favourites were the Matcha Cream Puffs and the ones from Hokkaido. They were absolutely delicious, from the indulgent fillings to the ultra-light choux pastry.This was going to be my first attempt at making cream puffs, & I was prepared for any impending kitchen disaster. I started off by making creme patisserie. When the vanilla bean was thorougly infused into the rich custard and I added a shot of brandy for some kick. I could say the Pâte à choux came through without a hitch and I was busy piping away. They baked up perfectly with the signature hollow interiors and crisp shells.
For dessert that night, the cream puffs were a winner. (Even if they would never ever match up to with those from japan) To speak the truth, these aren't your everyday 'healthy desserts', but I guess they are very very worth the extra calories. (:

Pâte à choux
Recipe adapted from Pichet Ong's The Sweet Spot

155ml water
125ml whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
2 T sweetened condensed milk
1/2 t salt
152 g all purpose flour
4 large eggs

Place the first 5 ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once. Stir with a heatproof spatula until a smooth mass forms. Keep cooking over moderate heat, about 4-5 min.Transfer dough to mixing bowl. With the paddle attachment, beat at medium speed to release steam. At low speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated between additions. The dough should look smooth and glossy. When you lift up some of the dough with a spatula it should take 5-7 seconds to fall back into the bowl. Transfer the batter into a piping bag and pipe onto a non-stick baking sheet. Sprinkle roughly chopped almonds on top. Bake in a pre-heated 400F oven for 10 minutes, then turn oven down to 350F to continue baking for about 20 minutes more.

Creme Patisserie

275ml whole milk
100g vanilla sugar/caster sugar
2 egg yolks
half a vanilla bean, split & scraped
20g cornstarch
30g unsalted french butter
30ml brandy (optional)

Bring the milk, vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. (Let the mixture stand to infuse) Beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale & thickened. Whisk in cornstarch and blend well. Temper the egg yolks with the hot milk and return to the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture thickens, remove from heat. When cooled, whisk in butter and brandy. Strain the mixture before placing in the fridge.