Frozen Almond Brazo De Mercedes
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!
10:50 PM
Nephew: Oh wow! This is the best tasting dessert I have ever had in a long while!
SIL: That was good! As a matter of fact, it is a tad better then the Paris Brest! (Paris Brest is what I always hope my SIL would bring during these gatherings. I love it.)
Sons: Yummy! This is so good, ma!
Husband: Thanks, honey. That was awesome!
Me: So, is this something I should make again?
Husband: Definitely! You can make it everyday!
Me: Mom, would you like me to leave some of this brazo?
MIL: Oh yes, PLEASE! That was so good!
VERDICT: It was a HIT!!!
Gotta make one again for Filipino Christmas Party.
11:45 PM
Done assembly!
11:21 PM
Cooling the meringue now...
11:00 PM
Meringue baking and the rest of the brazo in the freezer right now...
For some reason I was craving for this. And in my head I was toying with the idea of adding almonds to it...then when I went grocery shopping last Monday I impulsively grabbed a box of almond paste aside from sliced almond nuts.
I got the recipe and how-to's for the brazo itself from stef's post on the traditional brazo de mercedes log roll type. But reading the comments, I learned that the latest craze was frozen brazo de mercedes. I thought that would be an easy solution to the usual dilemma of baked meringue/egg-y/custardy goodies (which we are always afraid to be contaminated with Salmonella when out in room temp for a long while), and will allow me as well to prepare it much ahead of time (like when I prepare leche flan -- always best when chilled for at least overnight). That way, I can still make egg pie tomorrow and bring only that as freshly baked and still warm. (My MIL is addicted to my leche flan, my SIL to egg pie. My bilas loves both. I hope this new custard type of dessert will also wow them.) If it turns out superb, I might prepare this for a Filipino Christmas Party I am contemplating on having.
While photos and flavors of such frozen BDM that I saw while researching more about it were of mango flavor, which is definitely not an option for me, I had this persistent idea in my head brewing, which consisted of adding almond paste and sliced almond nuts to the filling, then chopped caramelized sugar sprinkled on top of the meringue...Sounds sinfully good to me...I hope it does turn out good. I used the vanilla because it has been a tested favorite among my family members.
Please take note of wiping the stainless steel mixing bowl with vinegar and salt then rinsing, then wiping dry, prior to placing egg whites in it. And before I started the whole process, I made caramelized sugar first.
Ingredients and How To's:
Base:
8 oz crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter (or 1/2 cup if you want this layer more intact,less crumbly)
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 gallon vanilla ice cream (approximately; I just got thin layers using a pie server to lay on top of the graham base; you may opt to put the whole gallon for a thicker layer)
Mix thoroughly the first 3 ingredients then pack at the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Top with thin layer of ice cream. Cover with cling wrap then freeze.
Filling:
1 box (7-oz) almond paste, grated, sprinkled on top of the ice cream
Custard:
10 egg yolks (the egg whites should be placed in the mixing bowl and let stand in room temp for about 30 minutes before making the meringue)
1 (14-oz) condensed milk
several drops of lemon extract (to eliminate the fishy smell)
2 capfuls of almond extract
2-oz sliced almonds, sprinkled over the custard filling.
On medium low heat (#3 or 4 on my stove), blend well and continuously stir egg yolks and condensed milk until it sticks to the back of the wooden spoon. It may look still very liquidy at this stage but after removing from the heat, it will continue to cook so keep stirring, add the lemon extract, stir well, then the almond extract.
Spread this on top of the almond paste. Place back in the freezer (The short intervals of having this out of the freezer is to prevent the ice cream from melting too much while you work on it). Proceed with meringue procedure and while baking the meringue, sprinkle the sliced almonds on top of the custard. Place back in the freezer.
Meringue:
10 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
Topping:
5 tbsp Caramelized sugar, cooled and chopped finely (The melted caramel should be poured onto a buttered baking sheet. Let harden, take off from pan, then chop in a chopper.)
As suggested by stef, since I have stainless steel mixing bowl, I wiped it first with vinegar and salt then rinsed and wiped dry with paper towel before I placed the egg whites in it.
Line the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan (10 x 15) and spray with oil on all
sides (meringue, I realized, is so sticky!). Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and start beating, low speed first then gradually increasing to highest speed. When soft peaks start to form, pour the sugar gradually and beat until it forms stiff peaks, still glossy. (You have overbeaten if it loses sheen and appears granular. This does not take too long as soon as you start slowly pouring the sugar.) Spread this onto the wax paper and level with spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes (it inflates so much!!! I felt I had to rotate because one side was way much higher than the other).
