Maria Selyanina is a world-class confectioner. Being from Russia, she proved by her own example that nothing is impossible if you are sincerely passionate about what you do.
All the stages of her formation, learning difficulties and first successes can be found in detail from her live journal, but in this article we will describe everything briefly and, of course, give a recipe from the chef.
How, where?
Maria always loved to cook, but did not consider the process of creating food as something more than a hobby. Yes, she easily mastered new recipes, made successful adjustments on a whim, set tables for guests, but when asked why not open her own establishment, she reacted with a bewildered smile. Moreover, pedagogical education opened up completely different horizons for development. However, fate decreed otherwise.
Maria moved to Barcelona, got married and began to develop a business opened with her husband. In parallel with this, she returned to an old hobby and discovered that it was confectionery that interested her most of all. She started baking to order. At the same time, Maria Selyanina led LiveJournal, in which she recorded all herachievements.
Universities and current activities of Maria Selyanina
The opening of the Le Cordon Bleu school in Barcelona became a fateful event in the life of the future confectioner. Having made up her mind, Maria took a tangible amount from the family budget and went to study. After that, professional excellence began to grow exponentially - an internship at the best confectionery in Barcelona, courses, schools, master classes …
In a short period of time, the Selyanina turned from self-taught into a master who is listened to. Behind all this lies endless work and self-confidence, because success does not come just like that.
Maria Selyanina. School in Barcelona
The idea of teaching came to her spontaneously. In her LiveJournal, she asked readers how interested they would be in an online learning school. To her surprise, many responded enthusiastically. At first, classes were held via the Internet, after which a suitable room was found, equipment was purchased and, with the feasible participation of newly acquired acquaintances in the professional field, a school of confectionery craftsmanship by Maria Selyanina was opened.
The project turned out to be incredibly successful - groups were recruited and graduated one after another, many students found their calling and got a strong start. The online school continues to operate. In the near future, a personal confectionery is to open at the school, where everyone can purchase finished products.
Maria Selyanina, whose cake recipes you will find in this article, turned out to be not onlyprofessional confectioner, but also released new masters into the world, which we will hear about.
Tenderness itself - cake "Unai" from Maria Selyanina
Very personal and multifaceted work of the master. We recommend finding violet syrup - blueberries get a completely different taste with it. For a cake with a diameter of 20 cm, you will need the following products:
biscuit:
- almond flour - 68 grams;
- wheat flour - 15 grams;
- powdered sugar - 68 grams;
- eggs - 2 small;
- egg whites - 2;
- sugar - 8 grams;
- butter - 10 grams.
Blueberry jam:
- sugar - 30 grams;
- blueberry puree - 210 grams;
- violet syrup - 60 grams;
- violet essence (if any) - 1 drop;
- pectin - 3 grams.
Syrup:
- water - 120 grams;
- violet syrup - 30 grams;
- sugar - 60 grams;
- violet essence (if any) - 1 drop.
Mousse:
- milk - 120 grams;
- violet syrup - 30 grams;
- sugar I - 30 grams;
- egg yolks - 3 pieces;
- white chocolate - 150 grams;
- cream with a fat content of at least 33% - 150 grams;
- violet essence (if any) - 2 drops;
- water - 60 grams;
- sheet gelatin - 6 grams;
- sugar II - 120 grams;
- egg white - 60 grams.
Glaze:
- milk - 75 grams;
- cream with a fat content of at least 33% - 75 grams;
- white chocolate - 90 grams;
- gelatin - 5 grams.
Recipe
First of all, make blueberry confiture. Maria Selyanina recommends leaving it sour enough to nicely set off the creamy sweetness of the mousse.
Mix berry puree with violet syrup and half sugar, heat to 40 C.
Mix the remaining sugar with pectin.
Once the blueberry mass reaches the desired temperature, stir in the sugar and pectin and bring the mass to a boil.
Simmer for 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.
Stir in the essence, transfer to an airtight container and cool completely. This confiture can be stored in a cool place for up to 4 days.
For syrup, mix water with sugar, bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add violet syrup and essence.
Now get on with the biscuit.
To do this, preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Mix flour, almond flour and powdered sugar, sift into a bowl. Maria Selyanina recommends using a coarse sieve.
Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl to stiff peaks, set aside.
Add eggs to flour mixture and beat thoroughly for at least 7 minutes.
Melt butter.
Add part of the almond dough to the hot oil, stir thoroughly. Combine both mixtures, kneading from the bottom up.
Add pre-whipped whites to the main dough, mix gently, keeping the mass airy.
Put the dough on a baking sheet in the shaperectangle with sides 3838 cm. Carefully smooth out so that the thickness of the layer is the same everywhere.
Place the baking sheet with the dough in the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes (depending on the oven). The finished biscuit should be ruddy and flexible.
Remove the biscuit from the paper and cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut out 2 circles with a diameter of 18 cm from the finished cake.
For mousse, first of all, you need to make Italian meringue.
