Coconut and chocolate savarin

                                 Savarin dough ( for 18 muffin tins )

                                 120gr                                                              milk
                                 5,5gr                                                              instant yeast
                                 300gr                                                              flour
                                 25gr                                                                sugar
                                 165gr                                                               egg
                                 40gr                                                                 coconut milk
                                 65gr                                                                 butter, room temperature

 

                                Savarin syrup

                                600gr                                                                 water

                                420gr                                                                 sugar

                                50gr                                                                   coconut liqueur
                              
                               Coconut cream filling

                               40ml                                                                   coconut milk

                               30ml                                                                   coconut liqueur

                               5gr                                                                     gelatin sheets

                               160gr                                                                  heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

                               160gr                                                                  coconut cream
                               50gr                                                                    sugar

                              Coconut ganache

                              100gr                                                                   chocolate

                              100gr                                                                   coconut cream

                             

                              Glaze

                              50 ml                                                                  apricot Jam

                              2 Tbs                                                                  water

 

It is better to start with the coconut cream, even a day in advance. Boil the coconut cream with the sugar for a minute and set aside to cool while soaking the gelatin in the milk and liqueur. When the cream is still hot, stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved and pour in the remaining liquids. Refrigerate until quite set to a creamy consistency and fold in the whipped cream. Keep in fridge until use. For the dough, warm the plain and coconut milk lightly and stir in the yeast until dissolved. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine all the ingredients except of butter and mix for a few minutes. Then add gradually the butter to incorporate and keep beating until the dough is smooth, elastic and tends to separate from the sides of the bowl. At this point, let it rest covered in a warm environment until tripled in size. Meanwhile proceed with the ganache. Warm the coconut cream until hot, stir in the chocolate to melt and refrigerate.

 

 

After the fermentation time, punch down the dough and use a spatula and a spoon to portion it into individual forms such as muffin tins. Let them double in size in warm conditions and bake at a preheated oven to 180C for about 17-20min. Let cool and prepare the syrup by combining the water and sugar over heat. As soon as it boils, remove from heat, add the liqueur and soak in the savarins. Remember to completely moisten them with syrup -but not as much as to brake- and for that reason make holes on the bottom of each one with a fork. When finished, optionally trim the edges and if using cases like muffin tins get their bottom facing up and cut in half . Pipe some ganache in the center of each half and surround it by piped coconut cream. When finished with every savarin, replace their caps and brush them with glaze, made after warming the apricot jam with water. Finally refrigerate until cool and garnish as preferred.

Coconut and white chocolate torte

                        Pistachio dacquoise

                        40gr                                                                    egg whites                 

                        40gr                                                                    granulated sugar      

                        18gr                                                                    almond flour

                        17gr                                                                    pistachio flour

                        5gr                                                                      cake flour

                        as preferred                                                        vanilla

                       Coconut and yogurt mousse

                       200gr                                                                   coconut cream

                       100gr                                                                   powdered sugar

                       130gr                                                                   strained yogurt

                       7gr                                                                      gelatin sheets, softened

                       300gr                                                                   heavy cream whipped to soft peaks

                       White chocolate and yogurt cream

                       90gr                                                                     white chocolate

                       90gr                                                                     strained yogurt

                       2,4gr                                                                    gelatin sheets

                       135gr                                                                   heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

                     
                      Caramel

                      40gr                                                                      sugar

                      30gr                                                                      butter

                      50gr                                                                      hot coconut cream, heavy cream or puree

                      20gr                                                                      glucose

                      as preferred                                                          vanilla

                    
                     Glacage

                     100gr                                                                     coconut cream

                     50gr                                                                       milk

                     25gr                                                                       water

                     25gr                                                                       sugar

                     100gr                                                                     white chocolate

                     5gr                                                                        gelatin sheets, softened

                    Coconut spongecake

                    1/2                                                                        coconut spongecake

