Apple & Caramel Mini Entremets

Caramel crémeux: To make these apple/caramel mini entremets recipe, start by preparing the caramel crémeux. First, mix the powdered gelatin with the hydration water (tap water or mineral water), and let it hydrate for at least 15 minutes. Set aside. Separately, pour the glucose syrup and water into a saucepan.

Add the caster sugar...

...and mix all these ingredients together using a maryse spatula. Heat the mixture.

Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and let it cook over moderate heat.

The coloration of the mixture happens very gradually. If browning occurs too quickly, you will get a dark caramel with a bitter taste.

We want a medium blond caramel (not too dark).

Pour the tempered whipping cream into the blond caramel...

...and mix carefully with the spatula to fully dissolve the caramel into the cream.

Bring to a boil to fully dissolve the caramel. Continue boiling while stirring with the spatula.

Pour the egg yolks into a pastry bowl.

When the caramel is fully dissolved, pour the mixture over the egg yolks while whisking.

Once the mixture is homogeneous, transfer it back to the saucepan used for the caramel...

...and cook 'à la nappe' (until the consistency is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon) without exceeding 82°C. Using a digital probe thermometer is recommended here.

When the mixture reaches 82°C, transfer it to a pouring pitcher.

Add the hydrated gelatin and fleur de sel to the boiling caramel crémeux...

...and blend with a hand blender...

...until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.

Pour the caramel crémeux into the cavities of the petit four silicone mould Ø 4cm, filling them halfway.

Cover the mould with a sheet of cling film and place it in the freezer.

Apple compote with Calvados: Peel the apples and cut them into pieces.

The smaller the apple pieces, the faster and better they will cook.

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat.

Add the caster sugar...

...and lightly cook these two ingredients to start caramelization.

Add the apple cubes. Here, I chose Canada apples, which are more suitable for cooking and develop a pleasant acidity when cooked (in my opinion). Feel free to use any other variety of apples.

Cook the apple pieces over moderate heat, stirring with a spatula to prevent them from sticking to the pan and burning.

Gradually, the apples will turn into a compote and slightly caramelize...

...until you get a compote in which the apple pieces have completely dissolved.

Add the Calvados to the hot pan...

...and flambé the mixture with a match, lighter, or blowtorch.

When there are no more flames, the alcohol has evaporated. Transfer it to a food container, spreading it to a thin layer for a quicker cooling process.

Cover the surface of the compote with plastic wrap and let it cool at room temperature.

Almond shortcrust pastry: Prepare all the ingredients.

...almond powder...

...a few drops of liquid vanilla...

...until you get a homogeneous dough. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in cling film, and leave to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Once the almond shortcrust pastry is firm, take it out of the fridge and remove the cling film. Place the dough ball on a lightly floured work surface...

...and roll it out with a rolling pin between two rolling pin guides, to obtain a uniform sheet with a thickness of 3mm.

Then cut out discs of almond shortcrust pastry using a plain round cookie cutter Ø 4cm.

Place these discs on a perforated baking sheet lined with a non-stick bread baking mat...

...and cover them with a second perforated baking mat. Bake in a ventilated oven, preheated to 170°C, and bake for about 12 minutes, depending on the oven.

When done, remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the pastry discs cool to room temperature. The silicone mat on top will be removed once the cookies have cooled, to avoid damaging them.

Remove the silicone mould from the freezer when the caramel crémeux is frozen through, and remove the plastic wrap.

Fill the mould cavities with apple compote...

...as shown in the photo.

Smooth the surface with a cranked spatula...

...and cover the surface with cling film. Place in the freezer.

Diplomat cream: Start by hydrating the powdered gelatin with the hydration water for 15 minutes. Then heat the milk in a saucepan.

Add the Tadoka vanilla bean or the vanilla pod previously split in half, with the inside scraped out using the blade of a knife to extract the seeds (these will also be added to the milk).

Pour the egg yolks into a bowl...

...and add the caster sugar.

Whisk the mixture until pale.

Add the crème pâtissière powder or cornstarch...

...and mix thoroughly with a whisk.

Pour the boiling milk over the mixture, while whisking.

Transfer this mixture back to the saucepan used to boil the milk...

...and cook until the crème pâtissière thickens over medium heat, continuing to stir with the whisk.

The pastry cream will thicken, but that doesn't mean it's cooked. It will be ready when you feel it becomes a little more fluid, which indicates that the pastry cream is cooked.

Add the butter...

...and mix until fully incorporated.

Add the hydrated gelatin...

...and mix again.

Transfer the cream to a food container...

...and cover the surface with cling film. Let cool at room temperature.

Whip the whipping cream with the whisk attachment.

We want a soft whipped cream.

Place the cooled cream into a pastry bowl...

...and whisk until smooth...

...as shown in the photo.

Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream into the pastry cream...

...mixing quickly with the whisk.

Then add the remaining 2/3 of the whipped cream...

...and fold gently with the whisk until we get a smooth and homogeneous diplomat cream.

When the diplomat cream is ready...

...transfer it into a piping bag.

Remove the silicone mould from the freezer. The inserts must be fully frozen for optimal release results.

Remove the cling film and gently release the inserts. We need a total of 8.

Cut the tip of the piping bag with scissors to make an opening about 1cm in diameter.

Pipe the diplomat cream into the cavities of the Mini Eclipse silicone mould Ø 6 cm, about 3/4 full.

Tap the mould on the work surface to settle the cream in the cavities and to get rid of any air bubbles.

Place a caramel/apple insert into each cavity...

...pressing it down slightly with your fingertips. The caramel crémeux side should be in contact with the diplomat cream (meaning the apple compote side is facing up).

Smooth the surface of the mould using an offset spatula.

Place an almond shortcrust biscuit disc in each cavity.

Cover the entire mould with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. This recipe can be made up to this point several days in advance.

Finish: On the day, remove the mould from the freezer. As mentioned earlier, the mini entremets should be frozen through for an easy release.

Carefully release the mini entremets by peeling the silicone mould away...

...and place them on a baking sheet lined with cling film.

Velvet icing: Take the yellow velvet spray and shake it vigorously before use, until the ball inside clicks, indicating that the spray is well mixed and ready to use.

Spray the yellow icing onto the bottom of the entremets without coating the entire surface.

Continue by spraying the entremets with the red velvet icing (shake well beforehand) onto the remaining part of the apple not covered with yellow, creating a natural colour gradient.

Once the apples are fully coated...

...cover them with a sheet of parchment paper...

...and place a baking sheet on top.

Then quickly flip the whole thing before the diplomat cream starts to thaw.

Remove the top sheet to reveal your mini-entremets.

Stems and seeds: Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave, in 20 to 30-second intervals, to prevent it from burning.

Once the chocolate is completely melted, pour it into a decorating cone.

Sprinkle cocoa powder onto a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.

Pipe the melted chocolate into the hollow parts at the center of the apple halves to create the seeds.

Pipe thin lines of melted chocolate, 2 to 3 mm in diameter, over the cocoa powder.

Lightly dust these chocolate lines with a thin layer of cocoa powder...

...and set aside in a cool place.

Once the chocolate has set, brush off the excess cocoa powder using a pastry brush.

Then cut the chocolate lines into segments with a knife to create the apple stems.

Insert the chocolate stems into the mini-entremets once they start to thaw so that they hold securely.

Place the apple & caramel mini entremets in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours until defrosted completely. Enjoy!