Snowmanorr
MAKES 12
Preparation: begin one day ahead.
SABLÉ À CHOUX
150 g (5½ oz) unsalted butter
150 g (5½ oz) sugar
175 g (6 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
Place all of the ingredients in the bowl an electric mixer fitted with the beater attachment and begin mixing on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Gather the dough together and put it on a sheet of plastic wrap, then flatten to approximately 2 cm (¾ inch) thick. Wrap and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until the dough has firmed.
PÂTE À CHOUX
200 g (7 oz) unsalted butter
10 g (3/8 oz) sugar
10 g (3/8 oz) salt
215 g (75/8 oz) water
270 g (9½ oz) coconut milk
15 g (½ oz) coconut milk powder
270 g (9½ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
365 g (12¾ oz) eggs
Preheat the oven to 210°C (415°F). Combine the butter, sugar, salt, water, coconut milk and coconut milk powder in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and quickly beat in the flour with a wooden spoon or a whisk. Return the pan to the heat and continue beating until the mixture comes together and leaves the sides of the pan. Beat over low heat for a further 1–2 minutes to cook the flour. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a beater attachment and begin beating the mixture on medium speed to release 60% of the heat. Add the eggs gradually, beating well between each addition until well incorporated. Add the last portion of egg and continue beating until thick and glossy.
Lightly butter a baking tray, then wipe off any excess with paper towel. Dip a 6 cm (2½ inch) round cutter in flour then stamp it on the tray to form 12 outlines, leaving a 3 cm (1¼ inch) gap between each to allow for spreading. Put the choux pastry in a piping bag fitted with an 11 mm (7/16 inch) plain nozzle. Hold the bag over the centre of the circle, about 2 cm (¾ inch) above the tray and slowly but firmly pipe down, without moving the bag from this position. The pastry will spread towards the edge of the circle outline, so stop piping just before it reaches the outline and turn the bag to 12 o’clock, then quickly swipe around and off at 6 o’clock. Repeat until all the mixture is piped onto the tray.
Remove the sablé from the refrigerator and roll the dough out to 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick on a floured work surface, or between two sheets of baking paper. Using a round 6 cm (2½ inch) cutter, stamp out 12 discs, and lightly place a disc on each of the choux pastry balls.
Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the puffs are golden. It is important not to open the oven door until the choux pastry has a good colour, otherwise you can halt the rising of the pastry, resulting in it collapsing. Once the pastry is golden, reduce the oven temperature to 120°C (248°F) and cook for a further 10 minutes to extract residual moisture in the choux so it stays crisp. Choux pastry should always feel light when you lift it up. Set aside to cool.
LYCHEE GEL
250 g (9 oz) lychee purée
12 g (7/16 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1.5 g (1/16 oz) gellan gum
0.75 g (1/32 oz) iota carrageenan
Put all of the ingredients into a small saucepan and, before putting it on the stove, blend with a hand blender until it is smooth and the powders are fully dissolved. Put twelve 4 x 1.5 cm (1½ x 5/8 inch) flexible round pastry moulds on a baking tray and set aside. Bring the mixture to the boil, whisking constantly and gently. Once it has boiled, remove from the heat and pour the gel into the moulds, filling them three-quarters full, then put them in the refrigerator to set.
BUBBLE TEA CUSTARD
250 g (9 oz) milk
8 g (¼ oz) jasmine black tea leaves
60 g (2¼ oz) egg yolk
60 g (2¼ oz) sugar
14 g (½ oz) cornflour (cornstarch)
14 g (½ oz) butter
45 g (1½ oz) tapioca pearls, cooked and drained
Put the milk and jasmine tea leaves in a medium saucepan and heat to 85°C (185°C). Remove from the heat, cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave to infuse for 15 minutes. In a bowl, mix together the egg yolk, sugar and cornflour and whisk until pale and fluffy. Strain the milk mixture into a clean saucepan over medium heat and heat to just below boiling. Pour a third of the milk into the egg mixture and stir well, then return the mixture to the remaining milk in the saucepan and bring it to the boil, stirring constantly to avoid burning the bottom.
When the custard has thickened, cook for 1 minute, then scrape into a bowl and set aside to cool to 50°C (120°F). Once cooled, add the butter and mix with a hand blender, then fold through the cooked tapioca pearls. Cover with plastic wrap, ensuring the plastic is touching the surface, and store in the refrigerator.
LYCHEE COMPOTE
250 g (9 oz) lychee purée
2.5 g (3/32 oz) iota carrageenan
Put the lychee purée and iota carrageenan into a small saucepan. Use a hand blender to blend and dissolve the iota. Bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once boiled, pour the purée into a bowl or container and cover with plastic wrap, ensuring the plastic is touching the surface. Put it in the refrigerator to cool and set.
