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Sunday, March 28, 2010

Daring Bakers' Orange Tian



A shocking surprise came by yesterday while I was finishing up photo shoot for this challenge. T called and whilst sobbing told me that his dad just passed away. Despite his blindness and his reluctance to take any solid food in the last 2 weeks, his dad's health was completely fine. And T just brought him to see a doctor that morning to get some advice of how to boost up his dad's appetite. The doctor suggested a blood test and his dad passed clean. Arriving home, T was feeding his dad with some milk and a while after he finished this light lunch - appeared to be his last meal on earth, he was quitely gone for good. No last word whatsoever..... left peacefully in his sleep. "Good bye, Dad! Good bye Apache!"

In the middle of the temple ceremony, I managed to find some time to walk away and post this challenge update. Had to go back quickly for the chanting session. Rush rush...



This challenge is straight forward but time consuming. Therefore it is advisable to prepare various sections in separate days. Like perhaps baking pate sablee and making orange marmalade a few days earlier. Cutting orange segments could be done one day earlier, leaving only whipping cream preparation in the same day with the final cake assembly.

It was my first time cutting oranges into segments. Apparently oranges without their membranes were very refreshing. Every bite into them gave me a smile. It was also my first time making orange marmalade. The taste appeared to be the same as what I usually got from the supermarket.



As an overall, the orange tian is delicious. I would definitely do it again, with a lot of fruit variation. Definitely I would love to try kiwi fruit, mango, jack fruit, or plain strawberries. Pate sablee is crunchy and double delicious. Keeping it in an air tight container and refrigerating doesn't affect its crunchiness. Superb! This recipe is a real keeper!



The 2010 March Daring Baker’s challenge was hosted by Jennifer of Chocolate Shavings. She chose Orange Tian as the challenge for this month, a dessert based on a recipe from Alain Ducasse’s Cooking School in Paris. Thank you so much, Jennifer!

ORANGE TIAN
Makes one 7 inch and eight 2.5 inch cakes



1. Pate Sablee:
Makes one 7 inch and eight 2.5 inch crust circles

Ingredients:
- Egg yolks > 2
- Granulated sugar > 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon; 2.8 oz; 80 grams
- Vanilla extract > ½ teaspoon
- Ice cold salted butter - cut into cubes > ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams
- Salt > 1/3 teaspoon; 2 grams
- All-purpose flour > 1.5 cup + 2 tablespoons; 7 oz; 200 grams
- Baking powder > 1 teaspoon ; 4 grams

Method:
- Put eggs yolks, vanilla extract and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until the mixture is pale.
- Put flour, baking powder, ice cold cubed butter and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Mix moderately.
- In a separate bowl, pour the egg mixture in the food processor.
- Process until the dough just comes together. If you find that the dough is still a little too crumbly to come together, add a couple drops of water and process again to form a homogenous ball of dough. Form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 180C.
- Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface until you obtain around 4-5mm thick circle.
- Using one 6 inch and one 2 inch cake rings (they are supposed to be smaller than the actual crust circles because after baking, the dough circles will expand), cut out one 6 inch and eight 2 inch circles of dough and place them on a parchment (or silicone) lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until the circles of dough are just golden.



2. Orange Marmalade

Ingredients
- Freshly pressed orange juice > ¼ cup + 3 tablespoons; 3.5 oz; 100 grams
- Large orange used to make orange slices > 1
- Cold water to cook the orange slices
- Pectin powder > 5 grams
- Granulated sugar > use the same weight as the weight of orange slices once they are cooked
- Lime juice > 2 tablespoons

Method:
- Finely slice the orange. Place the orange slices in a medium-sized pot filled with cold water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, discard the water, re-fill with cold water and blanch the oranges for another 10 minutes.
- Blanch the orange slices 3 times. This process removes the bitterness from the orange peel, so it is essential to use a new batch of cold water every time when you blanch the slices.
- Once blanched 3 times, drain the slices and leave them just warm.
- Once they are not too hot to handle, mince them with a knife.
- Weigh the slices and use the same amount of granulated sugar. If you don’t have a scale, you can place the slices in a cup measurer and use the same amount of sugar.
- In a pot over medium heat, add the minced orange slices, the sugar you just weighed, the orange juice, petin powder, and lime juice. Cook until the mixture reaches a jam consistency (10-15 minutes).
- Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge.



3. Orange Segments

Ingredients:
- 10 oranges.

Method:
- Cut the oranges into segments over a shallow bowl. Squeeze the juice out of leftover membranes into the same bowl so the segments are covered with juice.
- Leave aside for later use or refrigerate.



