BEST DESSERT USING NEW
TECHNIQUE St. André Triple Crème
and Prune Tart with Port Reduction
Tim Brown, Pastry Chef Wheatleigh Hotel Hawthorne Road
Lenox, MA 01240
(413) 657-0610 www.wheatleigh.com
About Tim Brown Tim was born in South Africa but
left his native country for England in 1999. He made his way to
the Tichfield Mill in Fareham and then on to the Crown of Crucis
in Cotswolds. Eventually he followed his childhood dream of coming
to America where he landed an assistant pastry chef position at
the Emerson Inn and Spa in Mount Tremper, New York. While continuing
the search for his niche, Tim was offered what he calls "a pastry chef's dream," the
position he currently holds at the Wheatleigh, a European-style
country house hotel. He produces desserts that resonate of pure
minimalism and simple elegance using the most luxurious ingredients
available.
Recipe
Port Reduction
26 fluid ounces of Ruby Port
6½ ounces of sugar
Bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce
heat. Simmer until it has a syrupy consistency.
Prunes
15 ounces of brewed Earl Grey tea
12 ounces of plump, moist Agen prunes
2½ ounces of Armagnac
To brew the tea, bring 16 ounces of water just to a boil. Remove
from heat and add 1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea; cover and let steep
5 minutes. Strain and weigh.
Cut prunes into chunks the size of large raisins. Put the prunes
and tea in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1 minute.
Set aside to cool for 30 minutes. Drain prunes, then place in
a bowl. Stir in the Armagnac and let macerate overnight.
Triple-Crème Filling
8 ounces of whole milk
8 ounces of sugar
2½ ounces of egg yolks
1 ounce of cornstarch
10 ounces of triple-crème cheese, such as Saint-André or Explorateur,
rind removed and cut into pieces
1/8 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
1 ounce of water
1 teaspoon of light corn syrup
4¼ ounces of egg whites
½ teaspoon of cream of tartar
12 3¼ inch pre-baked tart shells, or sable noisette dough
In a heavy saucepan, combine 6 ounces of the milk and 1 ounce
of the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large
bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 ounces of milk, the egg
yolks, cornstarch, and ½ an ounce of the sugar. Remove
the milk mixture from the heat and temper a little of the hot
milk into the egg yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly.
Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the hot milk mixture, whisking
constantly as you pour.
Return the custard to the stove and bring it to a boil. Let
it boil for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until it thickens.
Add the cheese and whisk until smooth. Strain the custard through
a tamis into a large bowl. Stir in the nutmeg and set aside.
Place the water in a small, copper sugar pot. Add 6 ounces
of the sugar and the corn syrup. Cook over medium heat without
stirring until the syrup reaches 242° F (soft-ball stage) on
a candy thermometer.
Meanwhile when the sugar reaches 230° F, in the bowl of an
electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the egg whites
until they are very frothy. When the sugar syrup is ready, on
low speed, drizzle it into the whites in a slow, steady stream.
Once it is fully incorporated, increase the speed and whip just
until the mixture holds stiff peaks. The meringue will be warm
Fold a third of the meringue into the reserved triple-crème
filling, then the balance.
To assemble the tarts
Scale 1 ounce of the macerated prunes into each pre-baked tart
shell. Press evenly into the bottom of shells.
Pipe triple-crème mixture on top of prunes (using #7
plain thermo tip) and freeze until needed. The filling should
be slightly mounded.
To bake off and serve
Bake in convection oven at 350° F (375° F for a still oven)
for about 10 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately. These tarts
will fall like soufflés if allowed to wait. Serve with
the port reduction.
