Strawberry Bavarian adapted from Tartine via No Special Effects

Chiffon Cake

160 g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
55 g (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
88 g (6 tablespoons) water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
small pinch cream of tartar (1/8 teaspoon if you must)


Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan or ring (at least 2-1/2 inches high) with parchment paper cut to fit exactly; don't grease the pan. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F).

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, egg yolks, water, vanilla, lemon zest, salt, baking powder, and 125g (1 cup and 2 tablespoons) sugar until combined. Sift the flour over this, at the same time whisking until very smooth.

In another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy, then add the cream of tartar and beat on medium-high speed until it holds soft peaks. Add the remaining 25g (2 tablespoons) sugar slowly while beating on medium-high speed until the whites hold firm, shiny peaks. Add a third of the egg whites and fold into the yolk mixture to lighten, then fold in the rest of the whites until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan and spin it around to flatten the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Once completely cool, run a thin knife around the sides and invert onto your hand (a little crust loss is okay since it'll be covered with cream, but you may also invert onto a sheet of parchment sprayed with baking spray if you wish), then place right-side up on a platter. Measure the height of the cake and split it horizontally into two layers of equal height. Carefully separate the layers.


Bavarian

250 g (1 cup) milk
1/2 vanilla bean
small pinch of salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
58 g (4 1/2 tablespoons) sugar
1 large egg
27 g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoons gelatin
1/2 tablespoon water
250 g (1 cup) heavy cream, very cold


Make the pastry cream: In a small saucepan, add the milk and scrape the vanilla caviar into it, then throw the pod and salt in. Heat the milk gently, whisking constantly, until small bubbles start to appear on the sides. Remove from the heat. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, and egg until a paste is formed. Pour the milk into the paste in a thin stream, whisking madly all the while. Return this to the saucepan and place over low heat, constantly whisking until the bubbles just disappear, about a minute. Immediately remove from the heat and place into a cool bowl. When it comes down to about 60°C (140°F), whisk in the butter until incorporated. Leave to cool completely, then place cling film flush against the surface and place in the fridge.

In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes. Take 60g (1/4 cup) of the pastry cream and heat it in a microwaveable bowl at LOW in 10-second intervals, or in a heatproof bowl over simmering water until it is hot to the touch. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin water until smooth. Whisk in half the remaining cold pastry cream until well-combined, then the remaining pastry cream.

Whip the cream using a cold bowl and beaters until it holds medium-stiff peaks, then fold in the pastry cream mixture.

Fruit Puree

85g (slightly more than 1/2 cup) berries (I used strawberries)
25g (2 tablespoons) sugar
pinch of salt

Combine the three ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Assembly

150 g (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) heavy cream, very cold
2 teaspoons sugar
285 g (10 oz or a pint) strawberries


Whip the cream and sugar using a cold bowl and beaters until it hold soft peaks.

Use an 8" cake ring or springform pan to assemble. Line the sides with plastic wrap, or as I did, a strip of food grade acetate. Place a cake board cut to 8" diameter on the bottom, then the bottom layer of cake. Brush this with half the fruit puree. Spoon on half the filling, then arrange the fresh fruit over this (if using strawberries, start with the sides, using halved strawberries). Dump the remaining filling over this, using an offset spatula to go over the surface to make sure there are no large air pockets. Place the top layer of cake over this push lightly over the top to compress the filling. Moisten the top layer with the remaining fruit puree. Frost the top with the sweetened whip cream, taking care not to bleed the color of the puree into it (spoon the cream over the whole surface, then fix it with an offset spatula). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Unmold and remove the plastic wrap or acetate before serving.

My, now ex-, roommate always seems to provide the perfect excuse for baking up treats that I could never justify baking simply on a whim--and with only myself responsible for consuming them all. Her recent birthday meant that it was her turn to choose her dessert of choice and she insisted on strawberries. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely adore strawberries, can't get enough of them. However, prior to her request I had just spent the past few weeks trying to exhaust the seemingly infinite amount of strawberries my mother brought me from Costco. Plus the fact that my boyfriend's birthday was also due at the end of the month and strawberries were also his favorite. Despite my desire to work with something new, I reluctantly adhered to her request and after the finished product was produced and consumed-very quickly, I might add-I can't say that I regret her choice one bit.

The cheesecakes themselves were simple; the graham cracker crust was to die for-I used cinnamon graham crackers from Trader Joes which lent a much richer taste to the crust than the standard graham cracker. Unfortunately, I'm posting this almost a week after the fact, and I've forgotten where I got the recipe for the strawberries. Let me assure you that you don't need it. These cheesecakes are delightful enough plain and any topping imaginable would suit them. I've tried them with balsamic strawberries and even bananas, whipped cream, and a drizzle of caramel sauce-reminiscent of the banana cream cheesecake that used to be my favorite at the Cheesecake Factory. With these cheesecakes, anything goes.

Miniature Cheesecakes

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese 3/4 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 8 tablespoons butter 8 tablesponns sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line miniature muffin tins (tassie pans) with miniature paper liners.

2. Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar together with your hands or a fork, and place 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture into each paper cup.

3. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Fill each miniature muffin liner with this mixture, almost to the top.

4. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool.
[The pictures are of my roommate and her boyfriend. The unfortunate drawback of always being the photographer is that I am always behind the camera. Haha. ]