mango Archives - Tartelette

When others were painting eggs for Easter last week, I was busy painting a cake. Well, applying brush strokes to a birthday cake would be a more accurate description. Carol and Fifi paint, very well I might add. I just fiddle with a pastry brush because I am short on time to come up with other things to decorate this delicious Chocolate Mango And Coconut Entremet Cake.

I know, I know, being short on time and making a multi layer cake does not seem right in the same sentence. Well, welcome to my logic! It’s true I am not the most logical person for "real life" things although I am improving with each year that passes. The only domain for which I am extremely logical is in the kitchen and with food. Do not ask why. And just in case you needed proof, let me tell you a little story…

I was about 10 or 11 and learning maths and how to solve logical problems starting such as "if train A leaves the station at 11.35 and train B…" and this was about as far as my brain would register. Two trains, two times, one station…oy! My favorite though was the "mantel problem" (yes, yes, I did say ~~mental~~ mantel). It always went something like "if your mantel measures x across by y across, how much fabric do you need to go around it, leaving k amount for the corners as well as the top and bottom" (or something like that). I would just stare at my dad and feel really sorry for it that I could not wrap my head around the solution. Did not make sense. Long minutes of complete silence during which I could hear my dad shoes start to tap the floor under the dining room table. Oh that awful feeling of letting him down…

Most time it would end in excruciating diagrams and long line of equations that burried me further into maths and logic oblivion. Until one fine day when my dad finally understood that if I were going to learn that kind of language, he would have to translate it into my own. Instead of lining that darn mantel piece with fabric, he proclaimed we would line it up with chocolate bars! Yeah!! I can relate to that! Within a few minutes, my eyes lit up and I could start to hear some big motion happening inside my head…I was on a roll…

We did have birthday over Easter weekend in the family and a request for a summery-tropical-beach cake. When I mentionned coconut as part of the cake layers, a few raised their hand in protest. Ah yes, I had forgotten we had "coconut shreds haters" in the family. No problem. No shreds anywhere, just plenty of coconut milk in the Bavarian cream would do. I had just the right amount of Alfonso mango puree leftover from the panna cottas I made recently so it got turned into a lovely and silky mousse and let’s not forget the usual suspects like flour, butter, eggs, cocoa.

When someone asks for a multi layer entremet cake for a birthday, my logic is to say yes even if work is busy because I know I can make the task easy by spreading the job over a couple of days without fretting. You can make the cake layers ahead of time and keep them well covered in the fridge or refrigerator. The mousses will set up rather fast so make them the day you are ready to put it all together. Since I can’t paint, I gave up on the idea of doing a beach scene on top and used some matcha dissolved in water to brush some strokes on top of the cake.

I was a bit worried of combining so many different layers into one cake but it actually worked perfectly! The coconut milk in the Bavarian cream gave it a very soft flavor and not at all artificial (no one likes to eat flavored SPF 50) while the mango finished up that lovely tropical theme. Since the cocoa genoise was a little too simple on its own, I added some rum flavored simple syrup to flavor it a bit. It was an adult affair anyway. See…I am logical after all!

Chocolate – Mango and Coconut Cream Cake Recipe:

Serves 10-12

For the vanilla genoise:
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon (4gr) vanilla extract
pinch of salt
¾ cup (150gr) of sugar
½ cup (70gr) cake flour
¼ cup (30gr) cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 400F and set a rack in the middle.Lightly spray a 12×17 baking sheet with cooking spray or lightly brush with melted butter. Set aside
Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, salt and sugar together in a large bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100F on a candy thermometer(or test with your finger – it should be warm to the touch).
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment (or hand held beaters) and whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled and tripled in volume. The mixture will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl when the whisk is lifted.
Over a medium bowl or a piece of parchment paper, sift together the flour and cornstarch.
Add one-third of the flour mixture to the beaten egg mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl to prevent the flour mixture from making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula.
Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake does not over bake and become too dry or it will not roll properly. Let cool on a rack. Remove the cake from the baking sheet and invert it on a larger piece of parchment paper. Peel of the parchment paper that was lining the baking sheet. Set the cake aside.

For the cocoa genoise:
Same process but replace the amount of cornstarch with the same amount in cocoa powder and proceed with the recipe the same way.

For the coconut Bavarian cream:
1 tablespoon (7gr) powdered gelatin
3 tablespoons water
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 gr) sugar
1 cup (250 ml) coconut milk
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream, cold

In a small bol, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand to soften while you prepare the cream.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until very pale. In the meantime, in a medium large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the coconut milk to a simmer. Slowly pour the milk over the yolks, whisking constantly to prevent them from curdling. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium low heat and cook until the cream coats the back of a spoon (as if making creme anglaise). Add the softened gelatin and stir until melted completely into the cream. Let cool to room temperature.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream to soft peaks on medium speed and fold it into the cooled cream base. Use within one hour.

For the mango mousse:
1.5 teaspoons (3.5gr) powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon (15gr) water
4 oz (120gr) mango puree (to make your own, see here)
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) heavy cream, cold

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it soften while you prepare the fruit.
In a medium saucepan, bring the mango puree and sugar to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely melted.
Transfer the fruit puree to a large bowl and let it cool to room temperature.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form. Fold about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the fruit puree to lighten it up (do not worry about losing air at this point). Carefully fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Use within one hour.

Rum simple syrup:
1/2 cup (125ml)water
1/4 cup (50gr) sugar
2 tablespoons (30gr) rum

In a small saucepan set over medium high heat, bring all the ingredients to a simmer until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Let cool to room temperature.

