I’ve now recovered from the festive season and from that avalanche of Yule logs I made (I couldn’t publish everything… see you next year for brand-new Yule log recipes).
Today I’m revealing the recipe for a very gentle pineapple and vanilla entremets, full of flavour, which I made for the “Tarts and entremets” competition organised by my favourite shop Zôdio on 21 October.
A dessert that won me 2nd place in the competition. According to the jury, it lacked a bit of zing. That’s actually why I renamed it “Douceur des îles” ????
I’d like to thank Julien for his help (we discussed the structure of the dessert together and I drew heavily on a few of his recipes: the streusel, the soft sponge, the Ivoire mousse…)
Ingredients & preparation
8 components · Full recipe
Yellow Mirror Glaze
can be made in advance
Ingredients
- 75 g (2.6 oz) water
- 150 g (5.3 oz) sugar
- 150 g (5.3 oz) glucose
- 100 g (3.5 oz) unsweetened condensed milk
- 150 g (5.3 oz) white chocolate
- 10 g (0.4 oz) powdered gelatine
- 60 g (2.1 oz) water (to bloom the gelatine)
- yellow food colouring
Method
1
Ideally, make the glaze the day before (or in advance) and reheat in the microwave before use.
2
Bloom the gelatine in the water.
3
In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar and glucose and heat to 103°C / 217°F.
4
Meanwhile, in a tall jug, place the white chocolate cut into pieces, the unsweetened condensed milk, the bloomed gelatine and the yellow food colouring.
5
When the water/sugar/glucose mixture reaches 103°C / 217°F, pour it into the jug and blend with a stick blender until smooth — be careful not to incorporate air, which would create unsightly bubbles.
6
If needed, pass the glaze through a fine-mesh sieve and refrigerate.
Streusel
Ingredients
- 40 g (1.4 oz) butter
- 40 g (1.4 oz) light brown sugar
- 50 g (1.8 oz) ground almonds
- 40 g (1.4 oz) flour
- a pinch of fleur de sel
- zest of half a lime
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 160°C / 325°F fan.
2
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
3
Press the dough to a thickness of 3–4 mm and cut out a 16 cm (6.3 in) circle.
4
Bake for 15 minutes.
5
While the streusel is baking, prepare the almond sponge.
Almond Sponge
Ingredients
- 22 g (0.8 oz) whole eggs
- 9 g (0.3 oz) egg yolks
- 25 g (0.9 oz) caster sugar
- 37 g (1.3 oz) ground almonds
- 9 g (0.3 oz) flour
- zest of half a lime
- 20 g (0.7 oz) melted butter, lukewarm
- 40 g (1.4 oz) egg whites
- 30 g (1.1 oz) sugar
Method
1
Melt the butter.
2
In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar together.
3
Add the sifted dry ingredients (ground almonds and flour), the lime zest and the lukewarm melted butter.
4
Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks (ideally at room temperature). Add the sugar in 3 additions.
5
Gently fold one third of this meringue into the first mixture (note: the other two thirds will not be used).
6
Once the streusel has been baking for 15 minutes, pour 100 g (3.5 oz) of the batter on top. Spread evenly with an offset spatula and bake at 160°C / 325°F fan for a further 15–20 minutes.
7
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the ring.
Caramelised Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1 pineapple
- 80 g (2.8 oz) caster sugar
- dark rum
- 1 vanilla pod
Method
1
Cut the pineapple into small dice.
2
In a frying pan, make a dry caramel. Add the scraped vanilla pod and seeds, then the pineapple and the rum.
3
Wait for the juices to come to the boil, then stir occasionally until the caramel has fully dissolved and the pineapple is well caramelised.
4
Pour the caramelised pineapple over the sponge and press down firmly with the back of a spoon to pack it in evenly.
5
Set aside at room temperature.
Pineapple Crémeux
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) pineapple purée
- 37 g (1.3 oz) egg yolks
- 50 g (1.8 oz) whole eggs
- 30 g (1.1 oz) sugar
- 1.5 g (0.1 oz) gelatine
- 60 g (2.1 oz) butter
Method
1
Soak the gelatine in cold water.
2
In a saucepan, combine the pineapple purée, eggs and sugar, then whisk together.
3
Heat to 83°C / 181°F, stirring constantly. The cream will thicken — treat it like a crème anglaise and do not exceed this temperature. No thermometer? Use chef Michalak’s trick: whisk the mixture briskly then stop. If the swirl stops abruptly, the cream is at the right temperature.
4
Add the squeezed-out gelatine and stir.
5
Pass through a sieve into a tall jug. Once cooled to around 35°C / 95°F, add the cold butter and blend with a stick blender until smooth and homogenous.
6
Pour the crémeux over the caramelised pineapple to a depth of approximately 1 cm (0.4 in). Freeze for at least 2 hours.
White Chocolate Vanilla Mousse
Ingredients
- 116 g (4.1 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- ½ vanilla pod
- 116 g (4.1 oz) white chocolate
- 2.5 g (0.1 oz) powdered gelatine
- 15 g (0.5 oz) water (to bloom the gelatine)
- 250 g (8.8 oz) full-fat double cream
Method
1
Bloom the gelatine in the water.
2
Make a ganache: melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie until it just begins to melt.
3
Heat the whipping cream with the vanilla seeds and pod. Leave to infuse, covered, for about ten minutes.
4
Reheat the cream, then off the heat add the bloomed gelatine.
5
Pour the cream over the white chocolate in 3 additions, emulsifying each time. The chocolate should be smooth and glossy.
6
Whip the double cream, but do not over-whip — it should be light and foamy.
7
Once the ganache has cooled to 20°C / 68°F, gently fold in the whipped cream and set aside.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Wrap the base of an 18 cm (7.1 in) ring mould with cling film.
2
Pour in the white chocolate and vanilla mousse, pressing it up the sides for a clean finish.
3
Remove the insert from the freezer (streusel/sponge/pineapple/crémeux) and gently press it into the mousse, centring it carefully with the crémeux side facing the mousse.
4
Smooth the surface with a palette knife.
5
Cover with cling film and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours, ideally overnight.
Decoration
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Remove the entremet from the freezer and unmould it.
2
Place the frozen entremet on a wire rack set over a plate or tray to catch the excess glaze.
3
Warm the yellow glaze in the microwave to approximately 30°C / 86°F and pour it gently over the entremet to coat it completely.
4
Lift the entremet off the rack and place it on a serving plate.
5
Leave to thaw in the refrigerator — allow approximately 5 to 6 hours for defrosting.
Gallery
