Strawberries & Chocolate!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Too Many Cooks! last week and thanks again to Libby Glover our Strawberry and Chocolate culinary master. The night was chock full of delicious things as Libby taught us about the many decadent paring of these two delicious treats including some incredible chocolate and strawberry tarts and some beautiful strawberry Napoleons.

To celebrate all the fun we had we thought we'd post some pictures of the event as well as the different recipes we tried so you can enjoy some gourmet goodness in the comforts of your own kitchen!

Make sure to join us for next months Too Many Cooks! where we'll be featuring local ice cream superstar Jeni Britton of Jeni's Ice Cream! Stay tuned to our website for all the details--we hope to see you there!

Strawberry and Chocolate Tarts

Sweet Pastry
Ingredients:

• ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt
• 6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and sliced
• 1 egg yolks beaten with 2 tbsp iced water

Directions:

• Mix the flour, almond flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and rub between your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stirring with a large fork, add just enough of the yolk water to evenly moisten the mixture- it should hold together when pressed between your finger and thumb. You may need a bit more water. Gather up the dough and press into a thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 and up to 12 hours.
• Place the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and rap all over with a rolling pin until malleable. Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll into a 1/8-inch thick round. Fit the dough into a 9 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, making sure it is snug at the corners. Roll the pin over the pan to cut off the excess dough. Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Refrigerate or freeze the dough lined pan for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet. Line the pan with a round of baking parchment. Fill the parchment with baking weights or dried beans. Bake 10- 12 minutes until the dough is set. Lift off the paper with the weights and set aside. Continue baking until the crust is golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache filling
Ingredients:

• 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, thinly sliced and chilled

Directions:

• Place chocolate in heatproof bowl. Heat cream.
• Pour over chocolate. Whisk chocolate.
• When chocolate has melted, add butter piece by piece until melted. Spread over cooled pastry base, layer with fresh strawberries and refrigerate until tart begins to set.

Strawberry Chocolate Napoleons
(Makes 6)

Tuile (a thin, crisp cookie)
Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 egg whites
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup cake flour
• 5 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions:

• In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.
• Lower the speed, and add the flour and cocoa powder until just combined. Do not overmix. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Spoon the mix onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread it to make a small flat circle.
• Bake at 325 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven. Allow to sit a few minutes to harden and cool. Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate cream filling:
Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 5 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 30 fresh whole strawberries

Directions:

• While the tuiles are cooling, bring 2 cups of cream to a boil over medium flame.
  
• Place the chocolate in a large bowl and pour the boiling cream over it to melt the chocolate. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
• Whip the remaining cream with the sugar using an electric mixer until is forms stiff peaks. Fold the chocolate unto the whipped cream using a rubber spatula. Transfer the chocolate cream to the pastry bag with the ¼ inch tip.
• To assemble the napoleons, place one tuile pastry on a plate, pipe a generous layer of cream in the center, and arrange strawberries around the sides. Place another tuile pastry on top at a 45-degree angle. Serve immediately.