Ischlers Recipes

ISCHLER - THE EMPEROR OF COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate. In a mixer fitted with paddle, beat the butter with the powdered sugar until creamy. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat until incorporated. Add the melted chocolate and continue to beat until incorporated. Add the flour and beat until uniform dough forms. Shape the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 325° convection bake (350° regular bake). Place the dough on work surface dusted with flour and roll it out to a 1/4-inch-thick round. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a small round cookie cutter (I use 1-inch or quarter-size cutters), stamp out the cookies and arrange them one inch apart on the baking sheets.
• Bake for about 12-14 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
• Prepare the cream: In a medium size saucepan, mix the granulated sugar with 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir in the chocolate. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to boil to make syrup. (Occasionally remove the sugar from the edges of the pan with spatula so that crystals do not form.) Once the syrup reaches the soft ball stage (about 235F) remove from the heat and add the butter. Continue to stir until the butter is fully incorporated. Put the cream into the refrigerator for about 3-4 hours until completely cool and creamy. (You might have to occasionally stir the cream to prevent the crystals from forming on the top.)
• Once the cream has cooled and firmed in the refrigerator, transfer it to a mixer and beat until it becomes light and fluffy.
• Take a cookie round at a time, spread the cream on it and top with another cookie round. (At this point, when all sandwiches are constructed, you may want to put them in a tin and send them to the fridge for about two hours, the cream will firm up and the cookies will be easier to glaze.)
• Prepare the chocolate glaze. In a small saucepan melt the chocolate with five to six tablespoons of water over low heat. When all the chocolate has melted, mix well, add the butter and continue to simmer until the glaze is uniform, thick and shiny. Remove from the stove and let it cool for about a minute or two.
• Dip the cookie sandwiches into the glaze (one side only), and leave on work surface until the chocolate glaze sets hard (about 2 hours). When the glaze has hardened completely, place the cookies into a tin box with a tight lid, and store in a cool dry place for at least one day before serving.
• If you are storing the cookies in the fridge - make sure you take them out about two hours before serving.

THE ISCHLER

Steps:

• Grate almonds using nut grater.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with flat beater, beat almonds, powdered sugar, and butter until fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add egg and vanilla; beat until blended.
• Whisk together flour and salt. On low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture. Mix until incorporated and dough begins to come away from sides of bowl.
• Scrape mixture into a plastic bag and press it together. Remove dough from bag and transfer to a large sheet of plastic wrap. Use the edges of the wrap to knead dough until smooth.
• Divide dough into quarters. Wrap with plastic and flatten into disks. Place in freezer bag. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.
• In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, soak dried apricots in 2 cups water for 2 hours. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes on the lowest heat until apricots are very soft. If water evaporates, add a little extra.
• In a food processor, pulse apricots and liquid with sugar, lemon zest, and brandy.
• Return mixture to saucepan and simmer, stirring, 10-15 minutes, until deep orange and thick.
• Transfer to a bowl; let cool. (You will need only about 2/3 cup, but the leftover will keep almost indefinitely when refrigerated.)
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Set 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour dough and re-cover it with plastic wrap. Let dough soften until malleable, about 10 minutes. Roll 1/8" thick, adding more flour if necessary to keep dough from sticking.
• Cut out 20 cookies. Place 1/2" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Set aside scraps; cover with plastic wrap.) Bake cookies 4 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet then continue baking for 2-6 minutes, or until edges brown.
• Let cookies cool on a wire rack.
• Repeat process with remaining dough disks. (After the last batch is cut, you can knead together all the scraps and repeat chilling, rerolling, and cutting.)
• Heat chocolate in a bowl set over hot water (not touching), stirring with a silicone spatula, until almost completely melted. Remove from heat and stir until fully melted.
• Add cream; stir until smooth. (The mixture should drop thickly from the spatula. If the ganache thickens before it's used, reheat in the microwave in 3-second bursts.) Set aside.
• Spread bottoms of half of the cookies with a thin layer of apricot filling. Spread bottoms of the remaining cookies with a slightly thicker ganache layer. Set the chocolate cookies, coated side down, on the apricot cookies. Let sit for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• Store airtight at room temperature, 5 days; frozen, 6 months.