Honey Saffron Entremets

Sweet, fragrant and quite something different. One of my favourite entremets!

Ingredients:

For the saffron polenta cake:

  • 3 eggs
  • 100gr sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • good pinch of saffron
  • 110gr melted butter
  • 100gr polenta
  • 25gr flour
  • 1.5 tsp baking powder

For the apricot puree:

  • 100gr dried apricots
  • 1.5 tbs cointreau
  • 1.5 tbs water

    • For the honey mousse:

    • 250gr heavy cream
    • 4 egg yolks
    • 50gr honey
    • 4 sheets of gelatin
    • 100gr heavy cream

    For the almond honey tuilles:

    • 23gr flour
    • 40gr medium fine chopped almonds
    • 45gr sugar
    • 50gr butter
    • 30gr honey
    • 23gr egg white

    For the honey glaze:

    • 12gr pectin powder
    • 150gr honey
    • 200ml water
    • 150gr glucose syrup
    • 4gr lemon juice

    Makes 12

    Recipe:

    Make the saffron polenta cake:
    Combine the eggs, sugar, salt, vanilla and saffron. Beat for 8-10 minutes until very light and fluffy. Fold in the melted butter.
    Combine the polenta, flour and baking powder. Fold this into the batter. Divide the batter over a 25cm square cake tin lined with baking paper.
    Bake for 15min on 170°C.

    Puree all ingredients for the apricot puree together. Cut 6cm discs from the polenta cake and slather each disc with a thick layer of apricot puree.

    Make the honey mousse:
    Soak the gelatin in cold water for 5 minutes.
    Combine the cream, egg yolks and sugar in a sauce pan. Heat while stirring until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon with a creamy layer that doesn’t flow down when pulling your finger through.
    Turn off the heat. Stir in the squeezed out gelatin. Push some clingfilm on top of the custard. This prevents a skin from forming. Leave to room temperature but not set.

    Whip the remaining heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold this into the cooled cream.
    Fill 12 moulds halfway with honey mousse. Push the saffron discs upside down – apricot side down – into the mousse. Then fill with remaining honey mousse and freeze for at least 12 hours or until set. (If using rings, place the saffron discs at the bottom – apricot side up – and fill with honey mousse, these can be removed from the freezer after 1.5 hours)

    Make the almond tuilles:
    Combine the flour, almonds and sugar.
    Cream together the butter and honey. Stir the egg whites to break them up but not whip them. Stir the egg whites into the butter mixture and stir until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture.

    Make cookies using 1/8th teaspoon, 1/4th teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon of batter for each size. This will look very small but the batter will spread. Help them by pushing the domes of batter down with a wet finger.
    Bake for 10-12 minutes on 160°C or until the sides have browned.
    Let the cookies cool fully before taking them off the silicone.

    Make the honey glaze:
    Combine the pectin with the honey. Add the water bit by wit until the pectin is fully disolved. Add the water all at once and the pectin will clump.

    Bring the mixture to a boil.
    Add the glocose and boil for 1 minute.
    Take the pan off the flame and add the lemon juice. Use the glaze when at 40°C or less but before setting. Else, warm the glaze up a little bit until liquid but not warm.

    Unmould the frozen entremets. Set them on a wire rack and pour the glaze over the mousse.
    Just before serving, push one of each size of the honey tuilles into the cake.

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