Pastry gets Saucy

Cognac Mousseline Dacquoise

There wasn't much to bring home this week from class. I'm sure my roommates appreciate the calorie break. I however didn't get a break because most of what I made this week was consumed in class. One cake did make it home (in one piece) from my class on meringues on Monday. It was Hazelnut Dacquoise (meringue with hazelnut flour) layered with a coffee and cognac mousse, and topped with thin straws of coffee meringue. I'm really starting to rethink traditional cakes with heavy frostings....the taste is no comparison to the Dacquoise with mousseline, I'm going to be completely ruined. No, not ruined, spoiled.

Tuesday night we made dessert sauces. Our choices ranged from Simple syrup, Creme Anglaise, fruit sauces, and chocolate. I made a mango sauce from fresh pureed mangos and also made the Creme Anglaise. Funny thing is I have had Creme Anglaise many times, but never realized what it was. My best memory and probably first memorable experience of having it was at the Paulaner Restaurant in Leipzig, Germany. I ordered the heavenly Apple Strudel for dessert. The Struedel arrived flakey and warm, sitting in a shallow pool a lovely tasting light vanilla sauce. After tasting the Creme Anglaise I made at school, I was able to put a name to the lovely sauce that had accompanied my Apple Strudel so many years ago.

Along with making sauces, we had to make some accompaniments to serve the sauces with. My classmates made souffles, molten chocolate cakes and I made crepes. I was eager to make the Crepes Suzette after a friend mentioned it being one of their favorite ways to eat crepes. This was another first for me. I made the caramel sauce and then added the orange and lemon juices, butter, creme fraiche and the Grand Marnier. After folding the crepes into a skillet and covering them with the sauce and a sprinkle of chopped candied orange rind, I tipped the skillet to the flame and attempted to set the dish on fire to burn off the alcohol. It took a few tries and a some additional Grand Marnier, but it finally flamed. My classmates snapped a few pictures and then it was time to eat. Crepes Suzette now out ranks Crepes with Nutella on my list of favorites.

Crepes Suzette

I filled the remainder of the crepes I made with fresh berries and dressed them with Creme Anglaise and Mango sauce. One of my classmates made a Champagne Sabayon and we used it to top sundae glasses full of berries. Other sauces made my by classmates included a apple coulis, a caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, jasmine tea sauce, peppermint sauce, and passion fruit sauce.

Fresh Berry Crepes with Creme Anglaise and Mango Sauce

Fresh Berries with Champagne Sabayon, Chocolate and Raspberry Sauces

Time for me to head to the kitchen and bake some more. I also have an article to write, and a dinner to plan for on Saturday, a quiz and test to study for, and plenty of reading to do. Oh and a little sleep to catch up on too.