Pâtisserie Gluten Free

The Art of French Pastry: Cookies, Tarts, Cakes, and Puff Pastries

Patricia Austin

• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781510712966
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Art
• Subtopic: Culinary Arts

CHAPTER ONE

Ingredients, Equipment, Sources

Ingredients

Wherever you find yourself on the gluten-free continuum, I encourage you to seek out gluten-free ingredients that inspire your confidence and support your well-being. Some manufacturers of gluten-free products keep designated gluten-free facilities, while others process a variety of products that can or may contain traces of gluten. If you have a health condition such as celiac disease that involves severe gluten intolerance, be vigilant about sourcing your ingredients from designated gluten-free producers.

At the end of the day, your baking will only be as good as your ingredients. Whenever possible, buy the best! Hands down, choosing excellent ingredients will result in a higher-quality final product. Purchase local, organic produce when available; chances are, the closer to your region a product was grown and harvested, the fresher and better tasting it will be. I use GMO-free products; for example, organic cornstarch and organic confectioners’ sugar (nonorganic confectioners’ sugar contains cornstarch to reduce clumping, and nonorganic cornstarch is often genetically modified), and I swap out corn syrup for honey. Explore local shopping options, including farmers’ markets, and review the Sources section on pages 14 and 15 when you set out to gather the ingredients on your recipe list. Recipe list ingredients should all be at room temperature unless otherwise noted. This includes the gluten-free flour blend, sugar, nuts, and eggs.

About the Gluten- and Gum-Free Flour Blend

Many people have a sensitivity and/or intolerance to the gums typically found in most gluten-free flour blends. The intent of this book is to offer less complicated gluten- and gum-free baking; this is best accomplished by using a blend I’ve found that most closely replicates wheat flour: Steve’s Gluten Free Cake Flour from the Authentic Foods brand. This gluten-, gum-, and GMO-free flour blend saves you the fuss of creating your own blend and delivers consistently reliable results. The ingredients in the blend are white rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, and a proprietary fiber blend made from naturally occurring plant fibers, including psyllium and vegetable cellulose. All of the recipes in this book were tested using Steve’s Gluten Free Cake Flour. You can find it online at authenticfoods.com as well as amazon.com.

You can also opt for another type of gluten-free flour blend that does or does not contain gums; look for brands that act as a cup-for-cup replacement for wheat flour. However, remember that each brand of gluten-free flour blend performs differently. They do not all contain the same ingredients or the same ratio of ingredients, which means that exchanging one gluten-free flour brand for another is not an exact science, and, therefore, your baking results will vary. For example, you may need to alter the liquid or flour measurements to obtain the correct texture of dough. In addition, the amount of fiber or protein will vary from brand to brand, resulting in varying degrees of ingredient reactions and performance.

As you bake your way through this book, I strongly suggest that you use the Authentic Foods brand of Steve’s Gluten Free Cake Flour for all of the recipes (even when not specifically indicated) when possible for the most successful results. You’ll see how happy it will make you!

If you’d prefer to make your own blend, you can use Patricia’s Gluten- and Gum-Free Flour Blend, which is also GMO-free.

Patricia’s Gluten- and Gum-Free Flour Blend

Makes 4½ cups (668 grams)

1¾ cups (280 grams) superfine white rice flour

½ cup (80 grams) superfine brown rice flour

¾ cup (120 grams) sweet rice flour

¾ cup (90 grams) tapioca starch

½ cup (80 grams) potato starch

3 tablespoons (18 grams) chia powder

Method

1 In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk together.

2 Sift the ingredients onto a large piece of parchment paper or into another bowl.

3 Pour the flour blend into a glass jar or plastic bag, label it, and store at room temperature or in the freezer.

Butter

All the recipes in this book use unsalted butter. The standard for unsalted butter in North America is regulated by the USDA, which states that unsalted butter must contain at least 80% butterfat, including milk fat, milk solids, and water. European-style butter has a reputation for producing richer tasting, more tender, and flakier baked goods because they are made with a higher butterfat content, ranging from 82 to 88%. These premium, higher fat butters are more costly, because fat is more expensive than water. Options for higher-fat butter are becoming more available in the United States. Many grocery and/or specialty stores now carry premium, high-fat, unsalted butter; Plugra is one commercially available brand. Though I encourage you to use a European-style high-fat butter in your baking, all of the recipes in this book can be made successfully using the butter that’s commonly available in the United States, but it must be unsalted.

