The Daring Bakers May 2011 Challenge: MARQUISE ON MERINGUE

The Daring Bakers Challenge: May 2011 "MARQUISE ON MERINGUE"

I am so excited. This is my first challenge on "The Daring Bakers". I first saw the logo of "the Daring Bakers" on food blogs i visited. I noticed that i see this logo more and more often. Then one day i follow the link, i read, i like, and i finish by registering as a member ^^ I'm glad i did. This is fun ^^

"Marquise on Meringue" not only the name that elegant, the dessert itself look so beautiful. Lots of steps to follow but it worth waiting for. Everything get together so well that you just enjoy this dessert with smile. Sweetness (as a river) from "Maple Caramel", Softness (as a cloud) from "Torched Meringue", Crunchiness (as a stone) from "Spiced Nuts", and last but not least, bring everything together .. Smoothness (as a silk) from "Chocolate Marquise" .. speechless ^_^


Thank you Emma from CookCraftGrow and Jenny from Purple House Dirt for this wonderful "Chocolate Marquise" ^_^

Before to begin, let's make it clear that:

• It must be "Dutch Process cacao powder" only. Do NOT substitute natural cacao powder.
• Do "Torched Meringue" only at the last minute, just before you want to serve them. Because it will turn liquid after sitting for a while. 
• If you are not planning to serve all the "Chocolate Marquise" at once, then you will have to reduce amount of "Torched Meringue" that you will need by making only 1/2 or 1/3 of the recipe for example.
•  During making "Caramel sauce", make sure you keep an eye on the color of sugar. It have to be just only light golden. If you wait too long, it might turn dark and darker very quickly. As the result, you will end up with caramel sauce that taste bitter. no no no.

Easy steps to follow:

1. Make "Chocolate Base" (A)
2. Make "Chocolate Marquise" (B)
3. ...... put in freezer ..... wait ..... wait ..... wait
4. During waiting time, you can have a rest/relax/do something else or immediately make "Caramel" (C) then set aside to let it cool.
5. After that, you can have a rest a little bit or immediately make "Spiced Nut" (D) then set aside to let in cool.
6. ...... Now, Chocolate Marquise is ready ......
7. Just when you want to serve them, make "Torched meringue" (E)
8. Prepare, arrange, decorate and Serve!^^

(A) Chocolate base: as an ingredient for chocolate marquise

• 170 grams bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70% cacao (crushed first if it's chocolate bar")
• 180 ml whipping cream

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 30 ml honey ("acacia honey" if you can find ^^)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons dutch process cacao powder
• 1/16 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Method:

1. Place -- chocolate -- in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, heat -- cream -- until hot to touch (NOT boiling). Pour over the chocolate. Wait a few minutes before stirring. Stir until chocolate is melted completely and smooth throughout.
3. Add in -- butter -- stir until melted completely.
4. Add in -- salt + cinnamon + honey + vanilla extract + cacao powder + black pepper -- stir to combine. Done.  
5.  Set aside. Now, time to make "Chocolate Marquise"

(B) Chocolate Marquise: one 8" square pan

• 6 large egg yolks, room temperature (keep egg whites for meringue ^^)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 40 ml. water

• Chocolate base, barely warm (A) recipe above

• 1 cup  whipping cream
• 1 cup dutch process cacao powder, for rolling

•  2-3 Banana, sliced into 1/2 cm thick

• Caramel Sauce (C)
• Spiced Nut (D)
• Torched Meringue (E)

* Prepare Pan: Cut a parchment paper by the size of the width of the pan. Make 2 of them. Line one horizontal and one vertical. Leave the edge.

