Thursday, August 26, 2010

The Daring Bakers August 2010 Challenge: Ice Cream Petit Fours

The August 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Elissa of 17 and Baking. For the first time, The Daring  Bakers partnered with Sugar High Fridays for a co-event and Elissa was the gracious host of both. Using the theme of beurre noisette, or browned butter, Elissa chose to challenge Daring Bakers to make a pound cake to be used in either a Baked Alaska or in Ice Cream Petit Fours. The source for Elissa's challenge were Gourmet Magazine and David Lebovitz's "The Perfect Scoop".

I had never made petit fours before, but they were always something that I wanted to and this gave me the perfect opportunity. It was a very easy recipe to make although it does take some time, I would start a day or two before you need them. As it takes time to make the ice cream, cake and then all the freezing waiting for things to set up. Make sure you read through the entire recipe before you start that way you will have a good idea of your timeline. I completed mine in just over a 24 hour period. I can't wait to make these again they were a huge hit with my Hubby and boys. Though next time I will cover them with milk chocolate rather than dark.



Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
A pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean split or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat milk, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan until the liquid steams. Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with a paring knife and add to the milk, along with the bean pod. Cover, remove from heat, and let infuse for an hour.

Set up an ice bath by placing a 2 quart bowl inside a large bowl partially filled with water and ice. Put a strainer on top of the smaller bowl and our in the cream.

In another bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks together. Reheat the milk in the medium saucepan until warmed, and then gradually pour 1/4 cup of warmed milk into the yolks. constantly whisking to keep the eggs from scrambling. Once the yolks are warmed, scrape the yolk and milk mixture into the saucepan of warmed milk and cook over low heat. Stir constantly and scrape the bottom with a spatula until the mixture thickens into a custard which thinly coats the back of the spatula.

Strain the custard into the heavy cream and stir the mixture until cooled. Add the vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon if using the vanilla bean; 3 teaspoons if you aren't, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, preferably overnight.

Remove vanilla bean and freeze in ice cream maker. Then put in an airtight container and let set up completely in the freezer.

Brown Butter Pound Cake
19 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 and put rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9x9 square pan.

Place butter in 10" skillet over medium heat. Brown the butter until the milk solids are a dark chocolate-brown and the butter smells nutty. Pour into a shallow bowl and chill in the freezer until just congealed 15-30 minutes.

Whisk together cake flour, baking powder, and salt

Beat the brown butter, light brown sugar, and sugar in an electic mixer until light and fluffy about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well and then the vanilla extract.

Stir in the flour mixture at low-speed until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the greased and floured 9x9 baking pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and rap the pan on the counter. Bake until golden brown on top and when a toothpick inserted comes out clean about 25 minutes.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then run a knife along the edge and invert right-side-up onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Glaze
9 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Stir the heavy cream and light corn syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add the dark chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds then stir to completely melt the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla and let cool until tepid before glazing the petit fours.

Assembly Instructions
Line a 9x9 pan with plastic wrap so that no sides are exposed. Spread in 1 1/2 to 2 cups of ice cream. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for several hours.

Once the brown butter pound cake has completely cooled level the top. THen split the cake in half horizontally to form two thin layers

Unwrap the frozen ice cream. Flip out onto one of the layers of cake and top with second layer. Wrap well in plastic wrap and return to freezer overnight.

Make chocolate glaze.

While the glaze cools trim 3/4" off the edges of the cake. Then cut the cake into 25 petit fours each 1.5" x 1.5". Then glaze the petit fours one at a time by sitting them on a fork then spooning the glaze over. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and return to freezer for one hour.

Enjoy!

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