Desserts I Made III & A Pistache Noisette Entremet

finally i feel like i've made enough desserts to compile them into an entry. read my previous instalments of desserts i made part I here and part II here. my momentum for making them this year has dropped to an all-time low. apart from family birthdays and some practising in order to prevent my dessert making skills from getting "rusty" i haven't been making very much. on average i'm making just one every month, i wish i could make desserts every other day but sadly, the waistline just cannot afford it!



clockwise from top left : purple sweet potato mont blanc, opera tiramisu verrines, strawberry shortcake, orange choc cake, pistache-abricot entremet & almond raspberry financiers.

pistache noisette. from top : pistachio bavarois, choc hazelnut sponge, hazelnut pistachio praline, hazelnut mousse, hazelnut dacquoise

this is something i tried few days back, the hazelnut pistachio entremet and i'd like to share the recipe with you. this is the 1st time i'm posting a recipe of a multi-component cake and i didn't do it in the past coz the recipes were really really long, i hv to translate them from chinese to english and i don't think anyone would be as crazy as i am to spend 4-5 hrs to make a cake. but this is a good cake with some really interesting textures - moist sponge, crunchy praline and aromatic pistachio bavarois all in one.

recipe source : seiji tada for patisserie igrekplus

ingredients (makes one 33x48cm rect tray) :

for the choc hazelnut sponge :

150g egg yolks

60g caster sugar (A)

84g hazelnut paste or nutella

150g egg whites

96g caster sugar (B)

84g cake flour

30g cocoa powder

for the hazelnut dacquoise :

266g egg whites

106g caster sugar

160g ground hazelnuts

80g icing sugar

for the hazelnut mousse :

140g hazelnut paste or nutella

60g milk choc

90g unsalted butter, softened in room temp

360ml whipping cream

130g egg yolks

70ml water

24g glucose syrup

50g caster sugar

8g gelatin sheets

for the pistachio bavarois :

198g egg yolks

93g caster sugar

116g pistachio paste

583ml milk

18g gelatin sheets

653ml whipping cream

for the hazelnut pistachio praline :

105g caster sugar

35g pistachios

150g whole hazelnuts

10g unsalted butter

for the simple soaking syrup (imbibage) :

100g sugar

250ml water

neutral glazing gel & cocoa powder for decor

directions :

1. to make the choc hazelnut sponge, whisk together egg yolks, sugar (A) and hazelnut paste/nutella until pale & thick. in another bowl, whisk together sugar (B) and egg whites until stiff peaks. add 1/3 of the whites into yolks followed by the rest of the whites. sift in the cake flour and cocoa powder and mix well to combine. pour mixture into baking tin lined with baking paper and bake in a preheated oven of 180C for 25 mins. trim cake to fit the size of the cake tin/ring and it should be about 1cm in height.

2. for the hazelnut dacquoise, sift together ground hazelnuts and icing sugar. in another bowl whisk egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks, then fold in the hazelnut mixture and mix well. spread mixture in baking tin lined with baking paper and bake on 170C for abt 20 mins or until golden.

3. to make the pâte à bombe for the hazelnut mousse, heat sugar, glucose syrup and water until 121C. lightly whisk egg yolks and pour in hot sugar mixture and whisk on high speed until pale, fluffy and the bowl is cool to the touch. meanwhile, microwave hazelnut paste/nutella and milk choc until melted, then add in softened butter and mix well. add the nutella/choc mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then heat on stove until 85C. soak gelatine in cold water until soft, squeeze off excess water and add into the above mixture. strain mixture. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks, add in 1/3 of the cream into the above, followed by the rest of the cream.

4. to make pistachio bavarois, combine egg yolks, sugar & milk in a pan. heat mixture over stove until thickened, abt 85C. soak gelatine in cold water until soft, squeeze off excess water, add into the above followed by pistachio paste. strain mixture. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks then add in half into the above mixture, followed by the rest of the cream.

5. to make hazelnut pistachio praline, chop the hazelnuts and pistachios and dry roast in pan until aromatic. caramelize sugar over stove in a heavy-based pan then add in the nuts, followed by butter and stir until the nuts are well coated with the caramel. spread mixture on baking paper, let cool and tear into pieces.

6. to make the simple syrup, heat sugar and water over stove until the sugar has dissolved. leave to cool.

7. to assemble, cut the dacquoise to fit into the mousse ring, place it at the bottom of the ring then pour in the 1/2 of the hazelnut mousse. scatter praline ontop of the mousse then top up with more mousse. place choc hazelnut sponge on top and use a brush to generously soak it with syrup. pour the pistachio bavarois on top. all components should be about 1cm each in height. freeze cake until frozen. brush frozen cake with cocoa powder and seal with a layer of neutral glazing gel. torch the sides of mousse ring, remove it. trim the sides of the cake, cut into 10x3cm slices and decorate as desired.