Phase 4 — Chocolate, Custards & Confections

7.1

Crème Anglaise & Ice Cream

Crème anglaise is the mother sauce of the pastry kitchen: dairy and egg yolks cooked gently to 82°C until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Above 85°C, the yolks scramble and the sauce is lost. Churned into ice cream, the same custard produces a luxurious, scoop-able texture. The fat content (cream vs whole milk) and egg yolk ratio determine richness and resistance to ice crystal formation.

Pro Tip Use a digital thermometer. 82°C is the target — not "when it coats the spoon" (which varies with the spoon).

Crème Anglaise to Ice Cream

7.2

The Three Meringues

French meringue: raw egg whites whipped with sugar — unstable, used immediately for pavlova and baked meringue. Swiss meringue: whites and sugar heated together over a water bath to 60°C before whipping — more stable, marshmallow-like, used for Swiss buttercream and soft meringue toppings. Italian meringue: a cooked sugar syrup (121°C) poured into whipping whites — the most stable of all, heat-safe, used for macarons, soufflés, and icing. Know when to use which.

Common Mistake Any trace of egg yolk or fat in the bowl or whisk will prevent egg whites from whipping. Perfect cleanliness is non-negotiable.

The Three Meringues

8.1

The Chemistry of Cocoa Butter

Chocolate is an emulsion of cocoa particles and sugar suspended in a continuous phase of cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is polymorphic — it can crystallise into six different crystal structures (Forms I–VI). Only Form V (beta crystals) produces the glossy finish, clean snap, and smooth mouthfeel of properly tempered chocolate. Forms I–IV melt at room temperature; Form VI takes weeks to develop and produces a dry, crumbly texture.

Cocoa Butter Crystals

8.2

Tempering

Tempering creates stable Form V crystals throughout the chocolate mass. Tabliering method: melt to 50°C (all crystals destroyed), pour 2/3 onto a marble slab, work with a palette knife until it drops to 27°C (Form V crystals nucleate), then combine with the remaining warm chocolate to raise to 31–32°C for dark (29–30°C for milk, 27–28°C for white). Seeding method: melt to 50°C, add finely chopped already-tempered chocolate (Form V seeds), stir until fully incorporated at 31°C.

Pro Tip Test temper by spreading a thin smear on parchment and leaving 5 minutes at room temperature. Properly tempered chocolate sets in under 5 minutes, is glossy, and snaps cleanly.

Tempering Chocolate

8.3

Ganache

Ganache is an emulsion of chocolate and cream. The ratio determines the final texture. 1:1 (cream:chocolate) produces a pourable glaze or truffle filling at room temperature. 1:2 produces a firm truffle that can be rolled. 1:3 produces a hard, sliceable confection. Invert sugar, glucose, or butter are added to extend shelf life, improve texture, and prevent crystallisation. Salt and flavourings are added at the end.

Ganache Ratios

🏆 Phase 4 Milestone Project

The Modern Entremet (Capstone)

Build a complete, multi-component mousse cake: (1) a génoise or jaconde sponge base, (2) a crunchy feuilletine layer, (3) an inserted fruit gelée interior, (4) a perfectly set chocolate mousse body, (5) a mirror-glaze finish.

Success criteria: Each component layer is visible in cross-section. Mirror glaze is perfectly smooth, glossy, and uncracked. Mousse is set but not gelatinous. The entremet is level and has clean edges. The finished piece looks like a professional pâtisserie window.

Hands-On Practice