Dominique Ansel

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in a bowl of ice water until soft, about 20 minutes.⁵ If using powdered gelatin, sprinkle 2 teaspoons (5 grams) gelatin over 2 tablespoons (30 grams) water in a small bowl, stir, and let sit 20 minutes to bloom.

2. Bring the cream to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat and add the ginger. Cover the pot with plastic wrap and set it aside to infuse for 20 minutes.

3. Strain the infused cream through a medium sieve into a measuring cup. Add more heavy cream to return it to the original amount. Return the cream to the small pot and bring to a boil again over medium heat. Remove from the heat.

4. Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Stream one-third of the hot cream into the yolks, whisking constantly until fully blended, to temper them. Whisk the tempered yolks into the remaining hot cream and return the pot to medium heat. Whisking constantly, cook the ginger cream until it reaches 185°F (85°C), begins to bubble slightly, and becomes thick. Remove from the heat.

5. If using gelatin sheets, squeeze out any excess water. Whisk the bloomed gelatin into the ginger cream until fully dissolved. Strain the ginger cream through a small sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the cream, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate overnight to set.

MAKE CINNAMON GANACHE

1. Soak the gelatin sheet in a bowl of ice water until soft, about 20 minutes. If using powdered gelatin, sprinkle ¹/₂ teaspoon (about 1.5 grams) gelatin over 1 ¹/₂ teaspoons (7.5 grams) ice water in a small bowl, stir, and let sit 20 minutes to bloom.

2. Combine the white chocolate chips and ground cinnamon in a small heatproof bowl.

3. Bring the heavy cream to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat. If using a gelatin sheet, squeeze out any excess water. Whisk the bloomed gelatin into the hot cream until the gelatin is dissolved.

4. Pour the hot cream over the white chocolate and let stand for 30 seconds.

5. Whisk the cream, white chocolate, and cinnamon until homogeneous and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the ganache, to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate overnight to set.

MAKE PRALINÉ FEUILLETINE

1. Melt the milk chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave on high power in 20-second intervals, stirring with a heatproof spatula between intervals, until smooth.

2. Melt the butter in the microwave in a medium bowl. Using the spatula, stir in the melted chocolate. Add the feuilletine and hazelnut paste and stir with the spatula until the feuilletine is evenly coated.

3. Spread the feuilletine on a sheet of parchment paper, place a second sheet of parchment on top, and press down. With a rolling pin, roll the feuilletine to a thickness of ¹/₄ inch (5 mm). Transfer the feuilletine, still between the parchment sheets, to a sheet pan and freeze.

MAKE PEAR-NUTMEG BISCUIT

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) for conventional or 350°F (175°C) for convection. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

3. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder together in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl, whisk together the egg and pear purée and stream into the dry ingredients, whisking to combine. Continue to whisk until smooth. Slowly stream the melted butter into the batter while whisking. When the butter is completely incorporated, you should have a loose, shiny batter that spreads easily.

4. Using a rubber spatula, scoop the batter onto the quarter sheet pan. With an offset spatula, spread the batter evenly to fill the pan so that it is about ¹/₄ inch (6 mm) thick.

5. Bake the biscuit on the center rack of the oven for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan 180 degrees and bake for 8 minutes more. When finished, the biscuit will be a deep golden brown and spring back to the touch. Let the biscuit, still in the pan, cool completely.

6. Invert the sheet pan onto a cutting board. Lift off the pan and peel away the parchment paper from the biscuit. Punch out 12 circles of biscuit with a 1 ¹/₄-inch (3 cm) ring cutter. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

ONE DAY BEFORE

WHIP CREAM

Using a whisk, work the ginger cream into a smooth paste. Cut the tip of a piping bag to snugly fit a #804 plain tip. Using a rubber spatula, place 2 large scoops of ginger cream in the bag so that it is one-third full. Push the cream down toward the tip of the bag. Set aside.

WHIP CINNAMON GANACHE

1. Transfer the ganache to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.

2. Cut the tip of another piping bag to snugly fit a #804 plain tip. Using a rubber spatula, place 2 large scoops of ganache in the bag so that it is one-third full. Push the ganache down toward the tip of the bag.

CUT PRALINÉ FEUILLETINE

Remove the feuilletine from the freezer. Peel off the top sheet of parchment paper. Punch out 12 circles with the 1 ¹/₄-inch (3 cm) ring cutter. Return to the freezer until needed.

BEGIN ASSEMBLY

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Place a praliné feuilletine circle on the pan. On top of that, place a circle of pear-nutmeg biscuit. Make sure to center the biscuit so that it lines up perfectly with the praliné feuilletine.

2. Holding the piping bag of ginger cream at a 90-degree angle about ¹/₂ inch (1.25 cm) above the biscuit, pipe a dot that covers the surface of the biscuit. Use your free hand to hold the biscuit in place. When the cream reaches the edges of the biscuit, pull straight up to create a teardrop shape.

3. Holding the piping bag of cinnamon ganache at a 90-degree angle, start at the base of the biscuit and pipe ganache over the ginger cream, wrapping around the cream and working until it is completely covered. At this point the pinecone will look like it has been wrapped in rope. Repeat with the remaining feuilletine and biscuit circles. Freeze overnight.

MAKE CHOCOLATE DÉCOR

1. Melt and temper the dark chocolate (see page 242).

2. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the work surface. Using a palette knife, on the first sheet of acetate spread half of the tempered chocolate in a thin, even layer about the thickness of a credit card. When the chocolate is no longer shiny, use the large petal cutter to punch out 250 chocolate pieces. You will have just 2 to 3 minutes before the chocolate is fully set, so speed is very important. When you are done, flip the sheet over onto the parchment paper so the acetate is facing up. This will keep the chocolate flat as it sets.

