makes
16
prep
1:20 hour
cook
25 minutes
difficulty
Ace
makes
16
serves
preparation
1:20
hour
cooking
25
minutes
difficulty
Ace
level
Ingredients
Crumble
- 100 g soft unsalted butter
- 100 g caster sugar
- 100 g plain flour
- 100 g almond meal
- 2 g salt
Base sheet
- 50 g cocoa butter
- 20 g unsalted butter
- 1 portion baked crumble (see above)
White chocolate caramel mousse
- 10 g gelatin leaves
- 180 g caster sugar
- 255 ml pouring cream
- 180 g egg yolk
- 550 g white chocolate (ivory)
- 950 ml thickened cream
Lemon glaze
- 240 g caster sugar
- 24 g pectin NH (see Note)
- 240 ml strained lemon juice
Toppings
- tropical fruits such as lychee, durian, mango, starfruit etc., trimmed to your preferred size
- edible flowers and dried rose petals
- edible gold leaf
Chilling time 2½ hours
Instructions
To make the crumble, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Place all the ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Combine until a very coarse crumb forms. Scatter over a baking tray lined with a silicon mat or baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes until golden and crunchy.
To make the base sheet, melt the cocoa butter and butter together in a saucepan over low heat. Add the crumble and stir to combine well. Roll out the mixture onto a silicon mat or baking paper lined tray until 5- mm thick, then refrigerate until firm.
Meanwhile, to make the white chocolate caramel mousse, soak the gelatin leaves in cold water for 5-6 minutes or until softened. Heat the sugar in a saucepan over high heat and cook until it forms a dark caramel. Carefully add the pouring cream and stir until the caramel is fully dissolved. Beat the egg yolks in a large bowl until well combined. Whisking continuously, add a little of the hot caramel cream and combine well. Add the remaining caramel cream, mix well and return the mixture to the pan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Squeeze the excess water out of the soaked gelatin leaves, then whisk into the caramel mixture until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and stir to melt the chocolate. If the chocolate doesn’t quite melt, you can place the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water to help. Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes or until chilled but not set.
Whisk the thickened cream until soft peaks form. Fold the cream into the chilled caramel mixture one-third at a time to keep the mixture as light as possible. Transfer to a large piping bag.
Line sixteen 6 cm x 5 cm metal rings with acetate and place them onto a silicon sheet. Using a 5 cm cutter, stamp out rounds from the crumble base and place one disc into the base of each ring. Pipe the mousse into the rings and smooth the tops with a large spatula. Freeze for at least 2 hours or until firm.
To make the lemon glaze, place 600 ml water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the sugar and pectin until completely dissolved. Return to a simmer and remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon juice. Cool slightly until barely warm.
Place a wire rack over a deep tray. Keeping the mousse cakes in the freezer, remove one at a time and de-mold, removing the acetate. Pouring from a ladle in a circular motion, cover each mousse cake with the lemon glaze. Once all the mousse cakes have been glazed, arrange the fruits on top, then decorate with edible flowers and flecks of gold leaf. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Note
• Pectin NH is typically used for glazing and napping as it sets quickly into a strong clear gel. Available from specialist food stores.
Image by Tan Zexun.
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Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
