Arabian Dreams

A R A B I A N D R E A M S

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A A R O N M A R E EF o r e w o r d b y G A R Y R H O D E S O B E

A R A B I A N D R E A M SINNOVATIVE NEW AGE MIDDLE EASTERN DESSERTS

FOR THE NEXT GENERATION


Published by Motivate Publishing

Dubai: PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAETel: (+971 4) 282 4060, fax: (+971 4) 282 7898e-mail: [email protected] www.booksarabia.com

Office 508, Building No 8, Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAETel: (+971 4) 390 3550, fax: (+971 4) 390 4845

Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAETel: (+971 2) 677 2005, fax: (+971 2) 677 0124

London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ERe-mail: [email protected]

Directors: Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Ian Fairservice

Editors: Moushumi Nandy Simona CassanoSenior Designer: Cithadel FranciscoDesigner: Charlie Banalo

Publishing Coordinator: Zelda Pinto

© Motivate Publishing and Aaron Maree 2010© Photographs Aaron Maree 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing in any medium by electronic means) without the written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for the copyright holders’ written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publishers. In accordance with the International Copyright Act 1956 and the UAE Federal Law No. (7) of 2002, Concerning Copyrights and Neighbouring Rights, any person acting in contravention of this copyright will be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims of damages.

ISBN: 978 1 86063 297 6

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Printed and bound in the UAE by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai


Foreword 6Preface 7Acknowledgements 10

AAdagio 12Agali Roulade 14Aliyah 16Assalia 18

BBlahersham 20Boule de Noël 22Brown Sugar Date Tart 24Bûche Chocolat 26Bûche Safran 28

CChocolate Chiboust Tartlet 30Crème Arabia 32Cube Dubai 34

DDacquoise aux Figues Fraiches 36Date and Saffron Crème Brulee 38Date and Vanilla Cupcakes 40

EEllipse 42Entremet Baklava 44Entremet Datte 46

Contents

Entremet PB and J 48Entremet Pistache 50Entremet Tahina 52Euphorique 54

GGâteau de Voyage Chai Spice 56Gâteau de Voyage Chocolat 58Gâteau de Voyage Chocolat et Pistache 60Gâteau Mamool 62

IIspahan Baklava 64Ispahan Café 66Ispahan Cannelle et Cerise 68Ispahan Cholymar 70Ispahan Citron et Menthe 72Ispahan Gawander 74Ispahan Panna Cotta with Citrus Fruits 76 LLugaimot 78Lychee and Qamar el-Deen Delice 80

MMaestoso 82Mahalabiyeh 84

PPassionato 86Petit Gâteaux Safran et Citron vert 88Petit Rouge et D’or 90Plaisir Arabia 92

Pomeranian 94

RRuby Royale 96

SSonata 98

TTarte au Laban 100Tarte Citron Vert, Safran et Streusel 102Tarte d’ Isis 104Tarte Pistache et Chocolat 106

UUmm Ali 108

ZZahir 110

Basic Recipes 114Glossary of Ingredients 120Alcohol, Alchemy and Accuracy 123Conversions for International Cooks 125Professional Notes 126


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Foreword

Aaron Maree worked with me many years ago, when, just as a young man he was taken on to look after one of the most demanding sections of any kitchen; the Pastry. This is an area that requires more than challenging and precise recipes, with delicate detail; always a very important ingredient to include.

Aaron was always a strong minded chef from days of old, never afraid to learn, and with the desire to become one of the great masters within this culinary field. This book, Arabian Dreams, shows off his superior culinary knowledge and enthusiasm which, over the years, has done nothing but grown.

There was always a love and passion within Aaron’s eyes which fed through to his hands and was delivered in the ingredients he worked with and the colourful creations he made. His rich rainbow of desserts never lost their appeal despite the long hours, hard work and dedication demanded.

Aaron’s continued passion, this time for Middle Eastern cuisine, is shown off to you as you turn each page of this book, with many an old Arabic favourite given a fresh identity. As you glance through this ‘tasty

encyclopaedia’, you become captured by each story told, many offering a bite of history so the whole personality of the recipe is revealed.

