Scarlett WNougatine Parfait
September 14th 2006 09:43
Nougatine Parfait
About Nougatine
Nougatine is a pliable paste made with caramelized sugar and glucose syrup mixed with crushed or ground almonds or hazelnuts. The hot paste is poured onto an oiled surface and rolled into thin sheet. Before hardening, the sheet is cut into desired shapes or formed into various three-dimensional objects. These may be used as decorations or serving vessels for other sweets or desserts.
About Parfait
In French, parfait is frozen custard made with cream, and usually with a fruit puree. American Parfait is a tall glass filled with ice cream, layered with various syrups, topped with whipped cream and a cherry. In Japan, a parfait refers to an ice cream sundae.
About Nougatine Parfait
The texture of Nougatine Parfait is similar to Nougatine ice cream. Tastes heavenly even without sandwiching with Arlettes.
About Italian Meringue
This is a stable type of meringue which holds its volume after whisking. Making it ideal for use in souffles. The sugar is made into a syrup, boiled to the hard ball stage (for which you will need a sugar thermometer). Then whisked into whipped egg whites.
About Kirsch
Kirsch is a clear brandy made from double distillation of the fermented juice of a small black cherry. It is colourless because it is not aged in wood. The cherries used recently can be either sweet or sour, but in the past the sour morello cherry was used with the pit crushed down. The morello cherry was originally grown all around the Black Forest so that is believed to be where the drink originated from.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 15
For the Nougatine
50 gm corn syrup
62½ gm granulated sugar
50 gm roasted almond slices
For the Italian meringue
37½ gm egg whites
75 gm granulated sugar
20 gm water
For the parfait
75 gm mixed candied fruits
10 gm kirsch
450 gm whipping cream 35%
1 gm fresh mint leaf, chopped (optional)
For the arlettes (45 Pieces)
250 gm bread flour
250 gm cake flour
10 gm salt
250 gm ice cold water
75 gm butter, softened
410 gm butter, hardened in refrigerator, for the turns
icing sugar
1. Make the Nougatine: Put the corn syrup in a heavy-based saucepan and place over a gentle heat, add in sugar, and allow to melt. Keep a careful eye on the caramel, and stir with a wooden spoon. Once the sugar is fully melted, but not burnt, stir in the roasted almond slices. Gently stir over low heat.
2. Place the caramelized almond on the baking paper, cover with another baking sheet.
3. Using a rolling pin, crush the caramelized almond until it becomes very thin. Peel off the top baking sheet, allow to cool.
4. Place the Nougatine in a plastic bag, crush with a rolling pin again until it is reduced to crumbs.Set aside.
5. To make the Italian Meringue: Put the sugar and and water into a heavy-based saucepan and place over a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. When clear, boil the syrup to the soft ball stage – that is, when it reaches 116 degrees Celsius – which takes about 5 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl or electric stand mixer, whisk the egg whites to the soft peak stage – which takes a minute or two. Immediately remove the syrup from the heat.
7. Turn the mixer with the egg whites back on a slow speed.
8. Slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the whites, and continue to whisk until tepid. Set aside.
9. To make the Parfait, on a working surface mix the candied fruits with kirsch, add the chopped fresh mint leaf, if using. Mix well and chop.
10. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the whipping cream until light and fluffy. Fold in the Italian Meringue, blend well.
11. Add in the chopped candied fruits, stir well. Then add in crushed nougatine, stir well.
12. Transfer the mixture to a plastic rectangular mould, level the surface and chill until firm.
13. To prepare the puff pastry, on a lightly floured work surface, sift the bread flour and cake flour together, then mix in the salt. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, place in 75gm softened butter.
14. Using a cake spatula, draw flour from the side to mix well with the butter. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture again. Gradually add in the iced cold water, little by little, knead gently until the dough is soft and wet (Don’t over knead to hard and dry dough).
15. Knead to the ball dough which is springy but not sticky, then wrap in the cling film and chill for about 2 hours.
16. Take out the ball dough and 410gm hardened butter; keep in the room temperature for a while. Test the same hardness (no more or less) of both by press fingers into them respectively.
17. On a lightly floured work surface, slice a cross at the top of the dough, then pull it out towards four directions. Dust off with pinch of flour, roll out the dough to a thin cross dough. Place the hardened butter at the centre of the thin cross, fold over the dough to enclose the butter completely then pinch the edges to seal, making sure none of the butter breaks through.
18. Carefully roll out the dough in one direction to a rectangle, prick any bubble with skewer. Dust off any surplus flour with a dry pastry-brush, then fold the dough neatly into three, bringing the top third down and placing the bottom third over it to make a layered square. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes. Unwrap, place the dough at a right angle with folding lines face outwards. Roll out the dough in one direction only until shape into a thin rectangle as before, fold and wrap and chill again, and repeat the rolling, folding and wrapping and freeze for 6 times as before. The butter will have been rolled into wafer-thin layers between the dough.
19. To make the Arlettes: Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Celsius. Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured work surface, roll out the chilled pastry to a square, about 20cm x 20cm x 1½cm thick. Cover with a clean wet cloth.
20. Roll the puff pastry to a long bar, wrap with the clear film and chill again.
21. Take out the puff pastry bar, sprinkle with the icing sugar evenly. Note that the icing sugar is a MUST for making Arlettes. Don not use flour.
22. Cut the puff pastry bar into small pieces, about 5mm thickness.
23. Sprinkle the icing sugar on both the working surface and the puff pastry evenly.
24. Roll each puff pastry piece into thin oval shape. Note that don’t leave puff pastry for too long as they are hard to roll when softened. Better to keep them in fridge and take out 1-2 pieces each time.
25. Gently pat off the excess icing sugar to ensure even distribution on the oval puff pastry.
26. Arrange the Arlettes on the sil-pat evenly. Air dry for about 30 minutes. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the arlettes golden and shiny. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. You can remove those pieces that are already shiny and golden prior, and continue baking the rest.
27. Take out and unmould the Parfait, cut to 1cm thick slices.
28. Sandwich 2 parfait slices with 3 pieces of arlettes.
29. Just before serving, dust with icing sugar and decorate with sprig mint, serve immediately.
Tips:
1. The corn syrup is very sticky, wet your hands before touching it.
2. Kirsch enhances the fragrance of the candied fruits and prevent them from sticking to the knife.
3. When making the parfait, you can choose other crushed nuts to replace with the candied fruits.
4. The firmer the chilled Nougatine Parfait, the better it tastes. It is because the parfait melts quickly if not serve immediately.
**From “Five-Star Pastry by Tony Wong”, “NORDIC Recipe Archive” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia” **
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Comment by Anonymous
ur step by step guide is briliantly detailed and concise with excellent use of ilustration!!
an excellent blog entry!