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.
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