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.

Cheryl Wakerhauser
Executive Pastry Chef and Owner, Pix Patisserie - Portland, OR
$500 Winner
Winning Recipe: Orange Vanilla Bean Cream Brulee with Genoise, Chocolate Mousse, and Chocolate Coated Caramelized Hazelnuts and Orange Praline Crisp

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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, concentrating on wholesale and farmer's markets, and opened her retail patisserie/brasserie in January 2003.

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 of sample a variety of bite-sized desserts that are pushed around on a rolling cart and can be eaten with chopsticks.

Although this recipe involves many different recipes, all components can be made ahead of time in quantity, stored, and assembled as needed. Store genoise, creme brulee, caramelized hazelnuts, and orange praline crisp in freezer for up to one (1) month. Store chocolate mirror and syrup in the refrigerator for up to three (3) weeks.

Makes one 8" cake

Spray and flour an 8 inch spring form pan or cake ring. Whisk sugar and eggs in a mixer bowl over a bain marie until barely warm to the touch (approximately 2 minutes). Whisk egg mixture with electric mixer until batter is cool and ribbon stage. Fold in flour. Fold in butter. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 340° F until set and golden (approximately 25-30 minutes).

Makes three 6" disks

Bring milk, vanilla bean (pod and seeds), and orange zest to a gentle boil. Meanwhile, whisk eggs with sugar until thick and pale. Temper eggs with a little of the milk. Stir in the remaining milk. Stir in the Cointreau and let mixture sit for ten (10) minutes. Skim off foam and discard. Gently stir and pour into 6" flexi mold disks (1/2" in depth). Alternatively, line a 6" cake pan bottom with wax paper. Spray sides and fill 1/2" deep. Bake on sheet pans with a shallow bain marie in a low oven until set. (Approximately 300° F for eighteen (18) minutes). Cool quickly to room temperature and then freeze in molds.

Heat sugar and water and boil for one (1) minute. Remove from heat and stir in Cointreau.

Melt glucose in saucepan. Add sugar and cook over medium-high heat until amber in color. Stir frequently and break up any lumps with a spoon. Stir in hazelnuts to coat. Pour in a single layer on a Silpat or sprayed parchment. When cool, break into chunks of one (1) or two (2) hazelnuts. Melt chocolate. Toss 360 g of the caramelized nuts with chocolate. Reserve the remaining nuts for garnish.

Melt chocolates over bain marie. Stir into hazelnut paste and butter; then paillete feuilletine and orange rind (If not using the same day, pour into three (3) 8" cake rings (approximately 350g each) and freeze as disks)

Whip the cream to soft peaks. Melt chocolate in large bowl and allow to cool. Prepare a bombe - place eggs in a 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.

Boil cream, water, honey and sugar. Whisk in cocoa powder and cinnamon and cook 2 more minutes over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Pour into a bowl and cool ten (10) minutes. Soak leaf gelatin in COLD water until soft. Squeeze excess water from gelatin and stir gelatin into cocoa mixture. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Line three (3) 8" cake rings (minimum 2" height) with acetate or a strip of wax paper. Cut a 1/2 inch thick layer off the genoise and place it in the bottom of the ring. Soak genoise generously with hot (not boiling) Cointreau Syrup. Cover genoise with approximately 400g of chocolate mousse. Embed each cake with 1/3 chocolate covered caramelized hazelnuts and smooth out mousse with offset pallet knife. Cover mousse with approximately 350g of orange praline crisp. Cover with approximately 150g more of chocolate mousse and smooth top. Freeze. When frozen solid, remove ring and acetate and place cake on wire rack. Heat chocolate mirror until a thick pourable consistency. Pour over entire cake. Remove cream brulee from freezer and place disk in center of cake. Sprinkle disk with sugar and torch the brulee. Garnish outer top ring with remaining caramelized hazelnuts. Serve chilled.