Croquant Recipes

Steps:

• Brush a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet with butter; set aside. Combine sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush away any sugar crystals on side of pan to prevent recrystallization. Cook, swirling occasionally, until mixture reaches soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer (238 degrees).
• Stir in almonds; cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is light amber in color.
• Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet; spread quickly into a 1/4-inch-thick layer with an oiled metal spatula. Let sit 2 minutes before cutting, if desired, with a sharp, oiled knife. (Or let cool completely before breaking into pieces.) Set sheet aside until completely cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Steps:

• Parfait:
• Have ready a lightly oiled baking sheet. In a small, very clean, heavy saucepan, combine the water and the sugar and stir together over low heat until the granules of sugar have dissolved and the liquid appears clear. Increase the heat to high and simmer the mixture until syrupy and golden brown. Be careful not to overcook and burn the caramel. If crystals form on the sides of the pan, remove them by swirling the liquid in the pan, never stir the caramel with a utensil. Add the toasted almonds, swirl to mix and remove from the heat. Immediately pour the almond croquant onto the oiled baking sheet and allow to cool until quite brittle. Remove to a cutting board and, with a sharp heavy knife, chop coarsely.
• Line the base of an 8 by 12-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, combine the confectioners' sugar and the egg yolks, and whisk constantly for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the mixture will hold a ribbon when the beater is lifted away. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes. In another bowl, whip the cream with the vanilla to soft peaks. With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the yolk mixture into the whipped cream, then fold in the crushed almond croquant. Pour the parfait into the prepared baking pan and freeze until solid.
• Creme Anglais:
• In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the whipping cream with the vanilla bean and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to steep for 10 minutes. In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg yolks and the sugar together until pale and thickened. Very slowly whisk the hot cream into the yolk mixture. Set the bowl of custard mixture over a medium saucepan of barely simmering water and stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into another bowl and refrigerate until chilled.
• Preheat a broiler to high heat. With a sharp knife, cut the frozen parfait into 4 by 4-inch squares. Place a parfait square in the center of each of 6 ovenproof dessert plates. Cover the parfait with sliced strawberries, top with an even layer of the other berries, and spoon some of the creme Anglaise over the top. Two at a time, place the dessert plates under the hot broiler until the creme is golden brown and bubbling. Turn the plates once or twice as necessary so that they brown evenly. Garnish the plates with mint sprigs and serve immediately.

Steps:

