Chef Sébastien Thieffine is currently the Executive Pastry Chef at The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples. Chef Thieffine brings more than 20 years of diverse experience in pastry arts to the resorts, from serving as the Executive Pastry Chef at luxury resorts, to most recently serving as Chef Instructor at the French Pastry School at the City College of Chicago. Prior to becoming a Chef Instructor, Chef Thieffine served as Executive Pastry Chef at The Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach and before that held pastry chef positions at The Ritz-Carlton hotels in Philadelphia and Kapalua, and Le Meridian in Boston.

A native of France, Chef Thieffine began his apprenticeship at the age of 15 in the pastry kitchens of Soissons and Reims. His studies included both the technical and artistic aspects of his craft, confirming his love for the pastry arts. After earning his Brevet de Maitrise specializing in pastry arts, chocolate and ice cream, he joined Restaurant Marius in Paris and trained with Chef Jean Pierre Vigato at the two star Michelin Apicius, and Chef Gerard Faucher at the acclaimed Faucher. Most recently Chef Thieffine served as an assistant for Master Pastry Chef Sebastian Canonne at The World Pastry Forum in Las Vegas. He has also appeared in numerous local and national publications, and on the Food Network’s “Follow that Food.”

Chef Thieffine's Recipe:
Gateau au Chocolat

Chocolate Biscuit
200 g / 7.1 oz Egg Yolks
100 g / 3.5 oz Whole Eggs
50 g / 1.8 oz Trimoline
75 g / 2.3 oz Sugar
100 g / 3.5 oz All Purpose Flour
50 g / 1.8 oz #31301 Felchlin-Swiss Cocoa Powder
50 g / 1.8 oz Butter
50 g / 1.8 oz Cocoa Paste
250 g / 8.8 oz Egg Whites
100 g / 3.5 oz Sugar
3 g / 0.1 oz Salt

Chocolate Cremeux
250 g / 8.8 oz Whole Milk
50 g / 1.8 oz Trimoline
180 g / 6.3 oz Egg Yolks
280 g / 9.9 oz #31101 Felchlin-Swiss Arriba 72% Dark Couverture
280 g / 9.9 oz Whipped Cream

Crunchy Sable
340 g / 12 oz Sugar
340 g / 12 oz Butter
3 g / 0.1 oz Salt
2 ea #90071T Vanilla Beans
60 g / 2.1 oz Sliced Almonds
290 g / 10.2 Crushed Hazelnuts
70 g / 2.5 oz All Purpose Flour

Pâte A Bombe
225 g / 7.9 oz Egg Yolks
225 g / 7.9 oz Water
75 g / 2.6 oz Milk Powder
50 g / 1.8 oz Glucose

Chocolate Mousse
500 g / 17.6 oz Pâte a Bombe
600 g / 21.2 oz #31101 Felchlin-Swiss Arriba 72% Dark Couverture
800 g / 28.2 oz Whipped Cream

Preparation
Chocolate Biscuit
Place the whole egg, yolk, Trimoline, and sugar (75g) in a mixing bowl and whisk until pale.

While yolk mix is rising, sift the all purpose flour and cocoa powder together.

Melt butter and cocoa paste and mix together well. Make sure the mixture is sufficiently warm to avoid the mix from seizing when incorporated into the egg mixtures.

Place the egg whites, salt, and approximately 20 grams of the 100 remaining grams of sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk on medium speed. Once whites begin to ribbon gradually add the remaining sugar. Stop the mixer once the meringue has reached stiff peak stage.

To begin incorporating components: Fold 1/4 of meringue into chocolate/butter mix. Before completely incorporated, fold in 1/4 of yolk mix.

Fold the pastry flour/cocoa powder into the yolk mix. Before the dry ingredients are fully incorporated fold in the meringue and finally the cocoa paste mix.

Once incorporated pipe into rectangle molds. Fill approximately 1/3 of the way.

Bake at 390°F deck for 25 minutes. Once baked and cool cut biscuit into 5 mm layers.

Chocolate Cremeux
Place milk, Trimoline, and yolks in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until it thickens.

Place Chocolate in a mixing bowl.

Once Yolk mixture is poached pass thorough a chinois over the chocolate.

Whisk Yolk mixture and Chocolate together (method similar to ganache). When Chocolate mixture has reached 28°C fold in the whipped cream.

Crunchy Sable
Place butter in mixing bowl and mix with paddle on medium speed until a pomade texture is reached.

Add the sugar and then add the vanilla seeds. Add the flour. Mix well.

Finally add the Almonds and Hazelnuts.

Pipe into flexipan molds or sheet out to appropriate height (7mm) and the freeze. Once frozen place in deck oven to bake at 310°F.

Pâte A Bombe
Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan and mix well/continuously. Cook to approximately 180°F. Once at the appropriate temperature transfer mixture into a mixing bowl and whisk cool @ medium speed.

Chocolate Mousse
Make sure that the chocolate has been melted and is at 120°F. Whisk 400 g of whipped cream in with chocolate and whisk 400 g of whipped cream in with the Pâte a Bombe. Then fold the chocolate and the Pâte a Bombe together.

Setting
Line sheet pan and rectangle mold with acetate.

Once Chocolate Mousse is made, pipe into rectangle mold. Next place the layer of Chocolate Biscuit.

Pipe the chocolate cremeux.

Next place the layer of Chocolate Biscuit. On top of the biscuit pipe a bit of chocolate mousse and spread the mousse thin (this will help hold the sable base in place).

Freeze, unmold, and spray with Chocolate spray or glaze.

© Copyright 2012 SCFF, LLC (trading as Swiss Chalet Fine Foods).