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Cara Damia
Cara Damia
Sugar Dough
120 g Butter
75 g Powdered sugar
30 g Almond meal
1 g Salt
50 g Egg (1)
Caramelized Macadamia
120 g Macadamia, crushed & toasted
60 g Sugar
50 g Water
0.50 g Salt
Coconut Dacquoise
90 g Egg whites, at room temp
30 g Sugar
90 g Powdered sugar
20 g Almond meal
Salted Caramel
110 g Sugar
10 g Butter
40 g Egg yolks
3 g Gelatin sheet
Fondant Patissier
325 g Sugar
30 g Water
Caramel Glaze
200 g Fondant patissier
4 g Gelatin sheets
About
1 Cara Damia could be translated as 'Le plaisir des Dieux' (pleasure of Gods). Each
element of this dessert pairs so beautifully with each other; the buttery crust, the soft
salted caramel and the crunch from the caramelized macadamia, the coconut
dacquoise macaron-like texture and the delicate dulce de leche milk chocolate mousse.
The good news about this dessert is that every component can be made days or weeks
in advance. The weigh of the finished dessert should not exceed 4.5 oz/130g.
Sugar Dough
2 In a food processor, or stand mixer cream butter, sugar, almond meal and salt. Add the
egg and vanilla; give a few pulses. Scrap down sides of the bowl as it goes. Add half of
the flour; mix to combine and add the other half. Wrap up and chill completely.
Butter pastry rings generously. Flour work surface and work out half of the chilled pastry
to soften – the dough should remain cool and supple. Roll out pastry into a ≈
0.12''https://bruno.b-cdn.net/3mm thick sheet. Cut out three 4.25''https://bruno.b-
cdn.net/10.5cm diameter disks for 3.5''/9cm diameter pastry rings (see link). Chill
scraps and roll out the other half and do likewise. Chill scraps and make 2 more tart.
Keep disks cool but still malleable. Shape tart shells and freeze. Once ready to bake, line
each tart with double layers of microwave-safe plastic wrap or parchment. Fill up with
pie weights, beans, rice or cherry pits.
3 Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Bake tart shells for 20 min with pie weights and 5 more
without or until golden brown. Cool.
Caramelized Macadamia
4 Cook sugar, water at 245ºF/118ºC. Toss in the macadamia, salt and vanilla. The mixture
will begin to crystalize – Cook until caramelized stirring constantly. Let cool and keep
them in a sealed container at room temperature for weeks. Do not refrigerate.
Coconut Dacquoise
5 In a food processor blend dry ingredients. Turn oven on to 350ºF/180ºC. Beat egg
whites and sugar to stiff peaks on high. Fold in dry ingredients. Spread coconut mixture
into a 3/4''/2cm thick sheet on a baking tray lined with a lightly oiled silicone baking mat,
or greased parchment paper.
Baking Dacquoise
6 Bake coconut dacquoise for ≈ 25 min. Cool, flip and cut into desired shapes.
Salted Caramel
7 Bring up sugar and corn syrup to brown caramel on medium high heat. Turn heat off and
add butter, hot cream, salt and vanilla. Turn heat back on and cook caramel to
216ºF/102ºC. Transfer to a container and let cool. Salted caramel can be kept weeks in
the refrigerator.
Fondant Patissier*
9 *Fondant patissier is also known as pouring fondant or white icing fondant (Not to be
confused with the roll fondant used for wedding cakes). A perfect hold and gloss
outside, in fridge or in freezer such as eclairs and choux. It can be found online, or
through fine bakeries and patisseries. This recipe can be doubled; it is easier to handle.
Cook sugar, water and glucose covered for about 3 min after boiling. Remove the lid and
cook syrup to 245ºF/118ºC; immediately immerse the bottom of the saucepan in cool
water to stop cooking process, wait and lower syrup temperature to 167ºF/75ºC and
transfer in the mixing bowl. Let run mixer for about 5 min fitted with the paddle
attachment on medium low speed. As it cools down, the syrup gets thicker and whiter –
as soon it turns white but still supple; it’s ready. Do not over mix or it will turn pasty.
Transfer fondant onto a clean work surface and finish kneading the still hot mixture with
the palms of your hands* (fraser) and continue for about 5 min or until it comes together
and gets firmer. Wrap up and chill 24 hours before using. Use kitchen cleaning rubber
gloves if sensitive to heat. Fondant patissier can be stored months, sealed in container.
Caramel Glaze
10 Soak gelatin in cold water to soften and drain. Cook fondant to brown caramel on high
heat. Turn heat off and pour in hot cream on thin stream. Bring back to boil and cool to
140ºF/60ºC. Add gelatin without adding too much friction to prevent air bubbles to
form. Chill overnight before using or for up to a month. Any glaze made with gelatin
should be chilled to rest for at least 12 hours before being rewarmed and used. When
ready, rewarm caramel glaze to 86ºF/30ºC and glaze frozen mousse. Leftover glaze
can be kept frozen for months for later use.
Montage
11 Inside each tart shell, pipe out salted caramel which should not exceed 1/2 oz/15g per
tart. Crush some caramelized macadamia and sprinkle over salted caramel; about 15g
per tart. Cover with a disk of coconut dacquoise (the diameter should be slightly
smaller than the tart shell). Pull the glazed half sphere mousse from the freezer. Heat
up quickly the blade of a small offset spatula in hot water, wipe it off and slide under
the frozen dome and carefully top each tart. The tiny gap left between the mousse and
the seam of the crust can be filled with some craquelin or crushed caramelized
macadamia. This pastry must be served thawed. Enjoy this delicacy!