Chef Eddy Van Damne on the set of his new "Bake It” program airing on Houston CBS affiliate KHOU.2-TV.

Eddy Van Damme – renowned pastry expert, author and featured Imperial Sugar chef – will host a new baking program on KHOU-TV’s new program, “Bake It.”

The initial slate of 16 shows featuring the “Prince of Pastry” – also known as Chef Eddy – will premier in the Houston market on June 30. The program is geared to both entertain and educate viewers in the art of dessert making.

“I’ve been working on this for a few years, now,” says Chef Eddy. “And in the beginning, I wasn’t really sure why we didn’t see many baking shows on TV.

“I eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn’t because of a lack of interest from an audience standpoint, but because baking recipes can sometimes require multiple steps and make these shows difficult to put together.”

Chef Eddy’s approach is to make short work of any complexities and create a learning experience that’s fun and rewarding – for budding and veteran bakers alike.

Egg Free Chocolate Pound Cake by Chef Eddy.

The new program is based on Chef Eddy’s award-winning baking show at Houston Community College (HCC), where he has taught innovative baking techniques and recipes to culinary students for more than 18 years.

Chef Eddy says the school’s TV channel, HCCTV, trades shows with other channels around the country and his baking program is now the most traded show. HCCTV reaches more than 700,000 cable television subscribers in Houston and beyond.

“We have a unique product. We’re not into baking gimmicks or clichés,” says Chef Eddy. “We offer dessert ideas with a flair that ordinary people can make at home.”

The American and European Press named Van Damme the “Prince of Pastry.” He has won numerous awards and pastry competitions and holds five gold medals from the American Culinary Federation.

“On Baking,” a baking textbook Chef Eddy co-authored, was selected out of 4,000 culinary books and named in Sweden as the best professional cook book in the world. His extensive knowledge is sought after in the industry, where he consults for restaurants, hotels and bakeries.

TV viewers in the Houston area can find “Bake It” on KHOU-TV, Channel 11.2, on Wednesdays from
7:30 to 8:00 p.m.

See more of Chef Eddy’s baking artistry on his website at http://www.eddyvandammeusa.com/.

Apricots are superb dipped in dark chocolate with a cocoa content between 55 to 64 percent.

Apricots are superb dipped in dark chocolate with a cocoa content between 55 to 64 percent. At that cocoa content range, you can still taste the full acidic sweetness of the dried apricots. Dried apricots are fantastic in bringing out the fruity flavor notes of chocolate.

Turns out, the combination is a healthy one as well. Dried apricots are high in fiber and carotenoids, plus, as a bonus, you get the high antioxidant level of chocolate. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help protect us from cancer, heart disease and bad cholesterol.

For the recipe below, it is important to use chocolate with the correct amount of cocoa content. Between 60 and 65 percent is good. If you go higher than those numbers, nuances of the apricot coulis may get lost. You do not want to use chocolate chips, regardless of their cocoa content. The low content of cocoa butter in chocolate chips will interfere with composing a smooth and creamy chocolate crémeux.

Get started by making the crémeux and pour it in the glasses. You can do this a day ahead. To make it right, you will need a digital thermometer. If you do not have one, you will need to get one. Once prepared, place the crémeux well wrapped in the refrigerator, as chocolate products easily absorb refrigerator scents.

For the apricot coulis, select ripe apricots and puree those until very smooth. Add more sugar if needed. I recommend extra fine granulated Imperial Sugar or Dixie Crystals. For an added dimension, I like to use a splash of apricot liquor or Kirsch. You also can do this a day ahead and store in the refrigerator. The crumble is optional but very good, if you like a touch of a crunch. Find the crumble recipe in the recipe archive at “Figs with Mascarpone.” Crumbling some butter cookies also does the job.

When you are ready to serve, spoon some apricot coulis on top of the crémeux, place some apricot quarters in the glass and sprinkle with some crumble topping.

Chocolate crémeux
Yield: up to 6 servings
½ Cup (4 oz) Heavy cream 120g
1 cup (8 oz) Milk 240g
3 3 Egg yolk 3
6 Tablespoon (3 oz) Extra fine granulated sugar 90 g
6 oz (6 oz) Dark chocolate 60-65% cocoa content 180 g

1. Pay close attention to the method and temperatures or you will end up with a curdled mess!
2. Bring the cream, milk and about half of sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile in a bowl, whisk the egg yolk smooth and very rapidly whisk in the remaining sugar. Make sure no egg yolk and sugar lumps are still visible.
3. Pour a quarter of the boiling milk into the egg yolk mixture and whisk quickly. Pour the tempered egg mixture into the heated milk and on low heat stir the mixture to 183⁰F (81⁰C) while CONSTANTLY stirring using a rubber spatula. Remove from heat and pour into another bowl to stop the cooking process.
4. Add the chocolate and using an immersion blender or whisk make the mixture smooth. Pour into glasses and place covered in a refrigerator.

