Tartelette's Poire D'Eve

Poire D'Eve

Yields: 8 - 10 servings

Original recipe from Tartelette, which can be found here.

For the Feuillantine:

5 oz. milk chocolate

4 tbsn. butter

1 cup corn flakes

2 oz. toasted and skinned hazelnuts

For the caramel mousse:

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsn. water

2 tbsn. salted butter, room temperature

1 cup heavy cream, divided

For the Vanilla Pear Bavarian Cream:

4 canned pears, drained and chopped into small dices

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup whole milk

1/2 vanilla bean

1 tbsn. powdered gelatin, sprinkled over 3 tbsn. water

1 cup heavy cream

For the Pear Syrup Glaze:

1/2 cup reserved pear liquid

1 1/2 tsp. gelatin, sprinkled over 1 tbsn. water

Line a 8x8 square pan with foil and set aside. To make the feuillantine, put the cornflakes and hazelnuts in a small freezer bag, close the seam and roll with a rolling pin until finely crushed. On the top of a double boiler set over medium heat, melt together the chocolate and butter until they come together. Remove from the heat and stir in the cornflakes mixture. Immediately pat the mixture with your fingertips or the back of the spoon at the bottom of the line pan. Set aside while you prepare the mousses.

For the mousse, measure 3/4 cup of the cream and refrigerate. In a microwave or small saucepan, heat the remaining 1/4 cup until fairly hot. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the sugar to the water and cook over medium high heat without stirring until you get a dark brown caramel. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter and 1/4 cream. It will bubble like mad but it will not run over. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Let it cool to room temperature. Whip the cold whipped cream to soft peaks in a stand mixer. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream to the caramel to loosen it up and then add the remaining whipped cream. Spread over the feuillantine base and refrigerate until completely set.

To make the bavarian cream, in a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until very pale. In the meantime, in a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the milk and vanilla bean to a boil. Slowly pour the milk over the yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan over medium low heat and cook until the cream coats the back of a spoon (as if making a creme anglaise). Add the softened gelatin and stir until completely melted into the cream. Let cool to room temperature. Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and fold it into the cooled cream base. Fold in the diced pears and pour mixture over the caramel mousse until set. If you want to add the glaze, freeze the cake to avoid melting the mousse.

To make the glaze, bring the liquid to a boil, add the gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Let cool to room temperature, if the mixture gels, warm up over low heat until barely melted again. Pour over the frozen cake and let set in the fridge. Cut through the cake with a knife dipped in hot water to prevent breaking the glaze.