dacquoise butter cream question for experts
 

OK, so, I have this Hazelnut and Almond Dacquoise recipe from the LA
Times that I'm going to make Saturday. Looks pretty straightforward.
The buttercream that fills it, however, calls for 3 TB of instant
espresso coffee powder. (So technically this should be called a H&A
Mocha Dacquoise).

Here's my question. Some of my guests would undoubtedly prefer
chocolate to the coffe flavor. I have looked at various recipes on
the net, epicurious, cooks.com, Bon Appetit, the cooks thesaurus, and
not found what I would call a good enough match to make a direct
substitution of the filler. (In fact, some don't list "dacquoise" at
all, but it's really the filling anyway.) I see that they are
sometimes filled with mousse, or various whipped cream mixtures, or
something that must be frozen. But I haven't found a chocolate butter
cream that I think would substitute exactly. I wonder if changing the
coffee powder to just some good quality unsweetended cocoa would work?
I don't know that using actual chocolate that must be melted would
work, as that is not a dry powder and might change the final texture
or results. Any suggestions? Here's the recipe for the filling, but
I'm not going to type in the meringue plus directions. The three
layers of meringue incorporate chopped hazelnuts and almonds, plus
some vanilla extract and almond extract. Then they just make three
roughly 1/2" thick round meringues that gets filled with the chocolate
butter cream:

3/4 C milk
1/2 C sugar
4 egg yolks
3 sticks unsalted butter (really! - not for the coronary
artery-impaired!)
3 TB instant espresso coffee powder dissolved in 1 TB warm water

shortened directions:

simmer milk and sugar
whisk yolks
combine above two (properly), cook until thick
beat w/ electric mixer whisk until cool
beat in butter
beat in espresso/water mixture
whip until smooth and fluffy

assemble

So, you experts (Kay Hartman? Sheldon?), do you think I could just
substitute cocoa? Another factor is that I hate to keep all my
middle-aged guests (including me) awake w/ that much coffee as a
dessert. I might try to find decaf espresso (is there such a thing?
sounds like an oxymoron), but it sounds like this would also be yummy
w/ chocolate instead, or mostly chocolate and a little coffee flavor,
like 2 TB cocoa and 1 TB coffee.

Hopefully,
betsy

Betsy wrote:

> OK, so, I have this Hazelnut and Almond Dacquoise recipe from the LA
> Times that I'm going to make Saturday. Looks pretty straightforward.
> The buttercream that fills it, however, calls for 3 TB of instant
> espresso coffee powder. (So technically this should be called a H&A
> Mocha Dacquoise).
>
> Here's my question. Some of my guests would undoubtedly prefer
> chocolate to the coffe flavor.

You're adding too much angst to the recipe. I'd reduce it to 1/4 tsp.
angst and up the chocolate (cocoa powder) while eliminating the
coffee. And I'd use salted butter. Brings out the chocolate flavor
more strongly. Tiny pinch of cinnamon. You won't taste it, but the
chocolate flavor will be "rounded" and richer.

I've filled them between meringue layers with various flavored
mousses, dense ganaches, bavarian creams, rum-soaked genoises (then
side-glazed with rum-chocolate buttercream), ice creams, whipped
custards and butter creams. Any will work just fine.

Make a Frangelico mousse. Or a caramel mousse. Or a ganache as would
be a truffle center with creme de cacao, cointreau and framboise liqueur.

Or a creme patissiere with a dash of mint.

Or molded Bavarians with coconut.

Or put different fillings between different layers.

Whatever you do, tell your guests it's the "traditional recipe."

Pastorio

> I have looked at various recipes on
> the net, epicurious, cooks.com, Bon Appetit, the cooks thesaurus, and
> not found what I would call a good enough match to make a direct
> substitution of the filler. (In fact, some don't list "dacquoise" at
> all, but it's really the filling anyway.) I see that they are
> sometimes filled with mousse, or various whipped cream mixtures, or
> something that must be frozen. But I haven't found a chocolate butter
> cream that I think would substitute exactly. I wonder if changing the
> coffee powder to just some good quality unsweetended cocoa would work?
> I don't know that using actual chocolate that must be melted would
> work, as that is not a dry powder and might change the final texture
> or results. Any suggestions? Here's the recipe for the filling, but
> I'm not going to type in the meringue plus directions. The three
> layers of meringue incorporate chopped hazelnuts and almonds, plus
> some vanilla extract and almond extract. Then they just make three
> roughly 1/2" thick round meringues that gets filled with the chocolate
> butter cream:
>
> 3/4 C milk
> 1/2 C sugar
> 4 egg yolks
> 3 sticks unsalted butter (really! - not for the coronary
> artery-impaired!)
> 3 TB instant espresso coffee powder dissolved in 1 TB warm water
>
> shortened directions:
>
> simmer milk and sugar
> whisk yolks
> combine above two (properly), cook until thick
> beat w/ electric mixer whisk until cool
> beat in butter
> beat in espresso/water mixture
> whip until smooth and fluffy
>
> assemble
>
> So, you experts (Kay Hartman? Sheldon?), do you think I could just
> substitute cocoa? Another factor is that I hate to keep all my
> middle-aged guests (including me) awake w/ that much coffee as a
> dessert. I might try to find decaf espresso (is there such a thing?
> sounds like an oxymoron), but it sounds like this would also be yummy
> w/ chocolate instead, or mostly chocolate and a little coffee flavor,
> like 2 TB cocoa and 1 TB coffee.
>
> Hopefully,
> betsy

"Bob (this one)" > wrote in message >...
> Betsy wrote:
>
> > OK, so, I have this Hazelnut and Almond Dacquoise recipe from the LA
> > Times that I'm going to make Saturday. Looks pretty straightforward.
> > The buttercream that fills it, however, calls for 3 TB of instant
> > espresso coffee powder. (So technically this should be called a H&A
> > Mocha Dacquoise).
> >
> > Here's my question. Some of my guests would undoubtedly prefer
> > chocolate to the coffe flavor.
>
> You're adding too much angst to the recipe. I'd reduce it to 1/4 tsp.
> angst and up the chocolate (cocoa powder) while eliminating the
> coffee. And I'd use salted butter. Brings out the chocolate flavor
> more strongly. Tiny pinch of cinnamon. You won't taste it, but the
> chocolate flavor will be "rounded" and richer.


OK, thanks, I'll try that, pending further angst ;-)
betsy

>
> I've filled them between meringue layers with various flavored
> mousses, dense ganaches, bavarian creams, rum-soaked genoises (then
> side-glazed with rum-chocolate buttercream), ice creams, whipped
> custards and butter creams. Any will work just fine.
>
> Make a Frangelico mousse. Or a caramel mousse. Or a ganache as would
> be a truffle center with creme de cacao, cointreau and framboise liqueur.
>
> Or a creme patissiere with a dash of mint.
>
> Or molded Bavarians with coconut.
>
> Or put different fillings between different layers.
>
> Whatever you do, tell your guests it's the "traditional recipe."
>
> Pastorio
>
<snip recipe/ some angst>

> > Hopefully,
> > betsy