The wonderful clarity of the sea that surrounds the Middle East is felt within all of these recipes, becoming sharp and crystal clear in explanation, leaving you with the desire to ‘dive in’ amongst all. As you read, it’s important you don’t become afraid of those recipes that cover many pages. This is purely the result of a recipe easy to follow, building the confidence of all young ‘pastry chefs’, including those who wish to enjoy these sweet delights at home.

Arabian Dreams stands strong to its title, providing the reader with a whole new experience of the Middle East, and a fresh inspiration for more.

Thank you Aaron, after reading this wonderful book I almost feel like we’re cooking together again.

Gary Rhodes OBE

!


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Thank you for taking the time to read ‘ARABIAN DREAMS – Innovative New Age Middle Eastern Desserts for the Next Generation.’

Let me be straight with you from the beginning. I am a pastry chef of no great standing in this world. I am not a Michelin Star chef though it can be said that I have worked for chefs who have achieved them. I am not an MOF (Meullieur Ouvrier De France), but I can attest to working and training with chefs who are MOF recipients. I am not even a great winner of pastry awards, sure I had my time and successes but in the bigger picture my awards are quite paltry.

What I am, is a pastry chef who has worked hard for 28 years to simply become better. Actually to try and become the best that I can be.

From the age of 13 when I scraped garlic butter on baguettes at a restaurant and washed dishes, through my apprenticeship and to the long list of places I have worked, all I have ever tried to do, is to learn and become a better pastry chef.

There are those who have trained me. Those who have mentored me and those who have been but fleeting visitors to the training program of my life, but they have all played their part. Some people can attest their dedication and skills to a single person, an establishment or to a college. Mine has been somewhat of an eclectic mix which I term my A-B-C of growing up. Adolescence, Bereavement and Cruising.

ADOLESCENCE made me the man I am. My youth was the creator of a person who loved everything European, especially pastry. While attending college I was often told to become a chef not a pastry chef as my country did not need such people, if they did they imported them from Europe. Therefore I was pushed to Europe to become what my country desired.

After Europe, the UK, Singapore and Germany I returned home to an Australia that was as welcoming as they had promised. I was now good enough to start my career on their terms and under ever watchful eyes. This welcome came with rewards. Books, TV, lecturing and money.

Preface

BEREAVEMENT took that all away. At the true height of my success in my mid twenties, my childhood and school yard’s best friend took his own life. That loss took its toll. Fair to say I threw away all that I had been given. I gave up my career, I gave up my successes and I chose to run. Montreal, New Zealand, Toronto, Malaysia, Singapore, San Francisco, Vancouver. After attempts to re-enter normalcy failed I kept running by finding a job that never stopped moving.

CRUISING saved my life, quelled my demons, returned me to humanity and showed me cultural understanding which I lacked. On a cruise ship you live or die by your skills, your speed and your interaction with others. Like no other job I had ever had, I learnt to “get along” with everyone, this was a job that was unrelenting, and pettiness had no place on a cruise ship. Sixteen hours a day, months at a time you became strong of mind, will and body or you never survived. I saw many people come and go. Some lasted days, some months, most not more than a contract. I stayed for five years and nine contracts, a feat of which I am proud. Longer would have made me useless beyond the hull of a ship. Five years showed me that I still had the dedication and strength.

Cruising also afforded me the opportunity to visit Macchu Picchu, Peru. I had dreamed of this place, for years with no reason. After my visit I knew. I had quelled my demons there. I refocused, I forgave my friend for his action and I forgave myself for mine. I had walked away from life the same as he had, he was at peace though and I was not. Today I am.

I now count my 28 years in the kitchen as the starting point for greater things, I have learnt from masters and I have learnt masterly things from people without a proper education or industry skills. I have learnt to survive and to teach myself those things that aren’t so readily taught. I use every resource available to a modern chef and I constantly pull from my near three decades of notes and industry friendship for the knowledge that has been given me along the way. Some of the best recipes I cook with today, have actually been with me all the time. Many of the recipes the top chefs have created, are extremely similar to those taught to me by my own masters in the early 1980s.


