Chocolate Sables

It is National Chocolate Week here in the UK and that means it is also Chocolate Week here on The Boy Who Bakes. Over the weekI will posting a whole host of utterly delicious and decadent chocolate recipes. Im starting the week with a doozy, Chocolate Sables, from my book Patisserie Made Simple. 

Im not just baking these just because they’re delicious, and boy are they delicious, I’m baking them because im joining in with the wonderful #cookiesandkindness project launched by Dorie Greenspan. It is such a simple idea, bake a batch of cookies and share them with someone, posting about it online to show the world that there is still a lot of love out there. Every month Dorie will post a recipe on her website as a suggestion but you can bake whatever you fancy, just share the love, and the cookies of course. I bake these cookies on a regular basis, with or without the chocolate coating, and it makes a lot, a natural to share. When making the dough it’s formed into two logs and sliced into cookies. I bake off one half of the cookies for now and the second batch are refrigerated or frozen for a later date. So when making these to share why not do the same thing, it extends the happiness. giving a batch of cookies and a batch of cookie dough, the perfect gift.

To find out more about the #cookiesandkindness project and to get the story on how Dorie got into food I popped across the channel to Paris so we could record an episode of Stir The Pot together. I have met Dorie before but after spending an evening together I can honestly say that Dorie is one of the kindest, most encouraging and passionate people I have met. This episode of the podcast is a gem and if you love food and baking (if you don't how on earth did you get here) I would thoroughly recommend you to give it a listen. If I could also ask a big favour, if you are liking the podcast could you also help spread the love and tweet about it, leave a review on iTunes, or simply subscribe, it would mean the world!

Chocolate Sables

The Chocolate Sablé is the little black dress of biscuits: reliable, grown-up and with just a little hint of naughtiness! They take no time at all to make, but the rewards are bountiful. I use 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt in these biscuits, which might seem like a lot to some people, but salt and chocolate were meant to be together – it highlights the chocolate flavour and enhances the overall taste. Just don’t use table salt; you need a good flaked sea salt, such as fleur de sel. To dress up these cookies even more, I have dipped them in tempered chocolate and sprinkled them with cacao nibs, but this is optional – they are still a wonderful treat without it.

Makes 40

For the sablé dough
275g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt
200g unsalted butter at room temperature, diced
50g caster sugar
200g light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
175g dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa solids), finely chopped

For the coating
250g dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa solids), tempered
cacao nibs, to sprinkle (optional)

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda into a medium bowl and add the sea salt, then stir together. Set aside.

Put the butter in large mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and light. Add the sugars and vanilla extract, and beat together for 2 minutes until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix together until you have a mixture that looks sandy (which is what sablé means in English), add the chocolate and mix to combine. The final dough should look almost like soil; it should not have formed into one large ball of dough. This is the key to getting the correct texture; mixed for too long the biscuits will be tough.

Tip out the mixture onto a work surface and gently press together to form a uniform dough. Divide in half and roll into two logs, 4cm thick.

Wrap in clingfilm and put them in the fridge to chill for 3 hours or until firm. (At this point you can freeze the dough for baking at a later date, or do as I do and bake one half of the dough and freeze the second.)

Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan oven)/gas 4 and line three baking trays with baking parchment. Remove the dough from the fridge and, using a thin, sharp knife, cut into rounds about 1cm thick. Put the biscuits onto the baking trays, leaving 2cm between each one. Bake for 10–12 minutes until set around the outside but still soft in the centre.

Leave the biscuits to cool on the trays for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Once the biscuits are cool, dip each one halfway into the tempered chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off. Put onto the prepared tray and sprinkle with a few cacao nibs before allowing the chocolate to set fully at room temperature. The biscuits will keep for up to one week stored in an airtight container.

Tip
Although I have given a suggestion for the cocoa percentages of the chocolate used in this recipe it is purely a guide; you can use whichever chocolate you prefer. The key is to use one that you love.

(recipe is taken from my book Patisserie Made Simple by Kyle Books and the recipe photograph is by Laura Edwards)

Summer Berry Pavlova

Pavlova is one of those great recipes that you should have in your arsenal, once you know the technique you can whip up a delicious dessert without even thinking about it. Using whatever fruit you have on hand, you can make them whatever season, pile it high with berries and stone fruit in the summer, blackberries and chocolate at christmas, its a super simple recipe that will always please a crowd. It takes minutes to whip up and it really is a low effort recipe. The difference between plain old meringue and pavlova? Its a texture thing. A true pavlova should be delightfully crisp on the outside with a pillowy marshmallow like centre. The key to this perfect texture is baking the pavlova in a low oven and adding a little vinegar and cornflour, which helps stabilise the meringue and give that delicious marshmallow texture. 

Summer Berry Pavlova
Serves 10-12

6 large egg whites
350g caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tsp cider vinegar
500ml double cream
2 tsp vanilla bean paste
600g mixed berries

Preheat the oven to 150C (130C fan).

Place the egg whites into a large bowl and use an electric mixer to whisk on high speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Whilst continuing to whisk slowly pour in the sugar whisking until the meringue holds stiff glossy peaks. In a small bowl mix together the the vinegar and cornflour then pour into the meringue and whisk for a minute or so until it is fully combined. Scrape the meringue onto the middle of a parchment lined baking tray and spread out into a disc.

