This gâteau is a great example of sweet and salty. Macadamia nuts can be quite rich, but the crushed potato chips in the praline layer add a great contrast to this, not only with the texture, but also with the salt. Making the macadamia praline does require a food processor, but the effort is worth it. I like to buy roasted, salted macadamias from the supermarket, then roast them for another 10 minutes or so until they’re a deeper golden brown.
Macadamia and caramel
Makes 20
Portioning
Pastry chefs love the freezer. Cutting a frozen gâteau gives a clean sharp cut that reveals the layers you’ve worked so hard on. A large knife and a warm blade also helps. You always want to wipe the blade with a cloth or paper towel between each slice.
Brown Sugar Cake
Ingredients
• ¼ tsp instant coffee powder
• 100g water
• 1 egg
• 100g brown sugar
• 80g golden syrup
• 60g canola or other flavourless oil
• 110g flour (gluten free, if desired)
• ¼ tsp baking soda
Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C and line the tin. In a large bowl, whisk the instant coffee with the water until dissolved, then whisk in the egg, sugar, golden syrup and oil until fully combined.
Whisk in the flour and baking soda and pour into the lined tin. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden and the cake is just set to the touch. Leave to cool while making the macademia praline.
Macadamia Praline
Ingredients
• 100g roasted, salted macadamias
• 75g caramelised white chocolate
• 25g thin-cut ready salted chips, crushed into a rough crumb
Method
In a food processor, blend the macadamias until they turn into a smooth paste. You may need to scrape the food processor down every now and then to help it blend.
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie, stirring constantly until fully melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the macadamia paste and the crushed chips. Pour on top of the cooled cake and leave to set at room temperature.
Caramel Mousse
Ingredients
• 2 sheets gelatine
• 50g sugar
• 80g cream, boiled then set aside to cool
• 2 egg yolks
• 60g sugar
• 100g cream
Method
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water until soft. Drain and set aside. Make a dry caramel by cooking the first measure of sugar in a pot over a high heat. Stir as soon as the sugar starts to liquify around the edges, stirring constantly until it forms a deep amber caramel.
Deglaze with the first measure of cream, allowing it to bubble up before stirring (to avoid being burnt by steam) and scraping the base of the pot to incorporate all of the caramel goodness. Remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine. Set aside while making the pâte à bombe base. To do this, whisk the egg yolks and the second measure of sugar together in a bain-marie.
Whisk constantly until the mixture is hot to the touch or has reached 75°C.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the caramel mixture. Set aside to cool while you whip the second measure of cream to medium peaks. Once the base has cooled to about 30°C, or body temperature, fold in the cream. Pour the mousse over the praline and freeze overnight, or until solid.
Caramel Glaze
Ingredients
• 2 sheets gelatine
• 100g sugar
• 10g water
• 100g cream
Method
Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water until soft. Drain and set aside. Make a wet caramel by cooking the sugar and water together in a pot over a medium-high heat, without stirring. Once the caramel reaches a light amber colour, remove from the heat and immediately add the cream. Leave to bubble up before stirring.
Whisk in the gelatine sheets, then pour through a sieve to remove any potential caramel lumps. Leave to cool to 25°C before using this to glaze the top of the gâteau. To test consistency dip the tip of your finger in the glaze and let it drip off. It should evenly coat your finger without running off or clumping at the end.
Your cake should be frozen, as glazing happens when a gelatine-rich mixture makes contact with a frozen surface.
This glaze is one of the hardest to work with, as it will set very quickly. As always, you can omit the glaze, but this one is delicious, and worth the effort.
Portioning
Portion the gâteau into 20 pieces that are 2.5 x 7cm rectangles and store in the freezer and defrost before finishing.
To Finish
• gold leaf
• roasted salted macadamias
Finish each gâteau with a macadamia and a touch of gold leaf, and serve.
Blueberry Yuzu Cheesecake
Makes 22
Growing up, my mum always made the best cheesecake. I never thought I could make one as good as hers, but this comes pretty close. This recipe is adapted from one I learnt in Paris. Baking it at such a low temperature results in the smoothest cheesecake ever, and makes it almost impossible to overbake, too.
Brown Sugar Base
Ingredients
• 70g melted butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 140g flour (gluten free, if desired)
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C and line the tin. In a bowl, mix the butter, sugar and flour together until you have a crumbly dough. Press this into the lined tin and bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you make the cheesecake.
Blueberry Compote
Ingredients
• 250g frozen blueberries
• 15g yuzu juice
• ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 50g sugar
• ½ tbsp cornflour
Method
Mix the blueberries, yuzu juice and vanilla together in a medium- sized pot. Begin to cook over a low heat. Whisk the sugar and cornflour together, then add this into the blueberries. Turn the heat up to medium and bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until you have a thick compote. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before storing in the fridge.
Cheesecake
Ingredients
• 400g cream cheese
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 eggs
• 50g cream
• 30g yuzu juice
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Method
Preheat the oven to 125°C. Mix the cream cheese with a spatula until softened and smooth, then stir in the icing sugar. Whisk the egg yolk in, followed by the whole eggs, one at a time. Once well combined, whisk in the cream, then the yuzu juice and the vanilla until you have a smooth mix.
Pour on top of the base and level off with a palette knife. Bake for 1 hour, rotating halfway through, until the cheesecake has only the slightest jiggle in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for an hour at room temperature before freezing. Freeze overnight, or until solid before portioning.
Yuzu Gel
Ingredients
• 100g yuzu juice
• ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 50g sugar
• 1 tsp agar-agar
Method
Bring the yuzu juice and vanilla bean paste to a boil. In a bowl, whisk the sugar and agar-agar together, then whisk this into the boiling yuzu. Boil for one minute, whisking constantly. Pour into a bowl or container and leave to chill for an hour, or until set solidly.
Blend with a stick blender or in a food processor until you have a smooth gel. You can add water, or yuzu juice (or even gin if you feel adventurous) as needed to thin out the gel to help it blend more smoothly. Reserve in a piping bag in the fridge.
Portion the cheesecake into 22 pieces that are 4 x 7 x 7cm triangles. Store in the freezer and defrost before finishing.
To Finish
• blueberry compote
• yuzu gel
• freeze-dried blueberry slices
• dried edible flowers
Place the blueberry compote in a sieve to drain any excess liquid. Spoon the compote on top of each cheesecake. Pipe dots of yuzu gel on top of the compote, sprinkle with freeze-dried blueberry slices and dried flowers. Serve immediately.
An edited extract from Pâtisserie Made Simple: The Art of Petits Gâteaux, by Maxine Scheckter (Bateman Books, RRP $69.99).
