Pastry Class: Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Tuile

This was my last pastry lab. Monday I need to turn in my research paper on my favorite pastry ingredient. I will also take my practical exam. I will draw a random item from five things we have made this semester (cookies, scones, chiffon cake, pate a choux, and creme brulee) and make it. I'm fairly confident. I've made plenty of cookies, scones, and creme brulee, and I have practiced both the chiffon cake and the pate a choux at home. I need to spend a little time reviewing the procedures. We will be given a list of ingredients, and times and temps for baking, but not the instructions.

Anyway, we made a variety of churned frozen desserts. Each table made a different dessert. My table made chocolate malted ice cream. Other tables made French vanilla, black current frozen yogurt, green apple sorbet, and passion fruit sorbet.

I learned what the French in French vanilla actually means. There are two types of ice cream; French and Philadelphia. French has eggs, Philadelphia does not. French style can also be referred to as frozen custard.

Since French style ice cream has eggs, the base must be cooked to 180 F. This will ensure any nasty things get killed.

I personally prefer the richness of the French style. Ice cream without eggs just doesn't have the right mouth feel to me.

I love sorbets. I love fruit flavors, and particularly appreciate a well balanced sweet/tart combination. I like frozen yogurt that actually tastes like yogurt. I thought the black current frozen yogurt was the best. It had a very intense flavor, and a noticeably yogurt tang, but was still balanced.

The green apple was also very good. It had a great granny smith flavor, and they did a great job of capturing the color. That green is just from juicing the apples with the skin on, no coloring agent was added.

The passion fruit was probably a teaspoon of sugar away from greatness. It had a good flavor, but was a hair too tart, even for me.

The vanilla was a good vanilla, using bean rather than extract. Needed warm apple pie, though.

Our chocolate malt wasn't bad. We used mostly milk chocolate, with a little bitter chocolate to up the flavor. Malt is not one of my favorite flavors, though, so it might appeal to someone that really likes malted milk balls.

Tuiles are thin, crisp cookies. The name comes from the French for 'tile'. When just out of the oven they are malleable, and can be shaped. Probably the best known tuile to Americans is the fortune cookie.

The tuile batter is a thick paste that can be spread over a template or stencil. You can buy commercially made stencils, or cut your own out of food grade rubber or plastic.

Place the stencil on a silicon baking mat. Using a small spatula, spread the tuile batter over the stencil. Lift the stencil carefully.

Bake the tuile until light gold in color. Remove from oven, and shape quickly. If the tuile are too rigid to mold, return to the oven briefly to re-heat.

Tuile, like most crisp cookies, must be kept tightly sealed in air-tight containers. They will go stale quickly. They are often used as a garnish for plated desserts.

As always, all recipes are courtesy of Chef James Foran.

Recipes

Vanilla Ice Cream

9 oz by vol. milk
9 oz. by vol. cream
100 g sugar
1 vanilla bean
15 g invert sugar
25 g corn syrup
6 egg yolks
pinch salt

Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and scrape out seeds. In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugars, and vanilla bean pod and scrapings. Scald milk over medium heat. Temper egg yolks by adding a little of the hot milk mixture to the yolks while whisking. Add egg mixture to rest of the milk mixture. Cook until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat. Stir in salt. Strain. Pour into a metal bowl, and place in an ice bath. Allow to chill completely. Pour base into ice cream freezer, and follow directions for your machine.

Milk Chocolate Malt Ice Cream

12 oz by vol. milk
4 oz by vol. cream
3 1/2 oz by wt. sugar
6 egg yolks
2 oz by wt. milk chocolate , chopped
1/2 oz by wt. dark chocolate, chopped
2 oz. by wt. malt powder

In a saucepan, combine milk, cream, and sugars. Scald milk over medium heat. Temper egg yolks by adding a little of the hot milk mixture to the yolks while whisking. Add egg mixture to rest of the milk mixture. Cook until mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat. Stir in chocolates and malt. Wait for chocolate to melt, then thoroughly blend. Strain. Pour into a metal bowl, and place in an ice bath. Allow to chill completely. Pour base into ice cream freezer, and follow directions for your machine.

Frozen Black Currant Yogurt

16 oz by wt. plain yogurt
6 oz. by wt. black currant puree
4 oz by wt. sugar
1 oz by vol. corn syrup
tiny pinch salt

Combine all ingredients, whisk well. Pour base into ice cream freezer, and follow directions for your machine.

Green Apple Sorbet

20 oz by vol. fresh green apple juice
4 oz by vol. corn syrup
juice of 1 lemon
2 oz by vol. simple syrup
tiny pinch salt

Combine sugars, lemon juice, and salt. Clean, cut, and juice apples, adding five ounces  at a time. Strain. Adjust sugar or lemon juice as needed. Pour base into ice cream freezer, and follow directions for your machine.

Passion Fruit Sorbet

2 cups water

6 oz by vol. Passion fruit juice
6 oz by vol. simple syrup
5 oz by vol. corn syrup
tiny pinch salt

Combine all ingredients, whisk well. Adjust sugar as needed. Pour base into ice cream freezer, and follow directions for your machine.

Tuile

4 1/2 oz by wt. butter
6 oz by wt. powdered sugar
4 1/2 oz by wt. egg white
5 1/2 oz by wt. sifted cake flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. slowly add egg white, occasionally scraping down bowl.

Add flour in two stages. When smooth, add vanilla and salt. Cover and chill for 1/2 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 325 F.

On a sheet pan lined with a silicon baking mat. Place tuile stencils on mat. Using a small spatula, smooth tuile batter over stencils. Remove stencils, and clean up mat.

Bake 5 - 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and quickly shape, if desired.

Happy Eating!