Chef Leon Baker
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Signatures
801 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC
202.628.5900 |
Pastry chef Leon Baker's name is strictly coincidental. At Signatures, in Washington, DC, he is making a name for himself among the capital's movers and shakers, pleasing their palates with uncommonly good desserts. His forward-thinking style tests the waters, filling an edible sugar bowl with sorbet, for instance, or using a spray paint gun to graffiti chocolate sauce over chocolate cake layered with banana-passion fruit mousse. French in technique with American twists, Baker's desserts are in a class of their own. He learned his craft in Philadelphia and tries to travel often to other cities to stay on top of culinary trends. His current favorite ingredients include chocolate, fruit and savory spices like fennel and licorice.
Anything but predictable, Baker's roulade sponge cake with mascarpone mousse and fig compote is pure alchemy. It's an amazingly light invention that plays with all the senses.
Meet Chef Leon Baker
Saturday, September 18th at 2pm
FedEx Field
Landover, MD
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Mascarpone Fig Cake
Serves 6-8
For Fig Compote
3 cups figs
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
Cut stems off figs. Combine all ingredients and cook until almost caramelized, just when it comes to a boil. Stir frequently. Remove from heat and let cool. Place in blender on medium speed until it's smooth, like marmalade.
For Roulade Sponge Cake
6 whole eggs
6 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place the whole eggs, egg yolks and 1 cup sugar in a mixer and whip until light and fluffy, 15-20 minutes. Scrape out, reserve, and clean mixer.
3. In mixer whip egg whites, gradually adding remaining 1/2 cup sugar, until soft peaks are formed. It should look like meringue.
4. Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the egg-yolk mixture. Gradually fold in flour and when incorporated add remaining egg whites. Bake in a flat half-sheet pan lined with parchment paper for 12 minutes, turning at the 6-minute interval to bake evenly. The cake should be springy, pulling away from the sides of the pan, and about 1-inch high. Chill.
For Mascarpone Mousse
1/2 cup simple syrup
1/2 cup egg yolks (about 7 egg yolks)
2 cups mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup egg whites (from about 4 eggs)
1/8 cup sugar + 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
1 gelatin sheet1, bloomed in cold water until soft
1. To make simple syrup, place 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Watch as the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
2. Bring 1/2 cup of the simple syrup to a boil (set remaining 1/2 cup aside). Place egg yolks in mixer and add boiling simple syrup, beating until the volume has increased and it is lemon in color, roughly 10-15 minutes.
3. Fold mascarpone cheese into egg yolks, a little at a time.
4. Whip egg whites, slowly adding 1/8 cup sugar.
5. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup sugar and add a drop or two of water. To make meringue, slowly add heated sugar and water mixture and the egg whites. Add softened gelatin. Now fold the whites into the egg yolk and mascarpone cheese mixture. Slowly fold in the whipped cream. Chill.
For Assembly
1/3 cup Armagnac mixed with 1/4 cup simple syrup
1. Remove the skin from the top of the layer cake, rubbing gently with your fingers. Cut sponge cake to fit in a square cake pan that's high enough to hold layers. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Place the first layer in the pan and glaze the top with Armagnac syrup by brushing all over the top. The cake should be moist, not soaked.
2. Evenly smooth on the fig compote. Spread on half of the mascarpone mousse. Place another layer of sponge cake on top. Glaze again with Armagnac syrup. Add the other half of the mascarpone mousse and smooth the top. Place in the freezer for approximately 2 hours. When ready to serve, remove cake and tip pan upside down onto a serving plate.
1Not as readily available as granulated gelatin is leaf (or sheet) gelatin, which comes in packages of paper-thin sheets. Four sheets of leaf gelatin equal one package of powdered gelatin. Leaf gelatin must be soaked longer than granulated gelatin and is therefore not as popular. This product is often called for in jelled European dessert recipes. It can be found in some gourmet and bakery supply shops. – Source Epicurious.com
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