Apricot Coulis
Yield: up to 6 servings
6 6 Apricots, ripe 6
1/4 cup (2 oz) Extra fine granulated sugar 60 g
1-2 Tablespoon (1/2 oz -1 oz) Apricot or Kirsch Liquor 15-30 g
1 1 Passion fruit, optional 1

Combine the apricots, sugar and liquor in a pitcher and blend smooth using an immersion blender. If the apricots are meaty and refuse to come to a puree, add some orange juice or water. Once smooth add the juice and seeds if desired from a passion fruit.

Find the crumble recipe in the recipe archive at “Figs in Red Port Reduction.”

The gingerbread house, which measured two feet square at its base and three feet high, was created by Eddy Van Damme, respected pastry chef, baking author and featured Imperial Sugar chef.

Chef Eddy designed his gingerbread creation as a lighthouse positioned atop simulated rocks and ice made of rock sugar and candy – all surrounded by whimsical walruses made of marzipan. In front of the lighthouse stretched an “ice” landing strip for chocolate airplanes that looked like vintage double-deckers.

Made with Imperial Sugar, the culinary work of art was adorned with more than 200 red M&Ms and used 10 pounds of homemade rock candy and 20 pounds of homemade rock sugar. All total, this feast for the eyes weighed about 55 pounds.

Each year for the last few years, the Children’s Museum of Houston has brought families together to celebrate the season with a number of holiday activities, including gingerbread house decorating, a visit with Santa, holiday craft making and a gum drop scavenger hunt. Imperial Sugar was a “Gum Drop Sponsor” for this year’s festivities.

Imperial’s support of the museum’s activities reinforces the company’s commitment to educate and provide tools that help children become successful in their lives. “The Children’s Museum is a great outlet to help make a difference in the lives of young people,” said Hyuna Lee, brand manager for Imperial. “This was our second year and we will continue to support the Children’s Museum with activities that make sense for Imperial.”

Funds raised by the event support the Museum’s programming and exhibits, helping it achieve its mission of transforming communities through innovative, child-centered learning. Chef Eddy’s gingerbread house contributed $325 to the fundraising effort.

Nougat is a term used to describe a variety of delectable, traditional confectioneries made with sugar or honey, a wide variety of roasted nuts (except for peanuts), and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Almond nougatine slivers, dipped in a premium chocolate, fall into this category. A perfect accompaniment to espresso, they are equally fantastic when chopped in pieces and added to gelato.

While preparing this recipe, I’ve always faced one main quandary: milk or semi-sweet chocolate? A milk chocolate nougatine, to which I always add 15% dark chocolate (to enhance the cocoa), will accent the taste of the almonds, while semisweet chocolate makes the caramel notes shine. Either way, the result is always a tasty treat.

All nougatine contains similar ingredients, and are made in a comparable fashion as brittle. In my recipe, the major difference is that it contains no baking soda. In a brittle, a small amount of baking soda is used to aerate the candy and make it stand up to humidity better. The downside of baking soda is that it steals the delicate caramel and vanilla flavor notes.

This recipe for nougatine is made with Imperial Sugar, without the standard addition of corn syrup or glucose. Either dairy or cocoa butter can be used, but in my opinion, dairy butter gives an unsurpassed flavor to the nougatine, especially when paired with vanilla or orange. Using a small amount of fleur de sel is essential to balance flavor — and makes it impossible to have just one piece!

The perfect nougatine starts with the toasting of the almonds in a low temperature oven until they are golden and the almond aroma is at its peak. Trying to pseudo-toast the almonds in a frying pan is torture to the almond’s fine essence and should be avoided.

Cooking the Imperial sugar to an accurate golden caramel gives the best flavor and texture as well. Undercooked, the nougatine will be too sweet; overcooked and the caramel will be too dark and the almond flavor will be difficult to detect. Overcooked nougatine will very quickly attract moisture and become sticky before you have time to temper the chocolate and dip the nougatine slivers. (For more on tempering, please click here: http://www.eddyvandammeusa.com/2009/09/tempering-chocolate/)

Getting it all together!

The nougatine slivers will last so there is no need to make these the day of serving. However, it is important to temper chocolate and to dip the nougatine slivers completely to protect them from humidity. Store the nougatine slivers in a sealed container in a cool and dark place. Nougatine is best when rolled to the thickness of about two to three stacked credit cards.

