I told you that the pineapple, calamansi and coconut Yule log would be the last recipe published before Christmas; I lied! Last weekend, I was seized by a mad urge to try out my Christmas tree mould, unearthed at Stokomani (for next to nothing, too). I had a very precise idea of what I wanted: to spray it with a green velvet spray (Christmas tree obliges!) with a few sprays of white velvet for a guaranteed snowy effect, all accompanied by a few little golden sugar pearls to evoke Christmas baubles. All that was left was to find the flavours. To echo the green, I wanted a pistachio entremets (although I’m not familiar with this flavour, as surprising as that may seem) and as I had a jar of cherries in syrup left over, the insert was an obvious choice.
This pistachio sour cherry entremets is fairly simple in its composition: a pistachio dacquoise, a sour cherry confit and a pistachio bavarian mousse. Nothing very complicated in itself. If you’d like to bring a bit of crunch, you can very well add a little pistachio feuillantine crunchy layer on top of the dacquoise. Personally, I didn’t do it, but I added pistachio pieces to the dacquoise.
The sweetness of the pistachio pairs rather well with the tanginess of the sour cherry. As there was no particular occasion for this dessert, I was able to get my friend and neighbour to taste it (they’re not the unluckiest :P). She liked it but, being used to desserts full of zing, with calamansi in particular, she found it too sweet. That being said, if you’re a pistachio fan, this dessert should please you ????
All that’s left for me is to wish you a very merry Christmas, surrounded by all your loved ones. If you’ve chosen a recipe from the blog for Christmas Eve, I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Ingredients & Method
5 components · Full recipe
Sour cherry confit
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.6 oz) sour cherry puree
- 40 g (1.4 oz) sugar
- 4 g (0.1 oz) pectin
- a little lemon juice
Method
1
In a saucepan, heat half the sour cherry puree to around 40°C / 104°F.
2
Add the sugar and pectin mixture and whisk together (it is important to mix the sugar and pectin together first to avoid lumps).
3
Bring to a boil and cook for one minute.
4
Off the heat, add a little lemon juice (this helps it set) along with the remaining sour cherry puree.
5
Wrap a 20×20 cm (7.9 in) frame with cling film then pour the sour cherry confit in to a depth of 1 cm (0.4 in).
6
Freeze for at least 2 hours. I only heat half the puree to preserve the vivid colour of the sour cherry.
Pistachio bavarian cream
Ingredients
- 250 g (8.8 oz) milk
- 80 g (2.8 oz) egg yolks
- 50 g (1.8 oz) sugar
- 250 g (8.8 oz) heavy cream
- 30 g (1.1 oz) pistachio paste
- 10 g (0.4 oz) powdered gelatin
- 60 g (2.1 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatin)
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatin in very cold water.
2
Heat the milk with half the sugar and the pistachio paste.
3
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining sugar.
4
Pour the pistachio milk over the yolk-sugar mixture, mix well and return everything to a gentle heat.
5
Cook to 83°C / 181°F, stirring constantly with a spatula. Be careful not to let the cream boil.
6
Off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatin. Leave to cool. You can pass this custard through a sieve or blend it with an immersion blender to eliminate any lumps. Whip the heavy cream but don’t over-whip it — it should be light and mousse-like.
7
When the custard has cooled to 45°C / 113°F, gently fold in the whipped cream, then set aside.
Pistachio dacquoise
Ingredients
- 100 g (3.5 oz) egg whites
- 40 g (1.4 oz) almond powder
- 35 g (1.2 oz) pistachio powder
- 75 g (2.6 oz) icing sugar
- 15 g (0.5 oz) cornstarch
- 10 g (0.4 oz) pistachio paste
- crushed pistachios
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, then gently fold in the dry ingredients (pistachio powder, almond powder, icing sugar, cornstarch).
3
Take a little of this batter and mix it with the pistachio paste. Stir well, then fold it back into the rest of the batter. Do not overwork the batter to avoid deflating the egg whites.
4
Place the batter in a piping bag fitted with a 12 mm plain nozzle. Pipe into a square or rectangle shape.
5
Dust the surface with icing sugar using a sieve.
6
Bake for 12–15 minutes. The dacquoise should be dry to the touch and lightly golden. Set aside.
Pistachio and sour cherry Christmas tree assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
I recommend making a template to cut your biscuits and inserts. Prepare the biscuits: cut the dacquoise into triangles slightly smaller than the mould.
2
Prepare the inserts: cut the sour cherry confit into triangles slightly smaller than the mould.
3
Pour three-quarters of the pistachio mousse into each mould cavity, spreading it up the sides with a spatula for a clean finish. Freeze for 5 minutes to allow the mousse to set slightly.
4
Gently press the sour cherry insert into the mousse, centered.
5
Add the remaining pistachio mousse, leaving about a centimetre of space, then press in the dacquoise base.
6
Smooth the surface with a spatula.
7
Cover with cling film and freeze overnight.
Pistachio and sour cherry entremet decoration
Ingredients
- a green velvet spray
- a white velvet spray
- golden sugar pearls
Method
1
Either invest in a paint spray gun (which will only ever be used for this purpose, of course) or do as I do and use ready-to-use velvet sprays. But be careful — whatever you use, there are a few rules to follow if you don’t want to redecorate your kitchen!
2
Remove the individual entremets from the freezer, unmould them and place on a wire rack.
3
Ideally, protect your work area (as best you can). Personally, I spray my entremet directly inside the dishwasher — it is quite practical.
4
Spray a thin layer of green spray from a distance of 30–40 cm (15.7 in). Briefly spray a thin layer of white spray to give your Christmas tree a snowy effect.
5
Add a few golden sugar pearls and leave to thaw for 3–4 hours in the refrigerator.
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