There is a virtue in making precise, beautiful French pastries. But often, the
taste of these is not spectacular. The fondant is too sweet, the cakes are too
dry.

My thinking is that it is time to invent a new kind of pastry. A messy pastry
as it were. Creamy, flavorful, sacrificing good looks for good taste.

Jack Daniels soaked bread pudding meets my criteria for a messy pastry.

One that comes to mind: one would make a domed chocolate cake, core it out from
the bottom, and fill it with the finest chocolate mousse.

Or, one might break a cake into chunks and serve it with creme anglaise.

I am looking for ideas of messy pastries and would appreciate any suggestions.

Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
>I am looking for ideas of messy pastries and would appreciate any suggestions

I'm still convinced that there is nothing in the world like a classic
pecan encrusted sticky bun with a cup of great hot coffee.

I own a bagel shop and make them with my bagel dough.
I cut a bagel just before proofing, dip in water, stretch it to about 15
inches, slather it in the gooey mess. knot or braid or curl or whatever
you like, proof, bake on a papered sheet pan with the other bagels, (or
rather, under bake just a bit so it's softer than a bagel, and recoat
with more goo and pecans while still plenty hot. Then try not to eat
them all myself.

Oh, it's plenty messy too if done right.

Jay P Francis wrote:
>
> There is a virtue in making precise, beautiful French pastries. But often, the
> taste of these is not spectacular. The fondant is too sweet, the cakes are too
> dry.
>
> My thinking is that it is time to invent a new kind of pastry. A messy pastry
> as it were. Creamy, flavorful, sacrificing good looks for good taste.
>
> Jack Daniels soaked bread pudding meets my criteria for a messy pastry.
>
> One that comes to mind: one would make a domed chocolate cake, core it out from
> the bottom, and fill it with the finest chocolate mousse.
>
> Or, one might break a cake into chunks and serve it with creme anglaise.
>
> I am looking for ideas of messy pastries and would appreciate any suggestions.



Trifle, tiramisu, and Zuppa Inglese fit the description. Berry
shortcakes, too.

gloria p

(Jay P Francis) wrote in message >...
> There is a virtue in making precise, beautiful French pastries. But often, the
> taste of these is not spectacular. The fondant is too sweet, the cakes are too
> dry.
>
> My thinking is that it is time to invent a new kind of pastry. A messy pastry
> as it were. Creamy, flavorful, sacrificing good looks for good taste.
>
> Jack Daniels soaked bread pudding meets my criteria for a messy pastry.
>
> One that comes to mind: one would make a domed chocolate cake, core it out from
> the bottom, and fill it with the finest chocolate mousse.
>
> Or, one might break a cake into chunks and serve it with creme anglaise.
>
> I am looking for ideas of messy pastries and would appreciate any suggestions.

I think what you mean by messy pastry here are products that does not
follow the classical recipes; or just a creative intepretation of
desserts.
Going that way is not always preferable as not all people like to eat
an indescribable pastry.
They always look for a pattern for a dessert which they can identify.
Besides restaurant desserts are not similar to the pastry shop
desserts which are more formal in the latter.
However You can always modify.
If you find that the Continental sponges are dry then use the chiffon
sponges instead as the base.. Bake chiffon cakes in sheets , layers
and normal sponge cake tins.Slice and cut it to look like the standard
sponges you use in traditonal continental pastries.Then you will have
an alternative base for your pastries .
But as you dislike excessive sweetness you can reduce the sugar in the
recipe and still come out with a good cake. You do not need to wash
the sponges prior to assembling different tortes and gateaux as these
chiffons are already moist.
You do not need to coat it with fondant most of the time, you can also
use the less sweeter buttercream and aerated frostings which are
distinctively less sweet compared to the fondant.
Anyway ....just my two pence opinion.
Roy

at Sun, 14 Mar 2004 17:07:14 GMT in
>, (Jay
P Francis) wrote :

>There is a virtue in making precise, beautiful French pastries. But
>often, the taste of these is not spectacular. The fondant is too sweet,
>the cakes are too dry.
>
>My thinking is that it is time to invent a new kind of pastry. A messy
>pastry as it were. Creamy, flavorful, sacrificing good looks for good
>taste.
>
>Jack Daniels soaked bread pudding meets my criteria for a messy pastry.
>
>One that comes to mind: one would make a domed chocolate cake, core it
>out from the bottom, and fill it with the finest chocolate mousse.
>
This is getting close to the recipe I posted a while back for Chocolate
Death (*NOT* "Death by Chocolate") - IMHO pretty much the ultimate
chocolate cake. Look up "Cake Recipe - Chocolate Death" in DejaNews.
Chocolate Death can actually be made to look very professional - as you'll
see, there's a hard icing involved, and if you smooth it over nicely,
adding chocolate curls and leaves to the top, you can make it look *very*
handsome.

In the "ugly but delicious" category, however, my favourite would be
another, equally high-test recipe I posted a while back for a steamed
chocolate pudding. This one includes chopped up brownie hunks, pieces of
chocolate marzipan, slices of chocolate decadence, and chocolate truffles
(which melt, becoming a super-rich sauce) in the middle. When you spoon it
out of the bowl, you thus get a warm gooey pudding, bursting with chocolate
sauce, with ugly but delicious chunks of various decadently intense
chocolate things spilling out. DejaNews has this one under "Recipe:
Chocolate steamed pudding - VERY rich".

Chocolate Death is more fitting in the summertime, steamed chocolate
pudding in the winter (especially good after a day of skiing).

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)

Now we're talking messy pastries, Alex!