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SERVES 8
François Payard, with whom I worked at Daniel and at his own pastry shop,
believes in signature desserts. His banana tartlet is one of those signatures,
with crunchy cashews and creamy white chocolate mousse paired with rum-sautéed
bananas.
In this tribute to his dessert, I borrowed the structure and changed the
flavors to creamy milk chocolate paired with a salty hazelnut caramel.
Line a baking sheet with parchment and put eight 3-inch tart rings on it.
Whisk the butter and cocoa powder together until smooth.
Lay a sheet of phyllo on your work surface and brush it with the chocolate
butter. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the hazelnut flour. Cover with another
sheet of phyllo, brush with chocolate butter, and sprinkle with another
tablespoon of the hazelnut flour. Cover with another sheet of phyllo and brush
with chocolate butter. Roll the phyllo with a rolling pin to compress the layers.
Cut out 4 rounds with a 4-inch cutter and line four of the tart rings with the
phyllo. Take your time doing this so you make tight corners and don’t crack the
phyllo. Repeat with the remaining 3 sheets of phyllo. Freeze the shells, on the
baking sheet, for at least 1 hour or, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. The
freezing helps guarantee that the shells won’t slump when you bake them.
Heat the oven to 375ºF or 350ºF on convection. Line the pastry with parchment
and fill with dried beans (or rice or pastry weights). Bake the shells until
crisp, about 12 minutes. Lift the parchment and beans out right away and let the
shells cool completely on a rack. Lift off the rings when you’re ready to put the
dessert together.
MAKE IT SIMPLER
You can replace the chocolate mousse with ice cream. Let the ice cream soften, then pack
it into 3-inch ring molds set on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Even off the tops
with a spatula and refreeze the ice cream. Fill the phyllo right before serving.
Instead of making the Hazelnut Caramel Sauce, warm up some store-bought caramel sauce
and fold in toasted hazelnuts. Or fold in honey-roasted peanuts, cashews, or pecans. But
don’t forget the salt.
For the Chocolate Mousse
8 ounces (225 g) milk chocolate (preferably Valrhona Jivara 40% cacao), chopped
1 cup (240 g) heavy cream
To Serve
Hazelnut Caramel Sauce (page 270)
Flambéed Bananas
(see page 128)
Unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Valrhona; optional)
Chocolate Sauce (page 268; optional)
SERVES 14 TO 15
Here, I’ve created my version of sweet potato pie, but it’s not as heavy and not
as sweet. The cranberry foam gives a nice added pop of acidity.
Put the simple syrup and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the
cranberries and bring back to a boil. Turn off the heat and leave the cranberries
to plump for 30 minutes. Drain well.
MAKE IT SIMPLER
Here’s an alternative to the cranberry foam. Make the cranberry puree and mix it with an
equal amount of heavy cream. Pour it into a soda siphon and charge it with a cream
whipper charger (N2O). Give it a good shake and try a squirt; if it’s not carbonated
enough for your liking, use a second charger. Make a varia-tion of the Crispy Almond
Phyllo (page 211) to stand in for the tuile; replace the almond flour with whole flax
seeds.
Note: Versa-Whip is a brand name for hydrolyzed soy protein, which acts as the emulsifier
and whipping agent in this foam. You can buy it online from Terra Spice Company.
For the Date Puree
31⁄2 ounces (100 g) fresh dates
11⁄4 cups (300 g) water
Pit and chop the dates. Put them in a small saucepan with the water and bring to
a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the dates sit for 10
minutes.
Put the dates and liquid in a blender and make a smooth puree. Strain through a
fine strainer (discard the solids).
To Serve
Flax Seed Tuiles (page 206)
Smear a layer of the date puree across half a dessert plate. Set a sweet potato
cake on the puree.
Whip the cranberry foam with a whisk to restore its consistency (it falls
sometimes) and put a scoop of it next to the cake. Garnish with a tuile. Repeat
for each serving.
Green Apple Sorbet