I am well aware that such a long absence requires sufficient reparation, and I fully intend to deliver just that. Today, I want to tell you about cakes.

The cake unit was the first material my class covered at the beginning of the term. The whole school began with sanitation and Baking Theory classes during the first week, then we broke into four classes and hit the ground running! I won’t lie, the first week in the kitchen was intimidating. I felt awkward and out of my element since I had never worked as a cook before, but I got accustomed to it really quickly. I will tell you all about the wedding cake in the photo above (and yes, the flowers are edible), but first I will start with the entremets.

Entremets are French-style, layered mousse cakes, usually incorporating an airy, sponge like cake (we used dacquioses and biscuits), along with layers of flavored mousses and other elements to provide a variety of textures and flavors.

We made a Pistachio Nougat Mousse Cake:

And a Coconut Passionfruit Mousse Cake:

And a Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake:

And a Raspberry Crunch Mousse Cake:

Each of these took a few days to make, since we had to make all of the layers separately and then assemble all at once, while the layers were frozen. We also made puff pastry by hand, and then made a “Pithivier”, or an Almond Galette. It’s layers of puff pastry with almond paste in the middle:

Look at the layers!

After that, it was on to wedding cakes! We made traditional wedding sponge cakes with buttercream frosting, and learned how to coat and stack a multi-tiered wedding cake using both components. We also learned how to work with fondant, gum paste, and royal icing. All three of these components are used on this cake:

This part of the unit was a lot of fun, but it was SO detail-oriented. Going into this line of business is for true perfectionists, that’s for sure! We were allowed to create our own colors for the fondant (to coat the cake), and the gum paste (to make the flowers).

I was going for brighter colors (red, yellow, orange) but instead ended up with peaches and soft yellows and pinks. The blue color of the fondant actually came from a bottle of green dye! I only used one drop to color the whole ball of fondant and ended up with a really pretty blue. Works for me

The last thing we covered in cakes was the very impressive, very French Croquembouche! It’s a pastry originally created as a wedding celebration cake in France, and it uses stacked puffs of Pate A Choux, glued together with melted sugar. This thing was messy and dangerous to create (that sugar sure gets HOT) but the end product looks very unique, don’t you think?

The base is rolled nougatine, decorated with royal icing, and I dressed it up a bit with a couple of my gum paste lilies. What is that fountain-looking thing on top, you ask? Well…it’s made completely out of sugar, and each “wing” piece was glued together one by one to a sugar base. Finishing this bad boy was quite satisfying.

So voila! That was the first unit, and there are still more to come! Next we moved on to breads, breakfast pastries, tarts and petits fours, and OH MY was it ever amazing.

For now I will leave you with a preview of what’s up next: a slice of lemon cream tart. C’etait tres delicieuse!

I’m pretty sure I started one (or more) of my pastry school admissions essays with “I’ve always had a passion for baking.” As if that statement alone should have the admissions department rolling out the red carpet, welcoming me, no, begging me to come to their school, thus gracing them with my presence and my, ahem, “passion” for baking. As if that is all it takes to be an excellent pastry chef. Ugh.

Don’t get me wrong, true passion is necessary in this profession, and without it you don’t stand a chance (so I’m told). Yes, baking is a huge part of the pastry profession and the average baker would likely only have exposure to baking the standards: cookies, breads, brownies, etc. If you like all that, then sure, you’re off to a good start. But that is only the tip of the pastry iceberg, my friends. Baking is only one piece of the puzzle.

During these first few days of pastry school, I’ve been thinking a lot about (what else) pastry, and what it is that I love so much about it. What was it that made me take the leap from simply the hobby home baker and want to master l’art de la patisserie? Because, believe me, it is an uphill battle, and I’m up against some pretty ambitious, talented (and, dare I say it, “passionate”) individuals.

It’s true, I do love baking at home. I find excuses to be in the kitchen whenever I can, and I especially love a challenge. And I suppose this love is where it all started. But when I delved into pastry more and more, I discovered that it’s not only the baking that I loved.

