Born in France, and surrounded by fruit trees, he soon discovered that exceptional desserts could be made out of those marvelous gifts from nature. Today, Eric Bertoia is Daniel Boulud’s Corporate Pastry Chef, and works designing, managing and supervising the personnel and desserts of restaurants located in such distant places as New York, Palm Beach, Vancouver or Beijing. He also represents a bridge between French pâtisserie and the flourishing modern American pastry. As follows, he describes his career, his current occupation and his point of view about his profession in his own words.

YIELDS 10

cranberry confit

• 6 g gelatin sheets
• 305 g fresh cranberries
• 300 g cranberry juice
• 20 g cinnamon stick
• 65 g sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped

Bloom gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes. Poke a hole in the center of each cranberry with a toothpick. In a saucepot, heat cranberries with cranberry juice, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla; simmer for 5 minutes. Reserve 30 cranberries for garnish. On gentle heat, add gelatin to dissolve. Line the bottom and sides of a 20x20x2 cm frame with plastic wrap. Cool cranberries to room temperature. Pour into prepared frame and chill until set; at least 4 hours. Cut into 2x10cm rectangles.

1. Poke a hole in the cranberries with toothpicks
2. Heat with cranberry juice, sugar, gelatin and cinnamon
3. Fill 2-cm tall frame; chill

speculoos crisp

• 105 g butter
• 175 g brown sugar
• 215 g flour
• 8 g baking soda
• 55 g almond flour
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 10 g vanilla extract
• 65 g milk

In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until airy. Add flour, baking soda, almond flour, vanilla bean seeds, and vanilla extract on medium speed; scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. Stream in milk and combine well. Scale 500 g dough onto a full sheet pan. Roll between two sheets of parchment paper into a thin sheet and freeze. Bake at 350°F for four minutes. Remove and cut into 10x7cm rectangles, and while still warm, roll around 2.5cm diameter metal cylinders. Place cylinders onto a tuile cookie sheet and bake for another 10 minutes at 350°F. Cool to room temperature, remove metal cylinders and store in a dry, airtight container.

1. Roll speculoos between parchment paper to 3mm
2. Bake 4 minutes at 350ºF, Roll around cylinder
3. Bake inside of mold 10 minutes

mascarpone mousse

• 4 g gelatin
• 250 g heavy cream
• 250 g milk
• 70 g sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 250 g mascarpone

Soak gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes; strain. Simmer heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla beans. Add gelatin to dissolve, and cool to room temperature. Add mascarpone and puree with a hand blender. Transfer to a CO2 foamer and fill speculoos crisps.

1. Dissolve gelatine into cream, milk and sugar
2. Puree in mascarpone with hand blender, transfer to foamer when cold.

orange kumquat sorbet

• 125 g water
• 100 g sugar
• 25 g glucose powder
• 3 g sorbet stabilizer
• 500 g orange juice
• 2 each oranges, finely grated zest
• 50 g kumquat confit

Simmer water with the sugar, glucose powder and sorbet stabilizer until dissolved. Cool to room temperature. With a hand blender, add orange juice, orange zest, and kumquat confit. Refrigerate overnight. Spin on an ice cream machine the next day.

milk meringue

• 18 g gelatin
• 440 g milk
• 45 g sugar

Prepare 1.5 cm diameter by 30 cm long cylinders by rolling up sheets of acetate and securing with tape. Soak gelatin in cold water for 20 minutes; strain. Bring milk and sugar to a simmer. Add gelatin to dissolve. Transfer to an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and whip until cool and meringue-like in texture. Transfer to a piping bag and fill prepared acetate cylinders. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the mold and cut into 3-cm long pieces.

1. Add Gelatin to milk and sugar when warm; dissolve
2. Whisk to meringue texture and cold
3. Pipe into acetate cylinder
4. Puree in mascarpone with hand blender, transfer to foamer when cold

dulce de leche sauce

• 250 g heavy cream
• 25 g sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped

Simmer all ingredients and reduce to reach a golden caramel color and yield 160 grams. Transfer to piping bag and store refrigerated.

cranberry sauce

• 200 g cranberry juice
• 20 g sugar
• 2 g pectin NH
• 50 g neutral glaze

Simmer cranberry juice, sugar and pectin NH for 1 minute. Incorporate neutral glaze with a hand blender. Transfer to a piping bag and store refrigerated.

orange sauce

• 220 g orange juice
• 15 g sugar
• 3 g pectin NH
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 65 g neutral glaze

Simmer orange juice with sugar, pectin NH and vanilla beans for one minute. Incorporate neutral glaze with hand blender. Transfer to a piping bag and store refrigerated.

cranberry powder

• 40 g maltodextrine
• 10 g cranberry powder

Blitz ingredients in a food processor.

