Pineapple, Basil, Lime and White Chocolate Mini Mousse

Almond sablée

1. Mix butter, icing sugar and salt in a stand mixer with a paddle until creamy and smooth. (Plastic butter is moldable — neither cold from the fridge nor too soft; hit it with a rolling pin until you can bend it by hand.)
2. Add the raw almonds flour (grind 14 g whole raw almonds to a fine powder) and the eggs and mix until combined.
3. Add the flour and work until the batter comes together.
4. Press into a neat flat square, cover in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
5. Line a perforated baking tray with a perforated silicone mat. Roll the sablée 2–3 mm thick and cut 8 circles with a 7 cm round Exoglass cutter. Chill 30 min (or freeze 15 min).
6. Preheat oven to 160°C, fan. Cover the circles with a second perforated mat and bake about 12 min until golden-brown. Dust with cocoa butter powder (Mycryo) to prevent moisture from the mousse.

Basil and white chocolate biscuit sponge 7. Preheat oven to 160°C, fan. Line a tray with a greased 25x20 cm mould with parchment. 8. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Add the soft butter and stir to dissolve. Chiffonade the basil and add it in; blend with a hand blender to break up the ribbons. 9. Add the egg yolks and whisk by hand. Add salt and sifted flour and mix to a smooth batter. 10. Beat the egg whites just until foamy (not stiff), then add the caster sugar little by little and beat to a shiny meringue. 11. Fold a little meringue into the batter to soften it, then fold in the rest gently in two additions. 12. Spread evenly in the mould and bake about 15 min until slightly golden. Cool, then freeze about 1h. 13. Cut 8 circles with a 5 cm cutter, wrap in cling film and freeze.

White chocolate and olive oil croustillant 14. Melt the white chocolate to 45°C, add the olive oil and stir. 15. Transfer to a mini grinder, add the granola and grind slightly to a grainy, even mix. 16. Spread the croustillant 2–3 mm thick on each frozen biscuit sponge circle and freeze. Store leftovers airtight, at room temperature, away from light.

Pineapple compotée with basil, lime and vanilla 17. Cut the pineapple into ~1 cm cubes. Combine cubes, puree, lime zest and vanilla seeds in a saucepan and heat to 40°C. 18. Mix cane sugar with pectin NH and add to the hot mix at 40°C. Boil and cook a couple of minutes until the pineapple is tender. 19. Off the heat, cool to 60°C. Chiffonade the basil, add and blend to a homogeneous mix. 20. Fill 8 Silikomart half-spheres (4 cm) and freeze about 1h.

Waina 35% white chocolate mousse with lime and vanilla 21. Soak the gelatin sheets in the cold water. 22. Melt the white chocolate to 45°C. Warm the lime juice (no boil), add the soaked gelatin and stir to dissolve. Pour over the chocolate in three times, stirring to a velvety glossy cream. Add vanilla seeds and blend. Cool to 35–40°C. 23. Semi-whip the heavy cream and fold gently into the lukewarm cream. 24. Pipe the mousse halfway into the Silikomart Stone mould, spread up the sides. Insert the frozen pineapple compote, press slightly. Pipe a small layer on top, leaving room for the biscuit. Place the biscuit sponge (croustillant up) level with the top, scrape off excess and freeze at least 2h.

Mirror glaze (with cocoa butter) 25. Soak the gelatin in 45 g cold water for at least 10 min. 26. Weigh the cocoa butter into a mixing glass. Heat caster sugar, 130 g water and dextrose to 104°C. 27. Off the heat, add the condensed milk and stir. 28. Pour over the cocoa butter and emulsify with a hand blender to melt it, minimizing air bubbles. 29. Heat the Absolu Cristal to 65°C, add to the mix, then add the drained gelatin. Emulsify, add a little green fat-soluble coloring and emulsify again. 30. Pour into a dish, press cling film on the surface and chill 12h or overnight. 31. Heat until the edges melt, transfer to a cup and emulsify (blade on the bottom) to melt the centre. 32. At 25–27.5°C, unmould the frozen mini mousses onto a rack over cling film and pour the glaze over. 33. When dripping stops, set each on an almond sablée base and chill to defrost at least 2h. Excess glaze keeps 3 weeks in the fridge or 2 months frozen; re-heat and adjust with water.

Assembly and decoration 34. Once unfrozen, press pistachio flour around each base with a teaspoon; brush any off the sablée. 35. Temper Dulcey chocolate for the rectangles (curve 40/45°C melt – 26/27°C cool – 28/29°C use). 36. Cut a guitar sheet to 20x60 cm. Pour tempered chocolate along one edge, cover with a second sheet and roll thin. Let set until soft but not fully set. 37. Cut 7 x 1.5 cm strips and let set fully at room temperature. 38. Place a rectangle on one side of each mini mousse and garnish with white chocolate crispy pearls, fresh basil leaves and edible flowers.