What captivates me the most about pastry is the precision and accuracy that’s needed to be successful. It’s the time and testing (and re-testing) that goes into crafting each recipe so the proportions and textures and tastes are just right. It’s the detail that goes into creating masterpieces that have too many components to count. I love the absoluteness (is that a word?) of each ingredient’s properties. I love that an ingredient’s reactive qualities are constant, and those qualities are something I can always depend on. I love that sugar always reaches hard crack at the same temperature, no matter what. I love that there is one way to temper chocolate well and once you know it, you know it. I love the fact that consistency is key.

I like rules and goals and facts. I’m a very literal person. I think this is really why I love pastry. It’s these absolutes that comfort me and give me confidence to keep going. Pastry allows you endless creativity within a very structured set of boundaries. I’m excited to learn these boundaries and truly master and understand them, so that one day I can stand on my own and allow my ideas and creativity to take the lead.

So there you have it. My true passion lies not simply in baking peanut butter and jelly bars, and seeing the joy they bring to people (recipe to come, don’t worry). My passion and comfort lies in the fact that these few, simple principles of pastry will always remain the same and never fail. Now how’s that for a total pastry geek-out?

Time for some pie.

As you might imagine, all this book-learnin’ and exam-takin’ has left little time for baking. So, since I have nothing new this week to share with you, I thought I would tell you about my Autumn Harvest Tart I created this past Thanksgiving. I found inspiration from the Harvest Fruit Tart pictured on one of my favorite food blogs Not Without Salt (check it out when you have a chance – the recipes are fabulous and the photography is absolutely gorgeous).

No recipe accompanied the gorgeous picture on that post, but that did not stop me on my mission to create the perfect seasonal fruit tart! I pieced together a few components from my favorite tart recipes, along with a few of my own ideas. The result was quite delightful! A gingersnap crust is brushed with a glossy syrup made from ginger preserves and cognac, then covered with a mascarpone cream filling, then topped with poached Asian pears, kiwi, persimmon, white plums, black mission figs and pomegranate seeds. The whole thing is then coated with the ginger syrup to give it a shiny finish.

The crust held up really nicely – it’s blind baked first and the addition of the syrup keeps it from getting soggy. The mascarpone filling is pretty sturdy as well, and can hold its own against the juicy fresh fruits for up to a few hours after assembling. The ginger flavor shines through but is not at all overpowering. If you’re not much of a ginger fan, I would use a simple syrup instead of the ginger syrup (although, if you can resist the ginger’s subtle warmth and spice during the chilly fall and winter months, you are a strong one indeed!)

Autumn Fruit Tart with Gingersnap Crust

Think of it as a “grown up” version of the traditional fruit tart: a ginger-spiced crust replaces the typical sugar cookie crust, a velvety mascarpone cream is used in place of pastry cream or cream cheese, all topped with seasonal fruit and a glossy, gingery glaze.

Gingersnap Crust
(Adapted from Bon Appetit, December 2007 Dark Chocolate Tart with Gingersnap Crust recipe)
8 ounces gingersnap cookies (about 32 cookies), coarsely broken
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Finely grind gingersnap cookies in processor (yielding 1 1/2 to 1 2/3 cups). Add melted butter and salt; process until moistened. Press crumb mixture firmly onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Place pan on rimmed baking sheet and bake for approx. 15 min or until set.

Mascarpone Cream Filling
(Adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2007 Cranberry Chocolate Tart recipe)
1 8-ounce container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using electric mixer, beat all ingredients except ginger in medium bowl just until thick enough to spread (do not overbeat or mixture may curdle). Spread filling in cooled crust.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Glaze
2/3 cup ginger preserves
2 tablespoons Cognac or brandy

Fruits
Poached Asian Pears (2-3 total) recipe is below
3 Kiwis
2 -3 Persimmon*
Pomegranate seeds from 1 pomegranate
3-4 Plums (white)
Black Mission Figs**

Combine preserves and Cognac in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until preserves melt and mixture is thick, about 2 minutes. Strain syrup into another small saucepan; discard solids.

