Making the world a little sweeter one pastry tip at at time.
I’m a dulce de leche nut. The first time I had tried it was when a bride requested it as a filling for a her wedding cake many years ago. It was before there were dulce de leche Girl Scout cookies were invented and dulce de leche ice …read more
I get this question a lot, so I figured it would fit with the June theme for this blog – What is a dariole mold? A dariole mold is a small, round mold, and can be found by different retailers by the name of ‘aspic mold’ or ‘baba mold’. These …read more
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| Opéra Cake – courtesy Flickr User arnold | inuaki through a Creative Commons License. |
To me, there is nothing more close-your-eyes decadent than an Opéra Cake, probably because I know what goes into it. It is sinfully rich and since it is typically served in small portions, the whole presentation makes it a little sexy for adults – you know you’re getting something good inside a small package. For the kids, if they enjoy chocolate, they’ll love a little Opéra Cake at tea time.
The origins of this cake differ. Some say Opéra Cake is credited to Gaston Lenôtre (1920 – 2009), who started École Lenôtre in 1971. Others say it was invented in the kitchens of Dalloyau, where it is still showcased today.
Opéra Cake consists of thin layers of joconde moistened with a coffee-flavored syrup, and sandwiched between layers of coffee-flavored buttercream and ganache. Depending on where you find the dessert, you’ll find variations ranging from several layers of joconde with the buttercream and ganache, to just a few. The topping for it is generally a smooth chocolate glaze. You will often find flakes of edible gold leaf, gold dust, a piping of a musical note, or a coffee bean on the top.
Here is my favorite recipe for Opéra Cake, and it’s very simple. This cake has three layers of joconde separated by a thin layer of ganache and a thicker layer of coffee buttercream. It is then topped with melted ganache that sets up shiny and smooth. It yields one sheet pan.
Opéra Cake
Lay a ganache frame or rectangular stainless steel frame over parchment paper or a silicone sheet on a flat sheet pan . Trim 3 biscuits joconde to fit inside the frame. Place one joconde sheet on the bottom. Brush 10 ounces of coffee syrup over the top, ensuring all the syrup is used up. Evenly spread the ganache over the top of the biscuit joconde.
Place the second joconde over the ganache and gently press to make sure the layer is evenly flat. Douse this layer of joconde with 10 ounces of coffee syrup, again making sure all the syrup is used up. Spread the buttercream over the second joconde evenly, and press the last joconde down evenly to get a perfectly flat cake. Use the last of the syrup for this layer, and spread a very thin layer of ganache over the top. This will act as a crumb coat. Chill until the cake is firm, then melt an amount of ganache for the top, spreading or tilting to make an even layer. Chill again, then cut into small rectangles for service.
Opéra Cake Coffee Syrup
This recipe yields about 30 ounces. Use 10 ounces for the bottom layer, 10 ounces for the middle layer, and the rest for the top layer.
Stir everything together in a saucepan until almost boiling. Remove, and cool before using.
Enjoy,
I’m a big fan of Indian food. I love the spicy sauces and rich vegetarian entrees. And having ordering from the dessert menu of many different Indian restaurants, I’m not sure which I enjoy more – eating them or seeing the paper-thin sheets of silver decorate them. …read more
Cannolis – they inspire both hunger and fear: hunger as they are crispy tubes filled with a sweetened cream filling, and fear as they have to be made and fried just right or else you’ll end up with a hard, greasy shell. Cannolis are one of those …read more
Today is National Peach Cobbler Day. My go-to recipe for peach cobbler at home comes straight from the pages of Southern Living Magazine. I was a fan of the magazine long before my big move to the South, and have yet to try a recipe I didn’t like from it. But what is a cobbler? Ask five different people and you’ll probably get five different answers. For some, it is a biscuit-like topping atop sweet and bubbly fruit. To others, the topping is more a rustic pastry crust. And looking back to old cookbooks, cobblers seem to be put together differently altogether. In 1902, Paul Richards’ recipe (Paul Richards’ Book of Breads, Cakes, Pastries, Ices and Sweetmeats) is similar to Victor Hirtzler’s 1919 version (The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book). Both involve lining a baking pan with pie paste, filling with sweetened fruit, seasoned if desired with spice, then covering the top with a crust, egg washing, and baking. Sort of like a pie, only deep-dish and baked in a casserole.
In any case, cobblers are one of the few desserts that has appeal at any time of the year: spring and summer with the abundance of ripe, fresh fruit, and fall and winter when there is a longing for sweet and warm desserts. And like all good recipes, the simpler the better. The recipe below is adapted from Southern Living. I substitute whatever stone fruit I have on hand if I don’t have peaches making it a ‘universal’ recipe, sweetening the fruit with as much sugar as needed.
Peach Cobbler
In heavy, metal casserole, heat the butter over low heat until melted. Remove from the stove. Whisk the flour, 1 cup of sugar, and baking powder together. Add in the milk an stir until just mixed. Pour this over the melted butter.
In a saucepan, stir the peaches, remaining 1 cup of sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a quick boil and pour over the top of the cobbler batter. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 35 to 45 minutes until lightly browned, bubbly, and the cobbler crust has cooked through. Serve warm with fresh vanilla ice cream, if desired.
Image Source: Photo of peach cobbler is from Flickr – User: Arnold Inuyaki through a creative commons license.
If there was an award for the most inventive S’mores recipe, I think it would probably have to go to Pastry Chef Ben Roche (of Moto Restaurant, Chicago) and his S’More Bombs. Complete with a burning wick, liquefied graham cracker center, and dark chocolate coating. So, …read more
Looking for ideas for Thanksgiving pies? Or need to brush up on pie-making? There are lots of ideas for crusts, borders, and making Thanksgiving desserts look special on Pastry Sampler. Thanksgiving Pie Ideas and Turkey Day Desserts.
Celebrate it by making a dessert! What is a dessert? Basically, anything that you serve at the end of the meal. It could be baked, frozen, fresh, or warmed. It could also be something not even remotely sweet, like different cheeses, or even nuts and dried fruits.
Updated! As of April, 2015 🙂 The list sure keeps growing. The pastry field has exploded, as evidenced by the many lively dessert, baking, and pastry related shows on TV now. Here are several to check out, with direct links to their webpages. Have I …read more