Coconut and tropical fruits petit gateaux

Procedimento

Gluten-free coconut and almond shortcrust pastry

1. Before starting with the shortcrust pastry, toast both the white almonds flour and desiccated coconut.
   Place the desiccated coconut together with almonds flour in a skillet. Toast over low-medium heat, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown. Remove the skillet from the heat and continue to cook, stirring regularly, so that the residual heat of the pan finish to cook (about 2-3 minutes). Spread the toasted coconut and almonds onto a baking tray with silicone baking mat or parchment paper and allow to cool at room temperature.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment combine: millet flour, cornstarch, toasted almonds flour, toasted desiccated coconut, icing sugar (sifted), salt, butter and lemon zest. Beat at low-medium speed until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Add the eggs and continue mixing until it forms a soft dough.
4. Press the dough into a neat flat square and wrap in plastic wrap before placing into the fridge overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 160°C, static mode. Line a micro-perforated baking tray with micro-perforated silicone mat.
6. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 3-4 mm in thickness. Cut out 6 discs with a Ø 7cm round cookie cutter and place them onto the prepared tray. Place on top a second micro-perforated silicone mat. 
7. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden-brown. Remove from the oven and, gently, remove the silicone mat atop. Dust with cocoa butter powder (Mycryo) while they're still hot. This prevents the pastry to get soggy. Store the shortcrust pastry discs in an airtight container at room temperature until assembly. 

Gluten-free coconut and almond biscuit Joconde

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C, static mode. Line a micro-perforated baking tray with Silpat mat. Wrap both the external edges and the bottom of a 20 x 20 cm stainless steel frame with a sheet of aluminium foil. The foil should come up over the external edges of the frame. This will assure that no batter escapes from the bottom of the frame during baking. Place the frame onto the prepared tray.  
2. Toast the almonds flour together with desiccated coconut as described for the shortcrust pastry. Once cooled, transfer them in a bowl. Sift over the rice flour, followed by the cornstarch, then add in salt and whisk. Set aside. 
3. Melt the butter and stir through the almond butter to obtain a smooth mixture. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment whip the egg whites until foamy and frothy. When a light, soft foam is formed, add in the cane sugar in 3 times, always whipping on medium-low speed. Once all the sugar is added, increase the speed and whip until obtain a shiny and thick meringue. 
5. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a jug and beat them slightly with a fork, just to combine yolks and whites together. In this way, you are sure that the eggs will be perfectly incorporated into the meringue.  
6. Once the meringue is formed, reduce the speed to medium-low and add the eggs slowly and a little at a time. Whip until the eggs are fully incorporated and the batter looks pale and fluffy.
7. Once the eggs are fully absorbed into the meringue, add the dry ingredients in 3 times, while whipping at medium-low speed. 
8. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, add to wire the lukewarm (30-35°C) butter-almond mixture, continuing to whip at medium-low speed. The batter is ready when it looks homogeneous, smooth and airy. 
9. Transfer the batter into the prepared mould and spread it out evenly to 1 cm in thickness, using a palette knife.
10. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the biscuit Joconde is puffed, lightly golden in color, soft and dry to touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down completely. It is better to place the baked and still warm biscuit Joconde in the freezer for about 1h (or 30 minutes in the blast freezer), to stop its cooking and for better and easier cutting. 
11. Once the biscuit Joconde is chilled and partially frozen, cut it out with a Ø 5 cm cookie cutter, to get 6 discs. Store them wrapped in clingfilm in the freezer until assembly.

Egg-free tropical crémeux (passion fruit, pineapple and mango)

1. In a saucepan, combine passion fruit puree together with pineapple puree, mango puree, fresh cream and honey and bring to 40°C. 
2. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch with pectin NH. Add this to the warm liquids (40°C), while whisking with a fine whisk, to let the mix of cornstarch-pectin NH dissolve into the liquids.
3. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute to medium heat, while whisking, until it thickens.
4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir through the soaked gelatin sheets.
5. Transfer the cream into a mixing glass and allow to cool to 70°C. 
6. Once the cream is 70°C, add the soft butter and emulsify with the hand blender, until obtain a silky-smooth crémeux. 
7. Transfer the crémeux into a flat container, cover with clingfilm pressed on top and chill in the fridge overnight (12h). 
8. Pipe the chilled crémeux into 6 round shaped silicone moulds of Ø 4,5 cm (I used the Multiflex 40 mould from Silikomart), to ½ cm in thickness and freeze for 1h in a domestic freezer or 30 minutes in a blast freezer.

Coconut and Waina 35% white chocolate mousse

1. Heat 200 g fresh cream in a saucepan or in the microwave, until it is lukewarm (40°C) and pour it into a bowl. Add the toasted desiccated coconut, cover with clingfilm and place the bowl in the fridge for 2h, to let the coconut infuse the cream.
   Strain the cream through a sieve to discard the coconut and weigh it again to obtain 200 g. If it weighs less than 200 g, add extra fresh cream till obtaining 200 g. Place the flavored coconut cream in the fridge.
2. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
3. Heat the coconut puree in the microwave without boiling, then stir through the soaked gelatin sheets until it is dissolved.
4. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
5. Pour the warm coconut puree over the melted chocolate in 3 times, stirring with a spatula at each addition of liquid, in order to obtain a smooth ganache.
6. Transfer the ganache into a mixing glass and blend with the hand blender to stabilize the emulsion. Transfer the ganache into a bowl and allow to cool to 30°C.  
7. Semi-whip the flavored coconut cold cream until it forms soft peaks. Check the temperature of the ganache: when it is 30°C, fold through the semi-whipped cream, in order to obtain a light, smooth and shiny mousse.
8. Pipe the mousse in the Silikomart Mini Dot mould (Ø 7 cm), about one third of the way full. Use a spoon to spread the mousse up the sides of the mould. Unmould the frozen crémeux and place it into the mousse. Cover with some mousse, ensuring to leave a gap for the biscuit Joconde. Insert the frozen biscuit Joconde and press it down gently, so that the mousse reaches the top of the mould. Using a palette knife, remove the excess mousse.  
9. Freeze for approximatively 2h in a domestic freezer or approximatively 50 minutes in a blast freezer. 

Waina 35% white chocolate and almond crunchy coating

1. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. 
2. Stir through the soft coconut oil (if it is solid, melt it in the microwave). Add in the chopped almonds and stir.
3. Transfer the glaze into a container with a diameter just slightly wider than the petit gateaux. Let the glaze to cool down to 30-35°C.
4. Unmould the frozen petit gateaux and insert the tip of a small kitchen knife on top of the petit gateaux. Gently dip the petit gateaux into the glaze, then place it on top of the shortcrust pastry. Place in the fridge to defrost.

Assembly and decoration

Fill the cavity of each petit gateaux with the fresh tropical fruits salad and garnish with edible flowers.