                    30gr                                                                      sugar

                    40gr                                                                      water

First prepare the white chocolate mousse by meting the chocolate and warming the yogurt at least to room temperature. Then heat a minimum amount of water or coconut cream just enough to dissolve in the gelatin and  when hot, add the softened in cold water gelatin sheets. Mix well with the melted chocolate, combine with the yogurt and finally fold in the whipped cream. Seal the bottom of a 20cm-diameter cake ring with plastic wrap, fill it with the mousse and keep in the freezer. Meanwhile prepare the caramel by heating and melting half of the sugar to brown color. Add the cream, butter, and then the rest of the ingredients and boil to 107C. Let cool and refrigerate until use.

For the dacquoise whisk the egg whites with the sugar until stiff, shift in the dry ingredients, fold gently, spread on a 17-20cm-diameter circle on parchment paper and bake at a preheated oven to 180C for about 15min until golden on top. Let cool and optionally trim any protruding edges. Starting with the coconut mousse, mix yogurt with the sugar and then heat some of the coconut cream until hot to dissolve in the softened gelatin. When the gelatin has completely melted, combine with the rest of the cream and yogurt and freeze for a while the mixture until it quite sets and is easily folded into the whipped cream. When ready, start assembling the cake. Remove the frozen mousse from the cake ring (keep it in the freezer), place the dacquoise on the bottom and cover with the first layer of coconut mousse.

Freeze and meanwhile prepare the syrup for the coconut spongecake by bringing water with sugar to boil. Let cool and then place the spongecake over the coconut mousse moistening with the syrup. Pour some more of the coconut filling over it, place the frozen mousse layer on top and cover it with the caramel where you may add chopped pistachios or coconut flakes. Keep in the freezer and prepare the glacage. Combine the sugar, water and milk in a saucepan warming until hot, dissolve in the gelatin, melt in the chocolate and  cool it down adding the coconut cream. At this point return to the cake and finish with the last layer of coconut mousse on top. Freeze again until completely set and meanwhile keep the glacage at room temperature. When set, cover with the glaze, garnish with ground pistachios and refrigerate. 

Meringue lemon tart with coconut

  Tart dough
  300gr                                                                         flour
  150gr                                                                         butter, cold
  100gr                                                                         powdered sugar
  1                                                                               egg
  as prefered                                                                lemon zest and vanilla powder

  Lemon pastry cream
  300gr                                                                         milk
  150gr                                                                         heavy cream
  50gr                                                                           lemon juice
  100gr                                                                         granulated sugar
  1                                                                               egg
  3                                                                               egg yolks
  50gr                                                                           corn flour
  as preferred                                                               lemon zest and vanilla bean

  Coconut frangipane
  80gr                                                                           butter, room temperature
  90gr                                                                           powdered sugar
  100gr                                                                         almond flour
  2                                                                               eggs
  30gr                                                                           flour
  50gr                                                                           shredded coconut

  Italian meringue
  80gr                                                                           granulated sugar
  15gr                                                                           glucose
  23gr                                                                           water
  60gr                                                                           egg whites
 

For start, prepare the tart dough by cutting the butter into the flour and then simply adding the rest of ingredients. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until quite hard. Meanwhile proceed with the pastry cream and combine milk with cream, zest, vanilla and half of the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Whip the eggs with the rest of the sugar and corn flour until homogenous and stir in the lemon juice. As soon as the milk gets quite hot, pour one third of it in the egg mixture stirring constantly and then return it to the saucepan whisking until thick.

As soon as the cream starts boiling, remove from the heat and let cool. For the coconut frangipane that you can keep for days in fridge and use as filling for any tart, beat butter with sugar until creamy and add the eggs. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and set aside. Remove the tart dough from fridge and use a rolling pin to make shells for about one 20cm-diameter tart ring and nine muffin tins. Dot the bottom dough with a fork and preferably place a foil piece filled with beans or rice inside the larger tart shell to prevent rising.

