Recipe Book Review:  Bourke Street Bakery All Things Sweet by Paul Allam and David McGuinness

I was delighted to receive a copy of Bourke Street Bakery All Things Sweet to feature here on the blog, especially as I have a rather sweet tooth!
Authors Paul Allam and David McGuinness are chefs and bakers who co-own the very successful Bourke Street Bakery empire.
They have previously released another recipe book, Bourke St Bakery Cookbook, which is an International bestseller.

Now they are back with this stunning hardcover book, which features many delicious recipes and helpful hints. 
Some of the recipes include: lamingtons, brioche, croissants, nougat, tarts and biscuits, and many more.

The images in All Things Sweet are a visual feast, and guaranteed to make you drool!

I'm glad to share with you some of the recipes that can be found in All Things Sweet:

Chocolate Brioche doughnuts

'These came about after we had a build-up of chocolate ganache from our Chocolate ganache tarts on page 154 and we were looking for a home for
it — which we found, within these beautifully moist, deep-fried brioche balls.
We are lucky that these get into our shops at all, as they only get made on
a Friday to Sunday and the office staff devour them.'

Makes 20

1 quantity Sugar brioche dough 

cottonseed oil, for deep-frying

100 g (31/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

800 g (1 lb 12 oz) Chocolate ganache 

Shape the brioche dough into 40 g (11/2 oz) balls and leave
to prove for 3 hours at 26–28°C (79–82°F).

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan to 170°C (340°F), or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden in 20 seconds.

Meanwhile, spread the sugar and cinnamon on a plate, mixing to combine.

Working in batches, fry the doughnuts for 5 minutes in total, flipping them over halfway through.

Remove the doughnuts using a slotted spoon and drain briefly on paper towel. Immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar and allow to cool.

Attach a thin nozzle to a piping (icing) bag, and use it to pierce a hole in each doughnut. Pipe about 30 g (1 oz) of chocolate ganache into each doughnut.

These doughnuts will last a day, if you don’t have children.

Sugar brioche

Makes two 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) loaves

375 g (13 oz) bakers’ flour

250 g (9 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

11/2 teaspoons salt

2 large eggs

70 ml (21/4 floz) milk

125 g (41/2 oz) unsalted butter, diced and softened

mild-flavoured oil, for brushing

Starter

125 g (41/2 oz) bakers’ flour

95 ml (31/4 floz) milk

30 g (1 oz) compressed fresh yeast

Put the starter ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Wrap the bowl with a clean tea towel and set aside in a warm place for 3 hours. 
Transfer the yeast mixture to the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the flour, sugar, salt, eggs and milk. Mix on medium speed for 8–10 minutes, or until a smooth dough is formed.
Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Add the butter to the dough and mix on low speed 
for 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes, or until the butter has been incorporated. 
Transfer the dough to a clean, greased bowl or container and cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap. 
Refrigerate overnight; this step needs to be done to set the butter in the dough, and allow the yeast to ferment. 
The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and 
set aside for 30 minutes. 
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a ball 
and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. 
Brush two 9 x 17 x 10 cm deep (31/2 x 61/2 x 4 inch) loaf (bar) tins with oil. Form each piece of dough into a loaf shape and place into the loaf tins. Set aside for 3–5 hours.
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Bake the loaves for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
The loaves will keep in a tied-up plastic bag in your bread bin for 4 days.

Chocolate Ganache tarts

'Paul’s nephew, Elijah, when he was three years old, used to scoop and lick out every morsel of the chocolate tart filling, leaving the tart shell entirely empty and perfectly clean. His birthday cake for years was a mound of these tarts. 
These tarts are so popular we couldn’t help sharing this recipe from our first book. At Bourke Street Bakery we use Belgian chocolate in these tarts. It is worth spending a little more on the highest-quality chocolate you can lay your hands on — you’ll taste the difference… or the Elijah in your life will, at least.'

Makes 20 tarts, 8 cm (31/4 inches) in size

1 quantity Sweet shortcrust pastry (see page 134)

chocolate ganache filling 
850 g (1 lb 14 oz) good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
500 ml (17 floz/2 cups) thin (pouring) cream (35% fat)

Follow the instructions on pages 135-136 to roll out the pastry and use it to line twenty 8 cm (31/4 inch) round, fluted loose-based tart tins. Rest the pastry cases in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.
Blind-bake the tart cases in a preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 20–25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
To make the filling, put the chocolate in a stainless 
steel bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring 
to the boil over high heat — this needs to happen quickly 
so the cream doesn’t evaporate and reduce in volume. 
Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon until well combined. Be careful not to create air bubbles, as these will give a pocked look 
to the top of the tarts. 
Pour the chocolate mixture into a jug, then pour it into 
the cooled blind-baked tart shells, filling them to the brim.
Allow the tarts to set at room temperature overnight 
in a plastic airtight container. 
These chocolate tarts are best not refrigerated and should be eaten within 24 hours. If you do need to keep them for longer, they can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, then brought back to room temperature to be eaten, but condensation will form on the top after refrigeration, 
which will affect their appearance. 

Custard tart

'This is a golden oldie. On road trips into the country when I was a kid we 

would always have Devonshire tea at some point, or custard tarts. 

The key to a really good old-fashioned custard tart is to make sure the custard is silky, firm and light, but still a little wobbly. After you lightly sprinkle some nutmeg on top, it’s ready to eat — taste the past and enjoy.'

Makes one 28 cm (111/4 inch) tart

melted butter, for greasing

1 quantity Sweet shortcrust pastry (see page 134)

900 ml (31 floz) thin (pouring) cream (35% fat)

150 ml (5 floz) milk

100 g (31/2 oz) caster (superfine) sugar

15 egg yolks

2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped

grated nutmeg, for sprinkling

Roll out the pastry to 4 mm (3/16 inch) thick and cut it into 

a 32 cm (121/2 inch) disc. 

Knead the excess dough back together and roll it out again to get a few smaller discs to keep in the freezer.

Place the pastry round on top of a 28 cm (111/4 inch), 3.5 cm (11/4 inch) deep tart tin, ensuring it is in the centre, and use your fingers to gently push the pastry into the 

tin, moving round the rim until all the pastry has been inserted — you should now have about 1 cm (1/2 inch) of dough hanging over the sides. Use your index finger and thumb to work your way around the edge, forcing the pastry into the tin so that little or no pastry is left protruding. Where the upright edge of the pastry meets the base, there should be a sharp angle where it has been firmly forced into the corner — this method of lining the tin is to counteract 

the pastry shrinking once baked.

Rest the pastry case in the freezer for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Blind-bake the pastry case for 20–25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Turn the oven down to 110°C (225°F), without the fan on.

Set the cooled blind-baked tart shell on a baking tray. 

Put the cream, milk, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla seeds 

in a bowl and whisk to combine, being careful not to aerate the mixture. Strain the mixture and pour into the tart shell. 

Bake for 11/2–2 hours, or until the filling is just set; halfway through baking, turn the tray around and dust the top of 

the tart with grated nutmeg. 

Cool for 1 hour before serving. The tart will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I love the layout of the book; it is set out into ten chapters, and each chapter has a lot of hints and tips to guide you through, so even if you are not a very experienced baker, you will be able to create a lovely sweet treat following Paul and David's guide. 

Bourke Street Bakery All Things Sweet is available this October though Murdoch Books. For further information on this title, head here

Please note: Images and recipes from Bourke Street Bakery: All Things Sweet by Paul Allam and David McGuinness (Murdoch Books, RPR $55.00) Photography by Alan Benson.