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Mushroom and Chestnut Cream Soup

ingredients for 4 people 750g mixed mushrooms. 150g chestnut purée. 1 onion. 1/2 leek (white part only). 1 potato (about 120g). 1 liter vegetable or chicken stock. 80cc extra virgin olive oil. salt. freshly ground black pepper.   preparation Wash the chestnuts and with a sharp knife, make a cut in each one — don't cut too deep or they'll split, you just need to pierce through the outer shell. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the chestnuts, letting them bubble away for 5 to 8 minutes. Being careful not to burn your fingers, peel them one by one with a knife. The outer skin comes off easily enough; the inner skin, well, if your chestnuts are fresh and good quality, that'll take a bit more patience, but they turn out beautifully... Now they're ready to freeze, preserve in syrup, or in this case, turn into purée . Simmer them with a bit of water until they're completely soft, then blend them smooth. Fry the mushrooms in a deep pan wi...

Saint Honoré Cake






This cake is named after Saint Honoré, the patron saint of French pastry chefs. It's a showstopper, I won't lie, but breaking it down into parts makes it manageable. The combination of crisp puff pastry, delicate cream puffs, and smooth pastry cream is worth every minute.

Ingredients

  • 1 round sheet of puff pastry.
  • 1 egg yolk.
  • 400g heavy cream (38% fat content).
  • 90g sugar.
  • Caramel sugar.
  • Chocolate decorations.
  • Cream puffs (profiteroles).
  • Pastry cream.

 

For the Cream Puffs

Makes about 60 medium-sized pieces
  • 1/4 liter water.
  • 150g flour.
  • 100g butter.
  • 6 whole eggs.
  • 1 pinch of salt.

 

Making the Cream Puffs

For these, follow the recipe here.

 

For the Pastry Cream

  • 1/2 liter whole milk.
  • 160g sugar.
  • 6 egg yolks.
  • 50g cornstarch.

 

Making the Pastry Cream

Follow the recipe here. You'll notice the original recipe has different quantities. Use the method from that recipe, but stick to the measurements I've listed above for this cake.

  Chocolate Lattice

  • 60g dark chocolate.
  • 1 tsp unsalted butter.

 

Making the Lattice

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler. Let it cool slightly so it's not too runny. Spoon it into a paper cone, snip off just a tiny bit of the tip so the stream isn't too thick.
Pipe crisscrossed lines on a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside somewhere cool, but not in the fridge.

 

Assembling the Cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Place the puff pastry sheet on a baking tray lined with parchment. Prick it all over with a fork and brush with the egg yolk. Bake until golden and crisp. If the pastry puffs up too much, lay another sheet of parchment on top and gently press it down with something flat.
  2. Let it cool completely. Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip with the pastry cream, and pipe it over the pastry base, leaving about 2 cm around the edge.
  3. Whip the cream with the sugar until stiff. Transfer to a piping bag with a very fine tip and fill the cream puffs without splitting them open. Just inject the cream from underneath.
  4. Stick the cream puffs around the edge of the cake using caramelized sugar as glue.
  5. With any leftover whipped cream and the large star tip, pipe rosettes as shown in the photo.
  6. Attach the chocolate lattice pieces, and just before serving, drizzle caramelized sugar threads over the cream puffs.

Time: 25 minutes for assembling the cake
            15-20 minutes for the cream
            50 minutes for the cream puffs
            10 minutes for the chocolate decorations

 

Notes

This cake is best assembled the same day you plan to serve it. If the cream sits on the pastry too long, it'll soften and lose its crispness. With everything prepped ahead, the final assembly takes just 25 minutes.
The pastry cream can be made the day before. Cover it with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
The cream puffs can be made 2 or 3 days in advance. If they've gone soft by the time you need them, pop them in a 180°C oven for 1 minute to crisp them back up.
The chocolate decorations can also be made a few days ahead. Store them somewhere cool, but again, not in the fridge.
           

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