Place on a wire rack to cool completely (deflates). Sprinkle some chopped caramelized sugar on top of the meringue then place a sheet of wax paper. Cover with bigger baking sheet and flip over. Peel off the wax paper from the underside of meringue. (I goofed here; did not spray with oil the sides of the wax paper, so it was so hard to peel it off the meringue edges.)
Lift the meringue using the wax paper, folding at the middle a bit so it is easier to place on top of the base/filling. Tuck the edges under. Sprinkle the rest of the chopped caramelized sugar. Place back in the freezer.
To serve: upon getting from the freezer, while still hard, slice with butter knife. Rinse with hot water and wipe knife with every line of slice (or when some custard starts to stick to it). Optional: drizzle with maple syrup.
Will post photo of sliced brazo, then update on how it was accepted by my in-laws and family tomorrow after celebration of Thanksgiving...
 |
| From Frozen Almond Brazo De Mercedes |
10:50 PM
Nephew: Oh wow! This is the best tasting dessert I have ever had in a long while!
SIL: That was good! As a matter of fact, it is a tad better then the Paris Brest! (Paris Brest is what I always hope my SIL would bring during these gatherings. I love it.)
Sons: Yummy! This is so good, ma!
Husband: Thanks, honey. That was awesome!
Me: So, is this something I should make again?
Husband: Definitely! You can make it everyday!
Me: Mom, would you like me to leave some of this brazo?
MIL: Oh yes, PLEASE! That was so good!
VERDICT: It was a HIT!!!
Gotta make one again for Filipino Christmas Party.
11:45 PM
Done assembly!
11:21 PM
Cooling the meringue now...
11:00 PM
Meringue baking and the rest of the brazo in the freezer right now...
For some reason I was craving for this. And in my head I was toying with the idea of adding almonds to it...then when I went grocery shopping last Monday I impulsively grabbed a box of almond paste aside from sliced almond nuts.
I got the recipe and how-to's for the brazo itself from stef's post on the traditional brazo de mercedes log roll type. But reading the comments, I learned that the latest craze was frozen brazo de mercedes. I thought that would be an easy solution to the usual dilemma of baked meringue/egg-y/custardy goodies (which we are always afraid to be contaminated with Salmonella when out in room temp for a long while), and will allow me as well to prepare it much ahead of time (like when I prepare leche flan -- always best when chilled for at least overnight). That way, I can still make egg pie tomorrow and bring only that as freshly baked and still warm. (My MIL is addicted to my leche flan, my SIL to egg pie. My bilas loves both. I hope this new custard type of dessert will also wow them.) If it turns out superb, I might prepare this for a Filipino Christmas Party I am contemplating on having.
While photos and flavors of such frozen BDM that I saw while researching more about it were of mango flavor, which is definitely not an option for me, I had this persistent idea in my head brewing, which consisted of adding almond paste and sliced almond nuts to the filling, then chopped caramelized sugar sprinkled on top of the meringue...Sounds sinfully good to me...I hope it does turn out good. I used the vanilla because it has been a tested favorite among my family members.
Please take note of wiping the stainless steel mixing bowl with vinegar and salt then rinsing, then wiping dry, prior to placing egg whites in it. And before I started the whole process, I made caramelized sugar first.
Ingredients and How To's:
Base:
8 oz crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup melted butter (or 1/2 cup if you want this layer more intact,less crumbly)
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 gallon vanilla ice cream (approximately; I just got thin layers using a pie server to lay on top of the graham base; you may opt to put the whole gallon for a thicker layer)
Mix thoroughly the first 3 ingredients then pack at the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Top with thin layer of ice cream. Cover with cling wrap then freeze.
Filling:
1 box (7-oz) almond paste, grated, sprinkled on top of the ice cream
Custard:
10 egg yolks (the egg whites should be placed in the mixing bowl and let stand in room temp for about 30 minutes before making the meringue)
1 (14-oz) condensed milk
several drops of lemon extract (to eliminate the fishy smell)
2 capfuls of almond extract
2-oz sliced almonds, sprinkled over the custard filling.
On medium low heat (#3 or 4 on my stove), blend well and continuously stir egg yolks and condensed milk until it sticks to the back of the wooden spoon. It may look still very liquidy at this stage but after removing from the heat, it will continue to cook so keep stirring, add the lemon extract, stir well, then the almond extract.
