Meringue Aux Amandes, Mousse Au Chocolat, Feuille D'Automne

Chef's Feuille D'Automne

Created by French culinary legend Gaston Lenotre - the same pastry maestro who gave the world the Opera Gateau, Feuille D'Automne or "Leaves of Autumn" is a lighter-than-air tower of crisp almond meringue and fluffy chocolate mousse, skillfully wrapped with a blanket of chocolate, layer upon layer until they resemble a pile of fallen leaves on a fine autumn day.

Almond Meringue Disks Layered With Dark Chocolate Mousse

To make the Feuille D'Automne, meringue is first piped into discs and baked till just slightly golden. Each cake is built by layering 3 meringue discs with dark chocolate mousse  in-between, then chilled to set while chocolate shavings are prepared for the "leaves".

Shaving Chocolate Fans & Cigars

The chocolate for this purpose doesn't need tampering (thank goodness), just melted over a bain marie and poured onto the back of a tray to cool until set but still malleable.

Unraveling Chocolate Cigar

This is the hard part. Sure I said malleable, but seriously, just how malleable can melted chocolate be? Turns out they can be pretty workable, so long as you shave the chocolate at the right temperature and consistency; too cold and it will be brittle and break, too warm and you'll just be dripping chocolate puddles all over the bench top.

Building The Layers

Mini Feuille D'Automne With A Sprinkling Of Snow

Chef Gurt did an amazing job, and to be honest, we all thought he made it look deceptively easier than it really is.

My Autumn Leaves

Well whaddaya know, pigs can fly! I got a little help from Chef Gurt, who showed me when the chocolate is ready for shaving and how to do it right. This was my second attempt, mind you. My first, alas, is as follows:

& Autumn Twigs

This I actually prefer; it's not as messy, with the  choco sticks arranged around the cake, making it easier to slice up as well.

 

Gum Nut Babies

With more then enough meringue mix to spare, I piped a gazillion tiny discs, much like macaroons, and filled each one with mousse and capped it with another macaroon. The result is a delicate little parcel that melts in the mouth. 

Simon reckons they look like the classic Aussie children's storybook characters Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, and  therefore christened them Gum Nut Babies. All the better to eat them with.

Tonight's Supper

Sacher Torte, Gateau Swiss

Chef's Sacher & Swiss: Front Profile

Created in 1832 by Franz Sacher, a then 16 year old apprentice working in the courts of Vienna's Prince Metternich, the Sacher Torte has since left the royal courts and taken over the world, becoming an iconic cake that remains popular to this day.

It's made with 2 dense chocolate sponges, very lightly sweetened, and drenched in a kirsch and sugar syrup solution to keep them moist. A thin layer of apricot jam is sandwiched between the sponges and a rich chocolate ganache is then poured over to completely cover the cake before the name of its famous creator is pipped on its shiny surface.

Side Profile

The versatile sponge can also be baked very thinly and rolled up with fillings of jam, melted chocolate, or in our case today, strawberries and cream. This is the world famous Swiss Roll.

What makes our Swiss Rolls special is having the berries macerated in a sugar and Cointreau solution before being rolled up with whipped cream. ;)

Chef's Classic Sacher

Chef Gert Admiring His Work

Moist & Light Crumb

The different shades of chocolate: sponge, kirsched sponge, apricot jam, repeat, ganache. 

The cake was truly divine. The sponge was light and moist with the aid of kirsch (can you ever go wrong with booze in your cake?) and the apricot jam provided more moisture and a different texture to the sponges. Entirely covered in warm ganache, the cake melted in my mouth and sent me on a chocolaty and boozy high.

My Sacher - Holy Cow! That's A Beauty

I can't believe I did that! Look at how glossy the top is! And the pipping! This is by far the most impressive cake we've made to date, I'm extremely proud of myself today. :)

Monster Rolls: Cream & Chocolate, Icing Sugar

Chef Joel, a new chef from France, said my rolls were way too big. He would have preferred them with less cream and rolled up tighter to produce a more elegant looking log. He is French, after all, and they sure didn't come up with the grotesquely super-upsized value meal that's plaguing the developed worlds with morbid obesity, did they? 

I like how he thinks, and I'll be keen to try keeping my work simple and classy from now on.

Sweet Berries & Cream

Gateau Marbre, Sacher Torte, Ganache Au Chocolate Noir

Chef's Gateau Marbre, Joyeux Noel From Superior Patisserie

First day back in school and I am syched! Pumped and raring to go! Woohoo! 

Simple marble cake today, using a basic pound cake recipe, made more luxurious with a thick coating of dark chocolate ganache and toasted almond flakes. Mmm-mmm.

Sacher Torte Cake Base

We also prepped a Sacher Torte cake base for tomorrow's lesson, a classic Viennese chocolate sponge, drenched in a kirsh syrup solution and covered in chocolate. Can't wait.

Marble Cake: Plain & With Lashings Of Luscious Chocolate Ganache

My Gateau

The cake was alright. A little dense and on the dry side, as it is meant to be. If I should make this cake again I may use buttermilk in place of regular milk, to up the moisture content. 

Chocolate Painting On Acetate

Another mise en place, streaks of chocolate coloring on acetate (thin plastic sheets perfect for making chocolate decoration, as it always leaves the chocolate shiny and smooth). Wait till you see the results tomorrow!

Boots, Pre & Post Polish

Removed my boots from storage today and realised the cocoa powder and icing sugar from last term's chocolate truffle class was still on them. What a disgrace.