Carrot Cake Éclair

This is my creation that won the people's choice award in 2017 in Savour Patissier of the Year Competition.

Three years ago I humbly entered Savour Patisserie of the Year competition and was awarded for the People's Choice Award for the Éclair Category. Amongst many other amazing creation from the competitors I was very humbled by the award and have learnt a lot from the competition. A lot of people have asked me if there is something I can change in this Carrot Cake Éclair creation of mine, I always tell them : "Everything!" When I was creating this éclair for the competition, I was trying too hard to make an impression and from that I learnt that sometimes simple is key. It is a learning curve for me and I am learning still.

Below you will find the components with some technicality but I am here to share with you the combination of textures and flavour I have incorporated in my Carrot Cake Éclair. It is a post to share and hopefully someone can recreate it in to something better.

Below are the original recipes of all components, but if you want to attempt in making them less complicated, do consider using the recipe and apply them as different component in your own take.

RECIPE

Choux Pastry

Water 600g

Butter 280g

Salt 10g

Caster Sugar 10g

Skim Milk Powder 50g

Plain Flour 330g

Whole Eggs 600g

Oil Soluble Orange colour 2.7g

Method

1. Combine water, cold butter salt and sugar in a pot and bring to boil.

2. Add the skim milk powder and whisk to dissolve.

3. Turn heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the plain flour and cook out for

about 8 minutes.

4. Transfer the choux pastry in to the mixer bowl and paddle on low speed and gradually add in the eggs +/-.

5. Transfer choux pastry in to a tray and wrap to store in fridge to rest overnight.

6. Pipe choux pastry with a star tip nozzle and blast freeze then cut in to 12 cm length.

7. Defrost and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes, turn the tray and lower heat to 150 degrees Celsius and bake for further 20 minutes.

8. Leave to cool before cutting the top off.

Carrot cake

Baking powder 10g

Soft Flour 200g

Bi-carb soda 6g

Ground cloves 5g

Ground Cinnamon 5g

Brown sugar 250g

Grated Carrot 340g

Currants 100g

Walnuts Chopped 40g

Olive oil 150g

Eggs 110g

Method

1. Mix eggs and sugar together. Gradually add the oil and fold in the rest of the ingredients except walnuts.

2. Wrap the sides of the cooled éclair top trimmed off with aluminum foil, pipe in 15 g of carrot cake in to the base of the éclair and press in chopped walnuts.

3. Bake in oven at 160 degrees for 17 minutes.

4. Remove éclair and leave to cool

Single Origin Pastry Cream

Milk 250g

Cream 50g

Butter 25g

Yolks 45g

Sugar 40g

Custard powder 15g

Cacao Barry Cuba 70% 112.5g

Method

1. Heat milk and cream, then make anglaise with previously whisked together yolks, sugar and custard powder.

2. Pour anglaise over the chocolate gradually whisk in butter until smooth. Cool.

3. Pipe the pastry cream to fill the éclair on top of the carrot cake and smooth out with a palette knife.

Carrot Puree

Peeled and cut carrots 800g

Water 800g

Castor Sugar 180g

Salt 4g

Xanthan Gum 8 g

Method

1. Slice carrot thin and place in vacuum bag seal along with the sugar, xanthan gum and water.

2. Cook at 90 Degrees Celsius in a water bath for about an hour until the carrots are soft.

3. Chill the bag in an ice bath and transfer content to the thermomix and blend until smooth.

4. Pass through a chinois.

5. Reserve carrot puree in fridge until ready to use.

Carrot Jelly

Carrot Puree 375g

Sugar Syrup 125g

Agar 2.25g

Gelatine 14g

Method

1. Heat carrot puree, sugar syrup and agar.

2. Add in softened gelatine and set in small spheres moulds.

Yoghurt and Cream Cheese Mousse

Yolks 100g

Castor sugar 60g

Glucose 60g

Water 30g

Greek Yoghurt 300g

Cream Cheese 300g

Gelatin sheets (GOLD) 16g

Semi Whip Cream 250g

Invert Sugar 80g

Method

1. Blitz Cream cheese and yoghurt together until smooth.

2. Make Pate Bombe with yolks, Glucose and sugar. Add hydrated Gelatin leaves and invert sugar.

3. Cool to 45 Degrees Celsius then whisk in yoghurt and cream cheese.

4. Lastly, fold in semi whipped cream.

5. Pipe mousse in the moulds with carrot jelly in the centre and blast freeze until ready to use.

6. Spray domes with titanium spray mix.

Mandarin Gel

Sugar syrup 100g

Mandarin Puree 450g reduced to 200g

Boiron Mandarin Concentrate 24g

Citric Acid ¼ Teaspoon

Gelatine Sheets (GOLD) 8 g

Method

1. Boil all ingredients together then add in hydrated gelatin sheets.

2. Cool then whisk in citric acid.

Mandarin White Chocolate Bavarois

White Chocolate 250g

Ravifruit Mandarin Puree 250g

Yolks 40g

Soft Whip Cream 400g

Gelatine Sheets 8goncentrate 40g

Gelatine Sheets 8g

Method

1. Heat Mandarin Puree and pour over yolks while whisking.

2. Transfer puree back to pot and cook at low heat until it reaches 82 degrees Celsius.

3. Add softened gelatin.

4. Cool to 30 degrees Celsius.

5. Meanwhile, soft whip the cream together with mandarin concentrate then fold in to the mix.

6. Pipe in to moulds with the mandarin gel in the centre.

7. Blast Freeze until ready to use.

8. Glaze with orange glaze.

Orange Glaze

Cream 240g

Mandarin Puree 60g

Glucose 100g

Gelatin Sheets (GOLD) 8g

White Chocolate 420g

Cocoa Butter 80g

Orange o/s Colour Qs

Instructions

1. Boil cream, puree and glucose.

2. Add Softened gelatin sheets and pour over chocolate and cocoa butter.

3. Blend the glaze with color.

4. Use at 30 degrees Celsius

Carrot Croquant

400g carrots, cooked

40g caster sugar

66g isomalt

15g glucose

1. Place the cooked carrots into a thermomix and blend until smooth.

2. Pass through a sieve.

3.Pass through the sieve a second time, without pushing through, to let the water drip out.

4. Weigh out 300g of the carrot puree and place back in the

thermomix with the other ingredients.

5. Blend at 80°C until a fine smooth paste forms.

6. Using a stencil, spread the croquant thinly onto a tray and dehydrate for 48 hours at 45°C. Use for garnish.

Titanium Spray mix

White Chocolate 600g

Cocoa Butter 400g

Oil Soluble Titanium Dioxide colour Qs

Method

1. Melt chocolate and cocoa butter separately.

2. Blend in both mix with color.