Faubourg Pave-Chocolate Caramel Cake to Thank all of You

I am finally able to peak out from under the blankets.  I've been down with a horrible cold for the past week. No energy, a cough that rocked the house, aches and pains-you know the drill. My menu this week consisted of Tylenol,menthol eucalyptus cough drops, herbal tea, orange juice, water and chicken noodle soup.  Today was the first day I felt like I could move around the house a bit.  And it's really the first time I ventured over to my PC to catch up with the rest of the world. 
I want to thank  all of you for your support during my Project Foodblog Challenge. But sad to say, I didn't make to  Round #4 . Boo Hoo.. Really and truly I have appreciated your support and kind comments-get over to Foodbuzz and vote for your favorite among some very creative people !
This is what I planned on posting for that challenge had I advanced-Pierre Herme's Faubourg Pave. I've narrowed down the photos and didn't include half of what I would have included for the photo essay-won't bore you with pictures of egg whites on beaters. And I won't lie to you-this is not a creation for putting together in an hour or two. It's Pierre Herme after all and nothing he creates is simple . And to not try and duplicate his perfection does him a disservice. After tasting this , God, I wish I had 1 millionth of the talent he has. The flavors of this creation are outstanding.

The chocolate cake is light and with just the slightest saltiness to it, it really brings out the chocolate flavor. The caramel syrup that's used to soak the cake-yummy. The apricots plumped then soaked in lemon juice and black pepper-exquisite contrast to the sweetness of the ganache. And the ganache-if you don't do anything else with this recipe-take the time to make the ganache. OMG, you will want to smear it on loved ones and lick it off slowly. It's chocolate meets caramel meets salty meets sweet meets heaven in your mouth.

Some people like to take his recipes and make them their own-not me. I want to challenge myself to his pastry perfection by duplicating his recipes. It's the best way to learn-I mean until this recipe I wouldn't have thought of adding black pepper to apricots . Following his recipes gets you into a creative frame of mine, a WHAT WOULD PIERRE DO frame of mind. It makes you look at your own recipes with a new set of eyes-how could I enhance that flavor ? What if I added a little salt or more cardamom ? He makes you want to be the best pastry chef you can be. Maybe someday I'll take one of his recipes and put my own spin on it by changing around something but right now, why mess with perfection. The only change I made to this was to take it from a "Pave" or paver shape to a "Mini Rond" or mini round shape. Only because I didn't have the proper size pans for his recipe so I improvised. With that I give you my riff on Faubourg Pave. I'm proud of the results. Since the recipe isn't published on the Internet I wrote to Pierre Herme for permission to publish and haven't heard back. So in the mean time go out and buy the book Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Herme. Or you can go to Google Books and find the recipe and instructions here.

Apricots chopped and soaked in lemon juice and black pepper

Cutting out the cake for my miniature version

Chocolate Caramel Ganache with apricots

Crumb layer of ganache

Bon Appetit ! Well worth the effort .

I hate to cut into it-it's so pretty !

In a Pierre Herme Frame of Mind

When I woke up this morning the fog was so thick I thought the clouds had fallen from the sky. It took what seemed like hours to drive to work and at every turn I kept feeling like I would fall off the end of the planet. It was very quiet except for the symphony of the foghorns. By noon the sun had burned off most of the fog and sunny blue skies looked down on Seattle.

My mood was so uplifted I thought what could I do in my kitchen today? I have been trying to translate Pierre Herme's Macaron book, and trust me it's a challenge since I am by no means fluent in French. But I feel as though I'm accomplishing 2 things, learning French and learning the Pierre Herme method for Macarons!

Yes I know we have been inundated with macarons but I love them and I have always been afraid of trying the complicated process but I'm throwing aside my fears and I'm going to try my first attempt at baking them this week. Why you ask the delay, why not today? Because the egg whites must age-sounds crazy doesn't it, but it has to do with the chemistry, I’m not even going to try and explain.

Anyway while the egg whites are aging I must find something else to bake and since I'm in a Pierre Herme frame of mind what better then some delicious brownies from his Chocolate Desserts book, written by Dorie Greenspan.

First of all I began with my mise en place:
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I followed the recipe except I was out of Valhrona chocolate so I used the Green & Black's Dark Dark chocolate. I used pecans which I roasted as PH recommends.

Can I tell you the brownies almost didn't get baked -the batter was so incredibly delicious I couldn't stop testing and tasting it!! Step away from the mixing bowl!!

I couldn't wait for these to cool but I was very well behaved and waited about 45 minutes before I sliced them. They are absolutely heavenly, so light, so moist and so tasty. Will they make it to the office tomorrow? Or will they disappear tonight? Check back later and find out!


Here is the recipe, which has been published on the Internet. I do recommend you buy the book if you don't have it in your baker's library-there are so many fabulous recipes. Enjoy!

"So that the flavor of the nuts really stands out, I toast them and cut them into big pieces. And while I often use walnuts, the traditional nut for this bar cookie, I am just as likely to make brownies with pecans. I like the way the pecans' sweetness blends with the chocolate." Pierre Hermé

Ingredients:
5 ounces  bittersweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona Caraïbe, finely chopped)
2-1/4 sticks  unsalted butter (at room temperature)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1-1/4 cups  sugar (I use Baker's Sugar which is superfine
1-cup  all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1-1/4 cups pecans or walnuts, lightly toasted , coarsely chopped

Instructions:

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F . Butter a 9 x 12-inch baking pan, fit the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, butter the paper, and then dust the inside of the pan with flour; tap out the excess and set the pan aside.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over — not touching — simmering water or in the microwave oven. Be very careful if using the microwave that you don't burn the chocolate. Use 20seconds spurts of power and stir to ensure it has your full attention. Remove the chocolate from the heat and leave it on the counter to cool slightly. The chocolate should be warm to the touch (no more than 115°F , as measured on an instant-read thermometer when you mix it with the other ingredients.

Working in a bowl with a flexible rubber spatula (or in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the butter until it is smooth and creamy but not fluffy or airy. Stir in the chocolate. Gradually add the eggs, and then add the sugar, followed by the flour and nuts, stirring only until each ingredient is incorporated. (If the mixture separates when you add the eggs, use a whisk to blend the batter and continue with the whisk when you add the sugar; go back to the spatula or paddle for the flour and nuts.) This is not a batter to be beaten or aerated.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 19 to 22 minutes; at this point, the top of the cake will be dry, but a knife inserted in the center will come out wet. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and allow the brownies to cool for 20 to 30 minutes.

Run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan and unmold the brownies; remove the parchment paper and turn the brownies over to cool to room temperature right side up. When you are ready to serve, cut the brownies into 18 pieces.

Yield: Makes 18 brownies

Keeping: The brownies can be wrapped airtight and kept at room temperature for 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.