4.16.2009

Milk Chocolate and Passion Fruit Cream Bars



When I had the idea to make these bars, I started browsing through my compilation of recipes. Then I realized that it will be three years next month that I stopped working in a professional kitchen. That thought paralyzed me momentarily and I felt like saying the same thing my mom always says "where did time go".




The passion fruit and milk chocolate cream recipes come from the last chef I worked for. He won several awards with an entremet he composed of tropical fruits, milk chocolate and caramel. It was definitely one of the most popular desserts we had and the one with most elements.

This is definitely a different version as it only contains two, passion fruit and milk chocolate cream with a base of milk chocolate sponge. I love the pairing of the two and I also applied that to the macaron filling with Pierre Herme's passion fruit and milk chocolate ganache recipe.



And the leftover mousse is also great in a mini cup. Just for when you need a little something. Have a great weekend!

81 comments:

Tartelette said...

Yum nommy :)
That's what I love about entremet cakes...they are good frozen or refrigerated...they are just good :)

Dominique said...

Mmmmm! I love the combination passion fruit and chocolate. Nice photos...

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

These bars are fabulous and so are your picture! Wonderful!

cheers,

Rosa

lise.charmel said...

looks terrific and now I am hungry!

Wicked Halo said...

this looks absolutely DELICIOUS :))) yummy yummy!

birdutmasali said...

HI.,
VERY DELICIOUS. WONDERFUL ,

Christy said...

Aran, I love it!! So simple and yet so effective! Just goes to show that the best things don't need to be complicated!! Love your white-coloured macarons too!! So perfect!!

Zoe Tattersall said...

The photography and presentation is so divine I can almost taste this!

Sere said...

Oh God!

The fact that you actually have leftover mousse amaze me! It wouldn't last long in my house. LOL

VeggieGirl said...

INCREDIBLE!!

Bea said...

Looks delicious! And so well made.

AllPurposeGirl said...

Everything looks lovely and delicious. Your photos are always so beautiful.

morgana said...

Sí que pasa rápido el tiempo, sí... ¡¡Sobre todo cuando estás haciendo algo que te gusta!!

Menuda pinta tienen estas barritas tricolor. La composición de sabores seguro que supera a la visual y ya es difícil...

Un beso.

Deeba @Passionate About Baking said...

As far as I can see Aran, you still work in a more professional kitchen than I can ever imagine...YOURS! I'm paralysed each time I see the exquisite stuff you present...SIGH! Thank you for making the dream last forever!

Anonymous said...

No recipe? :(

Aran said...

Anonymous- This is not my recipe and i am sure it is still being used by my former chef so I really cannot give it away without his permission. That is his livelihood.
Thank you!

robertopotito said...

suggestive pictures and beautiful recipe...
thanks

Hayley said...

What a lovely flavor combination. You never fail to impress.

Marta said...

Gorgeous pictures as always. I like how you drew back from you past professional experience and, as a nod to the time gone by, adapted the recipe. Very nostalgic :)

Jen said...

Your photography is wondrous. I adore the suggestion of filling petite cups with leftover mousse. No dessert waste!

prettytastycakes said...

So beautiful! The four photo montage almost looks celestial! (I see moons and stars.)

Ana said...

Y no te da la sensación que desde que tienes al niño el tiempo pasa todavía más rápido?? Es lo que a mi me pasa peor con gusto que metería la cuchara en esosmousses que parecen tan ricos...

Besos,

Sylvia said...

Wonderful combination...I love tangy flavors and chocolate.I always be amazed with your photos

Alisha said...

i inhaled quickly. what a beautiful picture to start my morning with. THANKS!

Aran said...

Ana- sobre todo desde que soy madre. Se me han pasado estos tres annos volando!

Thanks everyone!

Bertha said...

I'm always in awe of everything that you make, always such a perfection. Always excited and looking forward to visit your blog every morning (and more during the day for that matter:D) to see what's new. thank you for being such an inspiration :)

Dana Treat said...

Hi Aran - I've been following your blog for a long time and have never commented, mostly because whatever I can say has been said so many times before. Incredible styling, incredible photography, incredible recipes. Just wow! I used Kaytlyn to help me with my site and was so pleased with her. Keep up the amazing work.

anna said...

That sounds incredible! I recently discovered how fantastically chocolate and passion fruit go together and wish passion fruit weren't so prohibitively expensive where I live ($2.50 apiece at local grocery, $2 apiece at Whole Foods an hour away). Eventually I will break down and buy more so I can do something chocolatey with them.

snphan said...

i love your blog, absolutely beautiful and inspirational!

sphan

Engineer Baker said...

