Icing ✔115g white fondant ✔30g glucose ✔6g cocoa powder ✔5g water
+some hazelnut and hazelnut skins
The recipe
For approx. 8-9 éclairs
Icing ✔115g white fondant ✔30g glucose ✔6g cocoa powder ✔5g water
Pour all ingredients into saucepan. Heat the fondant to 60°C in a bain-marie. Pour onto the silicone chablon placed on a tray and place in the freezer for a few hours.
Pour the hazelnuts onto a baking tray and bake at 150°C for 15 minutes. In a saucepan, pour the caster sugar and make a caramel. Pour onto a sheet of parchment paper and leave to cool. Scrub the hazelnuts to remove as much skin as possible (keep a few skins to decorate your éclairs) and place them with the chopped caramel in the bowl of a blender. Blend until praline is obtained. You’ll have some praline left over for other recipes. It keeps well in a sealed container. Just make sure you blend it again before use, as the hazelnut oil will rise to the surface.
Mix the yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and heat the milk again. Pour the hot milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Stir. Pour back into the saucepan. Stir until thickened. Add the chocolate pieces or pistoles. Mix well. Finally, add the butter, cut into pieces. Set aside in a bowl, filter and chill.
Choux pastry ✔60g water ✔60g milk ✔70g flour ✔55g butter ✔Salt ✔1 teaspoon sugar ✔2 or 3 eggs (depending on size)
+powdered sugar and cocoa butter
Heat the water, milk, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the flour all at once. Mix well to dry out the dough for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the beaten eggs gradually, mixing well between each egg.
Poach the éclairs on a baking sheet lined with a microperforated baking mat, using a fluted tip. Sprinkle with a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa butter powder. Bake at 175°C for 35 to 40 minutes (time may vary according to oven). Place a tea towel over the oven door to allow steam to escape. Cool on a wire rack.
Assembly
Remove the hazelnut praline crème pâtissière from the fridge. Loosen a little with a spatula, then fill a pastry bag fitted with a piping tip. Make two small holes under each éclair.
Garnish the eclairs with the pastry cream.
Place the fondant on each éclair.
I decorated with hazelnut skins left over from making the hazelnut praline and a few halved hazelnuts.
In a bowl mix the powders together: flour, powdered sugar, a little vanilla powder.
Add 1 egg, cream and melted butter. Mix well. Beat egg whites with electric mixer. Take a small portion of the whites and mix with the powders to loosen the mixture. Add the remaining egg whites, stirring gently with a spatula.
Pour the batter onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Smooth with an angled spatula to ensure an even layer.
Bake at 170°C for approx. 12-15 minutes.
Leave to cool, then cut out your cookie using a circular cookie cutter slightly smaller in diameter than your mould.
Vanilla cream ✔40g milk ✔40g cream ✔1 yellow ✔1g gelatine ✔8g sugar ✔Vanilla powder or vanilla pod ✔30g white chocolate
Hydrate the gelatine in very cold water. In a saucepan, heat the cream, milk and vanilla. Pour this hot liquid over the egg yolk and sugar mixture and mix well. Return to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the temperature reaches 83/84º C. Remove from the heat, stir in the gelatine and pour over the melted white chocolate. Fill the silikomart petits fours mold (15 cavities) and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
Mix praline, melted white chocolate and crumbled crêpes dentelles. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper and freeze for a few minutes. Using a cookie cutter, cut out circles smaller in diameter than your mold. Set aside in the freezer until ready to assemble.
Vanilla mousse ✔50g liquid cream ✔50g white chocolate ✔100g cold liquid cream ✔vanilla powder or vanilla bean ✔2g gelatin
In a bowl of cold water, place the gelatin leaf. In a saucepan, heat the 50g liquid cream with the vanilla pod previously scraped out with the tip of a knife, or the vanilla powder. Cover and leave to infuse for at least 20 minutes. Return the cream to the heat. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine and melted white chocolate. Remember to remove the vanilla pod. Mix and set aside. Whip the cold cream with an electric mixer. Pour in the previous mixture when its temperature is < 35°C and stir gently.
Assembly
Fill silikomart mould halfway with vanilla mousse. Add the vanilla cream insert. Top with vanilla mousse and finish with vanilla cookie and praline crunch. Freeze overnight.
The next day, unmold the desserts and immediately apply the white velvet spray. Sprinkle a little vanilla powder on top. Place in a cool place to defrost. Allow at least 2 to 3 hours.
