Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dessert. Show all posts

Friday, 7 February 2014

Jamie Oliver's Strawberry Trifle topped with Italian Meringue

Each time we go to Jamie's Italian in Canberra we order the JI Trifle for dessert... fresh strawberries with strawberry jelly, custard and glazed Italian meringue.  Last time we went however, we were devastated because it wasn't available - one of the machines in the kitchen had broken down.  Seeing the disappointment in my daughter's eyes - it was her 18th birthday - a few days later I decided to make her my version.  

LM Trifle... fresh strawberries with raspberry jelly, vanilla creme patisserie, madeleines, dollops of double cream and luscious clouds of glazed Italian meringue lovingly placed in one of my favourite 1930's green depression glass dessert bowls and presented to my gorgeous girl for her 18th birthday and 1st year at University.  

Here's what you need:
250g strawberries
300ml double cream
1 quantity of raspberry jelly (see recipe below)
1 quantity of creme patisserie (see recipe below)
Enough madeleines to cover your bowl or mini madeleines for individual glasses (recipe below)
1 quantity of Italian meringue (see recipe below)
1 blow torch


Raspberry Jelly
3 gelatine leaves (gold strength) (soaked in cold water for 5 minutes)
115g caster sugar
250ml water
225g frozen raspberries

Heat sugar, water and 80g of the raspberries in a small saucepan until the sugar has dissolved.  Squeeze out the water from the gelatine leaves and add to the saucepan.  Blend with a stick mixer.  Ensure gelatine is fully dissolved before adding the remaining frozen raspberries.  Pour into a large fancy dessert bowl or into individual fancy glasses. Cover the surface with cling wrap and refrigerate.


Vanilla Creme Patisserie
450ml milk
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
50g egg yolks
50g caster sugar
50g cornflour
50ml milk (extra)
25g softened butter
1 drop of egg yellow food colouring (if desired)

In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, food colouring (if desired) and vanilla seeds to the boil.
In a bowl, mix the sugar, cornflour and eggs and slowly pour in the extra milk whilst mixing. Sieve to remove any lumps.  You have just made the egg mix.
Pour some of the boiling milk into the egg mix then pour the hot egg mixture into the boiling milk. Turn on the stove and reheat until it reaches 80 degrees celsius.  Take off the heat and beat in the soft butter. Pour the custard into a stainless steel container, place cling wrap over the surface and refrigerate until firm. If it becomes too solid, put it into a bowl and use a hand mixer to make it soft and luscious again.

Madeleines
80g sugar
2 eggs
120g plain flour
25g milk
60g butter (melted)
3g baking powder

Preheat a conventional oven to 190 degrees celsius and grease the madeleine moulds. Alternatively you can use patty pan tins.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs.  Sift in the flour and stir to incorporate.  Add the milk and the melted butter.  Lastly, add the baking powder and stir gently to combine.

Pour into the madeleine moulds and cook for approx. 7 minutes or until golden and turn out onto a cake rack to cool.  Store in an airtight container.


Italian Meringue
150g sugar
37g water
60g egg whites

Place the egg whites into a bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.  Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan.  When the syrup reaches 118 degrees celsius remove from heat and pour into the egg whites.  Whisk on high speed until the meringue is thick and glossy.  Remove from bowl and place into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.


Assembly
Remove raspberry jelly from fridge.  Wash, dry and slice 250g strawberries so that they look like love hearts.  Place strawberries on top of the jelly and against the side of the bowl or glass in a single layer to create a decorative border.
Dollop a thin layer of creme patisserie over the jelly and against the strawberries.  Place the madeleines on top.  Cover with the remaining creme patisserie.
Next dollop a thin layer of double cream.
Pipe the Italian meringue on top and using the blow torch glaze to your liking.

No idea what Jaime put in his trifle but my girls absolutely loved this.  Just a word of warning though, keep your portion sizes small as it's very rich - enjoy!

p.s my daughters joined in on the fun and decided to assemble their own individual glasses.  Here's how they turned out.