Wow, that just makes me jealous that I can't find passion fruit *anywhere* in Wisconsin. So beautiful, and I wouldn't mind one of those little pots of mousse for myself :)

Sugar Chef said...

Love those two flavors together and such a nice presentation and pictures. You always inspire me.

Aran said...

Dana Treat- She is great! What is your site? Couldn't find a link to it.

Anna- yes, passion fruit is very very expensive. I usually buy passion fruit puree that comes in a frozen container. That is also expensive but lasts a while and it's great for making sorbets, mousses, etc. I get it from L"Epicerie.

You can also use passion fruit puree blends but those are always mixed with grape or apple juices and tend to be very sweet which defeats the purpose of matching it with milk chocolate. It would turn out too sweet.

Engineer Baker- as I mentioned to Anna, you can order frozen passion fruit puree from L'Epicerie. Not as expensive and lasts a long time. They come in 1 kg containers.

thanks everyone!

chocolatecup said...

very beautiful pictures as usual:)

Betsy, La Vida Creations said...

Delish!!! Love the shaved chocolate details too. Fab!!

Anonymous said...

Arantzazu: Como siempre, un placer para los sentidos...Sólo espero y deseo que nos deleites estos días con tu arte. Tu madre me ha contado las ganas que tienes de comer una buenas alubias y, como ya sabes, las comerás. Pero yo te cuento que otros muchos esperamos los placeres que eres capaces de crear.
Tu tía Bego

Cakebrain said...

This blurs the line between art and food! How gorgeous!

Lizelly said...

I LOVE YOUR SITE!!! (excuse the shouting). Every time I read my blogs, I so look forward to checking yours out. The photography makes each recipe look so exquisite I can taste it. I hope to some day be able to prepare the delicious recipes you post

Ayşe said...

I wish I lived closer to you... :)

Irene said...

Mmmmm, chocolate and passionfruit! Yum!

sydney85 said...

Where can I get the recipe for the passionfruit and chocolate cake.

jodye said...

These look divine! Beautiful pictures, as always

Aran said...

Sydney- I didn't include the recipe as it is not my own recipe and i am sure it is still being used by my former chef so I really cannot give it away without his permission.

Thanks guys!

Brilynn said...

That's just gorgeous. I love how you've put everything together. It's desserts like these that I wish I could come up with.

cindy* said...

i could definitely have one of those right now...gorgeous! i love how clean the layers are and the mousses look so yummy and creamy. and those frosty little cups are just darling...i might die from too much adorable.

pastry studio said...

Totally love the combination of passion fruit and chocolate. The flavors and textures here look wonderful. Your mousse and raspberry cups are sweet!

Jen Yu said...

Oh, how I loooove passion fruit. I've never tried it with milk chocolate before, but I believe this is the second time I've seen this combination on your blog. Now you've convinced me! Beautifully done (as always)! hee hee :)

Inés said...

Aran, tu crío está de lo más comestible...sobre todo en este blog. Tengo una amiga en Hendaia que tiene un árbol de la fruta de la pasión en el jardín spectacular. Cuando vengas -si tienes tiempo -podríamos contactar para que te de una semillita y lo plantas en tu casa. Marvelous recipe again.

sooishi said...

i absolutely LOVE the first photo, very graphic!

idu said...

kriston itxura du honek! baditut passiflora landareak,,,baina momentuz, ez dute frutarik, edota antzuak dira,, ia nire hortz markak ikusten ditut pastel zati hortan

Y said...

Time DOES fly way too quickly doesn't it! But I'm sure you have been spending it extremely wisely, especially with your loved ones.

The bars look great, and I love the mini cups with the raspberries as a perfect accompaniment!

italian cooking recipes said...

The photos are amazing! I like a combination of passion fruit and chocolate too.

thecatskillkiwi said...

I am passionfruit's BIGGEST FAN, i swear!

Lori said...

So beautiful. These are the types of desserts that just make a person feel so special to eat and receive. I guess its all that work that creates such beauty!

Seanna Lea said...

This is simply stunning. I love your desserts even though I've only made the macaron at home.

Mary said...

The photos are just lovely.
Droooling.

Jason Stewart said...

hello cannelle-vanille I was wondering if you would give me a little review as i'm doing a food publication and i would like you to possibly include a link to it in your blog. you can contact me at delishflickzine@hotmail.com and you can have a look at how the publication is going to take shape at www.delishflickzine.com i would be able to give you an exclusive preview before it's published.. if you interested at all I would be really grateful.. regards, Jason Stewart, if you would like to find out more about me you can go to www.designerjase.com thankyou

Mallory Elise said...

it's mousse season!