Nougatine Recipe

1. Set aside a Silpat® and a rolling pin. If using a wooden rolling pin, butter it lightly. Not necessary if using a silicone rolling pin. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
2. In a saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil. Wash away any sugar crystals adhering to the side of the pan using a brush dipped in water. Additional water obtained in the pan from this process will not alter the final product.
3. Cook to a golden caramel without stirring! (Stirring the mixture will make the mixture crystallize before it caramelizes!) Remove from heat, immediately add the toasted almonds, vanilla bean seeds, butter and fleur de sel. Stir to combine with a heat resistant or wooden spatula.
4. Scrape the nougatine onto the Silpat®. Let sit for a few moments and then start gently rolling the nougatine into a thin sheet.
5. If the nougatine hardens before it is sufficiently thin, keep it on the Silpat® and place it in the oven to slowly soften. Press with a finger to check if it is soft enough and then roll once more.
6. When cold break into slivers. Temper chocolate of choice. Tempering chocolate can be found on this site.
7. Dip the nougatine slivers into tempered chocolate using a chocolate fork. Store airtight.

Follow Chef Eddy – click here.

Chef Eddy's Chocolate Crème Brûlée

By Chef Eddy Van Damme.

When it comes to making the very best desserts from just a few ingredients, quality counts. Lesser quality ingredients may save a few pennies, but your palate will pay the price.

Take my chocolate crème brûlée recipe, for example.

As I worked on perfecting the recipe, I made countless versions until I was able to correctly balance the flavor and consistency into a tantalizing finished presentation. The best results were obtained by using Imperial’s Redi-Measure brown sugar (conveniently premeasured in quarter-cup increments) and just a touch of coffee extract or coffee liquor.

Adding small amounts of coffee extract to enhance the flavor of chocolate is nothing new in the pastry kitchen. But it is extraordinary how brown sugar enhances and completes the chocolate flavor in this brûlée.

If you’re preparing a vanilla crème brûlée, the vanilla bean and the cream are the key ingredients that need to be of excellent quality. In the case of chocolate crème brûlée, it’s the chocolate which needs to be carefully selected. However, it is more than just chocolate that plays a role in good chocolate crème brûlée: it’s having the right chocolate.

When shopping for chocolate, you’re looking for a specialty food store that carries chocolate in a disk shape about (1 cm) in diameter, called “pistols” or “callets” by professionals. They’re made by companies such as Callebaut, Cocoa Barry and others fine chocolatiers. Excellent chocolate can also be found in block form from companies like Callebaut and Valrhona.

Chef Eddy Van Damme

Make sure you taste the chocolate to be certain you’re getting one with the right cocoa amount, which indicates the strength of the chocolate flavor. Too low of a cocoa content will give you a brûlée that’s too sweet and lacks a well-pronounced chocolate flavor. A too-high cocoa content will cause the brûlée to be bitter, and other flavor nuances may be lost.

When preparing the brûlée, you can make it the day before it’s to be served. If made two days before, it will start to become less creamy, so steer clear of preparing too far in advanced.

I often suggest removing desserts from the refrigerator an hour before serving to obtain the best texture and flavor profile. But with chocolate crème brûlée, this isn’t necessary, since the surface of the custard will be torched to obtain the brûlée or burnt surface. The heat of the torch will remove the chill from the custard.

Serving the chocolate crème brûlée with raspberry, mango or passion fruit are also fantastic choices for an extraordinary flavor explosion.

Decorate with a tempered chocolate décor. Use a pastry spatula dipped in tempered chocolate to obtain the organic shaped chocolate décor. Remember to always store tempered chocolate décor in a dark cool place away from odors.

Have fun making this fantastic chocolate crème brûlée. Bon Appetit!

Chocolate Crème Brûlée
4-6 servings
When preparing chocolate crème brûlée, mix the ingredients just enough to combine well. If over- mixed too much foam will develop on the surface. The method below of incorporating the egg yolks is especially designed to eliminate exes foam.

• 1 ½ Cups (12 oz) Heavy cream 360 g
• ½ Cup (4 oz) Milk 120 ml
• ¼ Cup (1 oz) Dark cocoa powder 30 g
• 3 oz (3 oz) Bittersweet chocolate (60%) 90 g
• 4 (4) Egg yolks 4
• ½ Cup, packed 4 oz Brown sugar 120 g
• 2 teaspoon (0.10 oz) Vanilla extract 10 ml
• Use either coffee liquor or instant coffee granules:
  • 3 Tablespoon (1.5 oz) Coffee liquor 45 ml
  • 1 Tablespoon (1 Tbsp) Instant coffee 15 ml

1. In a saucepan bring the cream and milk to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Cut the chocolate in small pieces and whisk in the mixture until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl whisk the yolks smooth. Add about a half cup of the cream –chocolate mixture and combine well. Add the brown sugar, vanilla extract and coffee liquor.
3. If the mixture shows excess foam on the surface, let it sit for 15-30 minutes.
4. Place ramekins in an oven proof dish. Fill the ramekins with the crème brûlée mixture. Pour water in the oven proof dish to meet half way up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Place in a 325F (160) until the center of the brûlée no longer trembles, about 70 minutes.
6. Let cool for several hours or overnight. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and caramelize the surface with a blow torch.

Serve with fruit or sorbet.

Read more of Chef Eddy’s fabulous recipes. Click here!