Mix water and sugar II, bring to 117˚C while beating egg whites to stiff peaks.
Immediately pour the boiling syrup into the egg whites while continuing to beat.
Do not turn off the mixer until the mass has completely cooled down. Set aside 150 grams of meringue - you won't need the rest, but Maria doesn't recommend doing less as it will be harder to get the right consistency.
Soak gelatine in cold water.
Whip cream to soft peaks, add violet essence.
Mix the milk with half the sugar I, bring to a boil. In parallel, mix the rest of the sugar with the yolks.
Remove the boiling milk from the heat and only after that add the violet syrup. Maria Selyanina strongly recommends that you follow this sequence of actions, otherwise the milk will curdle.
Pour the milk with syrup into the yolks, stirring constantly. Put the mass back on the fire and bring it to 82˚С.
Remove from heat, add white chocolate cut into small pieces and squeezed gelatin. Thoroughly mix the mass until smooth. Cool to 37˚C.
Stir half of the reserved meringue into the chocolate-violet mixture, mixing well.
Add whipped cream, smooth again.
Add the remaining meringue to the mousse mass, knead again by hand, keeping the mass light.
You can start assembling the creamy blueberry dessert offered by Maria Selyanina. The cake is assembled in a 20 cm diameter mold.
Put the first biscuit on the bottom of the mold, soak with syrup. Wait 5 minutes and re-saturate.
Beat the confiture at low speed of the mixer to give it a softer consistency, then transfer to a pastry bag.
Spread half of the jam evenly on top of the sponge cake.
Pour the mousse into a second piping bag.
Fill the space between the sides of the mold and the biscuit with mousse, then lay the mousse in a 1 cm thick layer on top of the jam. Place the mold in the freezer for 7-8 minutes for the mousse to set.
Put the second biscuit on top of the frozen mousse, repeat all operations: impregnation, confiture, mousse. Smooth out the mousse thoroughly.
Put the cake pan in the freezer for 4-5 hours to cool completely.
The Unai cake is almost ready, which Maria Selyanina invites you to cook. Glaze is the final touch that will give it the necessary gloss.
Soak the gelatine in cold water.
White chocolate soften in a water bath.
Mix milk and cream, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Add white chocolate, stir untilhomogeneity. Add squeezed gelatin and mix again.
When kneading the icing, move the spatula in one direction - this minimizes air ingress.
If bubbles appear on the surface of the glaze, then tap the container with the glaze on the countertop - thanks to this measure, the air will come out. Bring glaze to 40˚C.
Release the cooled cake from the mold and place on the wire rack.
Evenly pour the frosting over the cake, do not level it - it should spread on its own.
Let the frosting set and decorate the cake as you like - Maria used macaroons, violet flowers and fresh blueberries for this.
The confectioner didn't mention this, but we personally recommend trying this cake as well, replacing blueberries with raspberries and violets with rose.
Maria Selyanina: French classic recipes. Choux pastry
Maria herself admits that she loves choux pastry for its versatility, as it forms the basis of eclairs, choux, Saint Honore and croquembush and many other products. However, choux pastry is not amenable to many - the products do not rise or fall, dry out or tear. According to the recipe that the confectioner gave, choux pastry will turn out for everyone and always. Take:
- water - 200 grams;
- butter - 80 grams;
- sugar - 4 grams;
- s alt - 4 grams;
- flour - 120 grams;
- eggs - 4 pieces.
Cooking?
Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Preheat oven to 260 C.
Put water, sugar,s alt and butter, cut into small cubes, and put it on a small fire. You need to get the butter to dissolve in the dough before the liquid begins to boil.
As soon as the oil and water boil, add all the flour at once, mix thoroughly until smooth.
Dry the dough on fire for 1.5 minutes - this is necessary so that during the final mixing it absorbs more eggs - the quality and volume of voids inside the eclair depend on this.
The dough can be removed from the heat when it begins to roll into a ball, and a small crust appears on the bottom of the stewpan.
Pour the eggs into a bowl, mix thoroughly with a whisk and strain the resulting melange - thanks to this, the dough will turn out homogeneous and will not tear.
Slowly add melange to the dough, kneading thoroughly each time and controlling the consistency. By adding the rest of the melange, you should get a beautiful glossy dough that falls heavily from the spatula, and does not pour.
Put the dough into a pastry bag and squeeze it out onto baking paper. For better air circulation, products are placed in a checkerboard pattern.
Place the baking sheet with the eclairs in the oven and turn it on for 10 minutes.
After that, set the temperature to 170˚C and, without opening the oven, bake for another 35 minutes.
Finished products are intense golden color and dryish.
Cool completely and fill with cream to taste.
Result
Confectionery is incredibly popular today - masters offering a variety oftreats are getting bigger. Many manage to create their own business without leaving their home kitchen. Maria Selyanina, whose cake and pastries we tried to bake with you today, gives people an incentive to develop, instills the joy of creation.
