Shamu's Chocolate Penance!

Heh...

Y'all, a few weeks back I'se over to Shamu's place, Karmic Kitchen --whar' all manner of cookin' glories happen--
an one link led to another an' afore ya knowed it, I was here at Dorie Greenspan's blog whar' I learnt about her book on Pierre Herme's Chocolate Desserts.

Well.

Well well.

Chocolate? Paris did ya' say???

Pierre is legendary --his pastry boutiques are all sorta space age jewelry shops featurin' chocolate baubles from the outer limits of the cosmos.





Take a looky in the book at this amazin' apricot ginger chocolate cake!

Folks, it ain't MAH fault. I bought the book an' it is definitely Shamu's fault fer leadin' me down the tempting path. So...


A suitable penance it seems to me is that Shamy has to MAKE one of these confection constructions! ( I gits a wee nervous when a cookbook talks about "constructing" a dessert.)

AN' bein' the good sport that she is, Shamy hinted she'd take on mah chocolate challenge iffin' I'd post what it is she is to make.

But first, Uncle an one o' his B-I-Ls took a gander at the pages of this big coffee table size book on chocolate constructions an thought that chocolate eclairs wuz too easy, chocolate truffles too simple, moist nutty brownies too expected...but now hold on! The Gateau Saint- Honore might do a fella proud. No kiddin'? Reckon if a dessert calls fer a puff pastry disk, cream puffs, poached pears, caramel and chocolate whipped creme, it do qualify fer "construction" status.

Aunty's near weekly secret passion is Madelines. (yes, Proust an' all that) Usually I settle fer the passable--not bad, really!--ones in threesome package at Starbucks. But, y'all, I do has mah own Madeline pans, an' I can make mah own chocolate Madelines. AN' they's some other cookie offerings from the famous Pierre that are sock snatchers---the chocolate covered hazelnut cookies I will be makin' fer shure. Of course, iffin' youse a macaroon fan--an' Pierre is world famous fer his macs-- youse gonna have fun in heah.

Pastry fer breakfast? In Paris? Wif' Pierre? Looky here for the enchanting windows of his Rue Bonaparte shop.

Still, there were other frabjous offerings:

Cinnamon Savarin Au Rhum?
Chocolate Hazelnut Dacquoise? (oooh, I does love hazelnuts)
Plaisir Sucre?

oooh, how low could I go? Shall I push the edge wif' Cherry on the Cake? Can ANYone make this science fiction glaze at home?



Forthwith I throw down the gauntlet:

In the end, I'se charmed by comfort food. Shamy, please make us the warm chocolate raspberry tart on page 97. An' we await yore photos an review of the process --not to mention how good it is!