Hey guys! First thing's first.. I've been receiving a lot of very kind feedback from fellow students at Le Cordon Bleu regarding my blog. And if you're reading, I just want to say a huge thanks! I wouldn't be writing this if no one cared enough to read it. The fact that I have a groovin' pastry loving community around me motivates me to keep creating! Donc, je vous remercie! :)
Today's cake is the "Gateau Croustillant au Cassis"
You might find this a little bit strange, but the conception of this cake was inspired by a fave lipstick of mine:
Black Orchid - Tom Ford |
I just love the look of this deep and luscious colour on the lips so much, that I thought there's no reason that it can't look just as luscious as a foodstuff. So I bought myself a big jar of blackcurrant purée and tried to think about what I could do with it.
I still had some "sablé breton" left over from the "chocolate sphere" recipe, and a roll of frozen puff pastry from a pie I had made a few weeks ago. So I decided to use both of those elements as the base of this dessert. And since the base would be crunchy, I chose to use the purée to make a soft and fluffy mousse to go on top.
I had a "deja-scent" moment as I pried open the jar of "purée de cassis" at the commencement of this recipe. It brought me back 13 years to my primary school days at Pakuranga Heights in Auckland. During the summer, us kids would line up at the "tuck-shop" (a New Zealand word for canteen) and purchase fruit-based ice blocks called "Juicies" to slowly savor during lunchtime.
As I grabbed a spoon to taste the purchased purée however, my face immediately contracted from the sheer acidity of the thing. It made me think about how much sugar they must have had to put into our much loved "Juicies" to have made them appealing to children. But I think as one gets more mature, one appreciates a little more sourness and bitterness on food (to complement our life experiences, perhaps? Hahaha). So I kept the sugar quantity low in the mousse to keep in a bit of that mouth-watering acidity.
Gateaux Croustillants au CassisAs I grabbed a spoon to taste the purchased purée however, my face immediately contracted from the sheer acidity of the thing. It made me think about how much sugar they must have had to put into our much loved "Juicies" to have made them appealing to children. But I think as one gets more mature, one appreciates a little more sourness and bitterness on food (to complement our life experiences, perhaps? Hahaha). So I kept the sugar quantity low in the mousse to keep in a bit of that mouth-watering acidity.
-makes 6 (using 8x3cm silicon moulds)
Blackcurrant Mousse
80 g blackcurrant puree
2 leaves gelatin - softened in cold water
30 g sugar
juice of 1/4 lemon
- - -
200 ml cream - whipped
Bring purée, sugar and lemon juice to the boil
Quickly take off heat and stir in the softened gelatin
Set aside until cooled to 40 degrees C
Incorporate 1/3 of cream to blackcurrant purée and stir with whisk
Pour in purée mixture back into the cream and fold through with whisk
Mixture should be thick but still runny
Transfer to a piping bag, cut off tip
Pipe into moulds and freeze completely
Caramelized puff pastry
Sprinkle on some sugar onto a sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry
Bake at 180 degrees C between 2 sheets of baking paper and baking sheets to prevent the pastry from rising
After about 15 minutes, turn the pastry around and sugar the other side as well
Bake uncovered until the sugar has melted and the pastry is evenly browned all over.
Cool completely
Sablé Breton
See the "Mango, Apricot and Dark Chocolate Sphere" post for the recipe
Blackcurrant glaze
150 g blackcurrant puree
225 g white pouring fondant
75 g glucose
4.5 leaves gelatin - softened in water
Combine fondant and glucose on a saucepan, bring to the boil
Add puree, bring back to the boil while whisking well
Add gelatin off heat, whisk well
Transfer to a clean bowl and cool to 20 degrees C before using
Montage
Warm up the sablé in the microwave until the chocolate has melted - around 45 degrees C
Place and spread out the sable with an offset spatula over the caramelized puff pastry
The thickness should be approximately 5 mm
Place in the fridge to harden completely, then cut into 8.5x4 cm rectangles with a ruler and a large knife
When the glaze has cooled to about 20 degrees C, unmould the frozen mousse and place onto a grill and a tray for glazing
Glaze with a ladle. Tap the grill onto the working surface to get the excess glaze off.
If the glaze is a little runny, you may need to do a second layer.
Place the mousse onto the puff pastry and sablé base and decorate with fresh berries!
I didn't know that white currants existed until last Sunday at the markets. They looked so unique that I knew I had to purchase them to place on cakes. I am glad I did.
And to me, no dessert is complete without a little gold leaf.
Which also coincidentally, is a colour on the lipstick's packaging!
Cool.
Check it out!
x Tal
Hi Tal!
ReplyDeleteI love the colour of the Tom Ford lipstick! I love deep berry reds and purples and tend to drink smoothies that have that colour! Brilliant inspiration!
Polly x
Ooh I completely agree. Also.. sometimes I unknowingly choose drinks or foods that match what I am wearing... hahaha x
DeleteThis looks amazing!! I love the contract of the rich hue with white currants.
ReplyDeleteTalita! I looovveee this colour!! Gonna try this tomorrow... But IM,gonna make a gateaux for brunch 😊
ReplyDeletethanks for share !!^.^
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ReplyDeleteWhat brand/bloom strength of gelatin do you use? Any recommendations on substituting leaves for powder?
ReplyDeletegreat post....nice info
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ReplyDeleteHow long would these keep after assembly? I am presuming with the pastry base not long. Once assembled would you store at room temperature or in the fridge please? I have an excess of Blackcurrant Puree to find a good use for!
ReplyDeleteGreat postt thankyou
ReplyDelete