Cranberry, Mascarpone, Speculoos, Orange. Eric Bertoia’s plated dessert.

The post Cranberry Confit with Mascarpone Mousse, Speculoos Crisp and Orange Kumquat Sorbet appeared first on so good.. magazine.

We asked John Kraus to define his business for us, and instead of talking about his products, his sales or his success, he started by talking about life’s moments. In the last three years since its opening, his sole objective has been to reinterpret the great pastry classics while maintaining those essential elements that led them to become universally known. “You can never beat the classics” he says, “Paris Brest, Tart Tatin, Millefeuille, Brioche Polonaise, Lemon Tart: that is the beauty of pastry.” With this simple but brilliantly executed philosophy, we welcome him to the pages of SG#11, where he offers us his most recent creations, as elegant and inimitable as this Lemon Tart.

breton

lemon dacquoise

Get so good #11 for these recipes.

lemon cream

• 180 g granulated sugar
• 256 g fresh lemon juice
• 320 g whole eggs
• 180 g granulated sugar
• 1 lemon zest
• 350 g butter, 82% fat
• 8 g gelatin
• 40 g water
• 10 g fresh basil

Bloom the gelatin with 40 g of water. Squeeze the lemon juice and mix it with the first 180 g of the sugar. Mix the eggs with the second 180 g of sugar. Mix the lemon juice mixture into the egg mixture and add the zest and chiffonade of basil.
Cook over a water bath to 80°C-82°C. Strain the mixture and homogenize. Add the bloomed gelatin and then the butter. Blend the mixture until an emulsion is created. Cast into flexipan for insert and freeze.

Italian meringue

lemon mousse

glaze for lemon

Get so good #11 for these recipes.

montage

Prepare the lemon mousse and pipe into a dome mold.
Place the lemon basil cream into the center and cover with mousse.
Finish with lemon dacquoise and freeze.
Remove the lemon dome from the freezer and glaze with the yellow glaze.
Place onto disc of baked Breton.
Garnish with white chocolate spiral, silver leaf and micro basil.

The post Lemon Tart, by John Kraus appeared first on so good.. magazine.

Javier Guillén put his mind to working with the best ones; not in order to repeat their recipes, but to find out how creativity came out of them and how they introduced each new creation to their customers. This is how he went through different teams, like those of Pierre Hermé, Oriol Balaguer, Willy Dufresne, El Bulli, Valrhona… We are referring to the Spanish chef Javier Guillén, a globetrotter of pastry who has just settled down (permanently?) in Brazil. ‘I had always felt attracted by the friendly people here, the countless raw materials one can find here, fruits, vegetables… and the great possibilities of development for pastry in this country’, states the chef.

He advices professionals and also the incipient high-end 100% Brazilian chocolate manufacturers which start to proliferate, visits cocoa fazendas and teaches courses in universities and schools throughout the country. Guillén is witnessing the awakening of a sector in a country with endless possibilities, ‘we’re experiencing an increase in the consumption of fine cocoas and more modern chocolate and pastry stores are opening. Something is changing here.’ However, there is something which he terribly misses (as well as his family) – gin and tonic.

Javier Guillén shares some of his creations from his 2013 collection with so good.. It is a total of 50 recipes, out of which there are 30 simple ones, with defined, accentuated flavors, but with a delicate, looked-after decoration… The remaining ones make up the ‘Rouge Collection’, inspired by that warm color widely found in nature, such as in one its most attractive fruits – the raspberry.

In these creations, a trend is observed which has already been noticed for a long time. Guillén calls it ‘back to basic’, and defines it by recalling an emblematic preparation, ‘I won’t ever forget PH’s vanilla cake… it’s just something simple, gourmand… in one word, it’s sublime.’