4. Caramel

Ingredients:
- Ganulated sugar > 1 cup; 7 oz; 200 grams
- Orange juice > 1.5 cups + 2 tablespoons; 14 oz; 400 grams (feel free to take from the orange juice covering the orange segment plus a little bit more from new oranges, or simply replace orange juice with plain clean water)

Method:
- Place the sugar in a pan on medium heat and begin heating it.
- Once the sugar starts to bubble and foam, slowly add the orange juice (or water). As soon as the mixture starts boiling, remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture over the orange segments.
- Reserve the other half of the caramel mixture in a small bowl — you will use this later to spoon over the finished dessert. When the dessert is assembled and setting in the freezer, heat the kept caramel sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until it thickens and just coats the back of a spoon (about 10 minutes). You can then spoon it over the orange tians.
[Tip: Be very careful when making the caramel — if you have never made caramel before, I would suggest making this step while you don’t have to worry about anything else. Bubbling sugar is extremely, extremely hot, so make sure you have a bowl of ice cold water in the kitchen in case anyone gets burnt!]



5. Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
- Heavy whipping cream > 2 cups; 14 oz; 400 grams
- Hot water > 6 tablespoons
- Gelatine powder > 2 teaspoons
- Confectioner's sugar > 2 tablespoons (if the whipping cream is sweet enough, skip this)
- orange marmalade (see recipe above) > 1 tablespoon

Method:
- In a small bowl, add the gelatine and hot water, stirring well until the gelatine dissolves. Let the gelatine cool to room temperature while you make the whipped cream.
- Combine the cream in a chilled mixing bowl. Whip the cream on low speed until the cream starts to thicken for about one minute. Add the confectioner sugar. Increase the speed to medium-high. Whip the cream until the beaters leave visible (but not lasting) trails in the cream, then add the cooled gelatine slowly while beating continuously.
- Continue whipping until the cream is light and fluffy and forms soft peaks.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a bowl and fold in the orange marmalade. Mix well.
[Tip: Use an ice cold bowl to make the whipped cream in. You can do this by putting your mixing bowl, cream and beater in the fridge for 20 minutes prior to whipping the cream.]



6. Assembly

Method:
- Cover base and side of a 7 inch and eight 2.5 inch cake rings with aluminium foil. Place them on a big tray (make sure you have some room in your refrigerator to chill the cake overnight until set or in case you need to speed up the process, spare some space in the freezer to freeze it for 10-20 minutes).
- Have the marmalade, whipped cream and baked crust circles ready to use. If it is necessary, crop the crust circles to fit the cake rings.
- Drain the orange segments on a kitchen towel.
- Arrange the orange segments at the bottom of each cake ring. Make sure the segments all touch either and that there are no gaps. Make sure they fit snuggly and look pretty as they will end up being the top of the dessert. Arrange them as you would sliced apples when making an apple tart.
- Once you have neatly arranged one layer of orange segments at the bottom of each cookie cutter, add a couple spoonfuls of whipped cream and gently spread it so that it fills the cookie cutter in an even layer. Leave about 1/4 inch at the top so there is room for dough circle.
- Using a butter knife or small spoon, spread a small even layer of orange marmalade on each circle of dough.
- Carefully place a circle of dough over each ring (the side of dough covered in marmalade should be the side touching the whipping cream). Gently press on the circle of dough to make sure the dessert is compact.
- Place the desserts to set in the freezer to set for 10-20 minutes or chill in the refrigerator overnight.
- Using a small knife, gently go around the edges of the cookie cutter to make sure the dessert will be easy to unmold. Gently place your serving plate on top of a dessert (on top of the crust cirle) and turn the plate over. Gently remove the cake ring, add a spoonful of caramel sauce and serve immediately.

40 comments:

  1. Absolutely beautiful tians especially the caramel 'droplets'. So sorry to hear the sad news. Hope you and T are doing well. x

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  2. Sorry to hear about your friends loss...
    The Tian looks gorgeous, beautiful pictures.

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  3. Oh what a good recipe. I love your decoration. I used to make them similar with physalis and sugar. I don't know who's T but I hope you are doing better soon.

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  4. Your orange tian and photos are gorgeous. I'm so sorry for your loss :(

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  5. Oh, so pretty and perfectly presented! You did a marvelous job, as usual!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  6. I am so sorry about T's dad. It is hard to accept a death, we are never ready to let go. I hope it helps knowing that he didn't suffer, I want to die peacefully too!

    Your tian looks beautiful, and I love the caramelized nuts on top. Well done!

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  7. So sorry to hear of T's lose. But your orange tain looks fab.

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  8. Im sorry about T's dad. Your orange tian looks beautiful as usual. Excellent job :)

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  9. My condolences and I'm so sorry about the loss of T's dad :(

    Nice picture, and day by day you show us.. that you are great baker Kris.

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  10. Very sorry to hear about your loss. It sounds like he was peaceful at the end. Well done on the tians.

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  11. Wonderfully pictures and the recipe. It is a pleasure to watch..

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  12. Kris,
    First of all, I'm so sorry to hear about T's dad...Please give him my condolences.