Method:

1. In a bowl of stand mixer, on high speed, whisk together -- egg yolks + whole eggs -- until pale and thicken, about 10 minutes.
2. After start whisking eggs, begin to make a sugar syrup
3. In a small sauce pan, over medium heat, combine together -- sugar + water -- bring the syrup to a boil and cook until reach "softball stage" at 235 F/115 C.
4. Just when the eggs reach the right consistency (about 10 minutes), with the mixer running on low speed, carefully drizzle the sugar syrup into the fluffy eggs .. quickly .. without touching the side of the bowl or the whisk. Yes, hard! i know ^^ but you can do it!
5. After all the syrup has been added, turn the mixer back on high and whip until bowl is cool to touch. It took me about 5 minutes.
6. In a separate mixing bowl, whip -- cream -- until soft peak. Set aside.
7. When the egg mixture is cooled, gently add the -- "Chocolate Base" (A) -- to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
8. Fold in -- 1/3 of the reserved whipped cream -- into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in -- the remaining whipped cream -- fold until well combined.
9. Pour 1/2 the mixture into the prepared pan, arrange layer of -- banana sliced -- then pour in the rest of the mixture.
10. Cover with plastic wrap directly touching the mixture so it doesn't allow any air.
11. Freeze until very firm, 6-8 hours

(C) Maple Caramel Sauce: make about 1/2 cup of caramel

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Method:

1. In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat, combine together -- sugar + water -- boil until the sugar caramelizes to light mahogany color, about 10-15 minutes. Keep an eyes on it, please!
2. Working quickly, add -- cream -- to the caramel. There will be lots of bubbles and smoke, don't be afraid, it's normal ^^ quickly pouring in the caramel then return to the low heat. Whisk gently until smooth and reach color/consistency you like. 
3. Remove from the heat, add -- salt + maple syrup -- stir to combine. Set aside until ready to serve.

(D) Spiced Nut: make about 1 cup of spiced nuts

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 sesame snap, crushed into powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 large egg white
• 1 cup whole walnut (or any nuts you like ^^)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, mix together -- sugar + crushed sesame snap + cinnamon -- set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk -- egg whites -- until thick.
4. Add -- sugar mixture -- to the egg whites, mix until well combined.
5. Add -- walnuts -- to the egg white mixture. With a fork, mix until coated all nuts.
6. With a fork or chopsticks, pick up coated nuts, one by one, lay them onto parchment paper, 1 cm apart.
7. Bake until light brown, about 15 minutes.
8. Allow nuts to cool completely on the baking tray. (I eat mine once every minute to taste if it's  crunchy yet .. crunchy yet .. at the end, i only have 1/2 nuts left to decorate .. this is not good :P)

(E) Torched Meringue: make about 3 cups of torched meringue

• 6 large eggs whites
• 200 grams sugar
• splash of apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:

1. In a bowl of stand mixer, combine together -- egg whites + sugar + vinegar -- With a whisk, gently stir until well combine. Just stir, we are not doing any mousse yet.
2. Over a saucepan of simmering water, warm the egg whites mixture. Stir the mixture continuously until all the sugar is dissolved. To test: pinch the mixture between your fingers. If the mixture is smooth, you don't feel and grains between your fingers, this mean it's ready. Turn off the heat.
3. Remove the mixing bowl from the sauce pan and return it to the stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Whisk until soft peak. Just before you want to stop, add -- vanilla extract -- and mix thoroughly.

To Serve:

1. When ready to serve, remove the Marquise from the freezer and then begin to make "Torched Meringue". By the time you finish preparing "Torched Meringue", "chocolate Marquise" will be ready to cut. 
2. Remove "Chocolate Marquise" for the pan by turning it on a big flat plate then turn it again over cutting board. With a knife or scraper, cut"Chocolate Marquise" into the shape you like. 
3. Roll the cutting chocolate marquise in cacao powder. I simply lay my cutting chocolate marquise on thin layer of cacao powder then sift the rest cacao powder over the cutting chocolate marquise: top and sides. This way, i won't touch the chocolate marquise too much.
4. Scoop "Torched Meringue" into the serving plate, then burn it with the blowtorch.
5. Drizzle "Caramel Sauce".
6. Decorate with "Spiced Nuts".
7. With the thin knife, gently and slowly slide under the "Chocolate Marquise" coated with cacao powder. Lift it up gently and slowly move to the serving plate .. on the burned "Torched Meringue".
8. Decorate as you please. Serve and Enjoy ^_^

Decorate as you like .. any form, any shape, more or less, all you choices .. wonderful isn't it?!?! ^_^

Now, let's go make some & ENJOY ^_^

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