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This book is my homage to 28 years in pastry. Some are truly my own creations but in saying that I am reminded of the words of a friend, “many of today’s recipes that are ‘invented’ are not the birth of a new recipe but the fruition of many ideas based on old traditions and methods”. As there are only a certain number of notes on a musical scale, there are only a certain number of ways to make a mousse and to bake a sponge, what differs is the care and attention to detail of each person who makes them. To be a good pastry chef one must follow directions, create within a set guideline as defined by the products we use.

Pastry does not have to be all about science, but there are rules such as following recipes and abiding by the calculations given. Good pastry, cakes and desserts are the result of good practices, trained methods and skills derived by training. These recipes in this book are the culmination of years of cooking. Not all are my sole creations, some are borrowed, because they work, and they work well in the creations in which I have used them. And of course I am not Arabic, I too have been taught the traditions and origins of the desserts of the Middle East, used those basics and improved upon them to come up with some modern interpretations or simply recipes that work 99 per cent of the time. This is, after all, how the culinary world progresses. Student becomes teacher, and so on and so on.

Before 2005 I honestly had little idea of Middle Eastern cuisine. Perhaps the closest I had come to the Middle East was the shops on Edgeware Road near Marble Arch in central London. I have now lived in the Gulf States for the past six years and have settled into the lifestyle well.

A pleasant desert scape of the past is overshadowed by a thriving modern growing metropolis with international five-star hotels everywhere, high class fine dining restaurants of Michelin starred chefs and international franchises. The modern Middle East welcomes expatriates from any country. Most of the cities are blessed with architectural marvels which would not be out of place in any country around the world.

There are of course obvious differences culturally, architecturally and in religion, yet they all blend into a harmony of modernity and a drive for success and acceptance in great difference to its past, one of simplicity and ease, of dates and pearl trading. Its past is the true shadow of its

food legacies, simple lives make for simple foods, ease of preparation and basics of cooking, simple in its presentation and preparation yet complex in respect and most importantly, flavour. As one researches different foods and the histories of dishes it is amazing just how much has originated in the Middle East. Cardamom supposedly from the Gardens of the King of Babylon said to have started their culinary journey as liquid essence used to flavour foods, sounds very much like the rosewater and orange blossom water still used today. Dates, figs and cinnamon traded by the Turks and the Egyptians before them, give so much that is still utilized today a solid grounding in the Middle Eastern Region

Then there are the dishes themselves. To consider a Mahalabiyeh as simply a camel trader’s version of custard or to describe Assalia or Lugaimot as a close cousin of the donut, is to disrespect the sophistication of a time honoured culture which grew up without the luxuries of the West. It is this simplicity which I find actually eludes many to re-create the true traditional dishes with perfection. Too many chefs I have met, ‘overthink’ the food. Surely it can not be, just this or that.

In fact in many working class households, some of the best food in the Middle East is still made by elderly Arabic ladies who do not own mixing machines or modern kitchens. Simplicity is the key to perfection.In Arabian Dreams I have included a few of the ‘truly traditional’ dishes which I have had the honour of making and serving. Recipes entrusted to me by the people of the Gulf States have been tweaked to ensure success every time and of course changed and modified to my tastes for what I would serve my guests. That is not to say that it is correct to Middle Eastern culinary traditionalists either, merely my desired result, of what their foundations had laid before me. But this is not an anthology of traditional desserts, it is for the most part, a book about the new conceptual ideas of Arabian food.

Modern Arabic cuisine is not just about adding saffron or rose water to every western recipe and calling it Middle Eastern either. I have found it refreshing working in a land where alcohol is frowned upon. Too many chefs use alcohol as a crutch, to assist a dessert, which may be weak by itself. The inability to use alcohol makes you consider the very basics of taste, texture and layers to get the ‘boost’ as well as spices, herbs and natural flavourings such as rosewater, orange blossom water and


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the likes. I have seen revered chefs cover a basic sponge with copious amounts of sherry and top it with a sweetened cream and call this a trifle. Too me this is not dessert, or pastry or even close to my trade. It is an excuse for poor cooking. But these are the failings and ill considered concepts that drive me to match and marry flavours, tastes and cuisines, to find another layer and texture which go so well together, that drives me to work harder still, rather than resting on undeserved laurels.

