Chestnut composed of
– chestnut mousse,
– pieces of candied chestnuts,
– hazelnut crisp,
– chocolate mirror glaze,
– sweet pastry,
– meringue pieces,
– a scoop of chestnut ice cream.
Equipment used
– Silikomart quenelle mould
– Silikomart essential mould
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Ingredients
Hazelnut crunch
✔15g white chocolate
✔25g hazelnut praline
✔10g crêpes dentelles
Hazelnut praline
✔150g hazelnuts
✔75g caster sugar
+a few candied chestnuts
+meringues
Sweet pastry
✔90g flour
✔35g sugar
✔1 pinch of salt
✔50g butter
✔1 egg yolk
✔Cocoa powder
Chestnut mousse
✔100g chestnut cream
✔150g single cream (30+120)
✔2.5g gelatine
Mirror glaze
✔35g water
✔55g caster sugar
✔10g glucose syrup
✔35g single cream
✔20g milk chocolate
✔30g white chocolate
✔4g gelatine
✔15g hazelnut praline
The recipe
Hazelnut praline
✔150g hazelnuts
✔75g caster sugar
Spread the hazelnuts on 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 baking paper and leave to cool. Place the hazelnuts, which have been rubbed to remove as much skin as possible, and the caramel, cut into pieces, in a blender and blend until you obtain praline. You will have some praline left over to use in other recipes. It keeps very well in a sealed container. Just mix it well again before use, as the oil from the hazelnuts rises to the surface.
Crunchy hazelnuts
✔15g white chocolate
✔25g hazelnut praline
✔10g crêpes dentelles
Melt the white 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 into small rectangles. These will serve as the base for your dessert. Place in the freezer until ready to assemble.
Chestnut mousse
✔100g chestnut cream
✔150g single cream (30+120)
✔2.5g gelatine
Soften the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water. Heat 30g of single cream with the chestnut cream in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the drained and softened gelatine. Mix. Set aside.
Beat the remaining 120g of very cold single cream with an electric mixer. Gently fold in the cooled mixture.
Assemble the cake.
Assembly
Fill the Silikomart Essenziale 80 mould halfway with brown mousse.
Add pieces of candied chestnut.
Fill with the remaining brown mousse. Place in the freezer overnight.
The next day, remove your desserts from the moulds. Cut off the ends. Set aside in the freezer until ready to glaze.
Mirror glaze
✔35g water
✔55g caster sugar
✔10g glucose syrup
✔35g single cream
✔20g milk chocolate
✔30g white chocolate
✔4g gelatine
✔15g hazelnut praline
Place the gelatine sheets in a large bowl of cold water.
In a fairly tall container, add 20g milk chocolate and 30g white chocolate. Melt them in the microwave.
In a saucepan, heat 155g caster sugar, 35g water and 10g glucose until it reaches a rolling boil, approximately 103°C.
Remove from the heat and add the drained and softened gelatine. Mix.
Then pour this mixture over the melted chocolate. Stir well. Finally, add the 35g of single cream (30% fat) and the praline. Use a hand blender to achieve a smooth mixture. Be careful to tilt your bowl when you dip your blender in to incorporate as little air as possible. Also, run your blender at low speed to limit the formation of bubbles.
Once the mirror glaze has cooled to 35°C, cover your desserts with it. I did not cover them completely as I then applied sweet pastry biscuit to both sides.
Sweet dough
✔90g flour
✔35g sugar
✔1 pinch of salt
✔50g butter
✔1 egg yolk
✔Cocoa powder
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Take a small amount of dough and add a little cocoa powder. Roll out between two sheets of baking paper, placing a little cocoa dough in between. Use a cookie cutter to cut your dough into brown shapes. Place on a baking tray covered with a micro-perforated baking mat, then place in the freezer for 10 minutes while you preheat your oven to 170°C. Bake between two baking mats. Leave to cool and set aside for assembly.
Place a biscuit on each side of your dessert.
I placed pieces of broken chestnuts and small edible gold leaves on top of the dessert.
Just before serving, assemble the dish. Place your dessert on the plate. Crumble the meringue over it. Just before serving, add your chestnut ice cream quenelle, which you will have previously moulded using the Silikomart quenelle mould.
