Gianduja, carrot and lemon mousse cake

Instructions

Gluten-free carrot and lemon financier

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Line a perforated baking tray with silicone baking mat. Wrap both the external edges and the bottom of a 18x18 stainless steel frame with a sheet of aluminium foil. The foil should come up over the edges of the frame. This will assure that no batter escapes from the bottom of the frame during baking.
2. Grind the cane sugar with the dried and scraped vanilla bean (the one used for the carrot crémeux -recipe below-), until the sugar looks like powder and the vanilla is milled. Transfer this into a bowl and add: almonds flour, cornstarch, toasted cornflour, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, lemon zest and carrot powder. Mix everything with a fine whisk.
3. Add hazelnut oil, egg whites and grated carrots and stir well with a spatula to obtain a smooth and almost fluid batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared mould and bake for about 15-20 minuti, until the financier is puffed, golden in color and dry but still soft to the touch.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down. Actually, I suggest to immediately put the baked and still hot financier in the freezer (or blast freezer) to stop the cooking and to let it to chill faster.
6. Once the financier is chilled and well firm, cut around the edge using a small smooth-edged knife to separate the financier from the frame. Remove the frame and cut out the financier with a Ø16 cm stainless steel cake ring. Wrap the financier with clingfilm and place in the freezer until needed.

Gluten-free lemon and hazelnut croustillant

1. Preheat the oven to 155°C, ventilation mode. Line a perforated baking tray with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
2. In a bowl combine together chopped hazelnuts, quinoa, lemon zest, salt and maple syrup. Stir well with a spatula, ensuring that everything is well coated with maple syrup. Spread out the mix evenly onto the prepared baking tray and bake for about 15 minutes, until the hazelnuts and the quinoa are golden and the maple syrup is caramelized and slightly reduced. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature. The result is a very crunchy mixture.
3. Melt Yuzu Inspiration couverture with the white chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Add the apricot kernel butter and stir well with a rubber spatula until obtain a smooth and evenly mixture.
4. Add the crunchy and caramelized mix and stir, ensuring that the crunchy mix is well coated.
5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place on top a Ø16 cm stainless steel cake ring. Spread the croustillant into the ring, ensuring to make an evenly layer of about 2-3 mm thick. Press the croustillant gently with the back of a spoon, then lift up the ring and freeze until the croustillant is firmed.
   Once the croustillant is frozen, remove the financier from the freezer and place it on top of the croustillant (with the bottom side of the financier touching the crunchier side of the croustillant). Wrap with clingfilm and freeze until the assemblage of the cake.

Carrot and vanilla crémeux

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C, ventilation mode. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Peel and dice the carrots into slices approximately 1cm wide and place them into a bowl. Add olive oil and vanilla seeds and stir well with a spoon, ensuring that the carrots slices are evenly coated. Transfer onto the baking tray and place the scraped and used vanilla bean on top of the carrots. Roast for approximately 20-30 minutes, until carrots are slightly caramelized and very soft. Once the carrots are ready, turn off the oven and keep them warm.
3. While the carrots are cooking, soak the gelatin sheet in cold water. Bring to simmer the heavy cream (A) and add the soaked gelatin sheet. Stir until it is dissolved. Mel the milk chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
4. Once carrots are ready, transfer both the carrots and the sauce (which is formed during cooking) in the bowl of a food processor. Don't add the scraped vanilla bean that it will be dried and it will serve for the financier. Add the hot heavy cream and blend until a smooth and homogeneous puree is formed.
5. Add the melted white chocolate and blend to obtain a smooth and evenly mixture. Blend for about 5 minutes at high speed. The cream is ready when it looks very smooth and creamy.
6. Once a silky-smooth and uniform cream is formed, check the temperature which should be 34°C and pour into a bowl.
7. Semi-whip the cold heavy cream (B) until it forms soft peaks and add it in 2-3 times to the carrots crémeux, folding gently with a rubber spatula in order to obtain a light, smooth and fluffy cream.
8. Transfer the crémeux into a Ø16 cm round silicone cake mould to about 1 cm thick and freeze for at least 2h in a domestic freezer or about 1h in a blast freezer.

Carrot and lemon confit

1. Extract the carrot juice using a juice extractor. It will take about 4 medium carrots. Place 100 g carrot juice in a saucepan. Add lemon juice and heat to 40°C.
2. In the meantime, in a small bowl mix together sugar and pectin NH. Add this mix into the liquids when they're 40°C, stirring constantly with a fine whisk to let the mix of sugar-pectin NH dissolve into the liquids. Bring to boil and cook for around 1 minute to medium heat, stirring continuously with the whisk. The pectin NH is activated at the temperature of 70°C, so it's very important to bring the mixture to boil.
3. Remove the saucepan form the heat and pour the confit into a Ø16 cm round cake mould, about 1 mm thick. Freeze for about 1h in a domestic freezer or for about 30 minutes in a blast freezer.
   Gently unmould the frozen and firmed confit, wrap with clingfilm and store in the freezer until the assemblage of the cake.