3. Repeat the process using the small petal cutter on the second sheet of acetate and cut 250 petals. When finished, place it on top of the first sheet and let them both set in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

4. Peel off the acetate and separate the chocolate décor. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

THE DAY OF

MAKE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1. Whisk the water and cocoa powder in a small bowl to make a smooth paste. Set aside at room temperature.

2. Combine the cream and milk in a small pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar in a small bowl until fully blended.⁶

3. Stream one-third of the hot cream and milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly until fully blended, to temper them. Whisk the tempered yolks into the remaining hot cream and milk and return the pot to medium heat.

4. Continue to cook the custard over medium heat, whisking continuously, until it reaches 185°F (85°C). The custard will turn pale yellow and thicken so that it coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, add the cocoa powder paste, and whisk until fully blended.

5. Place the dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Strain the custard through a small sieve over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds.

6. Whisk the chocolate and custard until homogeneous and smooth. When finished, the ganache will have the consistency of pancake batter and be pourable.

FINISH ASSEMBLY

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and place a wire rack on top. Take the pinecone bases out of the freezer and arrange them on the wire rack, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart.

2. Make sure the dark chocolate ganache is between 95° and 104°F (35° and 40°C), or slightly warm to the touch. Let it cool further or rewarm it gently over simmering water if necessary.⁷

3. Pour the chocolate ganache directly over the top of a frozen pinecone so that it covers the entire structure. Repeat with the remaining pinecones. Refrigerate for 5 minutes to set lightly.

4. With an offset spatula, transfer the pinecones from the wire rack to a sheet pan or individual serving plates. Let thaw in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours before applying the décor.

5. Starting at the bottom of the pinecone, and with the smaller petals first, place the pointed end of the décor into the ganache, rounded end facing up. Place the next piece of décor directly next to the first one. Repeat until the décor completely wraps around the pinecone. Make a second row ¹/₂ inch (1.25 cm) above the first. Complete a third and final row of small petals.

6. Toward the center, start using the larger petals and then switch to the smaller petals again at the top.

7. Continue to fill the pinecone with décor until you reach the top (a minimum of 6 layers and up to 12 layers of décor total). A finished pinecone will use around 40 pieces of chocolate décor. Continue with the remaining pinecones.⁸ Keep in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

1. If you can’t find gelatin sheets, use powdered gelatin. One gelatin sheet = 1 scant teaspoon (2.3 grams) powdered gelatin. For every teaspoon of gelatin, bloom in 1 tablespoon (15 grams) water.

2. If you can’t find feuilletine, you can use any kind of crispy wafers or cookies.

3. If you can’t find hazelnut paste, almond butter is a good substitute.

4. If you can’t find pear purée, purée peeled and cored fresh ripe pears, adding 10 percent of their weight in sugar.

5. Gelatin needs at least 12 hours to set completely. Make sure to plan ahead when using any products that contain gelatin, as they will need time to set.

6. Combine the sugar and egg yolks just before using. Over time, the sugar will “cook” the egg yolks, creating lumps.

7. At this temperature, the chocolate ganache is fluid enough to coat the pinecone without melting the cinnamon ganache underneath.

8. As you reach the top 3 layers of décor, start to angle the petals up to more closely resemble a pinecone.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS Let the pinecones sit out for 5 minutes to temper before serving. Immediately before serving, sift confectioners’ sugar over the pinecones to give the appearance of snow.

STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS Consume within 24 hours of glazing. Unglazed pinecones can be kept frozen for up to 1 week. The décor can be kept in a closed airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Gelatin sheet (160 bloom)¹	2 each	2 each
Heavy cream	³/₄ cup, plus more as needed	185 grams, plus more as needed
Chopped peeled fresh ginger	¹/₄ cup	38 grams
Egg yolks (large)	2 each	40 grams
Granulated sugar	2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon	30 grams

Gelatin sheet (160 bloom)¹	¹/₂ each	¹/₂ each
White chocolate chips	¹/₄ cup	45 grams
Ground cinnamon	¹/₂ teaspoon	1.5 grams
Heavy cream	³/₄ cup + 2 tablespoons	203 grams

Milk chocolate (36% cocoa content), finely chopped	3 tablespoon	15 grams
Unsalted butter (84% butterfat)	1 teaspoon	4 grams
Feuilletine²	¹/₄ cup	20 grams
Hazelnut paste³	2 tablespoons	35 grams

Unsalted butter (84% butterfat)	3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon	47 grams
All-purpose flour	³/₄ cup	73 grams
Granulated sugar	¹/₂ cup	103 grams
Baking soda	¹/₄ teaspoon	1 gram
Ground nutmeg	³/₄ teaspoon	1.75 grams
Kosher salt	¹/₂ teaspoon	1 gram
Baking powder	¹/₄ teaspoon	1.5 grams
Whole egg (large; beat 1 egg and measure out half)	¹/₂ each	¹/₂ each (25 grams)
Pear purée⁴	¹/₃ cup + 1 tablespoon	84 grams

Water	2 tablespoons	26 grams
Unsweetened cocoa powder	2 ¹/₄ teaspoons	5 grams
Heavy cream	¹/₄ cup	57 grams
Whole milk	2 tablespoons	29 grams
Egg yolks (large; beat 2 yolks and measure out three-quarters)	1 ¹/₂ tablespoons	1 ¹/₂ each (30 grams)
Granulated sugar	2 tablespoons	26 grams
Dark chocolate (66% cocoa content), finely chopped	¹/₂ cup	83 grams
Confectioners’ sugar (for decoration)	as needed	as needed

GINGERBREAD PINECONE

TWO DAYS BEFORE

ONE DAY BEFORE

THE DAY OF