Petits Fours A La Ritz Recipe
One morsel of this Petits Fours a La Ritz and you are hooked to it forever. I prepare this yum Petits Fours a La Ritz as a Dessert every month or even more often. If there is one French dish that is unanimously regarded as the best in flavor, it is this Petits Fours a La Ritz. Trust me, once you taste this Petits Fours a La Ritz you are bound to prepare it again!
Ingredients
Pastry:
1-1/3 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons (95 g) butter, cut in small pieces
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (65 g) sugar
1 egg
About 3 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon (125 g) granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons (15 g) cornstarch
1 cup (250 ml) milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (200 g) butter, softened
Scant 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 teaspoons orange-flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
2 teaspoons coffee-flavored liqueur
3 tablespoons brandy
Decoration: Candied cherries
Chocolate sprinkles
Crystallized violets
Candied coffee beans
Directions
To make pastry, sift flour into a large bowl.
Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until evenly distributed and mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
With a fork, lightly mix in sugar, egg and enough ice water to make a dough.
Press into a ball and wrap in foil or plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
On a floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.
Cut out rounds to fit 24 petits fours pans.
Place dough in pans.
Arrange pans on baking sheets.
Bake blind 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.
Slip pastry shells out of pans by loosening them carefully with a knife.
Cool on a rack.
To make filling, combine egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt, cornstarch and a little milk in a medium bowl.
In a medium saucepan, heat remaining milk and vanilla.
Stir hot milk into cornstarch mixture and return to saucepan.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened.
Cool, stirring frequently.
Cream butter and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy.
Add butter mixture a spoonful at a time to cooled vanilla mixture, beating well after each addition.
Divide vanilla cream into 3 portions.
Dissolve cocoa powder in 1 tablespoon boiling water; stir with orange-flavored liqueur into 1 portion of vanilla cream.
Dissolve coffee powder in 1 tablespoon boiling water; stir with coffee-flavored liqueur into another portion of vanilla cream.
Mix brandy into final portion.
Using a pastry bag fitted with a fluted nozzle, pipe each flavored cream into a third of prebaked petits fours shells.
Refrigerate 2 hours to set cream fillings.
To decorate, add candied cherry halves, chocolate sprinkles, crystallized violets or candied coffee beans as illustrated.
Using a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until evenly distributed and mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
With a fork, lightly mix in sugar, egg and enough ice water to make a dough.
Press into a ball and wrap in foil or plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
On a floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick.
Cut out rounds to fit 24 petits fours pans.
Place dough in pans.
Arrange pans on baking sheets.
Bake blind 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.
Slip pastry shells out of pans by loosening them carefully with a knife.
Cool on a rack.
To make filling, combine egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt, cornstarch and a little milk in a medium bowl.
In a medium saucepan, heat remaining milk and vanilla.
Stir hot milk into cornstarch mixture and return to saucepan.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until smooth and thickened.
Cool, stirring frequently.
Cream butter and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until pale and fluffy.
Add butter mixture a spoonful at a time to cooled vanilla mixture, beating well after each addition.
Divide vanilla cream into 3 portions.
Dissolve cocoa powder in 1 tablespoon boiling water; stir with orange-flavored liqueur into 1 portion of vanilla cream.
Dissolve coffee powder in 1 tablespoon boiling water; stir with coffee-flavored liqueur into another portion of vanilla cream.
Mix brandy into final portion.
Using a pastry bag fitted with a fluted nozzle, pipe each flavored cream into a third of prebaked petits fours shells.
Refrigerate 2 hours to set cream fillings.
To decorate, add candied cherry halves, chocolate sprinkles, crystallized violets or candied coffee beans as illustrated.
