jimtrue.com : school : CUL249 : Week 1 - Tarts

Posted by Jim True on January 16, 2010 2:59 PM. Last Updated January 16, 2010 2:59 PM

Disclaimer for all material noted here is at the bottom of this web page.

Week 1 - Tarts

Balance Scale

• AKA: Baker's Scale
• This is a 2 Tray free weight counterbalance system
• The curved hopper goes on the left and the counterweights goes on the right
• Most widely used scale in the Bakeshop

Tart

• Sweet Tart Dough (Pate Sucree)
• Rich nonflaky dough used for sweet tart shells
• Sturdier than flaky or mealy
• Yolks and fat is blended thoroughly
• Prevents air pockets from forming in the baked dough
• Fat coats flour, less gluten formed, tender and rich flavor
• Overmixing will cause shrinkage
• Shortbread Tart Dough (Pate Sablee)
• Sweet tart with a high percentage of fat
• used for rich butter cookies
• keep refrigerated up to 3 weeks; frozen for 3 months
• Blind Baked
• Baked before being filled
• Chill dough after mixing
• place parchment on dough & then pie weights, rice, beans or empty pie pans and then bake
• Remove weights, egg wash dough for crispness and finish baking in oven
• If too much gluten devlelops, the crust will shrink and toughen
• Docking: to retain shape, prick small holes with fork or paring knife

Nut Flour

• Ground up nuts to the consistency of flour or cornmeal, with the addition of sugar or flour to help prevent oils from separating from the nut

Custards

• Any liquid thickened by the coagulation of egg proteins
• Consistency depends on the ratio of eggs to liquid (whole eggs or yolks). The more used, the richer the end product and the type of liquid used (cream vs. milk) will result in a thicker product
• Stirred:
• Soft, rich and creamy
• Stirred through the cooking process to stabilize the eggs and prevent curdling
• 4 Primary Types in the Bakeshop
1. Vanilla Custard Sauce (Créme Anglaise): Cook to 185º or until it coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil. Used as a base for ice cream, bavarians and mousses
2. Pastry Cream: Boil to fully gelatinize, 140º, cooking the starch
3. Curd Fillings
4. Sabayon

Poaching

• Softens and tenderizes fruits and infuses them with additional flavors such as spices or wine
• The poaching liquid can be: water, wine, liquor or sugar syrup. The latter helps fruits keep their shape, but takes longer to tenderize
• Low Poaching Temperature: 185ºF; allows fruits to soften gradually
• Poaching liquids can be reused repeatedly
• Reduce liquid to use as a sauce or glaze

Tart Glaze vs. Coulis

• Tart Glaze (AKA: Mirror Glaze)
• Shiny coating applied to tarts, mousse-filled tortes and small pastries
• Gelatin, simple syrup and flavorings (fruit juice, fruit puree, coffee, etc)
• Coulis
• Fruit Puree & Sugar
• Reduce to thicken
• When coulis is still not thick enough, add heavy simple syrup

Disclaimer: These are MY notes taken from classroom lectures while I'm in the classroom. While I'm perfectly happy to share my notes with my classmates and I know I take very good notes, you should still make every effort to attend the class and TAKE YOUR OWN NOTES. I will not transcribe everything the instructor says in the classroom, and I will NEVER post pre-exam reviews. My notes will not replace the value of actually attending class and taking your own class notes.I also cannot attest to their accuracy, other than they are what was provided in the lecture; you should not reference my notes as "expert opionion" by any means, and if you notice an error or omission, please do me the favor of e-mailing me with the correction and I will re-post my notes. End of Disclaimer.