Ruby chocolate and sunflower seeds mini mousse cakes

Instructions

Gluten-free sunflower seeds praliné shortcrust pastry

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment combine butter, chestnut flour, potato starch, cane sugar, salt, vanilla powder and cinnamon powder and work until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Switch off the stand mixer and add both eggs and praline paste, then work on low speed until the dough comes together.
3. Once the pastry has come together, press into a neat flat square and roll out to a thickness of 2 mm between two guitar sheets (they are usually used to make chocolate garnishes. They are similar to acetate but less rigid and more flexible) and freeze for at least 20 minutes, until the shortcrust pastry is hardened.
4. Once the shortcrust pastry is hardened, peel off the topped guitar sheet and flip the shortcrust pastry over a perforated silicone baking mat. Peel off the second guitar sheet, too.
5. Cut out 8 round circles with a Ø 10 cm fluted cookie cutter (I used a fluted tartlet mold like this one). Transfer the silicone baking mat onto a perforated baking tray and freeze again for about 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Once the shortcrust pastry is firmed, remove the baking tray from the freezer and cover the shortcrust pastry circles with a second perforated baking mat. Bake for 10 minutes, until the shortcrust pastry is golden in color. Remove from the oven and dust immediately with cocoa butter powder (Mycryo) while they're still hot. This prevents the pastry to get soggy. Allow to cool down completely before peeling off the baking mat.
   Store the shortcrust pastry discs in an airtight container at room temperature until assembly.

Sunflower seeds praliné 60% (for the shortcrust pastry)

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C, ventilation mode. Line a baking tray with silicone baking mat and arrange the sunflower seeds on the tray. Toast until golden brown and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
2. In the meantime, make a dry caramel: place a saucepan over low-medium heat, add a little Demerara sugar and wait until it is fully dissolved. No stirring at this point.
   Demerara is an unrefined sugar with a natural blond color so it is very important not to leave it on the heat too long, otherwise it will become dark and bitter.
   Once the sugar is melted, add the leftover sugar in 2 intervals and stir with a rubber spatula at each addition to combine together the caramelized sugar with the unmelted sugar. The addition of new sugar lowers the temperature of caramel without burning it.
3. Once the sugar is completely melted, pour it over the toasted seeds and allow to cool at room temperature.
4. Once the caramel is hardened, place the seeds into a food processor. Add salt and grind to a powder. Place your hand on the bowl and as soon as it starts to warm, place the mixture into the freezer. Be careful to not overheat the praline paste, otherwise it gets bitter. The praline paste should not exceed 40°C.
5. When a thick paste is formed, add the oil and blend. The oil will make the praliné more flowing and smoothly. Continue to blend the mixture until you achieve a fluid and homogeneous paste, using the freezer as required.
6. Once the paste is finely ground and almost smooth, place the praline paste in an airtight container and store it at room temperature and away from the light. If stored for an extended period the oil may separate from the solids. Ensure you mix it well before using.
   It is difficult to create a completely smooth paste with a food processor, a stone grinder will give you a really fine smooth praline.

Gluten-free sunflower seeds butter sponge biscuit with fresh raspberries

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. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment add sunflower seeds butter, honey, eggs, salt and lemon zest and beat on medium-high speed till obtaining a creamy, homogeneous and almost thick batter.
3. Add chia seed oil, slowly and little at a time. Once it is incorporated, add almond milk, slowly and little at a time. Beat on medium speed until obtain a creamy, homogeneous and this time more fluid batter.
4. Add powder ingredients (flour, starch and baking powder), previously mixed and sifted and beat on low speed, just to combine everything.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared frame and scatter on top of the batter the chopped fresh raspberries.
   Bake for 20 minutes, until the sponge biscuit is puffed, lightly golden in color, soft and slightly springy to touch.
6. Remove from the oven and cover immediately with clingfilm to keep the sponge biscuit from drying out and to preserve the moisture. Allow to cool completely before cutting 8 circles with a Ø 5 cm cookie cutter. Cut the centre out of each circle, using a Ø 2 cm cookie cutter, to obtain a doughnut-shaped.
   I suggest to put the sponge biscuit in the freezer for 1h before cutting. In this way it will be cold but not fully frozen and you can cut it without ruining it.
   Store the sponge biscuit doughnuts wrapped in clingfilm in the freezer until assembly.

