Recipe of the month
Montblanc Tart
Chestnut Mousse
- Chestnut cream imbert 110 g
- Chestnut paste imbert 110 g
- Chestnut puree imbert 160 g
- Rum 30 g
- Candied chestnut pieces 30 g
- Gelatin 4 leaves
- Cream 520 g
Mix chestnut cream, chestnut paste, chestnut puree and rum. Heat 120 g cream, add gelatin and mix together with previous mixture. Whip 400 g cream and fold into cooled previous mixture adding candied chestnuts at the end.
Orange Chocolate Crunch
- Cocoa powder 50 g
- Flour 160 g
- Salt ‘Fleur de sel’ 5 g
- Caster sugar 200 g
- Butter 141 g
- Hazelnut powder 191 g
- Dark chocolate gianduja Valhrona 251 g
- Orange zests 20g
Soften butter and add sugar, hazelnut powder, cocoa powder, flour and salt. Roll out and bake at 160°C for 30 minutes. Leave to cool and with the paddle in a mixer add the melted Gianduja.
Orange mousse with candied oranges from saint sylvestre
Orange Segments
Make orange segments. Sprinkle them lightly with muscovado sugar.
Orange Jelly Mousse
- Gelatin 8 leaves
- Caster sugar 130 g
- Orange juice 200 g
- Candied oranges 80 g
Soak gelatin. Heat a small part of orange juice with sugar and gelatin. Leave in fridge for 12 hours minimum. Whisk slowly to create a mousse texture. Add the candied orange pieces. Pour onto a tray with sides and freeze, cut small discs that will be inserted into the chestnut mousse.
Chestnut glaze
- Chestnut cream 500 g
- Condensed milk 80 g
- Gelatin 6 leaves
Soak gelatin, heat a small amount of condensed milk, add gelatin and mix with chestnut cream.
Chocolate shells
- Optucam chocolate 1 kg
Temper the chocolate, mold into sphere molds, set aside and spray with chocolate.
Chocolate spray
- Cocoa butter 100 g
- Dark chocolate 80 g
- Cocoa paste 40 g
Melt to 50°C and mix everything. Use at 35/37°C.
Finishing
Chesnut ball with cream in half spheres. In the middele add a orange mousse square, store in freezer and glaze. Make fin chocolate shells and place the bottom shell onto the crunch; place orange segments in the bottom. Place a chestnut ball in the middle and close with a shell on the top. For the decoration, a segment on the bottom and a crystalline on the shape of a tajine.

Recipe given by
Maison Guignard,
Arcachon
The idea?
The idea was to make a cake with a chocolate ball on top. So that I could play around with the restaurant/pastry shop style.
The shape?
I wanted to make a chocolate shell to change from the usual shapes. The chestnut ball brings out the gourmet side of things as well.
The flavours?
I wanted to pair orange with chestnut to bring out a fresh acidic note.
Careful
Careful to choose good quality oranges as well as the chestnut cream.