The recipes in this book call for butter in various states. Room temperature means the butter should be pliable enough for you to press your finger into it, leaving a soft but firm indentation. Softened butter is soft enough to easily scoop with a spoon and retain its shape. Pommade is a French term for butter that is very soft and creamy but not melted. Melted butter should be completely liquefied.

Cooking spray

Cooking spray is handy for recipes in which brushing or greasing just isn’t practical. I like to use nonstick grapeseed oil or coconut oil spray and steer clear of canola oil, as it is a genetically modified oil.

Chocolate

The history of chocolate dates back to 400 B.C. Chocolate is as varied as wine, and its complex notes contribute significantly to the flavor profile of your baking. Unembellished chocolate melds with infinite ingredients, both savory and sweet, and offers a unique pleasure that delivers on its reputation as a food that promotes passion. Larger chocolate producers with widely available products that I recommend include Callebaut, Cacao Barry, Valrhona, El Rey, Scharffen Berger, and Ghirardelli. Keep chocolate well wrapped in a closed container and store in a cool, dry place.

Bittersweet chocolate is increasingly popular as a consumer treat and claims potential health benefits. The FDA’s definition of bittersweet chocolate states that it must contain at least 35% chocolate liquor and can rise up to 80%. Bittersweet chocolate is made by grinding unsweetened chocolate with sugar, which results in a more palatable chocolate while retaining its bitter flavor. There are no regulations for how much sugar goes into bittersweet chocolate, so varieties of bittersweet chocolate may taste more or less sweet.

Couverture, a French word that means “a cover or blanket,” is used to enrobe confections and is excellent to temper for chocolate work. Couverture is available in all types of chocolate varieties and has a high fat content, which provides a smooth, creamy texture, making it an upgrade in quality for some chocolate applications.

Milk chocolate contains cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, and some type of milk product. In the United States, milk chocolate is required to contain at least 10% chocolate liquor. Milk chocolate is much sweeter than dark chocolate and has a creamier texture, a lighter color, and a lower melting point temperature.

Semisweet chocolate falls into the same category as bittersweet chocolate, but it is generally assumed to be sweeter than bittersweet chocolate.

Unsweetened dark chocolate is known by many as “baking chocolate.” Unsweetened chocolate is naturally unsweetened and is comprised of 50% cocoa beans and 50% cocoa butter with no added ingredients; it is not considered directly palatable. Unsweetened chocolate is the base ingredient for all other forms of chocolate (with the exception of white chocolate, which is not actually chocolate). There are no milk solids in dark chocolate. Despite its limited ingredients, the flavor profile of unsweetened chocolate varies significantly according to bean quality, varieties, and processing.

White chocolate does not contain chocolate liquor, but in the United States it is required to contain a minimum of 20% cocoa butter. So-called white chocolate products that contain vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter (which technically are not white chocolate) are inferior and are not recommended. White chocolate tastes sweeter than dark chocolate and takes well to infusion with other flavors.

Cocoa powder

Made from unsweetened chocolate, cocoa powder is the result of the extraction of cocoa butter from chocolate liquor. The leftover solids are ground to a fine powder that ranges in color from reddish brown to dark brown. Variations in color relate to the type of processing and acid/alkaline amounts. Dutch-processed cocoa is more alkaline, which results in a darker color. This type of cocoa is also associated with greater moisture and richer flavor. Natural cocoa is more acidic, will produce a red pigment in your product, and can result in a drier texture with less depth of flavor. I prefer to use Valrhona cocoa powder in my baking.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is a thickener made from finely ground corn and must be fully cooked to eliminate its starchy taste. If possible, choose organic cornstarch, which will not contain GMOs.

Dairy

All of the dairy called for in the recipes are whole milk products. I recommend organic, local dairy products if you can source them.

Whole milk has more flavor than skim, low-fat, or fat-free milk. The recipes in this book call for whole milk.

Cream types are determined by the amount of milk fat they contain. Heavy cream and whipping cream are interchangeable terms; these generally contain between 36 and 40% milk fat. Either choice is acceptable to use in the recipes.

Eggs

A fundamentally common ingredient in baking, eggs contribute structure, flavor...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface: A Baker’s Craft
• Introduction: French Pastries Made Gluten-Free
• Chapter One: Ingredients, Equipment, Sources
• Chapter Two: French Pastry Basic Recipes
• Chapter Three: Cookies
• Chapter Four: Tarts
• Chapter Five: Cakes
• Chapter Six: Meringues
• Chapter Seven: Cream Puff Pastries
• Chapter Eight: Brioche
• Chapter Nine: Flaky Pastries
• Acknowledgments
• Index
• About the Author