Schokinag Chocolate Salutes The Real World Pastry Chefs

Schokinag Chocolate North America is excited to announce the winners of Pastry Chef Recognition Event that highlights incredibly talented, hard working pastry chefs.

Mark Lannie
Executive Pastry Chef of Palmer House Hilton - Chicago, IL
$500 Winner
Winning Recipe: Praline Mousse Bombe

Tip or Trick

When using the couverture to make a chocolate mousse I find it easier to fold the whip cream and sabayon together. Then I fold the melted couverture in all at once and fold mixture quickly to incorporate all ingredients.

Why I Like Working with Schokinag Chocolate

Price, quality, and consistency.

Biography, Position, & Company Information

It was in 1990 that I decided to pursue my interest in pastries. I took a position as a pastry cook at Provisions Pastry Shop in New York. After two years, I became the Asst. Pastry Chef. I then worked as the Pastry Chef for Drumlins Country Club. In 1995, I moved to Chicago. I attended the Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago, while working as the Asst. Pastry Chef at the Chicago Downtown Marriott. Here is where I got most of experience. During this time I also attended specialty classes, such as Sugar & Chocolate Decoration with Ewald Notter, Chocolate & Sugar Showpiece at the French Pastry School, Advanced Wedding Cakes with Collete Peters.

I have a staff of 6 including 1 night baker, overseeing the overall pastry operation, purchasing, scheduling, menu design, banquet pastries and wedding cakes.

Palmer House Hilton Hotel, 1639 rooms, first hotel to make the American brownie except today we use Schokinag chocolate.

In a mixing bowl, place giandujia and butter over a double boiler and melt completely. Take off stove, and set aside. In a twelve-quart mixing bowl, add the praline paste and mix until smooth. On a separate piece of parchment paper, place the feuilletines and coarsely chopped toasted almonds. While praline paste is mixing on speed one, add the butter and giandujia mixture. Scrap and mix until smooth. Add the feuilletines and almonds. Mix until combined. Pour into a flat sheet pan, lined with parchment paper. Spread evenly over pan, placing another piece of parchment paper on top. Place in cooler or freezer until set. Once set, remove top paper. Using the two and one half-inch biscuit cutter cut out 48 discs and place on separate lined sheet pan. Place excess mixture into a mixing bowl. Re-warm over double boiler. Pour onto a lined half sheet pan, half a piece of paper on top. And save for the next time more discs are needed.

In a mixing bowl, place chocolate and melt over a double boiler. When melted, wipe off bottom of bowl and set on table. In another mixing bowl over a double boiler, heat the yolks and syrup. Whisk until pale in color (approximately 12-15 minutes). Take off stove; wipe off bottom of bowl. Transfer to a twelve-quart mixing bowl and whisk until cool and frothy. Remove from mixer. In a separate twelve-quart mixing bowl, whip the cream to a medium peak. Fold cream into cooled egg syrup mixture. Pour and fold Schokinag into mixture, working very quickly so no lumps occur.

In a saucepan, bring cream and glucose to a boil. Shut off. Add Schokinag. Stir until Schokinag is melted. Strain through a chinois into a small mixing bowl.

In a medium sauce pan add first 4 ingredients and melt completely. In a small mixing bowl, add last 2 ingredients and make a paste. Add paste to liquid and bring mixture to a boil. Once mixture comes to a boil, turn off heat and strain through a chinois strainer. Place into a cambro container. Glaze should be at room temperature before glazing.

Cream butter, vanilla bean and sugar together. Mix well. Add eggs, mix until incorporated. Add flour & mix until combined. Chill dough for 1 hour. Roll out dough to 1/4" and cut with a fluted cookie cutter. Bake on lined sheet pan and bake at 300 degrees for 8 minutes. Let cool.

Place the 2 3/4" dome Silpat on the sheet pan. Using a large round tip, fill a pastry bag with the Schokinag mousse. Fill the mold three quarters of the way up. Place the praline wafer on top until it forms a flat surface. Place in the freezer. When froze, remove from mold. Place onto a sheet pan lined with a metal screen. Pour room temperature ganache over each bombe. Place in cooler.

Cheryl Wakerhauser
Pastry Chef/Owner Of Pix Patisserie - Portland, OR
$300 Winner
Winning Recipe: Aphrodite Torte

Tip or Trick

When using the Schokinag Extreme 75% in a pistolet, it is only necessary to use 25% cocoa butter and 75% chocolate (instead of the usual 50%/50%) because of the high cocoa butter content already in the chocolate.

Why I Like Working with Schokinag Chocolate

I like to use the Schokinag Extreme Chips in our chocolate brioche because it holds the chip shape during baking as they pop out of the top. When they cool, they regain their hard texture, which compliments the soft center of the brioche beautifully.

Biography, Position, & Company Information

Cheryl Wakerhauser (a.k.a. Pix), 27, is the executive pastry chef and owner of Pix Patisserie in Portland, OR. After a short-lived career studying to be an astronaut, she received her BA in Food Science and went on to study patisserie at the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver BC. She has completed two stages in France - one with MOF Philippe URRACA of Midi Pyrenee Patisserie and the other at La Porteuse du Paln in Montabaun. She started Pix Patisserie in August 2001 doing wholesale and farmer's markets and opened her retail patisserie/brasserie this past January.

