Bake it YOURSELF!

Bake it YOURSELF!

From charcoal sesame bread to apple turnovers or yuzu cheesecake, French bakers, and pastry chef duo, Erwan Blanche and Sebastien Bruno, are breaking the mould. Fed by their childhood memories and travels, their original creations from their first book “Utopia” (Solar Editions) are as simple as saying “I did it myself”. Join their culinary revolution where the Parisian sky is the limit. Just dough it!

APPLE TURNOVERS

For 4 turnovers 

Preparation time: 50 mins 

Ingredients:

• 500g puff pastry 
• 4 medium golden apples 
• 125/150g brown sugar 
• 20/30g butter
• 1 egg to glaze

Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 3mm. Cut out 4 turnovers, each weighing around 100g. Cover with cling-film and place in the fridge for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Peel the apples and remove the cores. Melt a little butter to glaze the apples. Place them on a baking tray covered with a silicone mat and bake for around 45 minutes: the apples should be roasted and melting, but still have a little chewiness. Leave to cool before placing them in the fridge.

Remove the puff pastry bases from the fridge and roll out lengthways to a thickness of 2mm. Moisten the bottom half of each pastry base and place 1 apple in the centre. Fold the puff pastry over the top, making sure to stick it edge to edge.

Brush the turnovers with beaten egg and place in the fridge for 1 hour. Glaze the turnovers a second time with beaten egg, then sprinkle all over with brown sugar.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the turnovers on a baking tray covered with a silicone mat. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.

ENTREMETS TONKA-NOISETTE

For 6 people 

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 mins 

Ingredients:

• Gelatine mixture for the hazelnut cream: 1.5g  gelatine – 10g water
• Shortbread pastry: 65g Plain flour – 18g icing sugar – 8g ground almonds – 1g salt – 35g butter – 2 eggs 
• Compressed Shortbread: 130g shortbread pastry – 50g hazlenut praline – 45g feuillentine (crushed crêpes gavotte or spun sugar) – 15g butter, melted 
• Hazelnut cream: 35g milk – 200g hazlenut praline – 80g single cream 
• Tonka-flavoured ganache: 30g single cream – 40g white chocolate – 2g grated tonka beans – 2 lime zests – Garnish: Lime zest – Toasted hazelnuts

The day before:

Make the ganache: heat a small amount of cream with the tonka beans and lime zest. Gradually pour the hot mixture over the partially melted chocolate, mixing with a pastry spatula. Blend with an immersion blender. Pour in the rest of the cream, mix again and seal tightly with cling film. Set aside in the fridge and leave to crystallize, ideally for 12 hours.

Same day:

Prepare the gelatine paste for the hazelnut cream. In a bowl, whisk the gelatine with the cold water.

Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the shortbread dough: place the flour, icing sugar, almond powder and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and mix until sandy in texture. Add the beaten egg and mix. Roll the smooth dough out to 5mm thick, between two sheets of greaseproof paper.

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan). Bake for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Crush the shortbread into powder. Add the praline and feuillentine, mixing with a spatula until smooth. Add the melted butter and mix. Pour into a cake tin and smooth over. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes, until ready to use.

For the hazelnut cream: heat the milk in a saucepan, then add the gelatine paste. Pour gradually over the hazelnut praline, stirring with a spatula. Add the cold single cream, mixing until elastic and glossy in texture. Seal tightly with cling film and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

To assemble: pipe small balls of hazelnut cream onto the shortbread base, once removed from the tin. Freeze for 1 hour.

Whisk the tonka ganache until mousse-like. Pipe drops of ganache over the cream. Sprinkle with lime zest and roasted hazelnut pieces.

BROWNIES

For 6-8 people 

Preparation time: 30 mins 

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs 
• 100g caster sugar 
• 140g soft brown sugar –
• 100g 70% dark chocolate 
• 170g butter + extra for greasing – 40g of plain flour 
• 8g of cocoa powder 
• Pecan nuts

In a bowl, mix the eggs with the caster sugar and brown sugar without letting them froth. Prepare a pan of water for a bain-marie.

Crush the dark chocolate with a knife and cut the butter into small pieces. Combine them in a bowl and melt in a bain-marie, stirring occasionally.

When the mixture reaches 45-50°C, remove the container from the bain-marie and whisk in the sweetened eggs. Quickly add the sifted flour and cocoa powder.

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Pour the mixture into a greased cake tin. Sprinkle with pecans and place in the oven. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Serve the brownies cold.

VANILLA MILLEFEUILLE

For 6 people

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 mins 

Ingredients:

• 450g puff pastry 
• Gelatine paste for the cream: 2.5g  gelatine – 15g water 
• Vanilla cream: 225g patisserie cream – 8g liquid vanilla extract – 2g ground vanilla powder – 60g single cream 
• Garnish: Icing sugar – 1 empty vanilla pod

Prepare the gelatine paste for the cream. In a container, whisk the fish gelatine with cold water. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle of 40 x 30 cm 2.5mm thick and place it on a lined baking sheet. Keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C (fan). Place the baking tray in the oven and, after 10 minutes of cooking, place a silicone mat and a wire rack on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Leave to cool to room temperature.

Prepare the patisserie cream. Heat the gelatin mixture. Work the cream through with a spatula, then add the melted gelatin and the two types of vanilla and whisk vigorously.

Whip the cream and when it is mousse-like in texture, gently fold it into the pastry cream using a pastry spatula. Seal tightly with cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

To assemble: cut three 18cm discs in the sheet of mille-feuille. Fill a piping bag and place drops on the outside of the puff pastry. Place a second disc of puff pastry and press lightly, then pipe another 150g of cream in the same way as the first layer. Add the last disc and press down again. Gently dust with icing sugar and decorate with an empty vanilla pod.

Who is the chef?

“We created this book by simplifying some of our favorite creations so that everyone can replicate them at home” exclaimed pastry chefs, Erwan Blanche and Sebastien Bruno. From meeting on the benches of the leading French culinary school Ferrandi to reuniting in Paris years later after travelling the world, their mutual vision and creativity became a reality with the opening of their first boulangerie-patisserie “Utopie” in Paris, in 2014. They pride themselves in making 100% handmade pastries prioritizing local and raw ingredients.

Some breads, viennoiseries and cakes are available all year round, others are seasonal or just for a weekend! Another reason for true foodies to become utopian!

Photographed by ZOÉ ARMBRUSTER & BLAISE GARGADENNEC

Recipes by ERWAN BLANCHE & SÉBASTIEN BRUNO

Compiled by ELISE WEBBER