Fleur by Chef Richard Hawke

(This recipe appeared in the Winter 2022 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)

I really like the elegance that the shape of this tube imparts to a dessert. Simple, elegant and with very little decoration, as the shape also takes part in the decorative process.

Here I wanted to work with a vegan ganache aérienne in a different way, in the shape of a petit gateau.

Yield: approximately 12 tubes (2.7ʺ/7 cm high and 1.7ʺ/4.5 cm diameter)

Puffed Rice Crunch

• 145 g vegan white chocolate
• 21 g grapeseed oil
• 83 g puffed rice
• 0.5 g vanilla powder (Eurovanille)

1. Melt the chocolate with the oil to 86˚F (30°C). Add the puffed rice and vanilla powder and stir.

2. Fill 20 g of the crunch per tubular ring. Press and allow to set.

Chef’s tip: Depending on the size of the puffed rice, the quantity might need to be adjusted. Puffed quinoa is also possible to use, but needs to be dried out in an oven to ensure a nice crunchy texture.

Pecan Praline Cream

• 123 g water
• 80 g almond milk
• 1.2 g pectin 325NH95 (Louis François)
• 12 g instant inulin (Louis François)
• 182 g pecan praline
• 1.2 g fleur de sel

1. Heat water with almond milk to 122˚F (50°C). Add the pectin mixed with the inulin, blend and heat to 185˚F (85°C). Pour onto praline and salt and emulsify with hand blender. Refrigerate to set before piping into a 0.8ʺ (2 cm) diameter acetate tube. Freeze for assembly.

2. Once cold, cut 1.18ʺ (3 cm) lengths with a hot knife to form inserts for tube. Freeze for assembly.

Chef’s tip: This recipe has almond milk to increase the calcium in the recipe. It is important to use an almond milk that contains 120mg calcium per 100g.

Vanilla Ganache Aerienne

• 313 g water
• 120 g almond milk
• 6.4 g pectin 325NH95 (Louis François)
• 16 g instant inulin (Louis François)
• 288 g vegan white chocolate
• 48 g grapeseed oil
• 8 g liquid sunflower lecithin
• Vanilla pearl (Eurovanille), as needed

1. Heat the water with the almond milk to 122˚F (50°C). Add the pectin mixed with the inulin, blend and heat to 185˚F (85°C). Pour onto white chocolate, oil and lecithin. Emulsify with hand blender, add vanilla pearl and blend again.

2. Refrigerate to set for 6 hours before whipping.

Chef’s tip: This recipe can easily be piped to give a different finishing to another creation. The water can be replaced with another infused liquid such as tea or espresso coffee, for another flavor sensation. It is important to whip it straight from the refrigerator and ensure that the final temperature and texture are correct.

Assembly

1. Whip the Vanilla Ganache Aérienne until approximately 63˚F (17°C), about 10 minutes. Pipe into tubes directly onto the crunch. Place frozen pecan inserts on top, press down lightly, then pipe a little more ganache on top before smoothing with a spatula.

2. Blast freeze, before adding a little more ganache to ensure that the top is nice and even.

Chocolate Decoration

• Dark chocolate, as needed

1. Temper dark chocolate and pipe into vanilla bean silicone forms (Fabrice Pleinchene). Allow to set before unmolding for decoration.

Finishing

• Neutral glaze, as needed

1. Heat neutral glaze to 95-104˚F (35-40°C) and dip cakes into it, making sure not to dip the puffed rice. Place onto a support and finish with 3 chocolate vanilla beans of different heights.

About Chef Richard Hawke

Chef Richard Hawke is a gluten-free guru whose pastry quest is constantly evolving. His current research has him focused on lactose-free and various vegan products. Find more information at richardhawkepastry.com or on Instagram at @richardhawkepastry.