Gluten-free Ruby chocolate and sunflower seeds 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 sunflower seeds, quinoa, 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 sunflower seeds 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. Once cooled, the mixture should be very crispy.
3. Melt Ruby chocolate in the microwave to 45°C. Add the sunflower seeds butter and stir well with a rubber spatula until obtain a smooth and evenly mixture.
4. Add the food coloring to enhance the rose color of the mixture that it will be dissipated a little due to the addition of the sunflower seeds butter.
5. Add the crunchy and caramelized mix and stir, ensuring that the crunchy mix is well coated.
6. Line a baking tray with silicone baking mat and pour it over the croustillant. Place a second silicone mat on top of the croustillant and flatten it with a rolling pin to a thickness of 3 mm. Freeze until firmed.
7. Once the croustillant is frozen, peel the silicone mat off the croustillant and leave it at room temperature for about 1-2 minutes, until it is almost pliable. Cut out 8 circles with a Ø 5 cm cookie cutter, then cut the centre out of each circle, using a Ø 2 cm cookie cutter, to obtain a doughnut-shaped.
8. Place a circle of sponge biscuit on top of a circle of croustillant and place in the freezer until assembly.

Ruby chocolate, yogurt and vanilla whipped ganache

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water.
2. Melt Ruby chocolate in the microwave to 45°C.
3. Heat together almond milk, honey and vanilla seeds in the microwave without boiling. Add the soaked gelatin sheets and stir through until it is dissolved.
4. Add the almond milk to the melted chocolate in 3 times and stir vigorously with a rubber spatula, forming circular patterns, in order to obtain a smooth and fluid cream.
5. Transfer the cream into a mixing glass and emulsify with an hand blender to stabilize the emulsion and to make the cream even more smooth and homogeneous.
6. Check out the temperature of the cream, ensuring that it is above 35°C. Add greek yogurt and emulsify to melt it through the Ruby chocolate cream.
7. Add slowly and to wire the cold heavy cream, blending contemporarily with the mixer. Add finally the natural food coloring to enhance the rose color of the cream and emulsify once more, until the food coloring has evenly dissolved.
8. Transfer the cream into a baking dish, cover with clingfilm pressed on top of the cream and chill overnight (12h).
9. Transfer the cold ganache in the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Whip the ganache on medium-high speed until it is soft, slightly airy and pale. If it looks too much soft, no worries. It should be smoother that a regular whipped ganache.
   If you over-whip the ganache it will start to separate, to become grainy and to lose its shiny and silken texture.
10. Transfer the whipped ganache into a disposable piping bag and fill 8 doughnut-shaped silicone mould of Ø 6,5 cm x h 2 cm (I used Pavoflex Loop silicone mould) about half-way. Use a teaspoon to spread the whipped ganache up the sides of the mould to eliminate any air bubbles and to avoid whitespace. Set inside the sponge biscuit-croustillant insert (with the sponge biscuit touching the whipped ganache and the croustillant upwards) and press it gently and slightly down so that it is level with the top of the mould. Remove any excess whipped ganache with a palette knife and freeze for at least 2 h in a domestic freezer or for about 1h in a blast freezer.

Natural-colored mirror glaze (cocoa butter based)

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in 40 g cold water for at least 10 min.
2. Weigh out the cocoa butter into a measuring cup or mixing glass. Heat caster sugar, almond milk and dextrose sugar in a saucepan to 104°C
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add in the sweetened condensed milk, stir through with a rubber spatula.
4. Pour into the mixing glass, over the cocoa butter, and emulsify with the hand blender to melt the cocoa butter. Make sure to not add so much air bubbles when blending.
5. Heat the Absolu Cristal in the microwave to 65°C and add into the mixture, followed by the drained gelatin sheets (add only the gelatin sheets and not the soaked water). Emulsify once more, then add the natural food colorings and emulsify once again, to obtain a pale salmon-pink.
6. Pass the glaze through a sieve and pour it into a baking dish. Cover with clingfilm pressed on top of the glaze and chill in the fridge for 12h or overnight.
7. Heat the glaze in the microwave until the edges start to melt. Transfer into a measuring cup and emulsify with the hand blender, so that the centre begins to melt too. Keep the blade of the hand blender on the bottom of the mixing glass, to avoid air bubbles. Place clingfilm on the surface of the glaze and cool it to 27-28°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 each other. They will serve to collect the excess glaze. Place a cooling rack on top of the clingfilm.
9. Once the glaze is 27-28°C, unmould the frozen mini mousse cakes and place them on the cooling rack. Pour over the glaze at 27-28°C.
10. When the glaze stops dripping, insert a toothpick into one side of the mini cake and, using a small palette knife, place the mini cake on top of the croustillant. Place the finished mini cakes in the fridge.
    You can store the leftover mirror glaze in an airtight container or vacuum-packed in the fridge for 2-3 weeks.

Assembly and decoration

Garnish the mini mousse cake with two Dulcey chocolate swirls and some edible flowers.