Mercury

Discover in so good #10.

croustillant

Mercury, by Javier Guillén

• 150 g butter
• 150 g type 45 flour
• 150 g  brown sugar
• 150 g  hazelnut powder
• 125 g  hazelnut, chopped

Cut the cold butter into small cubes.
Sift all the powdered ingredients together. Add the butter and chopped hazelnut.
Place in a mixer with a paddle and mix until obtaining small balls.
Stop mixing and pour over a Silpat. Store in the refrigerator.
Place the streusel into each ring (12 cm Ø) and press down slightly.
Bake at 150ºC in a convection oven 15 to 18 minutes.

praliné crémeux

• 190 g cream, 35% fat
• 10 g gelatin
• 610 g  hazelnut praliné
• 305 g  cream, 35% fat

Heat the first measurement of cream and add the gelatin. Slowly pour this mixture over the praliné. It will rapidly come apart. Gradually add the remainder of the cream until obtaining a very elastic, glossy texture.

blackberry compote

• 500 g blackberry purée
• 40 g sugar
• 8 g  pectin NH
• 3.5 g  gelatin
• 250 g  whole blackberries

Heat the blackberry purée and add the mixture of pectin and sugar, then the bloomed gelatin.
Simmer for one or two minutes.
Add the blackberries and leave to cool for a few minutes.

white chocolate and vanilla mousse légère

• 390 g whole milk
• 3 u vanilla beans
• 12 g  gelatin
• 550 g  Branco Brasil couverture, 35% cocoa
• 250 g  cream, 35% fat

210 g in each ring, 14 cm Ø.
The previous day, make a cold infusion with the vanilla and milk.
Strain and heat the milk.
Add the gelatin and bring to a simmer.
Little by little, pour the hot liquid over the chopped chocolate and mix with a spatula (as if making a ganache) to a smooth, elastic and glossy texture. Puree the mixture with a hand blender to complete the emulsion being careful not to add any air.
When at 30ºC, gently fold in the semi-whipped cream.

TIP: keep some of the mousse aside to make the decoration of the cake once sprayed.

white chocolate mix for spraying

• 700 g Branco Brasil couverture
• 300 g cocoa butter
• q.s.  titanium oxide

Melt the cocoa butter and couverture. Add the titanium oxide. Process with a hand blender. Pass through a sieve for extra precaution. Use at a temperature of 40 to 45ºC.

MONTAGE

Make the blackberry compote, chill and pour over the praliné crémeux. Freeze.
Once the filling has been unmolded (streusel, praliné crémeux and blackberry compote), make the vanilla mouse.
Pour the 210 g mousse into each ring and insert the filling.
Blast chill. Unmold the cakes and spray.
Garnish with a crown of mousse on the top and fill with a red fruit jelly.

The post Mercury, by Javier Guillén appeared first on so good.. magazine.

When passion for the craft, respect and devotion to what nature gives us coincide, not to mention talent and sensitivity, it is no longer necessary to follow fads or trends. You only need to let creativity flow. Claire Damon does what she wants, or rather, what she feels and what her gut tells her. And it is going well for her. The two stores, Des Gâteaux Et Du Pain are a breath of personality and truth in the crowded Parisian scene. Chef Damon’s rebellion bows only before her main source of inspiration, ‘Nature is fascinating and gives us each day to learn. This is a lesson of humility!’ She says.

We welcome this non-conformist who makes and remakes her recipes in search of the essential to So Good.. magazine once again, respecting the agreement signed with Nature.

J’adore la fraise

Ingredients: 8 pastries for 4 persons

strawberry clafoutis

On a plate, with a 2.2 kg frame

• 378 g butter
• 378 g confectioners’ sugar
• 378 g  almond powder
• 89 g  custard powder
• 22 g  baking powder
• 303 g  egg
• 643 g  pastry cream
• 57 g  milk

Mix like for an almond cream. Finish with the eggs and the pastry cream mixed with the milk.

Put 0.5 kg of strawberries that have released their water with 10% of sugar on each plate (keep the strawberry juice). Cook at 170°C for 20 minutes. Cut in 12 cm diameter.

finger biscuit

• 119 g sugar
• 167 g egg whites
• 95 g  egg yolks
• 60 g  T45 flour
• 60 g  starch

Total gross weight 500 g
Beat the egg whites with the sugar until soft peaks form. Stop the beater to add the egg yolks. Beat for one second on 3rd speed. Incorporate by hand the starch and the sift flour. Cook on a plate with holes at 190°C for 4 or 5 minutes. Set aside at cold temperature.

