Warning: You may want dessert after reading this...

Croquembouche

Well, I though I would share a few photos of what I've made in my Intermediate course thus far.  Above is a Croquembouche constructed out of hand-made truffles.  "Croquembouche" in French translates as "crunch in the mouth," as it is traditionally a tower of profiteroles (choux filled with pastry cream) bound together by caramel (the crunch).  As you might imagine, the truffles didn't remain on the tower very long before I began to deconstruct it...and now I'm hoarding them in the freezer.

Gateau Mille Feuille

Here in Australia this cake is usually called "Vanilla Slice," which seems to me overly simplified and insufficiently descriptive (thanks, Wilson thesaurus).  "Gateau Mille Feuille" means "Cake of a Thousand Layers" in French, and appropriately so, as it contains several layers of pastry cream sandwiched between puff pastry.  The top is glazed with fondant, and the sides are covered in toasted flaked almonds. Yummmmmmy!  I took several pieces to the cafe, which was a mistake, as several people are begging me to make it again.  Little do they know that it took an entire 3 1/2 hour class to produce this one cake, even after making the puff pastry a day in advance.

Tart au Chocolat Noir

(Dark Chocolate Tart)

This tart is comprised of a chocolate short pastry crust (it resembles chocolate shortbread)  and a simple filling that consists of dark couverture chocolate, cream, milk and an egg.  It wouldn't be difficult to make at home, but the short pastry is a bit fragile and easily overworked.  The secret to a good chocolate tart, of course, is good chocolate - Dutch process cocoa powder for the crust and high-quality dark chocolate for the filling.  

Gateau Concorde

I realize that this cake may appear rather complicated, but it isn't nearly as difficult to produce as it may seem.  The interior of the cake consists of layers of baked meringue alternating with chocolate mousse.  The exterior is covered in the same mousse, which serves to adhere the meringue "sticks" that line the side of the cake, and any remaining meringue is piled in the center of the cake in a random fashion.  Wilson has renamed this "Fort Cake" and insists that I make it again at Christmas (it is really tasty).  

The chocolate mousse recipe we used for this cake was as simple as they come, but also delicious, so I though some of you might like to try it:

8 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, melted

1/4 cup milk, warmed

2 cups heavy cream

Combine melted chocolate and warm milk and stir until smooth.  Whip cream until it is 3/4 whipped (very soft peaks) and place in the refrigerator.  Bring chocolate mixture to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) over a double boiler or water bath.  Remove whipped cream from the fridge and pour in chocolate, whisking until partially combined (this prevents the mixture from splitting).  Then, using a spatula, gently fold the chocolate and cream together until just combined.  The mousse will begin to set as the chocolate cools, and it should be kept in the refrigerator.