Bake in the preheated oven for an hour then turn off and allow to cool fully in the oven (I do this the night before and just leave it overnight). 

To finish the pavlova whisk the cream and vanilla until the cream holds soft peaks then spread over the the top of the pavlova finishing with the fresh berries. 

Melting Moments

This recipe is special to me for one big reason. It isn't a complicated or fancy recipe, in fact it's as simple as it gets. It's not from my childhood and it wasn't passed down through my family. It's simply a biscuit that helped me launch my baking business. A couple years ago I had the idea of taking my career in baking to a different level and opening up shop. This is how I found myself down at London's Maltby Street Market come rain or shine, every weekend selling my wares. To my surprise the melting moments became one of the favourites (along with the salted peanut and chocolate cookie sandwich, filled with homemade marshmallow fluff). I think they remind us of being kids, they're a bit like shortbread and are simple and humble, almost British in style, when in fact this recipe hails from Australia. I may not run that business anymore, because I became too busy with other work (hello Patisserie Made Simple) but I still regularly whip up a batch of these biscuits. To add a little bit of sunshine to this disappointingly grey summer I have filled the biscuits with both vanilla buttercream and a bright passion fruit curd and let me tell you, one wont be enough!

Melting Moments
250g unsalted butter, room temperature
½ tsp vanilla bean paste
85g icing sugar
250g plain flour
40g custard powder (or cornflour if you cant find it)
¼ tsp salt

Filling
75g unsalted butter, room temperature
150g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt

Passion Fruit Curd
80ml passion fruit puree (from about 5-6 passion fruit)
5 large egg yolks
150g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter

To make the curd place the puree, yolks and sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk together until combined. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take the bowl from the heat and add the butter, mixing together until melted and combined. Pour the curd into a sterilised jar and seal, refrigerating until needed. 

Preheat the oven to 160C (140C fan) and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Place the butter, vanilla and icing sugar into a large bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy. Sift the remaining ingredients into the bowl and gently mix together until you form a uniform dough, this can easily be done either by hand with a wooden spoon or with a mixer.

Using your hands roll the dough into small balls (I weigh these, 20g each) and place onto the prepared trays leaving a couple of inches between each biscuit. Using a fork dipped in flour press the fork onto the centre of each biscuit leaving an indent.

Bake the biscuits in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until uniformly coloured. These shouldn't brown around the edges (due to the slightly lower temperature) so if you want to confirm they are fully baked flip one over, there should be a uniform golden colour across the base. If there is a darker, almost damp looking patch in the middle pop them back in the oven for a few minutes.

Allow to cool on the baking trays for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Whilst cooling make the buttercream. Place the butter into a large bowl and beat together until smooth and creamy, then slowly add in the icing sugar a little at a time, beating until fully combined. Once you have added all the sugar add the vanilla and salt and beat together until light and fluffy.

To assemble the biscuits place the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a small plain piping tip a pipe a circle of buttercream around the edges of half the biscuits. Fill the hole left behind with some passion fruit curd and top with a second biscuit (if youre not making the curd you can also use the jam of your choice or even some salted caramel. These will keep well for around four days in a sealed container.

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Today is the relaunch of my Youtube channel, from today you can expect weekly video recipes with the full recipe of course living here on The Boy Who Bakes. If there is anything you want to see in an upcoming video leave me a comment either on here on Youtube and I will try to make in a future video.

First up on the channel is my all time favourite, Salted Caramel Ice Cream. Frankly you could give me anything Salted Caramel and I would be happy but as it is summer, not that you could tell by looking out the window, I though ice cream would be more appropriate. Thankfully this is an easy recipe and trust me this will become a regular over the summer, its a seriously good ice cream. Just be careful, make sure to invite friends over otherwise you may end up eating it all yourself (I'm speaking from experience).

Salted Caramel Ice Cream
550ml whole milk
200ml double cream
1 tsp flaked sea salt
300g caster sugar
5 large egg yolks
50g skimmed milk powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the milk, cream and sea salt into a small saucepan and place over medium heat until about 50C, hot enough that you cant keep your fingers in the mixture for more than a second or so. 

Pour half of the milk mixture into a bowl along with the milk powder and whisk until smooth. Pour this back into the pan and place back on the hob, turning the heat to low.

Meanwhile place the caster sugar into a large, very clean saucepan and over medium heat cook the sugar until it melts and forms a dark brown caramel, the colour of a rusty penny. Resit the urge to stir too much as the more you stir the more the caramel will crystallise and become a big hard lump of sugar. 

When the caramel is nice and dark take it off the heat and pour in the milk mixture in two additions, it will bubble up quite violently so go slow and be careful. Once all of the milk mixture has been added if there are any lumps of caramel place the pan back on the heat and stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour the caramel mixture into a bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling and then pour the custard mixture back into the pan and over low heat cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. To check, the custard should reach 75C-80C when it is ready. Pour the finished custard into the bowl and set over a pan of ice and water and stir until chilled, add the vanilla extract and stir to combine. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight before churning in your ice cream machine, according to the manufacturers instructions. 

Kept in a sealed container this ice cream will keep for up to a month but is best within a couple of weeks. (homemade ice cream has no stabilisers so doesn't last as long as shop bought).