Cut in 12 cm diameter. Soak with the strawberry juice, put in negative cold.

strawberry compote

• 328 g fresh strawberries
• 49 g sugar
• 109 g  strawberry purée
• 8 g  lemon juice
• 7 g  gelatine

Wash and tail the strawberries. Cut them in 4 pieces, according to their size. Heat the strawberry purée, sugar and lemon juice to 70°C. Incorporate the gelatine then pour on the strawberries.
Gently mix and pour at 0.060 kg, 12 cm diameter. Set aside.

strawberry crémeux

• 529 g fresh strawberries
• 32 g lemon juice
• 159 g  sugar
• 6 g  pectin NH
• 159 g  butter
• 16 g  starch

Wash and tail the strawberries. Cut them in 4 pieces, according to their size. Mix the strawberries and lemon juice as well as some of the sugar. Start with a low heat. At 30°C mix and incorporate the pectin, sugar and starch mixture. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat. Let cool at 50°C, incorporate the butter and mix for at least 2 minutes. Pour at 0.110 kg, 12 cm diameter.

strawberry bavarois

• 222 g fresh whole milk
• 133 g egg yolks
• 167 g  sugar
• 332 g fresh strawberries
• 14 g gelatine
• 532 g  whipping cream

Wash and tail the strawberries. Cut them in 4 pieces, according to their size. Cook the milk, the egg yolks and sugar to 83°C. Add the gelatine. Pour on the strawberries, mix and let cool. Incorporate the soft whipped cream.

ASSEMBLY

For eight 14-cm diameter circles.
Put the surround biscuit, cut to 6 cm high. Bavarois cord on the inside diameter. Place the clafoutis biscuit. Fine layer of strawberry bavarois. Strawberry crémeux insert. Fine layer of strawberry bavarois. Finger biscuit soaked in strawberry juice. Fine layer of strawberry bavarois. Semi cooked strawberry compote insert. Fine layer of strawberry bavarois.
Decorate with fresh strawberries and cubes of strawberry juice jelly.

You will find two other very special creations in so good.. magazine #12.

Kashmir. An oriental, sensual alliance of saffron, orange flesh and skin and date.

Lipstick clair obscur. ‘An iconic with clear flavours, contrasted textures, inspired by the mythical Courrèges vinyl jacket. It changes through the year with exceptional fruits, and always vibrating colours, like lacquers.’

The post J’adore la fraise, by Claire Damon appeared first on so good.. magazine.

His personal way to pastry was more difficult than for others, since he did not get to it led by an early vocation, in spite of the fact that his parents ran a pastry shop in their town in Southern France. Not only did not Jerome Landrieu feel attracted by that profession but he was even reluctant to it. Nevertheless, he finally decided to give it a chance and found out a wonderful world, hidden to his eyes until then, a world ruled by passion. Nowadays he directs the Barry Callebaut’s Chocolate Academy in Chicago, and feels “completely humbled by chocolate” while constantly learning and trying to improve day by day.

Harmony

pate semi sablee

• 120 g butter 83%
• 2 g sea salt
• 90 g  powdered sugar
• 30 g  almond flour
• 50 g  whole eggs
• 60 g  all purpose flour #1
• 175 g  all purpose flour #2

Mix together butter, salt, powdered sugar and almond flour in Robot Coupe. Add eggs and flour #1. Mix until just incorporated.

Add flour #2. Mix until just incorporated. Chill dough at least 1 hour. Roll to 3 mm thickness. Form in desired form. Freeze.

Bake at 160C/320F until dark golden brown. Allow to cool and set aside.

gelatin mass

• 100 g Gelatin
• 50 g Water

Hydrate gelatin in cold water. Allow to set in cooler.
Melt gelatin. Allow to set and cut to scale as needed.

white chocolate lemon ganache

• 158 g cream 35%
• 158 g milk 3.5%
• 1.5 g lemon zest
• 315 g Cacao Barry Blanc Satin 29% white chocolate
• 63 g Cacao Barry Mycryo 100%
• 57 g fresh lemon juice

Bring cream, milk and lemon zest to 70C/158F. Pour infusion over white chocolate and Mycryo. Mix to emulsion with immersion blender. Add lemon juice. Set aside until ready for assembly.

mint meringue

• 90 g fresh mint leaves, washed
• As needed ice water #1
• 450 g ice water #2
• 24 g egg white powder
• 65 g sugar
• 40 g fresh egg whites
• 2 g mint concentrate

Blanch mint and shock in ice water #1. Puree mint and ice water #2 in blender. Strain mint water. Scale 350g of mint water for the mint gel and set aside for until needed. Scale120g of mint water for meringue. Add egg white powder and let hydrate for 30 min.