Pix patisserie/brasserie focuses on French patisserie and chocolates. It has an extensive dessert selection as well as a long list of dessert wines and Belgian beers. Pix employs a staff of six and is rapidly growing. Customers can enjoy an Aphrodite and a glass of Don PX Reserve until 2 a.m. on weekends. Or, patrons can check out the Dessert Dim Sum nights to sample a variety of bite-sized desserts that are pushed around on a rolling cart and can be eaten with chopsticks.

Wisk egg yolks until they are pale and thick. Prepare a firm French meringue with the egg whites and the sugar. Fold cocoa powder into the yolks, then into the meringue. Spread onto a half sheet pan or into shallow circular flexi-molds and bake at 325F until set.

Warm kirsh just enough to dissolve sugar. Pour over cherries and store in a sealed container for a minimum of 3 months.

Combine and set aside.

Soak gelatin in cold water and set aside. Whip cream to soft peaks and set aside. Squeeze water from gelatin and melt. Wisk melted gelatin into puree and fold in meringue. Next, fold in the cream. Freeze in small flexi-molds.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Melt chocolate in large bowl and allow to cool. Prepare a bombe - place eggs in mixer with whisk. Boil the honey and then pour it over the egg yolks and whisk until cool. Pour the bombe onto the chocolate and fold quickly until almost incorporated. Quickly stir in 1/3 of the heavy cream. Fold in the remaining cream.

Melt chocolate and cocoa butter. Cool to 38C. Fill pistolet and spray.

Line 8" cake ring with acetate. Place a 6" disk of chocolate sponge in center and soak with warm mocato cherry punch. Cover bottom of cake ring with 1" of chocolate mousse. Place 6" disk of frozen cherry mousse in mold and top with 8 drunken cherries. Fill up the ring mold with chocolate mousse and freeze.

Unmold the cake and remove the acetate. If desired, pipe a design with chocolate ganache and freeze an additional 5 minutes. Spray with chocolate spray and decorate with fresh cherries and chocolate.

Stephen James
Executive Pastry Chef of The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel - Dixville Notch, NH
$150 Winner
Winning Recipe: Schokinag Truffle Tart

Tip or Trick

When making a marble stand made of white and dark chocolate, pour dark chocolate into white and swirl as opposed to pouring white into dark. Much better effect. Marble bases or stands can showcase a beautiful pastillage bonnet or accentuate an elegant candy box. Also, when tempering chocolate, try hard not to overheat the chocolate. Most companies recommend heating to 120 degrees over a bain marie, but too many times the chocolate is much warmer. Which in turn makes for a longer process. Get the chocolate melted at the lowest temperature. Microwaves are excellent for chocolate tempering small batches.

Why I Like Working with Schokinag Chocolate

Schokinag. Yes, it is easy to temper and work with, but good eating is what it is all about. Smooth, creamy, dark and full of flavor, as you would expect a high quality chocolate to be. The best all around chocolate you can buy. The price is the best as well. Talk about getting your money's worth. No comparison. I mean it, no comparison to quality and price out there.

I used Schokinag Chocolate before it was the hit it is today. I've been using Schokinag for many years.

This sounds like a commercial, but really, you have to choose chocolate by taste, that's all. Simply, Schokinag tastes good.

Biography, Position, & Company Information

Chef Stephen James is the Executive Pastry Chef (since 1985) of The BALSAMS Grand Resort Hotel, which is located in the beautiful northern woods of New Hampshire. He is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, College of Culinary Arts, and has attended Continuing Education Classes at the Culinary Institute of America. Steve has served as President of The BALSAMS Culinary Apprenticeship Program, Inc., from 1996 to 2001. He enjoys competing in culinary competitions and has won ACF Gold Medals in the Individual Pastry Category in 1988 & 1989, as well as two Gold Medals in 2000. Steve was voted ACF Greater Northern NH Chapter "Chef of the Year" in 1990. In 1998, Steve was awarded the ACF "Presidential Medallion" from ACF President Noel Cullen for his commitment to culinary education. In July, Steve had the privilege of presenting a demonstration on "Screaming for Ice Cream" at the ACF National Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Hotel. He also presented a demonstration on "Chocolate Centerpieces" at the 2002 Regional Conference of NACUFS in Massachusetts. Chef James is a Certified Master Baker from the Retail Bakery Association.

Line two 10" X 1" high tart pans with short dough and pre-bake. I line the tart filled short dough pans with plastic wrap and fill with rice to bake at 350 degrees till light golden brown. Cool shells and make the filling.

Boil the cream & milk and pour over the chocolate. Add soft butter to the ganache, (if ganache is too hot, butter will melt and filling will not be as smooth and creamy). When smooth, add the eggs. I use pasteurized eggs.

Heat corn syrup in a heavy bottom pot, gradually add the sugar until is all added and cook to a golden caramel color. At the same time, heat the butter and cream together in another pot. When sugar is a nice golden caramel color, start adding the butter and cream mixture until all is added. Be careful, it will bubble up when cream mixture is added. Cool

Pour into pre-baked shells and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let tarts cool at room temperature and unmold. Cut these tarts into 10 portions each and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or vanilla bean sorbet and top with caramel sauce or butterscotch sauce. Garnish with chocolate cigarettes. This dessert is best served same day it is made.