Pour the peanuts onto a baking tray and bake at 150°C for 15 minutes. Pour the caster sugar into a saucepan and make a caramel. Pour onto a sheet of parchment paper and leave to cool. Place the peanuts and chopped caramel in the bowl of a blender and blend until praline is obtained. You’ll have some praline left over at the end of this recipe.
Mix all the ingredients, form into a pudding, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Make 4 balls and place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment.
Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake at 150°C for 8 minutes. Once out of the oven, if your cookies are not quite round, use a pastry ring with a larger diameter than your cookies and make circular movements on them.
Continue baking for at least 8 minutes. The time may vary according to the oven and the texture you wish your cookies to have, whether soft in the middle or well baked.
Once out of the oven, leave to cool on a wire rack to harden slightly.
In a first saucepan, heat the liquid cream, milk and 15g glucose syrup.
In a second saucepan, add the 25g caster sugar and 30g glucose syrup. Heat through. As soon as the caramel begins to color, remove from the heat and add the hot cream/milk mixture in batches. Stir and cook for a further few minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the butter, cut into pieces, and the peanut praline. Mix well. Fill a piping bag with the caramel and chill until ready to assemble.
Poach the caramel on the cookies.
Then poach the peanut praline.
Finally, I added a few chocolate chips and unsalted peanuts on top.
Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave. Add the crumbled crêpes dentelles and praline. Mix gently. Roll out between two sheets of baking paper and place in the freezer. Remove from the freezer and cut out with a pastry cutter the size of your mould. Place in the freezer until ready to assemble.
Orange cream (for the mousse) ✔30g caster sugar ✔50g orange juice ✔35g egg ✔60g butter ✔2g Gelatine
Place the gelatine sheet in a large bowl of cold water to soften.
Pour the egg, caster sugar and orange juice into a saucepan. Heat over a low/medium heat, stirring constantly until the cream thickens. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, cut into pieces, and the gelatine. Blend and set aside.
Orange mousse ✔130g Cremeux ✔100g mini 30% fat liquid cream
In a salad bowl, whip the very cold liquid cream into a whipped cream and gently fold into the previous cooled mixture using a maryse.
Fill the Silikomart Essential 80 mould 3/4 of the way up the sides.
Pour the egg, caster sugar and orange juice into a saucepan. Heat over a low/medium heat without stopping to stir until the cream thickens. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, cut into pieces. Mix well. Leave to cool slightly.
Fill each cavity of the mould with a little orange cream, then finish by placing a disc of crisp. Place in the freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
The next day, remove the cakes from the moulds and immediately apply the orange velvet spray all around.
Gently turn your desserts upside down. I put a white chocolate decoration on top, which I found on the annikids.com website.
Sweet cocoa paste ✔60 g soft butter ✔130 g flour ✔15g cocoa powder ✔40g sugar ✔1 pinch salt ✔1 egg yolk
+Brown velvet spray
The recipe
For 4-5 tartlets
Pear mousse (the day before) ✔120g pears ✔20g sugar ✔2g gelatine ✔90g liquid cream 30% MG
Place the gelatine in a bowl of cold water. Heat the pear purée in a saucepan and add the drained gelatine off the heat. Mix well and set aside. Whip the cream with the sugar until stiff. Stir the whipped cream into the cooled pear purée and fill the ring Klassik silicone tart mould, then place in the freezer.
Sweet cocoa paste ✔60 g soft butter ✔130 g flour ✔15g cocoa powder ✔40g sugar ✔1 pinch salt ✔1 egg yolk
Mix all the ingredients together. Roll out the dough thinly between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Line the circles. Optional, I used micro-perforated strips.
Cream the butter with the sugar. Add the almond powder and egg. Mix and then fill the base of each tartlet. Bake at 165/170°C for approximately 20 minutes. Leave to cool completely.
Caramel ✔40g sugar ✔12g butter ✔50g single cream
+ ✔70g diced pears
Melt the sugar in a saucepan. Then add the previously heated liquid cream in batches. Continue cooking for a few minutes, stirring well. Remove from the heat and finish by adding the butter, cut into pieces. Leave to cool slightly and pour the caramel into the base of the tartlets. Place the pear cubes on top, pressing down a little but not going over the edge of the tartlet.
Remove the pear mousses from the freezer, turn them out of the mould and immediately apply the brown velvet spray. Place each mousse on your tartlet. I decorated with a marzipan pear that I cut out using a pear-shaped cookie cutter.