Bake at a preheated oven to 170C for 15min with the bean filling and for another 5min without it. Fill the half-baked shells with a layer of coconut cream and bake for about 20-25min until golden on top. Spread the lemon pastry cream over the coconut filling and prepare the meringue. Boil water with glucose and 70gr sugar and as soon as it reaches 100C, start whisking the whites adding gradually the rest of the sugar. When the whites are quite foamy and the syrup is at 120C, pour it in the meringue and keep whisking until it cools down and feels slightly warm to the touch.

Fill with the meringue a pastry bag and empty it over the surface of the tarts in varius shapes. Finally burn the meringue picks with a blow torch and garnish with lemon zest, shredded coconut, chopped almonds, white chocolate shavings, or anything you come up with.



Fraisier

Fraisier is the first DB challenge I post on time after long and is once more quite changed from the original recipe to satisfy a taste for airy and exotic flavored cake with coconut, mango and of course strawberry. However it may not be admired from those who expect a dominant mango flavor, since its diacritical presence in the mousse is quite overshadowed by the yogurt and foamy meringue. Overall it's from the lightest cakes I've made and definately recommended.

       Coconut spongecake

       3                                                                   eggs
       150gr                                                             sugar
       1^1/4 cup                                                          shredded coconut
       50gr                                                               cornstarch and cake flour mixture
       1tsp                                                               baking powder


      Strawberry bavarian
      12gr                                                               granulated gelatin
      78gr                                                               water
      70gr                                                               sugar
      65gr                                                               yolks
      130ml                                                             milk
      240gr                                                              heavy cream
      as preferred                                                    vanilla extract
      140gr                                                              strawberry purée
      additional                                                       strawberries for decoration

       Mango mousse
      230gr                                                              yogurt, well strained and at room tenperature
      360gr                                                              ripe mango purée
      60gr                                                                egg whites
      100gr                                                              sugar
      40gr                                                                water
      13gr                                                                sheet gelatin, softened
      additional                                                       chopped mango

Start with the sponge cake by shredding the coconut into finer pieces with a food processor. Shift the flours, mix the dry ingredients together and whisk the eggs with the sugar to ribbon stage. Fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs with caution and divide the batter to two 20cm-diameter rings. Bake at preheated oven to 190C for about 10min and let cool. Cut the one cake round to a 17cm-diameter disc leaving a thin cake ring and place the other one on the bottom of a 20cm pastry ring. Cover its inner side with strawberry    

halfs and keep in fridge until the mango mousse is done. While preparing an italian meringue with the whites, water and sugar, melt the softened gelatin in a small amount of hot water and whisk it into the whites after adding the syrup. Combine yogurt with mango purée and pieces, fold it into the meringue and spread a layer of the mixture on the bottom of your prepared ring as well as between the strawberry halfs. Cover this layer with the leftover cake disc, quite pressing it down, and place the thin cake ring on top. Add another layer of

                                                                                                    mousse without reaching the top (some mousse

may be left) and keep in fridge. Meanwhile prepare the strawberry bavarian cream by soaking the gelatin into the water and lightly whisking the yolks with half of the sugar. Bring the milk with vanilla and the rest of the sugar to boil and temper with it the yolks while whisking them constantly. Bring the whole mixture to heat stirring with a rubber spatula and watch its temperature with a candy thermometer. As soon as it reaches 85C remove from heat and stir in the gelatin.Let the mixture cool completely and refrigerate until thick but not set stirring occasionally if needed. Then add the strawberry puree, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the custard. Refrigerate once more until it is thick enough to hold its shape when piped, and use a pastry bag to fill the space between the surface of the upper mango mousse layer and the sides of the cake piece you have placed on top. Before filling with the bavarian, spread a thin layer of the whipped cream on top of the cake ring and sprinkle some shredded coconut. After finishing with the strawberry cream refrigerate until completely set and garnish with fruit slises. If you prefer a moister cake make some syrup with 170gr water, 170gr sugar and 30ml coconut or berry scented liquor.