Modern patisserie is offering much more to the active fertile minds of the young generation than at any time in the past. I often wish I was 13 or 14 and starting all over again, yet I am thankful too that I have the past 28 years behind me to give me such a foundation on which to begin anew each and every day. I love nothing more than coming to work each morning and seeing the ingredients perform their magic throughout the course of a day and becoming gastronomic pleasures by day’s end.

Today’s kitchens are nothing like the past. Giant leaps forward have been made by the great El Bulli and Fat Duck restaurant chefs of Blumenthal and Adria, to name just two headliners of today’s media. Without the Bocuse’s, the Escoffiers, the Marco Pierre White’s, Gary Rhodes OBE and thousands of others, cuisine would not be were it is today. Every great name, has added their brick to the wall of modern gastronomy that we have inherited.

In the world of sugar, chocolate and all things sweet it has been the great pastry chefs of Pierre Herme, Orial Ballaguer, Ramon Morato, Paco Torreblanco, Joel Bellouet, Frederic Bau, Jean Michel Perruchon, Arnaud Lahrer, Phillipie Conticcini and so many others that have shown us ways with desserts that many of us never imagined. They have also shown us so many things that we all knew, but were perhaps too busy to see!

More importantly all these chefs, both sweet and savoury, have opened our eyes to new taste combinations, textures and formulations. Too often we are all literally ‘blinded by the light’. We are so busy doing our jobs of cooking and feeding that we can use the same ingredient the same way for many years, without considering the other potentials of its usage. Modern day Middle East finds so many well travelled and extremely cuisine conscious diners who truly know the difference

between good, great and mediocre food. It is an amazing place in which to continue one’s education in cuisine.

My current position affords me the freedom to create amazing pastries for people who truly appreciate textures, flavours and layers. Our team works hard to create spectacular desserts which not only look good, but taste sensational and hopefully leave them longing for more. When I see someone eat the first slice of a cake and go back for another, then I consider we have done a great job. A first slice is a granted, the second slice is their choice and one which in this day and age, most people do not take lightly.

To have the opportunity to create modern patisserie, utilising traditions of the past from a culture little known for its cuisine is an absolute honour. An honour I am enjoying every single day. I hope this book is a learning tool for someone else. If even one apprentice can use this to succeed or to re-ignite that flame of passion for the industry that I love, then I too will have succeeded. For I know, far greater things than money. I have happiness, I have self-respect and I have my career which has stood by me around the world for so many years.

It is not about being the best, the biggest, the richest or the most respected.Its about fulfilling your own dreams and being whatever you want to be, but being the best at it that you can. And for me, ‘dreams’ of new desserts, cakes and pastries which give a new longevity to the Middle Eastern basics of a time almost forgotten. Renewed, reinvented, revitalized Arabian Dreams for the next generation.

Author ContactWhen I wrote my first dozen or so books the only way to contact the author was by putting pen to paper and posting the letter via snail mail. Today we have much faster methods of communication.

For anyone not understanding a recipe, or for any queries please feel free to write to me at [email protected].

I will do my best to reply to everyone.


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This book would never have happened had it not been for a few people whom I simply cannot mention. To them I am, and always will remain truly grateful for the privilege to have cooked for them and to have been given the permissions to allow me to teach the next generation of pastry chefs, a little of the what is Arabic desserts, new and old, via this book.

Over a career span just shy of three decades it would be remiss to suggest that every pastry chef I have worked with, had not given me a little something in the way of knowledge or a recipe (or ten) that has guided and assisted my development. Completely remiss would be to not acknowledge people such as Appolonia Poulain, Pierre Herme, Joel Bellouet, Arnaud Lahrer, Jean Michel Perruchon, Olivier Menard and Yves Thuries, Ewald Notter, Ingo Schwarze, all who have guided my career via inspirational encounters, personal teachings or simply wisdom in one way or another.

