Recipe of the month
Mont-blanc
Recipe for 20 petits gâteaux.
Viennois shortbread
- Butter 150 g
- Icing sugar 60 g
- Salt "fleur de sel" 2 g
- Vanilla bean 1/2 piece
- Egg whites 24 g
- Flour 180 g
Mix butter, icing sugar, salt, and scraped vanilla bean in a mixing bowl with a paddle. Gradually add egg whites and flour. Refrigerate and roll out to 2 mm thick. Cut 7 cm discs and bake on a Fiberpain® at 160°C for 12 minutes.
Hazelnut sponge
- Egg whites 50 g
- Egg yolks 60 g
- Muscovado sugar 60 g
- Honey 60 g
- Brown butter "Beurre noisette" 85 g
- Hazelnut paste (Chocolaterie de l’Opéra) 85 g
- Icing sugar 65 g
- Salt "fleur de sel" 1 g
- Flour 85 g
- Baking powder 4 g
- Vanilla bean 2 pieces
- Roasted hazelnut powder 200 g
- Egg whites 200 g
- Cream of tartar 2 g
- Brown sugar (cassonade) 30 g
Whip 50 g egg whites, yolks, muscovado sugar and honey. Fold in sifted hazelnut powder, icing sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Whip 200 g egg whites, gradually adding cream of tartar and brown sugar. Fold meringue into previous mixture and finish with brown butter and hazelnut paste. Spread onto a Silpat® into a 60 x 40 cm frame and bake at 160°C for 8 minutes in a fan forced oven. Cool on a wire rack out of the oven. Cut 3.5 x 5 cm rectangles. Set aside for assembly.
Lime meringue shells
- Egg whites 100 g
- Icing sugar 200 g
- Salt "fleur de sel" 2.5 g
- Lime zest 1 piece
Heat egg whites over a bainmarie with icing sugar to 50°C, constantly whisking. Whip to cool on mixer. Add zest and salt. Pipe 3 cm balls with a N°13 tip. Bake at 80°C for approximately 1 hour. Spray with cocoa butter to isolate for the assembly.
Chestnut paste with armagnac
- Chestnut paste 345 g
- Chestnut cream 125 g
- Vanilla bean 1 piece
- Armagnac 25 g
Mix all ingredients together on a mixer with a paddle attachement.
Blueberry compote
- Caster sugar 50 g
- Water 14 g
- Blueberry puree 22 g
- Gelatin mass 19 g
- Frozen blueberries 133 g
- Lemon juice 16 g
Cook water and sugar to 125°C, stop cooking with hot puree, add gelatin mass and finish with frozen blueberries and lemon juice.
Vanilla chantilly
- Cream 600 g
- Mascarpone 100 g
- Gelatin mass 18 g
- Vanilla bean 2 pieces
Heat 1/3 cream with sugar and vanilla bean. Cover and infuse for 15 minutes. Strain and add gelatin mass, remaining crema and mascarpone. Emulsify with a hand blender and refrigerate for 12 hours before use.
Chestnut cream
- Gelatin mass 15 g
- Chestnut cream 70 g
- Chestnut paste 140 g
- Vanilla bean 2 pieces
- Armagnac 15 g
- Whipped cream 273 g
Heat chestnut cream to 17°C and add gelatin mass melted to 40°C. Soften chestnut paste with paddle in mixer and add Armagnac. Scrape well the sides and add chestnut cream. Heat to 22°C and mix to create a smooth texture. Whip cream with scraped vanilla bean. Fold into chestnut base and use immediately.
Milk chocolate spray mixture
- Milk chocolate 600 g
- Cocoa butter 400 g
Melt ingredients together to 40°C before spraying.
Assembly
Place a 3 cm acetate strip into 6 cm rings. Line edges with a band of hazelnut sponge. Fill interior with chestnut Armagnac mousse, sprinkle with candied chestnuts. Blast freeze. Fill with blueberry compote and blast freeze. Pipe vanilla chantilly into 4 cm half sphere Flexipan® Place citrus meringue balls and blast freeze.
Finishing
Lightly spray sponge base with milk chocolate spray. Place base onto Viennois shortbread. Place a half sphere of meringue/vanilla chantilly. Place gateau onto a turn table and pipe chestnut cream. Decorate with two dark chocolate stems and logo disc. Finish with a candied chestnut and gold leaf.

Recipe given by
Lilian Bonnefoi
Pâtisserie Lilian Bonnefoi, Nice

The idea?
The idea was to rework a montblanc, a classical dessert, onto a tart shell, giving added texture.
The shape?
A tart shape, with a new technique: piping inspired by my friend, Yann Brys. In summer we change the flavours to Antibe rose.
The flavours?
A good quality chestnut paste, a wild blueberry compote which brings a slight acidic flavour, roasted piedmont hazelnut sponge and a light lemon meringue bringing a little freshness.
The technical step?
The piping: mastering the speed of the turntable like Yann Brys. The meringue: to make thin shelled meringues to bring a nice crunch to the dessert.
Careful
To make this recipe, it is important to finish the chestnut mousse every day and not to freeze the recipe.