This week, new analysis of a high-end pastry to understand its balance, subtlety and technique. I went to a famous French pastry chef in the 7th district of Paris to taste a famous dessert in France. I decided to taste Mori Yoshida's famous Mont-Blanc.
It is a traditional French dessert reworked in a very subtle and clever way. A mix between lightness and delicacy, this pastry has become the signature cake of the Yoshida company. You can't go wrong by choosing this cake.
STRUCTURE
This pastry is composed of :
A phyllo pastry base
An almond cream
A whipped cream
A Mont-Blanc cream
TASTY OVER BEAUTY
Disclaimer: for this recipe, I am lucky enough to be able to share with you the official recipe of the pastry chef. Furthermore, I would like to assure you that I taste all the cakes I present in this series of articles and take care to understand their composition so that you can reproduce them at home.
Let's break down the different layers one by one:
The base of the dessert is original because it is made of phyllo pastry, traditionally used for oriental cake pastries. When you want to add a crunchy texture to a Mont-Blanc, pastry chefs usually put a shortcrust pastry to structure the cake. Here, Morihide wanted a more airy entremet, while keeping a crispy layer. This spices up the dessert. Moreover, this phyllo pastry makes the difference because it brings both texture and lightness.
The second preparation is the almond cream. I think it's a very good idea to add almond cream because it brings density and delicacy. Be careful to properly dose the cream, it's all about balanced flavors and quantities. The cream gives length in the mouth and blends very well with the whipped cream.
As you can well imagine, above this almond cream will rise a consequent amount of whipped cream. A few remarks should be taken into account concerning this step. This preparation represents the main proportion of the cake, be careful not to whip too much at risk of turning grainy. However, it must be firm enough to stand on its own. In addition, it is very important to barely sweeten the whipped cream. Why? Chestnut paste vermicelli are very concentrated in sugar. As it covers almost the whole pastry, the sugar must be contrasted with the other elements.
Finally, the last layer of the entremet is the chestnut paste vermicelli. Key element of the entremet, their texture must be perfect to prevent them from dripping on the whipped cream. These vermicelli must be homogeneous and must be able to stand correctly on the whipped cream. Mixed with rum or other alcohol, it will give a fragrant touch to your dessert. Be careful, to use only one or two tablespoons of alcohol, otherwise the aromas will be much too pronounced and spoil the balance of flavors.
BETTER THAN OTHERS
I wanted to share the recipe with you because in my opinion, everyone who comes to Mori Yoshida's shop should taste this cake. This cake didn’t become one of his signature cakes accidently. If you can't go to his shop in Paris, I strongly advise you to try the recipe at home because it's an excellent pastry, and quite simple to make.
What particularly struck me about this cake is its lightness. You don't feel heavy even after devouring a whole Mont-Blanc. No texture in this dessert is heavy, everything completes each other wonderfully and matches to make a well-balanced dessert.
I also loved the almond cream and the phyllo pastry base. This original added element is perfectly mastered and brings out the cake’s flavors even more.
The only dark shadow from choosing this cake is the presence of alcohol. I hate feeling the taste of alcohol in a cake, so when a cake is high enough in alcohol, I don't enjoy eating it anymore. That's a purely personal remark, so you should take a step back regarding this remark. If you are very sensitive to alcohol, I would suggest you not to put any alcohol in the cake or eat the whole cake. Otherwise, go ahead and taste this marvel ! (because yes, beyond my personal tastes, I can recognize a very good cake).
KEY POINTS
For a cake to be exceptional, you have to:
When reinventing a traditional dessert, you have to know how to complete the textures and density, to prevent from having a flat cake in flavor.
Succeeding a cake means having elements that complete and match perfectly to form a coherent whole.
The proportion of each element is crucial for the balance of a dessert. The proportion of a cream or a biscuit must (above all) be balanced, according to its intensity in flavor.
RECIPE
Almond cream:
200 g butter
200 g icing sugar
170 g eggs
200 g almond powder
Mont-Blanc base:
3 sheets of phyllo pastry
butter
Whipped cream:
250 g liquid cream 30% fat
25 g sugar
28 g mascarpone
¼ vanilla pod
Mont-Blanc Cream :
200 g mashed chestnut
100 g chestnut paste
10 g rum
68 g pastry cream
38 g whipped cream
Presentation :
icing sugar
DIRECTIONS
Cream almond:
Mix the butter at room temperature with the icing sugar until smooth. Incorporate the eggs in 3 times. Add the almond powder and mix until smooth.
Mont-Blanc base:
Gently baste each sheet of phyllo with melted butter. Stack the sheets (you get 3 layers). Press into a circular mould. Pipe some almond cream on the base of the tart (there will be some leftovers). Bake for 12 minutes at 170°C/ 338°F.
Whipped cream:
Mix the cold cream, sugar, mascarpone and the seeds of the vanilla bean scraped in a frozen mixing bowl. Beat until the cream is firm.
Mont-Blanc cream:
Mix the mashed chestnut, chestnut paste and rum until smooth.
Prepare a whipped cream and a pastry cream. Then add the whipped cream and the custard cream: incorporate them delicately to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
Presentation :
Pipe the whipped cream in the centre of the cooked and cooled tart to obtain a fairly high dome. Starting at the base, then pipe the Mont-Blanc cream in a circular pattern around the whipped cream, all the way to the top. Sprinkle with icing sugar.
Now, you just have to savour it ! Feel free to tag me on Instagram at @theparisbest_baking, I'll be happy to see your Mont-Blanc!
See you soon on the Paris-Best !
Lea from the Paris-Best
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