Puff Pastry with Peanut Ice Cream, Chocolate Leaves, Praline Ganache and Condensed Milk Cappuccino (SHF 5)

I recently noticed that puff pastry is everywhere.  It's great by itself, or for enclosing meat, fish, fruits, and chocolate.  It can be used in either sweet and savoury preparations, or as a garnish for desserts.  While its rich but neutral flavour certainly makes it appealing to use, puff pastry’s versatility seems to have much to do with its light and flaky texture.  In my opinion, just about everything goes well with something that’s light and flaky, and thus the reason for puff pastry’s universal appeal.

So what would happen if I were to combine puff pastry with a myriad flavours and textures in the same dish?  That was certainly what I wanted to find out when I adapted a recipe by Jean-Paul Bonnet of New York’s Atelier Restaurant for my entry in the fifth edition of Sugar High Fridays.

The dish I’ve made consists of five distinct components: one sheet of inside-out puff pastry, two thin sheets of tempered chocolate, one layer of peanut ice cream, one layer of chocolate-hazelnut (praline) ganache, and a milk cappuccino sauce.  Flavourwise, the dish plays on the combination of chocolate and peanuts with a hint of hazelnut.  The puff pastry is subtle in comparison, and serves as a neutral base.  The milk cappuccino - that’s simply a blend of milk and condensed milk, adds an extra touch of sweetness.   But quite honestly, I wasn’t very impressed by the flavours in this dish, as they reminded me too much of Oh Henry bars, Reeses Pieces, and chocolate coated ice cream sprinkled with nuts, which I don't particularly like .

The textures in this dish were much better.  The combination of crisp, creamy, light and flaky in the same bite is the most that I can ask for in any dessert.  And the contrast between the cold ice cream and warm puff pastry added a third dimension to the dish.

Aside from the dish’s flavours, which could easily be changed, I thought this was a worthwhile dessert.  While the puff pastry played more of a supporting role, it certainly brought contrast to the creaminess that came from all the other components.  I’ve posted my version of the recipe below.  It requires a bit of work, but if you’ve never tempered chocolate, or used puff pastry before it’s certainly worth the experience.

Recipe to to be posted soon... Btw, don't you think my puff pastry bears an uncanny resemblance to McDonald's Filet-O-Fish? Chocolate, ice cream and fish. yum.

Comments

[Cathy]

Clement - You must have been in the kitchen all day (or night)! It looks gorgeous as always and sounds wonderful. I'm a sucker for peanut butter and chocolate, so the flavor combination would appeal to me and the textural combinations you've described sound amazing. Sorry I didn't participate this time, the timing just didn't work out and I was a little overwhelmed by the theme. I would like to try puff pastry from scratch sometime soon though and I know I'll be referring back to your post!

[Alan]

Hi Clement! I agree with Cathy.. I like the taste of peanut butter and chocolate and I love hazelnut and chocolate, so this seems like the perfect combination for me. As always, your photos are lovely and drool-inducing!

[Moira]

Holy cow, Clement- what an incredible amount of work and what fantastic results! Your presentation and your photos are great- congrats!

[Alice]

Wow! Sounds and LOOKS awesome! The very last thing I would ever think of is filet 'o fish!

[johanna]

gorgeous, clement, tout simplement gorgeous!!! you know, we have a new patissier here in london, by the name of william curley, and he makes a similar looking creation - the flavours are purely chocolate, though, and it's topped with a gold leaf... but your piece certainly would stand tall next to his masterpieces! i've always wondered whether anything of this quality could be achieved at home and you've just proved to me that it can! thanks, i might try it myself some day, if i am feeling VERY courageous!

[Jennifer]

Clement you are amazing..truly amazing. This looks absolutely fantastic! I'm drooling just looking at the pictures right now. THANKS!

Great job on the round-up by the way...thanks for hosting this month!

[Jessica]

Oh my gosh. What an endeavor! BTW, I tag you with the "music meme" at http://home.earthlink.net/~sugoodsweets/blog/2005/02/bakery-beats.html

[Clement]

Cathy - I should have sent this to you :) I would have probably liked it more if I'd used milk chocolate instead, since the dark chocolate tastes quite bitter compared to the ice cream. Good luck with your puff pastry!

Alan - Thanks. I like hazelnuts and chocolate too (but perhaps not so much with peanut butter). I especially like Ferraro Rocher. It's ironic that it's available in most grocery stores, yet if Pierre Herme had come out with something similar instead, I'm sure it would be given the prestige of le Plaisir Sucre. Sorry, I'm a bit off-topic here.

Moira - Thanks.. it took a bit of time, and what you see is the best of the bunch, but I had a lot of fun making it, and learned a lot along the way.

Alice - I wonder if it would taste different to those people who thought it looked like a Filet-O-Fish, and to those people who didn't. Maybe the people who thought it was fish would be pleasantly surprised, and would like it even more!

Johanna - Thanks for your kind words, I'm flattered :) William Curley's desserts sound amazing, and I wish I could try them out. I'm sure you could make this yourself - your desserts already look amazing as they are!

Thanks Jennifer - It's been a lot of fun hosting this month. Thanks for the opportunity!

Jessica - Thanks.. I'm working on it right now. Congratulations on your new blog; it looks great!

[Amanda Hugandkiss]

i loved them they were super i will add them to my menu

[DOXIS BEKRIS]

well done. keep up the good work