• For the apricot jam: In a medium saucepan, soak the apricots in the Sauternes until softened, about 30 minutes.
• Add the granulated sugar, the vanilla bean seeds, the scraped vanilla bean pod and 2 1/2 cups of water to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower to a simmer and continue to cook slowly until the apricots are very soft and the mixture is slightly caramelized, 1 hour or more.
• Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and simmer for 10 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
• When cool, remove the vanilla bean pod and place the apricot mixture in a food processor and pulse until slightly chunky. Drain off the excess liquid, if there is any. Refrigerate the apricot jam in a covered container until ready to use.
• For the chocolate shells: Melt 24 ounces of the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water fitted with a digital or chocolate tempering thermometer. Heat to 115 to 120 degrees F.
• Remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat and add the remaining 8 ounces of chocolate. Stir until all the added chocolate has melted. The temperature of the chocolate should be below 86 degrees F. If not, allow the chocolate to continue to cool, stirring frequently, until it reaches 85 to 86 degrees F.
• Place the bowl of chocolate over the simmering water again and reheat for a few seconds at a time, stirring well, until the temperature has risen to 87 to 91 degrees F. (Do not allow the temperature of the chocolate to exceed 91 degrees F, or you will have to repeat the procedure from the beginning.) Wipe any moisture from the underside of the bowl before proceeding.
• Ladle the tempered chocolate into a 24-cavity half-sphere polycarbonate chocolate mold, filling the cavities completely. Tap the mold on the table or countertop several times to release air bubbles in the chocolate. Invert the mold over a large, clean bowl and allow the excess chocolate to drip out. Scrape the drips with a large thin spatula or blade and then invert the mold again. Scrape once more, making sure to leave clean edges around each cavity in the mold.
• Scrape any leftover chocolate into one bowl. Reheat and maintain the temperature between 87 to 91 degrees F.
• Leave the shells to set at cool room temperature, or place the mold in the refrigerator for no more than 5 minutes to help the chocolate begin to set. Reserve the remaining tempered chocolate for the spider legs.
• For the chocolate almond croquant: In a small bowl, mix the almond butter with the dark chocolate. Set aside and keep warm.
• Place a small saucepan over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Allow the sugar to melt without stirring. Tilt the pan if necessary to help the sugar melt evenly. Add 2 or 3 additional tablespoons of sugar and allow it to melt. The sugar may begin to caramelize at this point. Raise or lower the heat as needed to control the melting and prevent the sugar from burning. Continue to add the sugar in increasing increments until it has all been incorporated. Make sure all the sugar has melted (you may stir gently at this point) and continue to heat until a slight smoking of the caramelized sugar occurs.
• Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the butter. Stir the mixture until the caramel absorbs most of the butter. Reheat the caramel, if necessary, to keep it fluid.
• Reheat the almond butter and chocolate mixture if necessary. It should feel warm to the touch. Scrape the mixture onto a nonstick silicone mat and spread to a thickness of about 1/4-inch.
• Have ready 2 bench scrapers. Pour the caramelized sugar and butter mixture onto the top of the almond butter and chocolate mixture. Using the bench scrapers, fold the mixture over itself repeatedly. The more you mix, the smoother the texture will become. As you continue to fold, the mixture will begin to cool and will absorb any butter or chocolate that has leaked out.
• Quickly shape the croquant mixture evenly, cover it with another silicone baking mat and use a rolling pin to roll the croquant to 3/8-inch-thickness. Remove the mixture from the silicone mats and cut it into disks slightly smaller than your hollow chocolate shells.
• To assemble: Transfer the apricot jam to a disposable pastry bag and snip a small opening. Pipe the jam into the prepared chocolate shells, filling about halfway. Press a croquant disk into the mold, making sure to leave a slight headspace.
• Ladle the remaining tempered chocolate onto the top of the mold, filling in the headspace of each chocolate shell. Tap the mold a few times on the table to release air bubbles. Use a spatula or blade to scrape the excess chocolate from the top of the mold. Let set at cool room temperature for a minimum of 2 hours, or preferably overnight.
• Before unmolding the filled chocolate shells, place the mold in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Well-tempered chocolate will contract as it sets and release cleanly. Remove from the refrigerator, flex the mold slightly, and carefully invert to release the chocolates. These will be your spider bodies.
• Arrange the spider bodies on a clean piece of parchment or wax paper. Transfer some of the remaining tempered chocolate to a small pastry bag and pipe a small mound of chocolate that touches each spider body. This will be the spider¿s head. Allow these to set until firm.
• Pipe spider legs onto a separate piece of parchment or waxed paper. When the legs are set, carefully remove them from the parchment paper and use the reserved tempered chocolate to attach the legs to the bodies.

Steps:

• Three days ahead (or 1 month and freeze): preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan oven 180C. Lightly butter 3 large baking sheets. Sift the flour onto a large square of greaseproof paper. Put the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan with 450ml/3⁄4pint water and gently heat until the butter has melted. Bring to the boil then immediately tip in the flour, all in one go. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball that comes away from the sides of the pan. Leave to cool for 5 minutes.
• Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between each addition, until the mixture is glossy and only just holding its shape. You may not need to add all the beaten egg. Spoon and pack half the mixture into a large polythene freezer bag. Twist the opening to secure and snip off a 1cm tip from the corner (or use a piping bag and 1cm plain nozzle).
• Pipe small rounds, about 2cm in diameter, on to the baking sheets, trimming the paste from the bag with a knife. Leave room between them to allow for spreading. You should end up with about 75 rounds. Bake for 25 minutes, in batches if necessary depending on how many baking sheets you have, until well risen and golden, rotating the baking sheets half way through cooking. As soon as the pastry is cooked, make a 1cm slit on the side of each bun to let the steam escape. (This stops them turning soggy as they cool). Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes to dry them out, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container (or freeze).
• Make the cone. Make a pencil mark halfway along a long edge of the A1 card. Mark the halfway position along both short edges and draw a line from each point to the mark on the long edge. Attach one end of the string to the pencil and holding the other end at the point on the long edge, draw a curve from the point on one short side to the point on the opposite side. Cut out the card shape and use as a template to cut out the same shape in foil. Tape the foil over the card and roll up (foil inside), overlapping the straight edges to make a cone shape with a 20cm diameter opening. Secure with tape and snip 10cm off the point of the cone.
• Two days ahead: make the limoncello cream. Beat the egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon zest and juice in a bowl to make a smooth paste. Bring the milk to the boil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. As soon as it reaches the boil, pour it over the egg mixture, stirring well. Return to the saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce is very thick and bubbling. Stir in the liqueur and transfer to a bowl. Cover the surface with a circle of greaseproof paper to prevent a skin forming and leave to cool completely. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• The day before: if the buns are a bit soft when you take them out of the container, lay them in a single layer on baking sheets and re-crisp in a moderate oven for 5 minutes. Fill them sparingly with the limoncello cream by piping as before. You can always pipe in a little extra if you have any mixture leftover.
• Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and melt over a bowl of gently simmering water. (Or melt in the microwave on Medium for 2-3 minutes.) Give the chocolate an occasional stir until it has just melted. Turn off the heat.
• Rest the cone inside a vase or jug for support. Put a small bun into the point of the cone with the bun's base face up. Spoon 1 tsp of melted chocolate onto the base and secure two small buns over the first, again with base up. Spoon over another teaspoon of chocolate. It's a little difficult working at the tip of the cone but it gets much easier as the cone gets wider.
• Work up the cone, packing in the buns quite firmly, drizzling the chocolate (see left) and working in horizontal layers until the cone is filled. Make sure that each bun is firmly secured in place with chocolate before proceeding to the next layer and make sure the last layer forms a flat base for the cake. Keep the filled cone in the coolest place overnight.
• On the day: carefully invert the cone on to a flat serving plate and lift away the cone. Gently peel away the foil if it hasn't come away already. Put the remaining 100g/4oz sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan with 5 tbsp water. Heat very gently, stirring slowly until it has dissolved to make a smooth syrup. Take care not to splash the syrup up the sides of the pan or it may crystallise and solidify.
• Bring the syrup to the boil and cook for 4-6 minutes, watching closely until it turns a rich golden colour. Take off the heat and dip the base of the pan in cold water to prevent further cooking. Stand back as the pan will splutter noisily. Carefully dip the ends of the sugared almonds and roses in caramel and secure around the cake, scattering a few on the plate.
• Using a teaspoon, drizzle more caramel around the buns so that it falls in fine threads. If the caramel hardens before you've finished decorating, gently reheat it, taking care not to burn it. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar. To serve the cake, it is easiest if you have one server to break pieces off for the guests, starting from the top and working down.

Steps:

• Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Spread the sugar in a heavy-bottomed skillet and cook over medium heat, watching it carefully. When it begins to liquefy and darken at the edges, use a heatproof spatula to stir it very gently, encouraging the heat of the liquefied sugar around the edges to moisten and melt the sugar crystals in the center.
• Add the nuts and stir gently but quickly, coating them with the caramel. Scrape the nuts onto the foil-lined baking sheet and spread as evenly as possible. Let cool completely.
• Once cool, break the Croquant up in a food processor, or place it in a zip-top freezer bag and use a mallet or rolling pin to crush it.
• I like a lot of croquant in my ice cream and use the entire batch, but you may use less if you want. Add 1 to 2 cups (175 to 350 g) of crushed Croquant to 1 quart (1 liter) of ice cream in the machine during the last minute of churning.
• Croquant can be stored for up to 1 week in an airtight container in the freezer or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Combine the sugar and water in a medium, heavy saucepan, being careful not to splash sides of pan. Stir gently over high heat just until the sugar dissolves (do not stir beyond this point). Using a clean pastry brush dipped in water, brush inside walls of pan to loosen any sugar particles.
• Cook sugar mixture over high heat until light golden brown (about 10 to 15 minutes; do not leave unattended). Remove pan from heat; gently stir in almonds. Immediately pour almond mixture onto a silpat jelly roll pan (no silpat - coated with cooking spray). Cool completely, and break into pieces.
• Note: Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.