This month we present you the Mont Blanc recipe by Pastry Chef Francesca Benedettelli. In this dessert, Francesca wanted to reinterpret Mont Blanc in a different and personal way, trying to respect the traditional preparations that characterize it. In fact, there are different textures of chestnuts, which together with cream, chocolate and meringue create a very delicate balance of flavours. Thus, this dessert is made up of three different sheets interspersed with a light brown Chantilly. To give a note of freshness to the dessert, the combination with a pomegranate sorbet was created.
Chestnut vermicelli
Ingredients:
500 g of chestnuts
350 g of fresh milk
120 g of granulated sugar
3 g of salt
1 vanilla bean
10 g rum
Put the milk, the previously blanched and peeled chestnuts, salt and vanilla pod into a saucepan.
When the milk is completely absorbed, let the mixture cool and then blend and sift it. Add the rum.
The result is a delicate chestnut cream to which rum will be added and which will be placed inside a pastry bag with a multi-perforated spout. This cream will then be stored in the refrigerator at + 4° C.
Brown puff pastry
Ingredients:
80 g of chestnut cream
20 g of chestnut pâté
9 g egg whites
9 g flour 00
Add the pâté to the chestnut cream, obtained by passing the previously boiled and peeled chestnuts through a potato masher.
Then, add the egg white and finally the flour, thus obtaining a smooth and lump-free mixture.
We proceed to spread the mixture finely of the desired shape on a silpat and cook everything at 170° for about 5 minutes.
Chocolate puff
Ingredients:
Temper the 70% dark chocolate and spread on the acetate of the desired shape.
Puff pastry of meringue
Ingredients:
400 g egg white
400 g granulated sugar
800 g powdered sugar
In the bowl of the planetary mixer, pour the egg whites and granulated sugar and start whipping. In the meantime, sift the icing sugar and then pour it into the whipped mixture, stirring gently with a spatula.
Spread the meringue on the silpat to the desired shape and cook at 120° C for 2 hours.
Chantilly with chestnuts
Ingredients:
400 g fresh cream
300 g of chestnut cream
Whip the cream and then add the chestnut cream, mixing gently with a spatula. Place the Chantilly in a piping bag and refrigerate.
Pomegranate sorbet
Ingredients:
500 g of pomegranate juice
175 g of granulated sugar
110 g of dehydrated glucose
400 g of water
4 g of neutral for ice cream
Mix all the powders together, add to the water and bring to 80° C. Emulsify well with an immersion mixer and leave to cool.
Then add the pomegranate juice to the cold syrup and whisk.
Store at -18° C.