Add egg whites to mixture. Whip and add sugar in stages.

When peaks form, add concentrate. Whip to full volume.

Pipe meringue and place in dehydrator.

When dried, reserve for assembly.

lemon dacquoise

lemon frozen marshmallow

mint gel

These recipes are in so good #6.

Method of assembly

Place dacquoise on bottom of tart shell.
Fill with lemon ganache.
Place frozen marshmallow on ganache.
Decorate with mint gel and mint meringue.

The post Harmony appeared first on so good.. magazine.

For over six years now, Olivier Fernández has been the director of the Pastry School of Barcelona (Spain), a training school which has experienced a spectacular development during this last period to become an international reference model. The school does not confine itself to regular programmed teaching only, but also to continuous collaboration tasks with other schools and institutions with regard to the creation and development of new products. As a result of this, the chef Fernández has created a new collection of éclairs whose main feature is their perfect shape, thanks to an ingenious stainless steel mold fitted with a lid in which they are baked.

This feature is especially visible in the case of the apple or tatin éclair – both the pâte à choux and the compote which crowns it have the same shape.

customized éclairs

pâte à choux

• 500 g water
• 500 g milk
• 440 g  butter
• 12 g  salt
• 20 g  invert sugar
• 600 g  flour
• 18 u  eggs

Combine the milk and water and place over the heat. Add the invert sugar, butter and salt and heat up to 100ºC. Add the flour, previously sifted. Mix thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Transfer to the bowl of a mixer and beat to cool down; then gradually add the eggs until perfectly incorporated in the dough. Stop when the dough has an oily, glossy texture.

Once ready, place the dough between two parchment paper sheets. Place two 1-cm-high ends and roll out. This way, the dough will have an even thickness. Allow to set properly in the freezer for 12 hours.
Peel off the sheets, cut and mold.

Firstly, preheat the oven to 210ºC. When the oven is ready, bake the éclairs for 6 minutes, vent closed. Secondly, bake at 180ºC for 27 minutes.

Apple compote éclair

• 500 g Granny Smith apple, diced
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 50 g  apricot jam
• 1 u  vanilla
• 8 g  bloomed gelatin

Cook all the ingredients in a lidded saucepan until the apple drains off some of its water. Remove from the heat, add the gelatin and mix. Pour onto the éclairs, already baked but still in their molds. The apple compote will complete the pieces. Thanks to the gelatin, it will hold the shape of the mold once unfolded.

DISCOVER MORE CUSTOMIZED ÉCLAIRS IN SO GOOD #10

The post Apple compote éclair, by Olivier Fernández appeared first on so good.. magazine.

He is without doubt one of the most interesting chefs in the current gastronomic landscape in vibrant South East Asia. In early 2008, the British chef, Ryan Clift, ventured to Singapore to set up his own business, Tippling Club, an establishment focused on developing a new relationship between haute cuisine and the world of the cocktail. Very soon his work received rewards and recognition. Clift features in so good.. magazine #12, where he demonstrates his approach to the avant-garde, his creativity and his technical prowess. A great example is his Textured Milk, a dessert as surprising as it is beautiful.

yogurt sorbet

• 100 g sugar
• 6 g pectin NH
• 250 g  milk
• 80 g  inverted sugar
• 25 g  lemon juice
• 600 g  natural Greek yogurt

Put the milk and inverted sugar in robot and take to 50ºC. Mix the pectin and sugar in a small bowl and pour into the robot with the blending milk. Take the mixture to 100ºC on high speed.

Add the yogurt and lemon juice and blend on high speed for 1 minute. Store in Pacojet canisters and freeze to -20ºC. Churn to order.

milk meringue

• 500 g milk
• 500 g fresh egg white
• 30 g egg white powder
• 200 g  sugar
• 12 g  Gelespesa
• 3 g  Whip (foaming effect)

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer and mix on a low speed for 2 minutes and then on high for 6 minutes. Spread on dehydrator mats (3 cm thick) and dehydrate overnight.

coconut milk sago

• 300 g sago pearls
• 5 l boiling water
• 300 g coconut cream
• 100 g  sugar syrup 50-50

Cook the sago in the boiling water until tender. Remove and cool under cold running water. Mix the coconut cream and sugar syrup together and slowly add to the sago until you have a smooth but firm mix. Store in a container in the fridge, but keep some excess coconut syrup as the sago will soak up more liquid over the day, so it will need to be readjusted when required.

