Pear and Milk Chocolate Petit Gateaux
Pear Compote
Ingredients:
240g pears
20g apricot jam
zest of 1/2 an orange
6g spiced rum
pinch of vanilla bean powder
30g caster sugar
1g gold gelatine leaf
Method:
Dice pear into 5mm cubes, add everything to a small saucepan except the gelatine. Cook on a medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Bloom gelatine in cold water. Strain the pear compote while it’s still warm, reserve the juices and add the bloomed gelatine to the warm juices. Divide the pear compote among 10 silicone moulds and deposit about a teaspoon of the juice to each mould. The gelatine in the juice will help hold everything together.
Place the pear in the freezer to set
Pear Vanilla Cremeux
Pear Puree
Ingredients:
200g pear
200g caster sugar
20g lemon juice
water
Pear Vanilla Cremeux
Ingredients:
175g pear puree
25g egg yolk
15g lemon juice
8g potato starch
5g vanilla extract
65g unsalted butter
Pear Puree Method:
Roughly chop the pears, add to a saucepan with the caster sugar. Cook until soft and lighly caramelised. Transfer to a blender, add lemon juice and water for consistency and blend to form a smooth fluid puree.
Pear Vanilla Cremeux Method:
Add everything to a small saucepan except the butter and grab your favourite tiny whisk. Cook over medium heat, continuously stirring with your tiny whisk. When the mixture has boiled and thickened into a smooth custard remove from heat. Emulsify the butter into the cremeux with a stick blender and pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Allow to cool to about 30C, distribute the cremeux on top of the frozen pear in the silicone moulds. Return to the freezer.
Pear Vanilla Sponge
Ingredients:
40g egg whites (a)
50g egg yolks
105g brown sugar (a)
35g caster sugar
135g almond meal
65g plain flour
4g baking powder
8g vanilla extract
112g unsalted butter - melt to 40C
150g egg whites (b)
20g brown sugar (b)
Method:
combine everything in group 1, fold through the butter, whip egg whites (b) with brown sugar (b) to a meringue, fold through carefully. Distribute 350g of mix per tray, spread evenly and bake in a fan oven at 160C for 10 minutes. Cut to the size of your silicone mould inserts.
Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients:
100g milk
100g cream (a)
20g caster sugar
40g (2) egg yolks
250g dark chocolate
200g cream (b)
Method:
Ensure your inserts are frozen solid before you start your mousse. Whip cream (b) to soft peaks and set aside in the fridge. Place chocolate in a bowl with a strainer handy and set aside on the bench while we make anglaise. Use a small saucepan, heat the milk and cream (a). In a bowl whisk together the egg yolks and sugar, pour a little hot milk into the eggs while whisking to temper. pour the egg mix into the saucepan. Heat on medium, stirring constantly with a spatula. Use a digital thermometer to heat the mix to 82C, immediately remove from heat and pour through the strainer onto your chocolate. Rest for 2 minutes then stir to make ganache. Cool ganache to about 30C then fold through the whipped cream. Transfer to a piping bag and start filling your petit gateaux moulds about 1cm with mousse. Unmould your inserts and place in each new mould with the mousse. Add more mousse, ensuring it covers the insert completely on all sides. Now place your sponge in and smooth out the moulds with an offset spatula. Return to the freezer overnight.
Milk Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients:
165g milk chocolate
60g dark chocolate
150g cream
25g glucose
Method:
Heat cream with glucose and pour over the chocolate. Sit for 2 minutes then emulsify with a stick blender. Use at 30C
Shortbread Base
Ingredients:
130g unsalted butter
80g pure icing sugar
1g salt
45g egg
215g cake flour
26g almond meal
Method:
Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and combine. add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined and forming a paste. Flatten into a rough slab, wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll out to 3-4mm thickness, cut rectangles an appropriate size for your silicone moulds. Bake at 170C for about 10 minutes. This batch expanded more than I expected in baking so I trimmed them while still hot out of the oven.