Calorie-Free Sugar Alternative » Award-Winning Taste
Heather Hurlbert, executive pastry chef of the Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta since 2005, won the 2009 Pastry Chef of the Year Award from the American Culinary Federation. The competition is sponsored by Splenda, whose sugar-free sweetener was an ingredient in the winning dessert recipe.
Chef Hurlbert chose a twist on black forest cake for her winning Splenda recipe and used the calorie-free sugar substitute as a complement to each of the seven components, which included cherry and milk chocolate creams, as well as a vanilla cream infused with Thai basil.
“The nicest accolade I received on my torte recipe was that the person would never have guessed it was sugar-free because there was no tart aftertaste,” says Chef Hurlbert.
Splenda is also an important ingredient for Chef Hurlbert at the Cherokee Town and Country Club for those guests who are diabetic or are simply choosing to eat less sugar, she says. The facility, made up of two dining rooms and serving about 600 daily covers, provides at least two Splenda No Calorie Sweetener offerings on a rotating menu that has included such favorites as chocolate banana pudding and crème brûlée.
“I like the flavor of Splenda because it is clean and neutral, and you can add other ingredients such as chocolate and extracts to it without interfering with the flavor,” says Chef Hurlbert. “You can do a lot with Splenda to make desserts taste exceptionally good.” – CB
Sugar Free Dark Chocolate, Cherry and Vanilla Bean Torte
Chocolate Sponge
Dark Chocolate Cream
78gm Whole Eggs
51gm Sugar Free Dark chocolate
105gm Egg White
4gm Trimoline
25gm Splenda
4gm Glucose
42gm Cocoa powder
42gm Heavy Cream
97gm Heavy Cream
Pate Basque
5gm Chocolate paste
80gm Cake flour
TT Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Basil Bavarian
25gm Almond Flour
150gm Milk
1gm Salt
138gm Cream
20gm Feuillitine flakes
1ea Vanilla bean
50gm Butter
81gm Egg Yolks
10gm Xylitol
7gm Splenda
4gm Splenda
7gm Gelatin
5gm Cocoa Nib
258gm Heavy Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
4 leaves Basil
Cherry Jelly
Cherry Cream
88gm Sour Cherry Puree
150gm Sour Cherry Puree
64gm Fresh Cherries, chopped
6gm Splenda
2.5gm Gelatin
7gm AP Flour
3gm Splenda
8gm Mycryo
¼ ea Star Anise
200gm Heavy Cream
Pectin Glaze
Garnishes
150gm Water
Red Cocoa Butter
10gm Splenda
Gold dust
5gm NH pectin
Dark chocolate plaques and ring
9gm Glucose
Bing Cherries
Honey Tuile
36gm Butter
42gm Powder Xylitol
36gm Honey
60gm Bread flour
30gm Whites
Method Chocolate sponge: Whip eggs to light. Whip whites and Splenda to meringue, medium peaks. Combine eggs and meringue, and fold in cocoa powder. Bake at 350F for 10 min.
Dark Chocolate Cream: Heat cream, Trimoline and glucose. Pour over chocolate. Emulsify with hand blender. Add cold cream. Chill. Whip when ready to use.
Vanilla Bavarian: Combine milk, basil, vanilla, and Splenda and bring to a low simmer. Let steep for 30 min. Temper in eggs and cook anglaise until thickened or 180F. Bloom gelatin. Add 60gm of bloomed gelatin. Chill until thick. Whip cream to soft peaks and fold into anglaise.
Cherry Jelly: Sauté cherries, star anise with Splenda, add half of puree. Bloom gelatin. Add bloomed gelatin to warm puree mixture and add the rest of the cherry puree. Pour into fleximold. Freeze.
Cherry Cream: Warm cherry puree in sauce pan. Make slurry with Splenda and AP flour, add to cherry puree and cook like pastry cream, add mycryo, and cool. Whip cream and fold into cherry cream.
Pectin Glaze: Combine Splenda and pectin. Heat water and add dry. Bring to boil and add glucose.
Pate Basque: Combine butter, Splenda, salt and cream. Add rest of dry (except cocoa nibs) and chill. Roll out into 8” round and 1/8” disk sprinkle with cocoa nibs, and bake at 350F for approximately 10 min.
Honey Tuile: Cream butter and Xylitol together. Add honey. Add bread flour and whites. Let sit. Pipe out design and bake 5 min at 350F.
Assemble:
Place pate basque into ring mold. Spread chocolate cream and top with chocolate flourless cake. Place cherry jelly in center and pipe 2 rings with cherry cream. Let set up in freezer. Pour vanilla bavarian and let set in freezer until ready. Warm pectin glaze to 90F and glaze. Add garnishes.
Heather Hurlbert, executive pastry chef of the Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta since 2005, won the 2009 Pastry Chef of the Year Award from the American Culinary Federation. The competition is sponsored by Splenda, whose sugar-free sweetener was an ingredient in the winning dessert recipe.
Sugar Free Dark Chocolate, Cherry and Vanilla Bean Torte