Choux pastry ✔30g water ✔30g milk ✔35g flour ✔27g butter ✔Salt ✔1 teaspoon sugar ✔1 egg (depending on size)
Pastry cream ✔200g milk ✔30 g sugar ✔2 egg yolks ✔10 g cornstarch ✔15 g butter ✔1 capful of rum ✔90 g chestnut cream
Icing ✔55g white fondant ✔15g glucose ✔15g to 20g chestnut cream
The recipe
For 4 éclairs
Icing ✔55g white fondant ✔15g glucose ✔15g to 20g chestnut cream
Pour all the white fondant and glucose into the saucepan. Heat fondant to 60°C in double boiler. Add chestnut cream. Mix well. Pour onto a silicone tray and place in the freezer for a few hours.
Chestnut pastry cream ✔200g milk ✔30 g sugar ✔2 egg yolks ✔10 g cornflour ✔15 g butter ✔1 capful of rum ✔90 g chestnut cream
Heat the milk.
Mix the yolks, sugar and cornflour in a bowl and heat the milk again. Pour the hot milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Stir. Pour back into the pan. Stir until thickened. Add the chestnut cream and rum. Mix well. Finally, add the butter, cut into pieces. Set aside in a bowl, filter and chill.
Choux pastry ✔30g water ✔30g milk ✔35g flour ✔27g butter ✔Salt ✔1 teaspoon sugar ✔1 egg (depending on size)
+powdered sugar and cocoa butter
Heat the water, milk, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the flour mixture all at once. Mix well to dry out the dough for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the beaten eggs gradually, mixing well between each egg.
Poach the éclairs on a baking sheet lined with a microperforated baking mat, using a fluted tip and sprinkle with a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa butter powder. Bake at 175°C for 35 to 40 minutes (time may vary according to oven). Place a tea towel over the oven door to allow steam to escape, then cool on a wire rack.
Assembly
Remove the crème pâtissière from the fridge. Loosen a little with a spatula, then fill a pastry bag fitted with a pastry tip. Make two small holes under each éclair.
Fill the eclairs with the crème pâtissière. Place the fondant on each éclair. I decorated the eclairs with a little edible gold leaf and a chestnut with a chocolate shell, topped with chestnut cream.
Dip ✔260 g flour ✔5 g salt ✔25 g caster sugar ✔10 g fresh baker’s yeast ✔60 g (6 cl) cold milk ✔60 g (6 cl) cold mineral water ✔15 g cocoa powder ✔30 g Poitou Charentes PDO cold butter
+ ✔125 g Lescure or PDO tourage butter
✔Chocolate sticks
Cocoa tempera ✔90 g pre-made pastry ✔7.5 g unsweetened cocoa powder ✔9 g mineral water
The syrup ✔30g water ✔30g sugar
The recipe
For 5 chocolatines or pains au chocolat 100% chocolate
Combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, butter, cocoa powder, water and milk in the bowl of a food processor. Blend for around ten minutes. Work the dough a little by hand. Take 90g to make the cocoa mixture.
Place in a bowl, filter and leave to grow for 45 minutes at room temperature.
Cocoa tempera ✔90 g pre-made pastry ✔7.5 g unsweetened cocoa powder ✔9 g mineral water
Mix the cocoa powder with the water in the bowl of a food processor to make a paste. Add the 90g of dough taken previously. Knead for 4-5 minutes. Shape into a square, wrap and chill overnight.
After 45 minutes, degas the dough and flatten it with your hands to form a rectangle. Place in a cool place to firm up.
Soften the 125g of butter and form into a rectangle (1/2 the size of the pastry). If you don’t have tourage butter, you can use AOP Poitou Charentes butter.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry into a rectangle and place the butter in the middle. The butter should be at a temperature of between 12 and 15°C and the tempera at between 6 and 8°C. Cover both ends of the pastry with the butter, without overlapping.
Roll out the pastry into a long rectangle and turn twice. Place in a cool place, covered with cling film, for at least 1 hour.
Tour double
Carry out a single turn and place in a cool place, filmed, for at least 30 minutes.
Tour simple
You can make a 2nd simple turn if you want more puff pastry or go straight on to shaping your loaves.
Shaping the loaves
The next day, roll out the black pastry to the same size as the cocoa pastry. Brush the cocoa dough with water and place the black dough on top. Cover with film and chill for at least 45 minutes.
Roll out the pastry into a large rectangle. Cut 7.5 x 20 cm strips from the rectangle.
