My First Daring Bakers Challenge

The January 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Astheroshe of the blog accro. She chose to challenge everyone to make a Biscuit Joconde Imprime to wrap around an Entremets dessert.

I thought about this challenge for a while wanting to do something wild and crazy for my first challenge. But in the end, I went very traditional with my design.
 
I got the stencils for the Imprime a couple of years ago from the Intenational Sugar Art Collection. They are very versatile. We used them for stenciling on a fondant covered cake but I thought they would look nice for this project.

I really wanted to use the toile for the sides of the dessert but the design was just too fragile. So I settled for the top and used the stripes on the sides and they held up much better.
 The dessert was very easy once I played with it a bit.
I had a recipe for the Joconde that I had used years ago. It is very easy and the only snag is that you need almond flour. I keep almond flour in the freezer because I love to make and eat French Macarons that use it as an ingredient.

I made a strawberry mousse filling since it is so close to Valentines Day and I wanted something to coordinate with the Gumpaste roses I made as a decoration.

I assembled the pieces in a six inch cake pan that I lined with Cling wrap. I layered the mousse with plain biscuit joconde and chilled it overnight. It removed nicely from the pan. The dessert was easy to cut and serve.

I love the Daring Bakers because it encourages me to do something I would not have ordinarily done. I felt challenged but had a great time. I cannot wait for the next challenge!

Here are the recipes I used.

Joconde

Chocolate Tuile Paste:

3 ounces cake flour

1 1/4 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Joconde Sponge:
2 ounces almond flour
2 ounces powdered sugar
2 ounces all-purpose flour
3 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 egg whites
1 ounce granulated sugar
1 Ounce unsalted butter, melted

Method for Tuile Paste:
Sift cocoa powder and flour together; set aside. Cream the butter and sifted powdered sugar in a mixer with the paddle on medium speed. Lower speed to medium low and add egg whites slowly, scraping the bowl frequently. Add the vanilla extract and flour and cocoa mixture until just combined.
Place Silpat or parchment paper on back of a baking sheet. Spread paste across a stencil to imprint. You may also spread paste to about 1/16 inch thick and drag a decorating comb across batter in a decorative imprint. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Method for Joconde Sponge:
With a wire whip, stir the almond flour, all purpose flour and powdered sugar together for about 20 seconds to combine. Add eggs and , using a paddle for a stand mixer, beat on high speed for about five minutes Add egg yolk and set aside.
Whip egg whites in a separate bowl, adding sugar slowly until soft peaks form. Do not over beat.
 Fold egg whites into batter, then the melted butter and finally remaining whites gently folding just to combine.
Assembly:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place Silpat or parchment with firm Tuile paste in a baking sheet. Spread batter evenly over the top of the paste. bake for about five minutes. Be careful not to over-bake or cake will crack rather than bend.

 Remove from oven. invert onto fresh parchment paper and peel off Silpat or used parchment. Cool to room temperature and cut into desired shape.





Strawberry Mousse

2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin, one packet
1/3 cup cold water
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream

Puree the strawberries in the food processor. Add the lemon juice and sugar and process a minute longer to combine.

Sprinkle gelatin over the cold water in a heat proof dish to let it bloom for about five minutes. Bring a small saucepan with about an inch of water to a boil and turn off heat. Set dish with gelatin in saucepan and allow gelatin to dissolve, swirling frequently. Remove as soon as gelatin has dissolved to prevent overheating.
Stir gelatin into strawberry mixture and cool until slightly thickened.

 Whip cream until stiff peaks start to form. Fold whipped cream into strawberry mixture until well combined. Chill well before using for mousse or cake fillings.






Use your creative flair to construct the entremet. It's like being a sculptor of your dessert!