Scarlett WMango Strawberry Napoleon Gateau
April 28th 2006 16:49
Mango Strawberry Napoleon Gateau
About Gateau
A gateau is a very rich and elaborate cake that has cream or fresh fruit in it. This napoleon gateau has a soft, melting, crumbly texture and the combination of fresh mango and strawberries will make it seem like the most sophisticated gateau you ever ate, with a fluff of custard cream and apricot jam.
About Pastry
Pastry is made of butter, flour and water mixture. Layers are though several stretching and folding steps. When baked, it will expand and layers are formed into a unique shape. Its visual and aesthetic effects can be enhanced by decorations. Its flavour can be elevated when taken with a cup of coffee. They are rich in carbohydrates, protein and fibres.
INGREDIENTS
For the puffy pastry
1 portion of homemade or instant puff pastry (available in supermarkets)
dark chocolate chips (melted)
For the filling
fresh mangoes
fresh strawberries
For Custard Cream
Ingredient A:
40 gm soft flour
40 gm corn flour
Ingredient B:
300 gm milk
6 egg yolks
120 gm sugar
60 gm butter (place in room temperature to soften)
For the surface
apricot jam
For garnish
icing sugar
fresh mangoes
fresh strawberries
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Roll out the pastry into a 2-mm thin piece. Cut it into 3 rectangular pieces of 8” × 10” each. Bake in an oven at 200 degrees C for 20 minutes. Remove and leave to cool. Brush melted dark chocolate on its surface and set aside.
2. For the filling, mix together the “Ingredient A” and filter the mixture with a strainer once and set aside – Mixture A.
Bring the milk of “Ingredient B” to a boil, then add in other ingredients and stir thoroughly. Add in Mixture A and cook until thickened. Freeze in the freezer. Set aside.
3. Arrange a piece of the chocolate-coated pastry on the countertop. Put custard filling into a piping bag. Pipe some custard filling on the pastry. Arrange fresh mango dices on top and put another piece of pastry over it, pipe custard filling and arrange fresh strawberries. Top with the remaining pastry piece.
4. Brush the boiling apricot jam on its surface.
5. To serve, place some more fresh fruits and dust the top lightly with icing sugar.
**This is a recipe from Exquisite dessert Buffet**
MAKING OF PUFF PASTRY
INGREDIENTS
For the dough
450 gm Plain flour
good pinch of salt
50 gm butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
about 300 ml or 1¼ cups ice-cold water
For the pastry shortening
50 gm Plain flour
450 gm butter, cut into chunks
Method
1. For the dough, on a work surface, weigh out 450 gm of flour and mix in the salt. Make a bay in the centre of flour. Rub in 50 gm of the butter until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. This can be done in a food mixer, a food processor or by hand.
2. Add the vinegar, then trickle in the ice-cold water, mixing until the ingredients come together in a smooth dough. You may not need all the water, or you may need a little extra. It is hard to be specific. Again this can be done in a machine or by hand. Knead gently then wrap in cling film.
3. For the pastry shortening, blend the remaining 50 gm of the flour with the rest butter. This is best done by machine, processing until the mixture is smooth and just comes together. Spoon the butter mixture out onto a large sheet of cling film and shape into a rectangle about 14 × 20 cm. Wrap up completely in the cling film and chill both the dough and butter packages in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle almost twice the size of the pastry shortening (approximately 25 × 35 cm). Try to keep the edges as straight as possible and the corners well angle. If necessary, tease the dough into shape.
5. Place the pastry shortening down the long side of the dough, fold over the dough to enclose the shortening completely then pinch the edges to seal.
6. Dust off any surplus flour with a dry pastry-brush, then carefully roll out the dough in one direction only until it is about three times the length, making sure none of the butter breaks through.
7. Fold the dough neatly into three, bringing the top third down and placing the bottom third over it. Give the dough a quarter-turn and roll out again. Dust the board and rolling pin lightly with flour and roll out again to a long rectangle the same size as before, keeping the edges and corners neat.
8. Fold into thirds before, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Unwrap, then, with the smooth, folded edge to the side, roll out again into a long rectangle as before.
9. Fold again in three, give the dough a quarter-turn, ensuring the folded edge is still on the same side as before, and repeat the rolling and folding. Give another quarter-turn and fold into thirds, then fold again immediately so that you have a double thickness of pastry. Wrap in cling film and chill again for 20 minutes.
10. If making the pastry ahead, you can freeze the dough at this stage, dividing it in half or quarters according to the recipe. It can be stored for 3 to 6 months.
If, however, you intend to use the dough straight away, then roll it out twice more, rolling, folding and turning as before. The butter will have been rolled into wafer-thin layers between the dough; this is what causes it to rise in light, crisp layers. For specific baking times and temperatures, check each individual recipe.
Tips:
1. There are two types of Pastry: puffy pastry and short crust pastry, which are available in supermarkets and are ready to use.
2. Take the butter out of the refrigerator about an hour before you use it.
3. Puff pastry comes in two forms: dough and piece. Choose whichever you want. Baking the puff pastry over high temperature helps make it even more flaky and airy.
4. The pastry-type dessert should be consumed on the day of making as it will soften easily in room temperature and lose its crispy texture in time.
5. When rolling out the dough, always keep the edges as straight as you can and the corners neat and true, tugging them gently into place if you can’t quite master the rolling.
6. It is important that the layers of butter are rolled evenly into the dough and careful neat rolling is the best method for ensuring this. So always roll and fold in the same direction (generally bottom to top), and give the dough just a quarter-turn each time, again in the same direction, normally anti-clockwise.
| 135 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by edward
Rocky's Running Diary
Comment by Scarlett
Comment by amy
And shame on you for reminding me of dessert yet again =P