Gianduja and Azélia 35% milk chocolate mousse

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
2. Melt together Gianduja chocolate and Azélia chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
3. Heat almond milk in the microwave without boiling (45-50°C), then add the soaked gelatin sheets and stir through with a rubber spatula until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
4. Pour the almond milk in 3 times over the melted chocolates and stir vigorously with a spatula to obtain a smooth ganache.
5. Pour the ganache into a measuring cup or mixing glass and mix with the hand blender to obtain the best and most silky smooth consistency. Allow the ganache to cool down to 35-40°C.
6. Semi-whip the cold heavy cream until it forms soft peaks. Check the temperature of the Gianduja ganache: when it is 35-40°C add it to the semi-whipped cream in 2-3 times, folding gently with a rubber spatula in order to obtain a light, smooth and shiny mousse.
7. Pour a little of mousse into the DOT Ø20 cm mould from Silikomart. Use a teaspoon to spread the mousse up the sides of mould to eliminate any air bubbles and to avoid whitespace. Set inside the carrot confit insert and press it gently and slightly down so that it is almost submerged in the mousse. Cover the confit with other mousse, ensuring to leave a gap for the carrot crémeux.
   Place the crémeux on top of the mousse and press it gently and slightly down, so that it is almost submerged in the mousse. Cover the crémeux with other mousse, ensuring to leave a gap for both the financier and the croustillant.
   Place the financier-croustillant insert on top of the mousse and press it gently down until the croustillant is level with the top of the mould.
8. Remove any excess mousse with a small palette knife and freeze for about 4-5h in a domestic freezer or about 2h in a blast freezer.

Gianduja, Azélia 35% milk chocolate and hazelnut praliné crémeux

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in the cold water.
2. In a saucepan combine almond milk, heavy cream and lemon zest and bring to simmer. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to let the lemon zest to infuse, for at least 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, melt together Gianduja chocolate and Azélia chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Place egg yolks in a bowl.
4. After 15 minutes, bring the liquid ingredients again to simmer then strain over the egg yolks, adding the liquids in 3 times and mixing with a fine whisk at the same time. Place everything back into the saucepan and reheat to 82-85°C, stirring continuously with a rubber spatula over medium-low heat.
5. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the soaked gelatin sheets and stir to dissolve.
6. Add the cream to the melted chocolates in 3 times, stirring vigorously with the spatula at each addition of liquid, in order to obtain a smooth, fluid and evenly cream.
7. Transfer the crémeux into a mixing glass and blend to stabilize the emulsion and to obtain a shiny and silky-smooth texture.
8. Add finally the hazelnut praliné and blend once again.
9. Pour the crémeux into a baking dish or bowl, cover with clingfilm touching the surface of the crémeux and place in the fridge for at least 12h (overnight).

Azélia 35% milk chocolate mirror glaze 

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in 50 g cold water for at least 10 minutes.
2. Melt the milk chocolate in the microwave to 45°C and pour into a mixing glass.
3. Heat 92 g water, caster sugar, trehalose sugar and glucose syrup in a saucepan to 104°C.
4. Remove from the heat and pour over the melted chocolate. Emulsify with a hand blender without adding air bubbles and in order to obtain a smooth and shiny glaze.
5. Heat the Absolu Cristal in the microwave to 65°C and add into the glaze, followed by the drained gelatin sheets (add only the gelatin sheets and not the soaked water). Emulsify once more without adding air bubbles.
6. Pass the glaze through a sieve and pour into a baking dish. Cover with clingfilm pressed on top of the glaze and chill in the fridge for at least 12h or overnight.
7. Heat the glaze in the microwave to 45°C then pour into a mixing glass and emulsify with the hand blender, ensuring the blade is submerged in the glaze and not showing, to avoid air bubbles. If you directly melt the glaze to 32-35°C, it will not be shiny and glossy.
   Place cling film on the surface of the glaze and cool it to 32-35°C. You can put the glaze in the fridge or take it at room temperature.
8. In the meantime, cover the working surface with two sheets of clingfilm, slightly overlapping. They will serve to collect the excess glaze. Place on a 14 cm metal ring.
9. Once the glaze is 32-35°C, remove the entremet from the freezer and unmould. Place the entremet on top of the metal ring. Remove any condensation from the entremet by rubbing it with your hand. Ensure you work quickly and use the glaze immediately. Place a second 14 cm metal ring on top of the entremet, inside the cavity. This ring prevents the glaze from seeping inside the cavity of the entremet.
   Pour the glaze over the entremet, between the top ring and the entremet and allow the glaze to drip over the clingfilm sheets.
10. When the glaze stops dripping, gently lift up the top ring, then remove any excess glaze from the base of the entremet with a small sharp knife. Place the finished cake onto a plate and place in the fridge.

Assembly and decoration

1. Temper Azélia 35% milk chocolate, following the method you prefer. I use the tabling method. The tempering curve you need to follow is: 45°C (melting) - 27/28°C (cooling) - 29/30°C (the temperature of usage).
2. Make the flexible chocolate band as described here. You need a Ø22 cm cake ring and an acetate strip of 3 cm high and long enough to wrap the cake ring entirely.
3. Wrap the flexible chocolate band around the cake.
4. Pipe the crémeux on top of the entremet, using 3 star nozzles (Wilton 6B, Wilton 4B e Matfer Ø18mm). Dust a little bit of vanilla powder and ultimate the decoration with chocolate small squares, crunchy pearls and edible flowers.