mini-mousse cakes, dobos torte and nougatine...

so it goes without saying that i adore school. it's become my life. consumed me. i rather like getting to put down my 'build-the-business' hat for a while and just focus on the acquisition of new skills! it's hard to imagine all the things i've learned in the past two months, but even harder to imagine what i still have yet to be taught. i'm exponentially better than i was two months ago, and i'm enjoying the evolution of my passion-to-profession. i mean, my unofficial business is getting busier and busier and soon, i'll need a real, honest-to-goodness, space from which to work. that's so encouraging to me! that's excitement at its best!

we made a very cool cake! it required the piping of pate a cornet onto a silpat, which we had to freeze to set. we then poured the buscuit d'amande over the top in a thin layer in order to just cover the stenciled/piped designs. additionally, we learned the the trick to keeping this thin cake from drying out during baking is to bake it in a hotter oven since it is so thin - doing so will help it to bake quickly and therefore stay more moist.

the finished look is pretty stunning.

the overall goal for this cake it to cut it into strips, which we then used to line small uniquely shaped cake rings and then into which we would pour an amazing chocolate, vanilla or berry mousse. it assembles quickly into a very fancy, modern looking plated dessert. while i don't see myself working the pastry chef circuit, i do see myself wowing my friends and family at my next bbq!

what was also great fun was learning how to candy flowers! taking beautiful deep red rose petals and fresh multi-colored pansies, gently (and LIGHTLY) coating them in egg white and dusting them with a fine sugar. totally amazing finishing touch.

we garnished the mini-mousse cakes with fresh creme chantilly, fresh berries, candied flowers, deco-chocolate and/or curls of gianduja (that hazelnut cream and chocolate combination from earlier in the course).

we also spent time making the components for the dobos torte. think layers of chocolate butter cream flavored with rum, a delicate sponge, and a layer of caramel coated sponge to decorate the top. ... it's harder to explain, easier to see:

of course one of my favorite things to make was the almond nougatine. it's just a delicious candy of caramel and sliced, toasted almonds. it reminded me of being in my nana's kitchen - where often you'd walk in to visit and something amazing and simple and beautiful was waiting for you. something old-timey and delicious. nougatine is one of those things that transports me back instantly to my childhood. for as much as i ADORE making cakes, i don't have much of a sweet tooth. BUT i do have a little space reserved for such refined, simple treats such as nougatine. lovely. tastes like home.

and wait until you see what we used it for!!

by the way... speaking of waiting to see more... two words: opera cake.

more to come!

xo

m