Aguille Du Midi
Chamonix


Sunday, 30 January 2011

Château de Chenonceau - Pink Fairy Floss Macaron Bombe

As a tribute to Catherine de Medici who introduced macarons to France in 1533, I have created a dessert based on bombe Alaska but with a French twist.  Inserted in the centre is a delicate pink macaron surrounded by lemon madeira cake, lemon buttercream, splashes of Cointreau, gourmet chocolate & coffee ice-cream.  Luscious Italian Meringue, the same used for making macaron, is delicately piped over the frozen base which is later laced with Brandy and ignited.
Château de Chenonceau is an extremely rich and luxurious dessert - befitting for Catherine - an Italian woman who became Queen of France.


For my lovely readers that don't have the luxury of time (because we're too busy making macaron), I've included store bought ingredients so that you can create an amazing dessert for a dinner party in less than a few hours. 


Remember, when making macarons always store a few in the freezer so that you have some on hand to make this dessert - your guests will love you!


CHÂTEAU DE CHENONCEAU
INGREDIENTS FOR THE BASE
500 g gourmet chocolate ice-cream (preferably with bittersweet chocolate chips)
500 g gourmet coffee ice-cream (preferably with coffee bean chips)
1 pink macaron (I used fairy floss)
1 lemon madeira cake (with lemon buttercream)
2 tblspn Cointreau (to splash over the lemon madeira cake base)
3 tblspn Brandy (to ignite)




Unfortunately, I could only get a bar but it worked fine


INGREDIENTS FOR THE ITALIAN MERINGUE
300 g Caster Sugar
75 g water
120 g Egg Whites


INGREDIENTS FOR THE RASPBERRY COULIS
1 punnet raspberries
2 tblspn icing sugar
1 tbsp lime juice
DECORATION
1 punnet blackberries
rose petals


MAKE THE BASE
1.  Line a small pudding bowl or stainless steel bowl with cling film.
2. Scoop the coffee ice-cream into the bowl and smooth the base and sides until the bowl is lined.  Place in the freezer.

You have to work fast here as the ice-cream melts extremely quickly
3. When firm, remove from the freezer.  Using a glass roughly the same size as the pudding bowl, cut a thin layer of lemon madeira cake (including some of the lemon buttercream) to fit the base.  Gently place the  macaron on top of the cake and return to the freezer for about 5 -10 minutes.

Although, I took a photo with the macaron on its side I actually laid it flat
When ready, scoop the chocolate ice-cream around the macaron and over the top until the bowl is completely full. Try to get the ice-cream surface relatively smooth and even.  If you want it to look perfect you can dip a knife in hot water and smooth it over.



The lemon buttercream on the cake was yummy so I left it on.  If you have a round cake it makes this part of the process much easier but nonetheless the bar worked fine
4. Cut either a round or slices of lemon madeira cake to cover the base and drizzle with Cointreau.  Freeze until rock hard.  


MAKE THE RASPBERRY COULIS
1.  Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until you have a sauce.  Pour into a small jug and chill until ready for use.


MAKE THE ITALIAN MERINGUE
1.  Pour the egg whites into a Kitchen Aid mixer and insert the whisk attachment.  Bring the caster sugar and water to the boil in a small saucepan.


2.  When the sugar syrup reaches 115°C start whisking your egg whites into soft peaks. 
3.  As soon as the syrup reaches 118°C slowly pour the syrup into the beaten egg whites in a thin stream.  Continue whisking the IM in the Kitchen Aid until cool enough to pipe.


The whisk should look like a bird's beak
ASSEMBLE CHÂTEAU DE CHENONCEAU
1.  Remove the frozen base from the pudding bowl by gently pulling and removing the cling wrap.  Set on a serving plate.
2.  Pipe the Italian Meringue onto the frozen base.


3.  You can either put Château de Chenonceau back in the freezer until you are ready to serve or serve it now.  If serving now, use the kitchen torch to cook the meringue then pour Brandy over the top and ignite.

4.  Extinguish the flame and decorate with blackberries, rose petals and the raspberry coulis - bon appetit.
Notice how Château de Chenonceau is  studded with a pink macaron (jewel) in the centre

TIP: If you feel like being creative swirl a small amount of liquid food colouring through the Italian Meringue to tint Château de Chenonceau - a soft rose pink would look lovely and compliment the pink macaron in the centre and the rose petals.  Alternatively, use any colour or flavour macaron that takes your fancy and let your imagination go wild.