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.