Snowflake Mini Entremets

To make this snowflake mini-entremets recipe, begin by preparing all the ingredients for the crumble.

Crumble: Place the softened butter and the icing sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix both ingredients with a spatula.

Add the soft brown sugar...

... flour, almond meal and salt.

Continue mixing with the spatula...

...until all these ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Crumble this raw dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper...

... as shown in the photo.

Place the tray in a preheated fan oven at 170°C (gas 3) and bake for about 12 minutes. The baking time may vary from one oven to another.

When cooked, remove from the oven. The crumble dough should be golden. Let it cool to room temperature.

Crunchy biscuit: Prepare all the ingredients, including the crumble you made earlier.

Place the white chocolate beans in the microwave and melt them in 20-30 second increments...

...stirring between each melting step to prevent the chocolate from burning.

Add brown sugar and fleur de sel to the melted white chocolate.

Also add the dentelle feuilletine flakes...

...as well as grapeseed oil (or another neutral oil like sunflower oil)...

...and the cooled crumble (at room temperature).

Mix with a maryse spatula, making sure the dough pieces crumble.

You should obtain a uniform, sandy mixture.

Transfer this crispy mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper.

Cover the mixture with a second sheet of parchment paper, and roll it out with a pastry rolling pin to an even thickness of 3 mm. You can use levelling rulers for uniform thickness.

Remove the top parchment paper to check the uniform thickness. Then put the paper back on the crispy layer and place it in the fridge.

Salted butter caramel: Prepare the ingredients.

Pour glucose syrup, water, and powdered sugar into a saucepan. Split a half vanilla bean in two and scrape out the inside with a knife to extract the seeds. Add the half vanilla bean and its seeds to the saucepan.

Heat over medium heat, stirring with a spatula. The sugar will turn into syrup.

Continue cooking until you have a blond caramel. If it becomes too dark, it will be bitter.

Once you have a blond caramel, deglaze it with the pre-warmed heavy cream in the microwave.

Mix carefully with a spatula and raise the temperature of the caramel until it reaches 105°C. It is recommended to use a digital probe thermometer at this stage.

When the caramel is cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the butter pieces and fleur de sel. Mix until fully incorporated.

Pour this still warm and runny caramel into 6 cavities of the silicone mould.

Cover the mould and the caramel with a sheet of plastic wrap and place in the freezer.

For the milk chocolate mousse: Organise all the necessary ingredients. Mix the powdered gelatine with the hydration water (tap water or mineral water) and let it hydrate for 15 minutes.

Heat a small amount of cold heavy cream in a saucepan.

When the cream is boiling, turn off the heat and add the hydrated gelatine. Combine vigorously.

Pour this gelled hot cream over the milk chocolate that was previously melted in the microwave in 20-30 second increments, as we did with the white chocolate.

Mix carefully with a rubber spatula...

... until smooth and homogeneous.

Whip the large amount of very cold heavy cream until it forms soft whipped cream using a mixer.

You should obtain a soft whipped cream, not too firm. Set aside.

Take the crunchy biscuit out of the freezer and remove the baking parchment on top.

Take a round mousse ring Ø 5.5cm or a cutter of the same dimension...

...and cut out 6 crispy discs. Set aside.

For the milk chocolate mousse (continued): Pour half of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture...

...and quickly whisk it in.

Add the rest of the whipped cream...

...and gently fold it in using a rubber spatula until you have a smooth and homogeneous mixture.

Transfer the milk chocolate mousse into a piping bag (no nozzle).

Assembling the mini entremets: Remove the silicone mould from the freezer...

...and remove the cling film.

Release the half-spheres of salted butter caramel.

Place the silicone mould with 6 snowflake cavities on a baking sheet and pipe the milk chocolate mousse into the cavities, filling them about 3/4 full. The flexibility of this mousse allows you to fill all the cavities evenly.

Insert the salted butter caramel inserts into the mousse...

...and fill the cavities with the remaining milk chocolate mousse.

Even the surface with a cranked spatula.

Seal the cavities with the crunchy discs.

Cover with cling film and store in the freezer. These entremets can be prepared up to this point several days in advance.

Finish: On the day, remove the silicone mould from the freezer and remove the plastic film.

Release the entremets by firmly pulling on the silicone mould...

...to turn it over and remove the cakes. They should be frozen through for optimal results.

Place the individual desserts on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. To make the velvet effect easier, you can place this on a turntable.

Shake the neutral velvet effect spray colorant vigorously until the ball rattles inside, and spray it over the entire surface of the entremets...

...rotating the tray to colour all sides and the top, like this.

Pour some neutral mirror glaze into a decorating cone and pipe a small drop on each entremets, in the centre of the snowflake.

Finish decorating these entremets with silver glitter...

...by placing them directly on the drops of neutral mirror glaze using precision tweezers (the glaze acts as glue).

Take the snowflake mini entremets with the cranked spatula, and place them on the display plate. Allow them to thaw in the fridge for at least 3 hours before serving. Enjoy this delicious dessert!