Spread this on top of the almond paste. Place back in the freezer (The short intervals of having this out of the freezer is to prevent the ice cream from melting too much while you work on it). Proceed with meringue procedure and while baking the meringue, sprinkle the sliced almonds on top of the custard. Place back in the freezer.
Meringue:
10 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
Topping:
5 tbsp Caramelized sugar, cooled and chopped finely (The melted caramel should be poured onto a buttered baking sheet. Let harden, take off from pan, then chop in a chopper.)
As suggested by stef, since I have stainless steel mixing bowl, I wiped it first with vinegar and salt then rinsed and wiped dry with paper towel before I placed the egg whites in it.
Line the bottom and sides of a jelly roll pan (10 x 15) and spray with oil on all
sides (meringue, I realized, is so sticky!). Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and start beating, low speed first then gradually increasing to highest speed. When soft peaks start to form, pour the sugar gradually and beat until it forms stiff peaks, still glossy. (You have overbeaten if it loses sheen and appears granular. This does not take too long as soon as you start slowly pouring the sugar.) Spread this onto the wax paper and level with spatula. Bake for 20-25 minutes (it inflates so much!!! I felt I had to rotate because one side was way much higher than the other).
Place on a wire rack to cool completely (deflates). Sprinkle some chopped caramelized sugar on top of the meringue then place a sheet of wax paper. Cover with bigger baking sheet and flip over. Peel off the wax paper from the underside of meringue. (I goofed here; did not spray with oil the sides of the wax paper, so it was so hard to peel it off the meringue edges.)
Lift the meringue using the wax paper, folding at the middle a bit so it is easier to place on top of the base/filling. Tuck the edges under. Sprinkle the rest of the chopped caramelized sugar. Place back in the freezer.
To serve: upon getting from the freezer, while still hard, slice with butter knife. Rinse with hot water and wipe knife with every line of slice (or when some custard starts to stick to it). Optional: drizzle with maple syrup.
Will post photo of sliced brazo, then update on how it was accepted by my in-laws and family tomorrow after celebration of Thanksgiving...
yehey manangK, matagal ko na itong pinag iisipan kung paanong gawin...ngayong meron ka nang success story, puwede na mag experiment! tenkyu tenkyu
ReplyDeletestel, baka gusto mo dagdagan yung butter sa graham layer para mas solid. Tapos, yung ice cream layer ko, parang masyadong manipis. Baka gusto mo dagdagan mo...
ReplyDeletewow nice..would love to try it..what sugar did you use for the meringue? Confectioner's sugar or regular granulated sugar?tnx..
ReplyDeletemanang do you know the costing of the frozen brazo?if I'll sell it how much do you think is the acceptable price?I'm in New York,tnx..
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1,
ReplyDeleteI used the regular granulated sugar for the meringue.
Anonymous 2,
The eggs I use I get free from my mother-in-law who raises chicken layers, and eggs here probably cost much less that eggs in NY, so I cannot really say how much it would cost. I suggest you check out the grocery price there for all the ingredients, then double or triple the price to make profit when you sell them (that should cover the labor).
Good luck!
ate saan ka po nakakakuha ng almond paste? anong hitsura? meron po ba sa walmart saang section ba ito? thanks po
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteSa baking section (sa hannaford) mo hanapin yung almond paste. Tingnan mo sa slideshow yung picture. Di ko alam kung nagbebenta ang walmart...baka.
ate can i take off the almond paste?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you can...it does contribute a lot to the almond flavor. Maybe you can grind some almond nuts instead and add that to the toasted sliced nuts.
ReplyDeletethis recipe is quiet easy, ty for posting
ReplyDeletehello po... is there any substitute for the almond paste? i cant find one po kc dito sa Australia... ty
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou can use the marzipan instead. :)
-Manang K
I am so intrigued by this dessert. I had always saved the egg whites and froze them Will try this one out when I go back home, Happy holidays to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteRuth, this one uses all parts of the eggs, only separated. How about using the egg whites to make lenguas de gato?...
ReplyDeleteI made this last year and I'm making it again this year for Christmas. It's very good :)
ReplyDeleteAlso this last a good week in the freezer. I had my doubts esp on the quality of the meringue but my left over last year waited til new years to be demolished and the verdict was - it was as good as it was on Christmas day!!!!
So preparing now for Christmas day.
Haaay one less dessert dish to prepare. THANKS MANANG! This is a sure winner!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Thanks for your feedback, Ms Jill. I also have this sitting in my freezer for a week now, to be served on Christmas. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeletetry adding almond extract if paste is not available. will try it. thanks for this recipe!!!
ReplyDelete