When I was brainstorming ideas for this dish a couple of months ago, all I had in mind was that it should be something that reminds me of home. At the peak of summer, every Indian household enjoys chilled mangoes for dessert, with either yogurt, cream or ice cream. I wanted to evoke the same flavors while turning it into a beautiful pastry. This recipe is sufficient for two 6-inch pastry rings or one 12-inch pastry ring.
Yield: 10-12 servings
Choux Batter
- 165 g water
- 165 g milk
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 5 g salt
- 5 g granulated sugar
- 190 g all-purpose flour
- 335 g whole eggs
1. In a saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Add all the flour at once and cook on medium heat until a film forms on the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute or so.
2. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and start mixing at medium-low speed to cool it down. Once the mixture feels cooler, add the eggs one at a time, waiting for each addition to be properly emulsified before adding the next.
3. Pipe the choux batter in the pastry rings lined with an air-mat on all sides. Fill the batter to only half of the height of the ring. Place a tray with weights on top of the ring to ensure it maintains its shape.
4. Bake the choux at 311°F (155°C) for about 40 minutes. Remove the weights and, if required, continue to bake for 5-10 more minutes. Cool.
5. Once cool, cut open from the bottom side, keeping the sides intact.
Cream Cheese Filling
- 80 g granulated sugar
- 25 g water
- 45 g egg yolks
- 240 g cream cheese
- 15 g confectioners’ sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 35 g gelatin mass (gold), melted
- 300 heavy cream
1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook to 250°F (121°C). As the sugar mixture cooks, simultaneously begin whipping the egg yolks in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
2. Pour the warm sugar syrup slowly into the egg yolks and whip until it cools down completely and the pâte à bombe has doubled in volume.
3. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the cream cheese until it’s soft, then mix in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean seeds and the melted gelatin mass.
4. Whip the cream to medium peaks.
5. Begin folding the pâte à bombe into the cream cheese mixture, followed by the whipped cream. Pipe into the cooled choux rings.
Mango Compote
- 225 g mango purée
- 50 g lemon purée
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 5 g NH pectin
- 20 g granulated sugar
- 30 g glucose syrup
- 2 fresh Alphonso mangoes, flesh chopped
- 10 g gelatin mass
1. Warm up the purées with the vanilla pod to 104°F (40°C). Add the pectin mixed with the sugar and bring to boil. Add the glucose syrup and chopped fresh mangoes and bring to a boil again. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin mass, stirring to dissolve. Cool.
2. Chill and reserve for filling the choux.
Chocolate Streusel Reconstitute
- 25 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 18 g all-purpose flour
- 25 g almond powder
- 2 g salt
- 5 g cocoa powder
- 25 g brown sugar
- 2 g sea salt
- 25 g feuilletine
- 25 g Valrhona Jivara milk chocolate 40%
- 25 g Valrhona Guanaja chocolate 70%
1. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the chilled butter with the flour and almond powder until it has a sandy texture. Add the salt, cocoa powder and brown sugar and mix until it resembles breadcrumbs. Spread onto an air-mat and bake at 300°F (150°C) for 25 minutes. Cool.
2. Once cool, combine the baked streusel with the sea salt and feuilletine.
3. Melt both chocolates and mix into the streusel.
4. Sheet at 2mm and use the pastry rings to cut a size slightly smaller than the choux.
Chocolate Almond Sponge
- 100 g almond powder
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 170 g whole eggs
- 45 g egg whites
- 45 g egg yolks
- 45 g all-purpose flour
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 4 g baking powder
- 70 g unsalted butter
- 45 g chocolate 54%
1. Make a paste with the almond powder, sugar and all of the eggs (whole, whites and yolks) in a food processor.
2. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip to the ribbon stage.
3. Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the batter and fold in.
4. Melt the butter and chocolate and temper into the sponge mixture. Spread onto a flexi-pan and bake at 356°F (180°C) for 9 minutes. Cool.
5. Cut out cake rounds that are a size smaller than the choux ring.
Jivara Whipped Ganache
- 290 g heavy cream, divided
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 8 g glucose
- 8 g invert sugar
- 125 g Valrhona Jivara milk chocolate 40%
- 0.05 g sea salt
1. In a saucepan, warm up 75 g of the cream and infuse with the vanilla bean. Add the glucose and invert sugar and bring to boil.
2. Pour the warm liquid over the chocolate and sea salt. Blend to emulsify and pour in the remaining 215 g of cold cream.
3. Chill the mixture until it reaches 39°F (4°C). Whip right before using.
Neutral Glaze
- 150 g water
- 225 g granulated sugar, divided
- 5 g X58 pectin
- 100 g glucose
- 75 g gelatin mass
1. In a saucepan, warm up the water to 104°F (40°C). Add 25 g of the sugar along with the pectin and bring to boil. While maintaining a boil, add the remaining 200 g sugar and the glucose. Cook to 217°F (103°C), then remove from heat and stir in the gelatin mass.
2. Use the glaze at 100-104°F (38-40°C).
Topper
- Assorted colors of cocoa butter (yellow, green and red), all prepared in 1:10 ratio of powdered chocolate colors and cocoa butter
1. Using a 6ʺ (15.24 cm) silicone mold, spray tempered cocoa butter in the shades of a mango, going from green to red.
2. As soon as the cocoa butter crystallizes, pipe in the whipped ganache and the sponge cut-out. Freeze before demolding and glazing.
Assembly
1. Once the choux is cool, trim the bottom to make space to fill. Pipe in the Cream Cheese Filling, followed by the mango compote, then seal the choux with the streusel.
2. Place the glazed topper on top and serve.
Photos by Shreshth Malhotra
(This recipe appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
About Sehaj Ghuman
Sehaj Ghuman is a pastry chef at the Academy of Pastry and Culinary Arts in Gurgaon, India. She blends classic techniques with modern twists, creating simplistic yet evolving pastries. Ghuman draws inspiration from trying new places and following chefs on Instagram. Currently, she’s experimenting with tonka beans in various flavor combinations.
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