    Your Tian looks stunning! BEAUTIFUL job!

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  13. My sympathies to T and his family.
    Your Tian looks gorgeous. I look forward to making it with other fruits too.
    Mimi

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  14. I LOVE, love your blog and of course your pictures. I found you via Daring Baker Tian Orange Challenge..I will take some time to review it later, for sure " bake in Paris" will be in my favorites. Un petit coucou d'une ex-parisienne qui vit maitenant dans le Sud Californien... mais Paris me manque!
    www.celinescuisine.com

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  15. I'm so0 sorry to hear about T's father. I'm glad he went peacefully - no stressing and myriads of tests to find out what was wrong. My sympathies to you, T and all of his loved ones.

    On a cheerier note, your tians are beautiful. Are those caramel drops sitting atop the tian? I adore how you placed the caramel for the perfect drip. Amazing job as always, Kris.

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  16. Wow, your pictures are absolutely beautiful! Great job on the tians - they look amazing!

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  17. Sorry to hear your sad news. Your tian in beautiful and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

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  18. I'm really sorry for T's loss. It always comes as a shock, especially when it happens so unexpectedly. As far as the tian is concerned, I must say your is the prettiest I've seen so far. I wasn't really happy with how mine looked but it was so darn delicious! I too loved the fresh orange segments and the pate sablee. I'll most certainly make it again. Your photos are just magnificent. Great job!

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  19. Sorry to hear T's dad pass away! That is always sad to hear.
    On a brighter note; your orange tian just looks absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful beautiful styling too. I missed the challenge, although might still attempt to do it this week.. It looks so delicious!

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  20. My condolences go to T, his family and yourself.

    You've made the tian look beatiful!

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  21. I'm so sorry to read about your sad news :-(
    but now he's in the God peace!
    Beautiful your tian, too! I love also the caramelized hazelnut :-D I often use it in my cake decoration!
    Kisses
    Ago :-D

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  22. Sorry to hear about T's dad. The tians are very elegant and beautiful.

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  23. So sorry to hear about this sad news--losing someone abruptly is never easy.
    On a lighter note, your tian is beautiful--even nicer than the ones here in Paris :)

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  24. I was here yesterday and was wondering why you hadn't posted yet.
    Sorry to hear about this. I can understand your sadness. My Dad passed away 3 months back.

    I just love the timeless beauty and calmness of your pictures, Kris and this Tian is no different.

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  25. Kris, I am sorry to hear about T's dad and hope you guys are holding up well. My uncle just passed away yesterday morning too from a heart attack. Although time heals everything it is the initial few steps that is the hardest. Take care!

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  26. My condoleances. Beautifully done! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

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  27. I'm sorry to hear about T's dad. Your orange tian looks so pretty, like from food magazine :)

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  28. So sorry to hear about T's dad. I can't believe you managed to post this in the middle of the temple ceremony. You deserve an extra pat on the back.
    Great job on the challenge - really stunning photos and amazing tian(s). Loved everything about it especially the caramel nuts on top.

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  29. OMG it's always wonderful to come here !
    WAOUW waouw, very nice !

    Well done !

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  30. Hello!
    You have a fabulous blog! The foods you make look delicious and the pictures are quite pleasing (and make me really hungry)! I wish I had more time to cook/bake but unfortunately I am too busy as it is...
    -Dominique

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  31. Sorry about your friend's loss!

    I expected your tian would be beautiful and I was right. You always do such a spectacular job with your dishes and your photographs!

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  32. I'm so sorry about T's father.

    Your tian is stunning, and the photos beautiful =D.

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  33. Beautiful presentation. Your caramel drops are a perfect addition

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  34. My condolences to T and yourself...

    Your tian looks perfect and vibrant. I am looking forward to seeing your future variations!

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  35. Deepest condolence to both you and T and his family... *hugs*

    Although I'm not a whipped cream person, I absolutely LOVE this dessert! Yes, it's a definite keeper in my house for sure! Like always, yours is perfect!!!

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  36. I'm so sorry to hear about T's father passing away--my deepest condolences to you and T and T's family.

    Your Tians are absolutely stunning. Your garnish of the nuts and caramel droplets are marvelous. Wonderful pictures, too!

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  37. I'm so sorry to hear about T's dad, but I'm glad he passed on peacefully at least. As for this dessert, especially your photos with the sauce dripping down have my heart aflutter. Great job with this challenge and can't wait to see your other renditions of this recipe down the road.

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  38. This is a tad strange-but I really adore your china-especially the dainty small scalloped plates and cups.Where did you get them??any chance of buying them online?-please let me know.Btw, your pictures are sensational and recipes are a fresh breath of air.

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  39. Your cakes look so beautiful. You must be a really good photographers. I sometimes make pretty cake too but can't take wonderful pictures of them as well as you do.

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