Lucky to have held head pastry chef positions since I first left Australia in 1988, I truly have learnt my trade while being trusted to lead the teams I have headed for so long.

In this respect it has been the Executive Chefs who have been my mentors along the path of life and career. For those of you not in the kitchen world, the Chef position is never vacant, it is a position in your life that simple passes the baton to the next person when one leaves and a new kitchen is entered. As a pastry chef I do not always need an Executive Chef for the kitchen’s sake, I can do the paper trail side myself and can fight my own battles. What an Executive Chef does for his pastry chef is steer the rudder clear of obstacles so that he can create in peace. He offers more life guidance and clarity than anything else and is your best friend in the world in which we live. He is my vent for frustration and my seeker of solace when I am down.

Acknowledgements

And among all else they are my tasters. If they give me the thumbs up then the food goes into production for the guests. Without each of the following people I could not be the pastry chef I am, Gary Rhodes OBE, Brian Baker, Cherrie Rankine, Stefan Nordlorf, Dominique Maslard, Gary Martin, Joachim (Jock) Barelmann, Mark Rowsell Turner, and Paul Britton. To most of them I have possibly been seen as the ‘typical pastry chef’, and to them I do apologise for being so head strong. My attitude always has been as an Executive Pastry chef that the line of entry into my kitchen is the line at which their domain ends. Inside my realm, I rule. Each of these great chefs has taught me something however in return for the suffering they have endured from my tenure as their pastry chef. Motivation, history, respect of trade and ingredients and determination, are the greatest lessons learnt from this fine group of true professionals.

To those who have worked alongside me and for me. Thank you. I have had so many teams along the way that names would go on forever. Many have gone on to far greater things than me. I am a pastry chef, always will be. Many of my apprentices have proven themselves fine entrepreneurs and have achieved greater successes.

My current team and the people who have worked with me daily for the past half decade, have also assisted me throughout this book. Mr Ebrahim Kunji, who makes the traditional Arabic desserts look so easy and without whom I would have been lost a long time ago. Mr Kunji has developed his career late in life and has suffered me well as his Chef. To him I pay great thanks for not taking the easy option, and for remaining with me.

Mr Jyothish Kamal, who has developed greatly in the past few years and has assisted fantastically throughout this book. He may never have considered pastry or bakery as a career until five years ago, soon

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though he will shine in his own glory. The remainder of my team, Mr Heaven George Corraya, Mr Jesil Raj Thomas, and Mr Sumon Rozario have been there to assist, clean up and cover for me as the book so required. These gentlemen have seen the ugly chef and the tyrannical chef, the obsessed chef and the driven chef. Many times they have not understood the motivation, nor the desire for which I strive, for it has been my ladder to climb. My seeking for absolute quality, not their’s. No one person can do everything alone and this team deserves their moment of gratitude. Thanks boys!

And to the Kitchen Executive team with whom I share my daily kitchen tirades today, Executive Sous Chef Mr Jason Gavin, Chef De Cuisine Mr Sean Kingsbury and the current baton holder, Executive Chef Paul Britton. These three have seen the changing moods and had little choice but to suffer it. Thank you. We make the Four Musketeers look good, or is that old? It’s nice to share food and life with people who truly appreciate the work behind it, the art and the drive to do better. Thanks gentlemen!

To the team at Motivate Publishing, Dubai especially Jonathan Griffiths who has suffered an obsessed chef well, for too many months and his team of professionals who have assisted in getting this chef’s words back into print. Innumerous thanks to each and everyone who has assisted in the process and may this be the start of many new books to come.

Finally a special thanks to Gary Rhodes.