PheMom said...

Could your photos be any more ridiculously gorgeous? Good grief! I just want to stare!

One question, which of your macaron recipes did you use for the shells? Thanks!

unconfidentialcook said...

Exquisite! And, I'm sure with a combo like that they're absolutely delicious, too.

raining sheep said...

This looks absolutely wonderful. What a beautiful treat. Did you say GANACHE! Oh my.

Aran said...

Holly- I always use the same macaron shell recipe. Sometimes I add zest or coloring or vanilla sugar instead of plain sugar but the ratios are the same. You can go to this one http://cannelle-vanille.blogspot.com/2009/01/strawberries-and-vanilla-bean.html and use regular sugar instead of vanilla sugar.

Thank you so much everyone for taking the time to comment. Have a great weekend!

Dajda said...

Oh dear, this looks delicious! I'm making a lemon tart for my brother-in-law today - the last time we met he said, "you know, I had a dream about this lemon cake you made, served with vanilla ice-cream". I've no idea if the two really go together but it's his birthday today so he'll get what he asked for! :)

deb said...

Aran, me maravilla tu blog porque a parte de volverme LOCA queriendo comérmelo todo, tienes un gusto increíble para las composiciones, los colores y la fotografía. Das mucha envidia, chica! :)
Yo tengo un anti-don con la cocina, pero si hay algo que me motiva a meterme en ella son los postres... me salen fatal, pero me hace una ilusión intentarlo...!
Los que están cerca de ti deben disfrutar como niños con tantas cosas ricas!!
Un abrazo,
D.

Julia @ Mélanger said...

These look great Aran, as always. I recently use the chocolate and passionfruit flavour combination in some macarons a couple of weeks ago. It was something else! P.S. Very jealous of how neat your cake looks. I think being able to cut a cake without messy knife residue showing is an art form in itself! ;)

Dada said...

Marvelous and yours photos are so perfect! I definitevely love the combination passion fruit-milk chocolate...thanks for this little dream

My Sweet & Saucy said...

This is gorgeous and sounds utterly delicious!

Coffee and Vanilla said...

They are looking divine!

Have a wonderful day and don't forget to check out chocolate-making kit giveaway on my site :)

Margot

FresitaBonita said...

Hi Aran.. I'm fascinated by your blog.. very nice.. love the recipes and most of all, the pictures.. can you tell me how you get such beautiful pictures..? your lighting is amazing and you have a very soft color as a background every time..
Thanks for sharing your passion..

Gis xxx

Aran said...

Gis- Thank you very much. It's hard to say. I only use natural light but I always make sure it's indirect. I have found that the best light goes between 11am and 1pm, but that's in my house of course. I keep clean backgrounds to avoid "background noise" and to focus on the subject. I do minimal processing, like contrast/brightness. And that's about it really. Knowing your light is half of the battle and... shooting manual, of course. Thanks again!

Recipe man said...

wow! what great photos
not to talk about the fact that im drooling here!

:-)

Rachel said...

good lord that looks amazing!! I'm lucky to make a successful cupcake. You are so awesome.

ybinin said...

look!


good:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XreFgJbixRw/SeYjbZcUdCI/AAAAAAAACFc/Han1T3dQ--U/s1600/Uno2-490pixels.jpg

Cakespy said...

Screw you, Mr. Softee! There's a new summer treat in town! I'm in love with these ice cream bars. Yum!

arashiela said...

Hi Aran
I am so glad to have found your blog. May I add you in my blog list. I am out of words when I saw your creation. God you are so talented and how I wish I could produce like yours.

uk chefs forum said...

These bars are stunning - love the photo and I cant wait to make them myself!

Sweet as Coco said...

This looks so amazing! I just love your blog....I stop dead in my tracks everytime I look at your photos.

Lynn HENG said...

Hi,

Your pictures is amazing...can you let me know how you stitch/post the 2nd picture (with 4 photos)??

Aran said...

Lynn- to create a diptych, you must do it in either Photoshop or equivalent application and then upload it as one photo in blogger. you cannot do it directly on blogger. thanks!

june2 said...

Would love a tutorial on how to cut cakes like this with such clean precision. I've heard to freeze it first but doesn't that change the texture, and then it 'sweats' and certainly doesn't look clean. Please show us how! Thank you.

Aran said...

June2- To get super clean lines on entremets and cakes in general, you should freeze it first or have it very cold and firm. Use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and clean the knife after each cut.

The texture doesnt cake when frozen as long as there is enough fat in the recipe. There are certain creams that do not freeze well like pastry cream, but cream based mousses freeze well.

Thank you!

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