Garnish this dessert with wild wood sorrel. If unavailable, use micro red vein sorrel.

Fruit Salad Crunch

Discover the complete recipe ‘Fruit Salad Crunch’ in so good.. magazine #12

The post Textured Milk, by Ryan Clift appeared first on so good.. magazine.

Chocolate Christmas balls are more than an appropriate sweet for the festive season. They can also be a tasty dessert that combines pistaccio, cherries and chocolate.

With this creation, Michel Willaume, World Champion Pastry Chef, exemplifies his pastry vision with his concept “Think Pastry”, which is simply the notion to gather the nearest elements in the workshop that one can integrate into one piece, which can then be developed into a stimulating and fruity creation.

Light pistachio sponge

• 245 g whole green pistachios
• 45 g pistachio paste
• 200 g  sugar
• 365 g  whole eggs
• 100 g butter
• 80g  egg whites
• 50g sugar

Combine the pistachios, pistachio paste and sugar and blitz in a food processor, add the eggs and whip the mixture. Add the butter, melted to 45ºC. Separately, whip the egg whites together with the sugar. Gently combine both mixtures and spread in sheet pans. Bake at 180ºC for 20 to 25 minutes.

Baba dough

• 35 g heavy cream, 35% fat
• 60 g whole milk
• 3 g salt
• 15 g  sugar
• 15 g  fresh yeast
• 200 g  flour T55
• 100 g whole eggs
• 60 g butter

Combine the milk and cream and heat to 30ºC approximately. Whisk in the yeast, salt and sugar to dissolve. Add the sifted flour, three quarters of the eggs and knead slightly only. Add the remaining eggs and mix until fully incorporated. Melt the butter, pour over the dough and cover with a cloth without mixing. Place in a drying oven at 27-28ºC for about 20 minutes until the butter has been fully absorbed by the dough. Pour into the molds and bake at 200ºC for a few minutes so that they start to rise evenly. Then reduce the temperature to 170ºC for 12 to 15 minutes.

Griotte juice

Place 750 g of frozen griottes in a bowl and airtight-seal with some plastic wrap. Place in a bain marie and cook for about 2 hours until a considerable amount of juice is obtained. Pass through a chinois.

Green griotte syrup

• 270 g water, bottled
• 110 g sugar
• 230 g griotte juice
• 45 g  lemon juice
• 5 g  fresh verbena

Combine the water, griotte juice, lemon juice and sugar and bring to a boil. Allow to infuse the fresh verbena in it for about 15 minutes and pass through a strainer. Reserve in the refrigerator.

Griotte compote

• 300 g griotte purée
• 150 g frozen griottes
• 70 g glucose
• 75 g  sugar
• 9 g  pectin NH

Heat the purée and whole frozen griottes together with the glucose to 40ºC. Add the sugar previously mixed with the pectin. Bring to a boil and reserve in the refrigerator.

Whipped Tainori ganache

• 225 g heavy cream, 35% fat
• 25 g glucose
• 25 g invert sugar
• 200 g  Tainori chocolate, 64%
• 450 g  heavy cream, 35% fat

Combine the cream, glucose and invert sugar and bring to a boil. Gradually pour this hot mixture over the melted chocolate while ensuring a correct emulsion with the help of a hand blender. Add the cold cream and allow to crystallize in the refrigerator overnight. Whip to the desired consistency when needed.

 Montage and finishing

Place the babas in a deep baking tray and soak in the syrup. After 10 minutes, turn the babas over and leave to soak in the syrup in the refrigerator overnight. The following day, drain very well before assembling. Place some sponge on the bottom of the chocolate hemispheres with some griotte compote. Top with a piece of baba and pipe the whipped Tainori ganache on top. Cover with another chocolate hemisphere. Garnish and place the balls on a round pistachio sponge.

The post Chocolate Christmas Balls by Michel Willaume appeared first on so good.. magazine.