Ingredients
Sable a Choux 1 portion of green coloured sable pastry
Choux Pastry100g butter, plus extra ½ block of butter to grease tray
5g caster sugar
105ml water
135ml milk
¼ teaspoon electric green colour
5g salt
135g plain flour
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
Pear Vanilla Creme Patissiere150g pear puree
150g apple juice
1 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
4 egg yolks
50g cornflour
75g caster sugar
20g butter, diced at room temperature
Pear Gel250g pear puree
20g caster sugar
½ teaspoon pectin NH
¼ teaspoon gellan
Green Chocolate Squares1 sheet green chocolate
Pear Mousse80ml thickened cream
250g of the pear vanilla creme patissiere, reserve remaining mixture
180g mascarpone
Green Marzipan1 sheet of rolled out green marzipan
Almond Crunch25g butter
50g dark chocolate 70%
210g streusel
75g almond praline
45g whole almond crushed
2 pinches sea salt
Icing sugar, to serve
Candied almonds, to serve
Small ball of baked almond cream, to serve
Method
Sable a Choux
1. Place pastry between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out to 2mm-thick.
2. Place on a tray and place in blast chiller for 3 minutes. Using a 3cm-round pastry cutter, cut out 5 discs, then using a 6cm-round pastry cutter cut out 5 discs.
Choux Pastry1. Preheat the oven to 185°C.
2. Combine 100g butter, sugar, water, milk, colour & salt in a large heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil.
3. Remove from the heat and quickly beat in the flour with a wooden spoon. Return to the heat and continue beating until the mixture comes together and leaves the side of the pan.
4. Keep beating over low heat for 1–2 minutes to cook the flour. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
5. Transfer to a large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high to release the heat.
6. Add the eggs one at a time beating well between each addition, continue beating until the mixture is thick and glossy.
7. Lightly grease two oven trays with extra cold butter and then wipe off excess using paper towel. Using a 3cm circle cutter; dip top in flour and mark 5 rings spaced apart on one of the trays.
8. Using a 6cm round pastry cutter; dip top in flour and mark 5 rings spaced apart on the other trays.
9. Spoon choux mixture into a piping bag and pipe large and small balls of choux onto flour stencils on trays all the way to edge of stencils.
10. Place discs of sable a choux on top of piped choux balls.
11. Bake the small choux buns in oven for approx 16 minutes until golden and hollow when tapped and sable pastry has cracked on top.
12. Bake the large choux buns in oven for approx 25 minutes, then drop oven to 120C and cook for a further 6-8 minutes until hollow when tapped and sable pastry has cracked on top.
Pear Vanilla Creme Patissiere
1. Place the pear puree, apple juice and vanilla in a saucepan until it just comes to the boil, remove from heat.
2. Combine egg yolks, cornflour and sugar in a large bowl, whisk until combined and smooth.
3. Gradually whisk hot puree mixture into egg mixture. Return mixture to saucepan, and whisk continuously over medium-high heat until the custard is thick and flour is cooked out.
4. Transfer custard to a large bowl, cover closely with cling film to prevent a skin forming and place in blast chiller for 3 minutes. Remove from chiller and gradually whisk in butter. Cover closely with cling film and refrigerate until needed.
Pear Gel1. Place pear puree and sugar in a saucepan, cook over medium heat for 1 minute, whisk in pectin and gellan and bring to the boil and boil for 1 minute whisking continuously.
2. Pour into moulds and blast chill for 5 minutes or until set, then transfer to fridge until ready to use.
Green Chocolate Squares
1. Carefully cut five 4cm x 4cm squares of chocolate using a knife, then peel chocolate square off the plastic strip.
Pear Mousse1. Place cream in a small bowl of an electric mixer and beat until soft peaks. Place crème patissiere and mascarpone in a small bowl of electric mixer and beat until combined. Remove from mixer. Using a plastic spatula, gently fold cream into crème patissiere mixture. Spoon into a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use. Spoon remaining crème patissiere into a separate piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
Green Marzipan
1. Using a 5cm-round pastry cutter, cut 5 discs from green marzipan.
Almond Crunch
1. Melt chocolate and butter together in a bowl over simmering water. Remove bowl and add praline, almond and salt, mix well.
2. Place between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll to 4 mm-thick.
3. Using a 7.5cm round cutter, cut out 5 discs.
ASSEMBLY
1. Pipe pear crème patissiere into small choux balls without bursting the top until choux bun is full and heavy. Insert a small ball of baked almond cream to plug, dust with icing sugar.
2. Pipe pear mousse into large choux ball and fill 1/3rd full, press in a pear gel and push up into bun without bursting the top of choux buns, pipe in more of the pear mousse to fill completely until choux bun is full and heavy.
3. Place almond crunch disc on a gold serving disc, top with a large filled choux bun using a little of the mouse to stick it down.
4. Place green marzipan disc on top of large choux bun.
5. Place a square of green chocolate, shiny side-up, on top of marzipan disc.
6. Place small choux ball on top of green chocolate square, using a little of the crème patissiere to stick it down.
7. Place candied almond on top of choux ball, stick with a small amount of crème patissiere.
