Chestnut and Mandarin Citrus Fruit Petit Gateaux

Gluten-free dark chocolate shortcrust pastry

1. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave.
2. Stir in the soft butter until melted and smooth.
3. Add eggs and salt and stir to a creamy, silky mixture.
4. In a stand mixer with paddle, combine sifted chestnut flour, brown rice flour, cornstarch, almond flour and icing sugar; beat a few seconds.
5. Add the chocolate mixture and beat on low to a soft dough.
6. Press into a flat square, wrap and chill 1h.
7. Preheat oven to 160°C, fan. Line a micro-perforated tray with a micro-perforated mat.
8. Roll the dough 3 mm thick and cut 6 discs with a Ø 8 cm fluted cutter.
9. Bake 15 min. Dust with cocoa butter powder (Mycryo) while hot. Store airtight at room temperature.

Gluten-free chestnut, honey and hazelnut sponge biscuit 10. Preheat oven to 170°C, static. Line a tray with Silpat; wrap a 20x20 cm frame in foil (up the outer edges) and place on the tray. 11. Combine hazelnut flour, chestnut flour and baking powder; whisk and set aside. 12. Whip eggs, honey, sugar and salt until pale and fluffy. 13. Stream in the fresh cream at medium-low speed. 14. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time. 15. Stream in the oil; the batter is ready when smooth and slightly airy. 16. Spread evenly in the frame and bake 15 min until golden, puffed and dry to touch. 17. Cool, then freeze ~1h. Cut 6 discs with a Ø 6 cm cutter and store frozen.

Mandarin and passion fruit crémeux 18. Soak the gelatin. Melt the white chocolate to 45°C. Place the yolks in a bowl. 19. Heat the fruit purees with mandarin zest (no boil), pour over the yolks in 3 times, return to the pan and cook to 82–85°C. Off the heat, stir in the soaked gelatin. 20. Pour over the white chocolate in 3 times to a smooth crémeux; blend with a hand blender. 21. Pour into a Ø 6 cm silicone mould (6 cavities), 1 cm thick, and freeze ~1h. Place each frozen crémeux disc on a frozen sponge biscuit and freeze.

Chestnut and vanilla bavaroise 22. Soak the gelatin. Make the chestnut crème anglaise: combine milk, cream, chestnut paste and chestnut puree; heat, stirring, to melt (blend if lumpy). 23. Whisk yolks and Muscovado sugar. Add the hot liquid in 2 times, return to the pan and reheat to 82–85°C. 24. Off the heat, stir in the soaked gelatin. Filter into a flat container and chill to 30–35°C. 25. At 30–35°C, semi-whip the cold cream with vanilla seeds and fold in. 26. Pipe the bavaroise into Universo 90 moulds (Ø 6.7 cm) about half full, spreading up the sides. Insert the sponge+crémeux insert crémeux-down, press level and freeze ~3h.

Chocolate mirror glaze with brown sugar 27. Soak the gelatin in 68 g cold water 10 min. Melt the dark and milk chocolate together; transfer to a mixing glass. 28. Bring water, Dulcita brown sugar and glucose syrup to 104°C. Pour over the chocolate and emulsify ~1 min. Add the soaked gelatin with its water and emulsify another minute. Heat the Absolu Cristal to 65°C, add and emulsify 1–2 min to a shiny glaze. 29. Strain into a flat container, cover with cling film on the surface and chill at least 12h. 30. Reheat to ~40°C, re-emulsify and cool to 32–35°C. 31. At 32–35°C, unmould the frozen petit gateaux onto a rack over cling film and pour the glaze over. When dripping stops, place each on a shortcrust disc and refrigerate 2–3h to defrost.

Assembly and decoration 32. Make 6 tempered milk chocolate flexible bands (curve 45/48°C – 27/28°C – 29/30°C) using Ø 8.5 cm rings and acetate strips; set overnight at 18–20°C. 33. Wrap a band around each petit gateaux and garnish with edible flowers and gold leaf.