In 1988 when I joined his team at the Castle Hotel, Taunton, I was young, eager and precocious, but I respected my Executive Chef and was pleased to learn everything he had to pass on to us. He has, since these days become a global superstar among Chefs and to have him

acknowledge this book is a tremendous honour. He was then, all about giving to the people great food, traditions rethought and enhanced to perfection. Despite not seeing each other for nearly 20 years his acceptance to read my manuscript and to pen the foreword for the book, shows that truly, little has changed. He remains my Chef and he remains all about giving great food to the people.

Traditions rethought, this time Arabic ones, not English. Thanks Chef.

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Adagio

In musical terms, Adagio means ‘slow’. I like the name for this dessert for it must be prepared slowly and with care for each of the layers to form correctly. The ganache cannot be rushed, crème Chantilly must be cooled and whipped and the chocolate tempered to perfection for shine and crispness.

This has become one of my all time favourite tarts, as it combines what people like – coffee ganache, milk and dark chocolate Chantilly, shortbread and crisp layers of chocolate.

It looks spectacular and tastes incredible.

50 Recipes new.indd 12 9/7/10 1:48:24 PM

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Makes 1Chocolate Breton Shortbread 125g caster (superfine) sugar135g unsalted butter 1g salt 2 large egg yolks175g plain (all-purpose) flour 4g baking powder 10g cocoa powder

Milk Chocolate Chantilly320g cream250g milk (couverture) chocolate

Dark Chocolate Chantilly320g cream200g dark (couverture) chocolate

Coffee Ganache210g cream320g white (couverture) chocolate 10g instant coffee powder 50g unsalted butter

Tempered milk chocolate sheets (‘Basic Recipes’, page 114)

Chocolate quenelling fondant (‘Basic Recipes’, page 115)

To make the Breton shortbreadPlace the butter and sugar into mixing bowl and cream together. Add the egg yolks and combine. Sift dry ingredients together and add them to the mixture. Scrape down the bowl and ensure all ingredients mix together. Combine until a dough is formed. When finished, wrap this dough in plastic film. When ready to make the tart, roll the Breton shortbread out on a lightly floured bench top to fit the tart ring (18 cm x 18 cm) perfectly. Place onto a parchment lined tray inside the lightly greased tart ring and bake for 23 minutes at 185 degrees Celsius. When removed from the oven, flatten the tart shell completely around edges and base to be a flat chocolate base. Allow to cool. Leave tart ring in place but run a knife around inside between tart and ring for easy release later.

To make the creme ChantillyPlace the cream into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the milk chocolate. Stir till melted and completely incorporated. Remove from the saucepan into a small bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight before using. Repeat this process for the dark chocolate Chantilly and refrigerate this also overnight before using.

To make the ganachePlace the cream and coffee powder into a saucepan and bring to boil. Stir to dissolve the coffee powder. When boiling remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Take the softened room temperature butter and break it into small pieces. Whisk vigorously into the chocolate mixture until it is completely incorporated and dispersed. Use the ganache immediately.

To finishPour the finished ganache onto the cooled tart base still inside the ring. Refrigerate until firm. When firm remove the tart ring and clean the sides. Take the milk chocolate Chantilly and whisk in the bowl of an electric mixer until very stiff peaks are formed. Place the mix into a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe balls around the side of the coffee ganache. Top this with a layer of tempered milk chocolate. On top of the milk chocolate pipe the whipped dark chocolate Chantilly the same as the milk, in balls. Top this with another layer of tempered milk chocolate. In the centre of the tart, place a large quenelle of chocolate fondant and decorate with fine piped dark chocolate spears.


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Agali Roulade

Agali sponge is based upon the foundation of the time honoured Savoy sponge recipe. Combining such Middle Eastern favourites like saffron, rosewater and cardamom, what seems to be a mere sponge is enhanced with the additional flavours and textures of almonds and sesame seeds.

The roulade is a modern way to serve the Agali. A burst of colour and splendour, tradition with modernity. Not too sweet, the rich creme is flavoured but relies on the white chocolate glaze to give the overall sweetness. The less sweeter version, rolled yet unglazed is a nice afternoon tea treat and can be simply dusted with icing sugar.