Turn the pastry over, cocoa side down. The pastry needs to be very cold before you turn it out, so don’t hesitate to chill it again. On each rectangle, make very shallow cuts on the black part using a cutter, leaving a 5 mm margin around the edges. Turn the pastry over.
Place 2 or 3 chocolate sticks on each rectangle of pastry and roll out the pains au chocolat, but do not roll the pastry too tightly.
Place on a baking tray lined with silpatain or baking paper.
Leave to rise for 2 hours at room temperature
Bake at 170°C for around 20-25 minutes.
The syrup ✔30g water ✔30g sugar
Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a saucepan. Place your pastries on a wire rack and apply hot to the pains au chocolat or chocolatines as soon as they come out of the oven using a brush.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, adding the sugar gradually. Then add the egg yolks. Mix gently with a spatula.
Sift in the flour. Mix again. Fill a piping bag fitted with a plain tip. Pipe the sponge biscuits onto a sheet of baking paper and dust with icing sugar. Bake at 180°C for 8 to 10 minutes. Leave the biscuit to cool and place in the bottom of your rectangular tin.
Syrup ✔15g water ✔15g sugar ✔A little alcohol
In a saucepan, add the water, sugar and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and add a little alcohol. Brush the top of your biscuit with the syrup.
Place the gelatine leaves in a large bowl of cold water for around ten minutes. Pour the milk into a small bowl and heat in the microwave. Add the softened and wrung-out gelatine. Mix and set aside. Separate the egg whites from the yolks in two bowls. Beat the yolks with the mascarpone and half the sugar (40g) using an electric mixer. Add the milk and gelatine mixture. Mix well and set aside.
In the second bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer, gradually adding the remaining 40g sugar. Gently fold the egg whites into the mascarpone cream.
Pour the 180g of diced strawberries and raspberries into a saucepan. I used frozen fruit this time of year. Heat over a low/medium heat for a few minutes, stirring a little. Increase the heat and as soon as it starts to boil, add the sugar and pectin mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
Assembly
Pour half of the mascarpone cream over the biscuit, pushing it up to the edges. Add the red fruit compote. Top up again with more mascarpone cream. Smooth to the level of the frame. Place in the freezer overnight.
The next day, remove the frame and apply the white velvet spray over the entire surface.
I decorated with chocolate hearts. The small hearts were bought from annikids.com in the chocolate cake decoration category. For the large heart, I melted some white chocolate and added some colouring. I then poured it into a cavity in the silikomart heart mould.
In a bowl, mix the whole egg with the sugar. Add the almond powder, flour and melted butter. Mix well. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer. Gently fold into the mixture using a pastry blender. Pour the biscuit dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake the biscuit for around ten minutes at 180°C. The biscuit should come out golden brown. Take the biscuit out of the oven and leave to cool completely before cutting it out with a cookie cutter to fit the diameter of your tin.
Cut 100g of diced strawberries into very small cubes. Pour the diced strawberries into a saucepan and heat over a low heat for a few minutes. Mix the caster sugar and NH pectin in a small bowl. Increase the heat and pour this mixture over the strawberries and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Set the compote aside until ready to assemble.
Place the gelatine in a bowl of cold water. In a saucepan, heat the mixed strawberries with the caster sugar. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine, previously softened in a bowl of cold water and squeezed dry. Set aside to cool.
Whip the cold cream with an electric mixer and gently fold into the previous mixture.
Assemble quickly.
Assembly
Half fill the silikomart heart mould with strawberry mousse. Add the strawberry compote in the middle. Top with a little mousse and finish with the biscuit. Place in the freezer overnight.
The next day, remove the frozen hearts from the moulds and immediately apply the red velvet spray to half the heart.
Mirror icing ✔40g liquid cream ✔45g white chocolate ✔45g glucose ✔45g sugar ✔25g water ✔4g gelatine ✔Red colouring
Place the gelatine sheets in a large bowl of cold water. In a saucepan, heat the sugar, water and glucose to 110°C. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine, wrung out and softened. Pour this mixture over the melted white chocolate. Stir well. Add the liquid cream and red colouring. Use a Bamix hand blender without a bell at the end to avoid air bubbles and ensure a smooth mixture.
Place your entremets on a wire rack and apply the icing when it is around 35°C to half of the hearts, the part not covered with red velvet spray.
I put little leaves of edible gold at the junction between the velvet spray and the mirror icing.