Tour de Dufflet: August 2012

Thursday, August 23, 2012

let's go to the ... recipe!

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Croquembouche (or Chocolate Glazed Cream Puffs)
by Dufflet Rosenberg (from cooking demo at the Food Network stage, Aug. 21, www.theex.com)

Cream Puff Pastry:Ingredients:
1 cup water
8 tblsp unsalted butter, 114 grams
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs

Method:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Have ready two cookie sheets greased and floured and a pastry tip fitted with ½” plain tip. In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to a full rolling boil. Immediately remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Return to low heat and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
Transfer mixture to food processor fitted with metal blade. Process for 10 seconds to release steam. With the motor running, pour in the eggs and continue processing for 30 seconds. The mixture should be smooth and shiny.. If it’s too stiff, add a little water. Place pastry bag over large measuring cup; fold sides over the cup.
Fill pastry bag with mixture and squeeze down into bag. Pipe puffs about 1.5” in diameter and ½” high; 1” apart. Bake for 10 minutes, lower temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove trays. Using a small knife, make a ¼ “ slit on the bottom of each puff to release steam. Turn oven down to 200 degrees; return puffs to oven and continue baking until inside of puffs are dry and outside is crisp (10 to 20 minutes).
Puffs can be stored in airtight containers refrigerated for one week or frozen.
Yields approximately 4 dozen.

Light Pastry Cream Filling:

Ingredients:
9 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
4 tblsp plus 2 tsp. all purpose flour
3 tblsp cornstarch
3 cups homogenized milk
1 tblsp pure vanilla extract
3 tblsp unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
½ cup 35% cream

Method:
Heat the milk until very hot. Whisk the yolks in a heavy bottomed saucepan; gradually beat in the sugar and salt. Continue whisking 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is thick and lemon coloured. Whisk in the sifted cornstarch/flour. Slowly add the hot milk or cream. Place saucepan over medium heat and whisk until mixture comes to the boil and thickens. The mixture will be lumpy; whisk until smooth.  Lower the heat and continue beating  2 minutes to cook the flour. If the mixture is very thick, add a few droplets of milk to thin. Remove from heat and beat in the butter and vanilla.  Transfer to bowl, stir to cool then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Whip ½ cup 35% cream until firm peaks. Beat cold pastry cream until smooth, fold in whipped cream.

Assembly: 

Fill pastry bag fitted with ¼” plain tip with the light pastry cream. Pipe filling into the hollow center of each puff.  Arrange first layer of puffs on a serving tray to determine size for final assembly.

Caramel: 

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1/4 tsp cream of tartar

In a large, heavy saucepan, stir together the sugar, water and cream of tartar until sugar is completely moistened. Place saucepan over medium heat, swirling the pan constantly. The sugar will dissolve, then come to the boil Stop swirling at this point and let the mixture boil until it turns a pale, amber gold colour. Note the caramel will continue cooking once removed from the heat; lower the saucepan into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Ideally, the temperature should be around 350 degrees F.
Dip the top of puffs in caramel; set aside on parchment paper. Rewarm caramel if needed on low heat. (or prepare another saucepan with caramel).  Dip only the sides of each puff in caramel to join together in a ring on the serving platter. Continue building the pyramid with puffs, making sure each puff sticks to the one beside it.  If caramel hardens, rewarm on low heat again. Dip a fork into the remaining caramel and spin caramel threads over the croquembouche.
Refrigerate. Best served within 2-3 hours. Serves 10-12


Optional Chocolate Glaze:
Ingredients:
8 ozw. semi sweet chocolate
12 tblsp butter
1 tblsp corn syrup
5 tsp water

Method:
Place all of the ingredients in stainless steel bowl over simmering water. Stir until fully melted. Do not overheat – remove from heat before fully melted and continue stirring.
Set aside until ready to use. To reheat, warm again over double boiler to 88-90 degrees F.

Dip filled cream puffs in chocolate glaze to cover the tops. Set aside on tray to chill until set. Best served within 2-3 hours.
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Monday, August 20, 2012

let's go to the ex (and learn something sweet!)

One of the many fun things to do at the Canadian National Exhibition is the opportunity to catch Celebrity Chef demos at the Food Network stage (complete list here)

The list of chefs is really fantastic this year and includes Selwyn Richards, Victor Barry, Anna Olson, Michael Smith, Chuck Hughes, Marc Thuet, James Smith, Patricia Muzzi, Jason Rosso, Lorenzo Loseto, Kevin Brown, David Rocco.

Be sure to drop by and say hi to Dufflet during her session!

Dufflet Rosenberg
Tuesday, August 21
Time: 2 & 5 pm

Food Network Celebrity Stage
(At Home Pavilion, Hall A in the Direct Energy Centre)
 

Affectionately known as the Queen of Cake, Dufflet Rosenberg reigns as Toronto’s pre-eminent purveyor of fine pastries, desserts and confections. After thirty sweet years, Dufflet’s legendary Queen Street Café still is the destination for the city’s most talked about wedding, birthday and celebration cakes. Today, Dufflet Pastries wholesale division proudly supplies over 500 restaurants, cafes, gourmet grocers, hotels and caterers throughout Canada with an ever-changing selection of over 100 items from Dufflet’s signature “Fresh Collection”.

 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

no, you're fulla nuts.

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Butterscotch Nut Euro Tart

Smooth and creamy caramel filling brimming with cashews, walnuts and pecans and baked in our Euro-style sweet dough crust.

Size 3", only $3.75 at all Dufflet locations.

Spoiler alert: You'll want more than one.

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Friday, August 10, 2012

photo of french apple tart and you can't stop me ...

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This is a Dufflet French Apple Raspberry Custard Euro Tart.

It has french-style sliced apples, tart raspberries, creamy custard and cinnamon all baked in our Euro-style sweet dough crust. Size: 3"

It is beautiful, and can be yours from any Dufflet location for the low low price of only $3.75 each.

Ok, so that's the price all the time, but look at what you get for $3.75!

~sigh~
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

cake of the month for august...

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The Dufflet cake of the month for August is White Chocolate Mousse!

Classic white sponge cake layered with white chocolate mousse and a touch of strawberry compote; topped with a white chocolate ruffle.

On special August 1-31, 2012

6" regular: $25, special $23
10" regular: $44, special $40
Daily Slice Special $4.00 (while quantities last)

Cake of the Month is available on pre-orders via phone, email and in-person. In-store cake quantities are limited, so pre-order to avoid disappointment!

Slices available in-store only and on a first-come, first-served basis.

No rain checks or substitutions on this offer.

Please note that the ruffle is for eating, and not for wearing on your head ~Management~
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Wednesday, August 1, 2012

we're not just another pretty cake!

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Rain gone, hot here, how about a nice lemonade or pressés from UK's Belvoir fruit farms to quench that thirst? 

Currently available at all 3 Dufflet locations, we have Raspberry Lemonade, Organic Lemonade, Lime & Lemongrass and Elderflower flavours.

If you're not familiar with Belvoir, here's a blurb from their website:


"Our single-serving Pressés are all made with lots of real fruit juice, blended with sparkling Belvoir spring water. They're made from all-natural ingredients and contain nothing artificial so they taste natural, refreshing and delicious: that's why we say they're 100% good!"

PS/ their site also has some fantastic cocktail recipes for the after-5 crowd :D


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