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Makes 1Roulade Sponge 3 large egg yolks 50g granulated sugar 3 large egg whites 50g granulated sugar 1tsp saffron rosewater (‘Basic Recipes’, page 117) pinch cardamom powder 70g plain (all-purpose) flour 2g baking powder 1tbsp sesame seeds1tbsp Bahraini almonds

Honey Mascarpone Creme 250g mascarpone cream300g whipping cream2tbsp honey

White Chocolate Glaze ‘Basic Recipes’, page 119

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

To make the Agali SheetIn the bowl of an electric mixer whisk the egg yolks with the sugar on high speed to ensure a light creamy mixture.

Add the saffron rosewater and whisk till combined, then move to a larger bowl to mix by hand.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites and sugar together to form stiff peaks.

Add half of the egg white meringue to the egg yolk mix and lightly fold together.

Sift the flour/cardamom/baking powder over the top and fold in lightly, but quickly, to ensure no lumps of flour. Add the remaining egg white meringue and fold through.

Onto a parchment paper lined tray, sprinkle a little of the sesame seeds into the base of the tray. Spread the mixture onto the tray evenly using a palette knife or spatula and sprinkle with sesame seeds and almonds. Bake in the preheated oven for 12–18 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove and cool.

To make the honey mascarpone cremePlace the mascarpone cream into a bowl of an electric mixer with the cream and the honey. Use a spoon to crush the mascarpone into smaller pieces. Using a whisk, whisk the mixture slowly until it begins to thicken. Take the mixture to a stiff peak thickness.

To finishOn a sheet of parchment paper, take some caster (superfine) sugar and sprinkle liberally to cover. Turn the Agali Roulade sponge sheet upside-down and remove the paper it was baked on. Carefully spread the mascarpone honey creme to an even thickness about the same as the thickness of the sponge. Starting at the farthest edge from yourself, begin to roll up the sponge using the parchment paper. Roll into a tight roll and place in the freezer for 1 hour.

To glazeSoften the white chocolate glaze in the microwave. When the glaze becomes of a coating consistency prepare the roulade. Remove roulade from the freezer and remove from paper. Place roulade onto a cutting board and cut with a hot knife to make smooth clean edges.

Place the roulade onto a cooling wire/rack and pour over the white chocolate glaze to coat evenly. Allow to sit for 2–3 minutes to allow any excess glaze to run off. Use a palette knife to pick up the roulade and transfer to a serving dish. Decorate as desired. Serve chilled from the refrigerator.


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Aliyah

Aliyah meaning ‘noble’ or of the ‘highest social standing’ in Arabic language seemed fitting for this powerfully designed dessert and resembles the tombs, corridors and hidden vaults of the Egyptian Pyramids.

There is a rigidity to the shape, a sleek finish and a strength which just screams that the dessert inside must be good. To find that it is; even better.

Aliyah consists of many parts and while it is daunting to make just one, in production this is simple and a great addition to the dessert array. A maze of layers, flavours and decisions. Which to taste first, or to try them all together?


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Makes 2

Milk Chocolate Chantilly

180ml cream

150g milk (couverture) chocolate

pinch cinnamon powder

5g gelatine powder

30g water

Italian Meringue

200g granulated sugar

50g water

80g egg whites

Coconut Creme Mousseline

200g unsalted butter

40g pure coconut milk

130g toasted, powdered

(dessicated) coconut

400g creme patissier (‘Basic

Recipes’, page 115)

200g Italian meringue (see above)

Honey Mousse (makes 2 cakes)

100g egg yolks

225g honey

12g gelatine powder

65g water

400g cream, whipped

20g fresh rosemary

Vanilla Clear Glaze

400g granulated sugar

395g water

30g gelatine powder

2 vanilla pods, scraped

Sable pastry chocolate base (‘Basic Recipes’, page 116) – 2 of 17 cm x 17 cm

Jaconde sponge base (‘Basic Recipes’, page 116) – 2 of 14 cm x 14 cm

To make the milk chocolate creme ChantillyMake this 48 hours before making the cake. Sprinkle the gelatine over the water and allow to soak. Place the cream and cinnamon into a saucepan and boil. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine. Stir to dissolve, then add milk chocolate. Stir till melted and incorporated. Remove to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight before using.