Brush half of syrup onto bottom of crust. Let stand at room temperature until set, about 5 minutes. Spread pastry cream evenly over. Arrange fruit over pastry cream (not including pomegranate seeds). Rewarm ginger syrup. Brush over fruit. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over top and on sides of the plate.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill.

*To prepare persimmon: cut around pit, take peel off (resembles tomato or peach peel), slice, taste (should be sweet)

**Figs should be very ripe (should be sweet and bright pink inside). If they’re not sweet and are green inside, lightly roast figs in oven with pinch of salt, honey & water until bright pink in color. You can also used dried figs if you can’t find fresh (I used dried, and they are pictured here)

Poached Pears
2 cups water
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 whole star anise
1 2-inch piece cinnamon stick
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
4 large (10 ounces each) Asian pears

Bring first 7 ingredients to boil in heavy large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Peel pears. Add to syrup. Add enough water to cover pears. Cover pan; simmer until pears are tender, about 40 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pears to bowl. Increase heat; boil liquid until reduced to 3/4 cup, about 25 minutes. Strain syrup; pour over pears. Chill until cold.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Creating said peach pie was one of my very first memories of baking in my younger years. (As for the very first memory…let’s just say I confused “cup” with “teaspoon” when reading the baking soda measurements, and ended up with a batch of peanut butter cookies that tasted like toothpaste. Lesson learned). Don’t get me wrong – I had baked plenty prior to this moment, but this pie was the first time I totally owned a somewhat-complicated baking endeavor. I had found the recipe, planned, measured, mixed, chilled, peeled, rolled, latticed, baked, and voila! It looked pretty! And it tasted pretty good too!

It was official – I was bitten by the baking bug and I haven’t stopped tinkering in the kitchen since. I want to leave you with a recipe for a pie that has become a tried-and-true staple in my recipe box. It’s the perfect summer creation that spotlights the season’s brightest treasures. Now, I usually bake seasonally and I want you to know that a Cherry Berry Pie is not something I would likely make at this time of year, since the fruit isn’t in season. But, like I said, it just wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t properly greet you with…a pie!

Cherry Berry Pie
(Adapted from The Joy of Cooking: All About Pies and Tarts Cherry Pie Recipe)

Pate Brisee Dough
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/3 cup ice cold water

Thoroughly mix dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl. Dice butter into small cubes (make sure the butter is ice cold before using) and add butter to dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, chop the butter into the dough until the butter resembles pea-sized pieces.

Drizzle some of the water over the mixture and cut with the blade of a rubber spatula to incorporate. Add the rest of the water in small installments, adding just enough for the dough to come together (it will be shaggy and still dry in parts. A good test is to take a handful of dough and squeeze – if it holds its shape, you’ve added enough water)

Divide the dough in half, and press into similarly-shaped discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1/2 hour. This allows the dough to rest and chills the butter again, in order to make the dough easier to roll out.

Dough can be chilled for up to 2 hours, and can also be frozen for up to 6 months.

Cherry Berry Pie Filling
2 cups pitted Bing cherries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
Pinch of salt

Roll out bottom crust (1 dough disk from Pate Brisee recipe) into a 13-inch round. Place in 9-inch pie plate and trim sides. Chill in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine all ingredients (cherries, berries, sugar, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, almond extract and salt. Let stand for 15 minutes (Do not let fruit mixture stand for more than 15 minutes, or the mixture will become too runny).

Fill refrigerated pie shell with fruit mixture. Roll out top crust and cut strips to make lattice top. Trim overhang and crimp edges. You can brush the top of the pie with one egg, whisked, and sprinkle sugar on top (my favorite is turbinado sugar). This will give the pie a glossy finish.

Bake pie for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until thick juices bubble from the sides, about 25 to 35 minutes more.

Remove from oven and let the pie cool completely (1 -2 hours) before slicing. This is hard. Believe me, I know. But it’s worth the wait – the juices need time to properly set up while the pie cools.

Enjoy!