COCONUT CURD
20 g (¾ oz) coconut milk or purée
45 g (1½ oz) coconut cream
80 g (2¾ oz) eggs
3 g (1/8 oz) coconut milk powder
80 g (2¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1.5 g (1/16 oz) iota carrageenan
125 g (4½ oz) butter, at room temperature
Put the coconut milk, coconut cream, eggs, coconut milk powder, caster sugar and iota carrageenan in a medium saucepan and use a hand blender to emulsify. Put the pan over medium heat and, stirring constantly with a whisk, heat to 93°C (199°F). Remove from the heat, strain the coconut curd mixture into a bowl and cool to 50°C (120°F). Add the butter and use a hand blender to blend the mixture for 3–4 minutes until it is smooth and shiny.
Cover with plastic wrap, ensuring the plastic is touching the surface, and place in the refrigerator to cool and set.
LYCHEE COCONUT CRÈME LÉGÈRE
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) mascarpone
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) coconut curd
250 g (9 oz) lychee compote
Put the ingredients into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed until firm peaks start to form. Remove from the mixer and put the crème légère into a piping (icing) bag fitted with a 11 mm (7/16 inch) plain nozzle, then set aside until needed or store in the refrigerator.
WHITE CHOCOLATE PLAQUES
250 g (9 oz) white couverture chocolate
25 g (1 oz) coconut milk powder
2 g (1/16 oz) sea salt
8 g (¼ oz) freeze-dried lychee, crushed (optional)
Temper the white chocolate and fold through the dry ingredients. Moisten the tabletop with a wet cloth and lay a 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 inch) acetate sheet on the moistened surface. Smooth with a clean cloth. Spread a 2 mm (1/16 inch) layer of chocolate on the acetate using a palette knife until smooth and the chocolate starts to crystallise.
Using an 8 cm (3¼ inch) round cutter, cut discs of the chocolate, as many as you can get. Lay a sheet of baking paper over the top and flip over the acetate sheet. Put a heavy tray on top to keep the chocolate flat.
COCONUT CRUNCH
90 g (3¼ oz) white chocolate, chopped or buttons
50 g (1¾ oz) pure coconut paste (see Glossary)
140 g (5 oz) pure almond paste (see Glossary)
80 g (2¾ oz) pailleté feuilletine
15 g (½ oz) fine desiccated coconut
Put the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan of simmering water or in a microwave. Remove from the heat, add the nut pastes and stir to combine. Fold through the remaining ingredients.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread out the mixture to 6 mm (¼ inch) thick. Place the tray in the refrigerator for the mixture to cool and set. Once set, cut out discs using a 5 cm (2 inch) round cutter. Lay the discs on a tray lined with baking paper and keep covered, in the refrigerator, until needed.
WHITE GLAZE
25 g (1 oz) gold-strength gelatine leaves
150 g (5½ oz) cold water
450 g (1 lb) sugar
225 g (8 oz) water
450 g (1 lb) glucose
300 g (10½ oz) condensed milk
150 g (5½ oz) velvet white couverture chocolate
5 g (3/16 oz) titanium dioxide
Cut the gelatine leaves into small squares, put them in a bowl with the cold water and set aside to soak. Heat the sugar, water and glucose in a medium saucepan to 101°C (214°F). Add the gelatine with any soaking liquid and the condensed milk and stir to dissolve, then pour the mixture over the chocolate. Add the titanium dioxide and gently blend by hand, being careful not to add any air bubbles. Leave the glaze to cool and set overnight before use. Use the glaze at 28–35°C (82–95°F).
TO ASSEMBLE
Put the white glaze into a heatproof bowl and melt to 35°C (95°F) in a microwave or double boiler. Dip the tops of the choux buns into the glaze. Shake off any excess and clean off the edges with your finger. Leave to set slightly then cut the choux buns in half across the middle. Make sure that you keep the tops and bottoms matched up so that they fit back together. Pipe some of the lychee coconut crème légère into the bottom half of each choux bun.
Place one of the coconut crunch discs on top and push down gently so that the crème légère levels off at the edge of the pastry. Put the bubble tea custard into a piping (icing) bag and pipe a 2.5 cm (1 inch) disc of custard on top of the crunch, then place a round of lychee gel on top of the custard. Pipe the coconut crème légère around the edge of the bottom half of each choux bun in a circular motion on top of itself until it’s about three levels high; halfway through, add a white chocolate plaque. Pipe bubble tea custard into the middle of the crème légère, on top of the lychee gel. Finally pipe a golfball-size amount of the crème légère on top and finish with the choux bun tops. Add a white chocolate snowflake decoration.