To make the milk Chantilly centre for the cakeMake this 24 hours before the cake. Take the milk chocolate creme Chantilly and place into a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Place the creme into a piping bag and pipe the mixture into a 7-cm semi-spherical silpat dome mould. You only require two, one for each cake. Freeze these domes for 24 hours.

To make the Italian meringuePlace sugar and water into saucepan and boil to 112 degrees Celsius. In an electric mixer whisk the egg whites. Pour the sugar syrup down the inside of the bowl to meet the whisked egg whites. Increase the speed when the sugar has all been added and whisk until cold.

To make the coconut creme mousselineWhisk softened butter in mixing bowl until it is light in colour, (approx 5–8 minutes). Add the creme patissier and whisk to incorporate till there are no lumps. Scrape down the bowl and whisk again. Add the coconut and the coconut milk and bring the mix together completely. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the required amount of Italian meringue.

To make the honey mousseA day before making the mousse, boil the cream with the finely chopped fresh rosemary. Allow it to infuse (20 minutes), then strain, discarding the rosemary. Wrap and refrigerate overnight. The following day, boil the honey to 112 degrees Celsius. Whisk the egg yolks and add the boiled honey down the inside of the bowl. Increase the speed of the mixer whisk until the mixture is cool.

In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatine powder over the water and soak. Whip the cream to stiff peaks and set aside until the sabayon of yolks and honey is cool. When the yolks are cool, melt the soaked gelatine either in the microwave or over a bain-marie of hot water. Fold in the gelatine to the egg yolk sabayon; then, fold through the whipped cream. The mousse is now ready to use.

To make the vanilla clear glazePlace half the water into a saucepan with the sugar and vanilla pods and bring slowly to the boil. Sprinkle the gelatine powder over the remaining half of the water and soak. When the mixture boils add the gelatine and dissolve. Return to the heat and continue to boil. Remove and scrape the vanilla pods. Whisk in the seeds. Strain the mixture into a container and allow to cool overnight.

To finishPlace two pyramid moulds of 17 cm x 17 cm base into the freezer for an hour before making the cakes. Take the coconut mousseline and spread it along the inside walls of the pyramid. Make a 1-cm thick wall of coconut mousseline on all four sides. Work quickly and replace the pyramid to the freezer as soon as possible; (set the pyramid into a container so it sits upright, upside down). Freeze for 1 hour. Repeat this process with the other dome.

Using a piping bag pipe the central cavity of the creme mousseline ¾ full of honey mousse. Remove the frozen domes of milk chocolate Chantilly and insert one of these into the centre of the honey mousse. Flatten this off completely and place a 14 cm x 14 cm square of almond jaconde sponge onto the top of everything. Spread with a little more honey mousse and cap the entire base of the pyramid with the baked 17 cm x 17 cm square sable pastry. Press down firmly to remove any air. Freeze overnight.

To decorateMelt ¾ of the clear glaze in a saucepan over very gentle heat, stir to make sure it does not catch on the base. When the glaze is completely melted, add the remaining glaze and cut into smaller cubes (approx. 0.5cm x 0.5cm). Stir until all is melted and the glaze is cool to the touch.

Remove the frozen Aliyah from the freezer and release by flaming a pastry torch onto the metal mould briefly. Use a straight palette knife inserted down one side to create a break to the vacuum, invert the mould allowing the pyramid to fall free. Place back in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm that which has melted in the un-moulding.

Place the Aliyah onto a wire cooling rack sitting on a baking tray. Ladle a small amount of the vanilla clear glaze over the top. Wait for approximately 2 minutes and then give a second coating with remaining glaze. Remove the Aliyah from the wire cooling rack and scrape the base of the cake over the wires to remove any extra drips of glaze.

Place onto a serving platter and decorate with salted white chocolate around the base, and a hint of gold leaf at the pinnacle resembling what the Pyramids of Giza once looked like.


Arabian Dreams

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