Desserts

Sous Vide Raspberry & Rhubarb Cakewith Meringue and Raspberry Coulis

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This sous vide cake was presented as part of a tribute to renowned chef Jacques Pepin by Cuisine Solutions’ chefs during the annual International Association of Culinary Professionals’ (IACP) conference.

Ingredients

2 lb rhubarb (approximately 7 cups), peeled
10 C raspberries
12 gelatin strips
8 eggs
2 C granulated sugar
1 C water
2 C heavy cream
½ C flour
Salt
1 package milk chocolate chips, for melting
1 package white chocolate chips, for melting

Overview

Equipment

Sous vide circulator
Sous vide pouches and vacuum sealer
Five baking pans
Wax paper
Flambé torch (optional)

Timing

Prepping time: 40 minutes / Cooking time: 1 hour, 25 minutes (excludes sous vide cooking)

Servings

8-10 servings

Directions

For the Raspberry/Rhubarb Puree:

Set the circulator to 181.4°F/83°C.
Vacuum seal five cups of the raspberries and six cups of the rhubarb separately with ¼ cup of the water in each pouch.
Cook in the water bath for three hours to extract the most flavor.

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F/176.6°C. Rehydrate the gelatin in cold water until soft, approximately 30 minutes. To prepare the batter, add five of the eggs, the flour, one cup of the granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt to a mixer and whisk to combine. Heat the bottom of the bowl slightly with a flambé torch if you have one.
Form five cake layers in the separate baking pans. Place a layer of wax paper on top of each filled pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350°F/176.6°C. Once cooked through, immediately remove the wax paper or the cake will stick as it cools.
Separate the gelatin strips and lay to dry on paper towels. Bring two cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and add a ½ cup of the granulated sugar to make a simple syrup. Stir to blend well. Chill in the refrigerator.
Remove the sous vide raspberry and rhubarb from the pouches, careful to reserve the juice for later use. Chop and blend the sous vide raspberries and rhubarb to create a purée.
Over medium heat, combine the sous vide raspberry rhubarb purée with eight of the gelatin strips. Heat to simmer while blending well. Chill in the refrigerator.
Melt the milk chocolate and white chocolate separately in a saucepan over low heat. Pour the melted milk chocolate on a cooking sheet pan. Drizzle with the white chocolate to create a design. Cool the tray in the refrigerator until the end of the cake assembly.

For the Meringue:

Add egg whites from three of the eggs, the heavy cream, the remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar, and a pinch of salt in a mixer.
Blend well until firm peaks form.

For the Coulis:

Take the reserved juices from the sous vide pouches and combine with the four remaining strips of gelatin in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat and cool in the refrigerator.
Combine the raspberry rhubarb purée and the meringue in a bowl or container to form the mousse. Reserve ¼ of the mousse for cake topping and place in the refrigerator.

To Assemble the Cake:

Place your mold on a baking tray. Lay one cake layer at the bottom of the mold.
Pour a ladleful of the simple syrup on the cake evenly. Spread on a layer of the raspberry rhubarb mousse.
Add a layer of fresh raspberries and sliced rhubarb. Spread another layer of raspberry rhubarb mousse.
Add the next layer of cake and press down firmly. Repeat steps until the last layer of cake is on the top.
Cover with another layer of raspberry rhubarb mousse. Top with the chilled coulis and spread evenly. Refrigerate the cake in the mold overnight.

To Finish the Cake:

Remove the sous vide cake and the chocolate tray from the refrigerator. Break the chocolate into large pieces with a knife.
Remove the cake from the mold, and use the remaining mousse to cover the outside of the cake. Layer the chocolate pieces around the cake. Decorate the top with remaining raspberries and other fruits.