Lemon glaze:
1.5 teaspoons (3.5gr) powdered gelatin
1 tablespoon (15gr)water
1/4 cup (62.5ml) water
1/4 cup (62.5ml) lemon juice
2 tablespoons (25gr) sugar

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let it soften.
In small saucepan set over medium high heat, bring the water, lemon juice and sugar to a simmer, stirring off and on to make sure the sugar dissolves properly. Add the gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature (if the mixture gels, warm up over low heat until barely melted again).

To assemble:
Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper of foil, leaving a border on the sides to make it easy to remove when set. You can also use a cake frame of the same dimensions.
Cut two 8×8 cake layers in each of the genoises. Place one layer of the chocolate genoise at the bottom of your pan and brush with some rum syrup. Pour half the coconut Bavarian on top and smooth with an offset spatula. Top with a layer of vanilla genoise, brush some rum syrup on top. Pour half the mango mousse and smooth with an offset spatula. Repeat the process with the second half of cakes and creams. Refrigerate until set. Pour the lemon glaze over the cake and let set in the fridge.
Cut through the cake with a knife dipped in hot water to prevent breaking the glaze instead of slicing through it.

Interesting how even past 30 years old I still want mommy when I spike a fever and walk around with a box of tissues. Wondering why I never catch a 24 hour bug or never lose my appetite when sick. Sad to see my parents leave after such good times. Amusing to see the dogs go back and forth between both bedrooms looking for them. Funny how little mishaps can turn into creamy deliciousness like these Mango And Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Panna Cottas.

The morning of my parents' departure, my father and I were up before anyone else as usual. We were reminiscing about the last few weeks spent together. We like to talk food while preparing meals. Surprise, surprise! When we were kids, my father taught us how to crack and juice a coconut, introduced us to the wonders of papaya simply sprinkled with lime juice, cooked the most fabulous Osso Bucco or rice pilaf. I guess he will be my other guest blogger when they come back!

This past Sunday morning, the conversation fell on the wonderful meal my dear friend Bina prepared the last time we visited her and her family. After taking me to the Indian market so I could stock up on my usual and new favorites, she also sent me home with a whopping big can of Alfonso mango puree. We were happily surprised to find out that it was the same kind we would scout at the exotic market when I was a kid. We kept dipping our spoons in the can while getting breakfast ready. I poured some of the puree in 4 glasses for everybody to have a taste and proceeded to make breakfast.

We decided to send them off with a hearty good old American breakfast and I decided to use the last bit of buttermilk I had to make pancakes. I went ahead and whisked buttermilk, vanilla bean seeds, sugar. I am not sure what exactly went array after that or when it did. Pressing needs of sleepy puppies, checking and re-checking and nothing had been left out of the suitcases, phone calls to and from relatives and friends,… I stood over the stove, poured some batter in the pan and turned around. Two minutes later, I heard "Aren’t pancakes similar to crepes?" …Hmmm…Yes they could be instead of the gunky burnt mess that was in the frying pan. I had forgotten the eggs and flour.

"Oh dear…I am losing my mind!"…I looked at my parents and pulled out the croissants and toasts. Not much time left to fix anything, finally get in the shower and leave for the airport. I could feel my dad travelling nerves getting sharper by the minute but I hated to waste a vanilla bean anything. Panna Cottas quickly came to mind. I bloomed some gelatin in water, froze everybody’s glass of pureed mango and heated up some cream and the vanilla infused buttermilk. Why freeze the fruit? I wanted clean layers for the fruit and panna cotta and once frozen you can easily pour your cream base without it falling straight to the bottom of the puree because of its heavier weight. It also quickens the setting process of the panna cottas but alas it was high time we left for the airport.

So here we are now, parents sound and safe in France and us with two extra Panna Cottas. I served them with little Swiss meringue cookies (same as in Floating Island but piped and baked on a sheetpan) and chopped pistachios. They are so good I wish I could share with you!

Note: I am aware of the pistachio recall here in the States and I am keeping up with the grower involved. Mine were from another farm but please check your stashes and sources.

Mango And Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Panna Cottas:

Serves 4

Kitchen Note: for the recipe I used one cup (250ml) of canned mango puree which I know is not available everywhere. According to the National Mango Board, you would need 2 medium sized mango to obtain one cup of puree. You can substitute with any soft fruit reduced to a puree like apricot, peach, pear, etc…

1 cup (250ml) mango puree
1 tablespoon (15gr) water
1 3/4 teaspoons (4gr) powdered gelatin
1 vanilla bean
1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (50gr) sugar
1 cup (250ml) whole buttermilk

Divide the mango puree evenly among 4 glasses or ramekins.
Place the water in a small ramekin and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it bloom while you prepare the cream.
On a flat surface, cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise without cutting all the way through. With a pairing knife, scrape the seeds from the pods. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream with the sugar and vanilla bean seeds until the cream is just about to boil, stirring occasionally to make sure the sugar dissolves completely. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin until it is completely melted. Let cool for about 10 minutes and add the buttermilk. Let cool to room temperature. You can speed up the process by placing your saucepan over a bowl filled with ice but keep and eye on it as it will thicken faster. Once the cream is cooled, slowly pour it over the frozen fruit and let set in the fridge, at least two hours, preferably overnight.
Serve with chopped pistachios and meringue cookies if desired.

mango

Chocolate Mango And Coconut Cream Cake

Mango & Vanilla Bean Buttermilk Panna Cottas