Mini Pear Desserts

For the gelatine mass (make the day before): Organise the ingredients. Place the gelatine powder and water in a ramekin.

Combine carefully.

After a few minutes, you should obtain a compact mass. When the gelatine is set, melt it in the microwave. Refrigerate so it sets again. This method prevents the gelatine from releasing moisture later on.

For the vanilla sweet shortcrust pastry (make the day before): Place the diced soft butter in the stand mixer recipient.

Add the icing sugar.

Combine using the flat beater.

Add the castor sugar, almond powder, a pinch of fleur de sel et a pinch of vanilla powder.

Combine again.

Gradually incorporate the beaten egg.

Add the flour.

Combine with the flat beater until homogeneous. Using a dough scraper, transfer the dough onto your kitchen worktop...

... and knead (stretching and regathering it).

Shape the dough into a ball and place it between two polyethylene sheets...

... and spread with your hands. Reserve in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or ideally overnight.

The next day, remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out to a thickness of 3 mm...

... with the pastry between 2 plastic sheets.

For a perfect thickness, you can a ruler on both sides.

Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and detach the top sheet carefully.

Flour the pastry a little...

... and transfer on a baking mat. The pastry should be easy to handle with the polyethylene sheet.

Gently remove the polyethylene sheet...

... and drizzle flour over the other side of the pastry.

Using a Exoglass pastry cutter Ø 7cm, cut the pastry into at least 8 discs.

Discard the pastry scraps...

... and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 155°C (gas 2), preferably a fan-assisted oven...

... for 18 minutes.

Remove from oven and leave to cool at room temperature, then remove the discs from the mat and place them on your workbench.

Using a decorating brush, apply golden colouring powder and gold flakes over the pastry discs.

For the salted caramel (make the day before): Place the sugar in a saucepan...

... and place the saucepan over the heat and make a caramel (without adding any water). Heat the whipping cream in the meantime.

The sugar should be caramelizing gradually. The heat should be set on medium.

When you get a pale blonde caramel, take the pan away from the heat...

... and add the hot whipping cream (watch out for splashes of boiling caramel).

Add the diced salted butter.

Combine well with a whisk.

Transfer the preparation into a bowl and leave to cool...

... then transfer into a piping bag (the use of a nozzle is not necessary). Reserve in the fridge.

For the caramel mascarpone Chantilly (make the day before): In a mixing bowl, place 60 grams of salted caramel.

Pour the mascarpone in a saucepan...

... and place over medium heat.

When the mascarpone starts boiling, take the pan away from the heat and pour over the caramel.

Combine with a whisk until homogeneous.

Place cling film on the surface of the cream...

... and reserve in the fridge.

The next day, remove the mascarpone preparation from the fridge...

... then transfer into the stand mixer bowl.

Whisk the preparation...

... until you obtain a firm, smooth Chantilly cream.

Using a Gastroflex silicone mould, fill 8 cavities with Chantilly cream and store in the freezer.

Transfer the rest of the mascarpone Chantilly cream into a piping bag fitted with a rose swirl nozzle...

... and reserve in the fridge.

This is a close-up photo of the shape of the rose swirl tip.

For the pear jelly insert: In a saucepan, pour the pear purée...

... and the brandy.

Bring to a boil and take the pan away from the heat.

Place 21 grams of gelatine mass in a bowl and melt in the microwave. Add to the pear purée.

Combine carefully with the whisk.

Transfer into a piping bag (no nozzle required). In a separate half-sphere silicone mould, fill the cavities up to 2/3 with the pear jelly. Store in the freezer.

For the pear mousse: Pour the pear purée in a saucepan.

Add the pear brandy.

Bring to a boil and take the pan away from the heat when it starts boiling.

Place 49 grams of gelatine mass in a bowl and melt in the microwave. Add to the hot pear purée. Leave to cool at room temperature.

In the meantime, place the cold whipping cream in the stand mixer (fitted with the whisk).

Start beating...

... until foamy.

Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cold pear purée...

... and combine with a whisk.

Pour the preparation over the remaining whipped cream...

... and fold gently with a rubber spatula.

Transfer the pear mousse into a piping bag (no nozzle required).

Using the Silikomart convex round silicone mould, fill the cavities up to 2/3 with pear mousse.

Remove the pear jelly half spheres from the freezer and bury them in the cavities filled with pear mousse. This will create a small hole in the centre.

Pour some salted caramel in the central hole.

Cover with pear mousse...

...and even the surface with a metallic cranked spatula. Place in the freezer for at least 6 hours.

For the icing: Hydrate the powder gelatine with 60 grams of water. Combine and set aside.

Pour the sweetened condensed milk in a deep jug.

In a saucepan, pour the water, glucose syrup...

... and the castor sugar.

Cook until the temperature reaches 103°C. I recommend using a digital thermometer with probe.

Pour the syrup into the jug.

Add the gelatine...

... and the milk chocolate couverture.

Blend with the spatula first to make sure air doesn't get in...

... then mix with a Bamix hand blender, completely immersed not to incorporate any air.

Place cling film on the surface of the icing and set aside.

For the chocolate discs: Temper the dark chocolate. Pour the tempered dark chocolate between two polyethylene sheets and cut discs with a plain pastry cutter. Leave to set. You will find more details in the chocolate discs recipe.

Release the frozen cakes from the silicone mould...

... and insert a wooden pick in the centre of each cake.

Icing and assembling the cakes: When the icing reaches 30°C, arrange the frozen cakes over a rack placed on top of a deep tray. Pour the icing over the cakes in one stroke.

Using the wooden pick, lift the cakes...

... and arrange them over the vanilla pastry discs. Remove the wooden picks.

Arrange a chocolate disc on top of each cake.

Release the frozen caramel Chantilly half spheres from the mould and place on top of the chocolate discs.

Place one cake over an electric turntable. Make sure you work with one small cake at a time. You can use a record player for this step.

Pipe the Chantilly cream on top of each cake while the base is turning. This operation is a little tricky and requires some training.

Pipe a small drop of salted caramel on top of each cake, followed by a small piece of gold leaf. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve. Enjoy!