Chestnut & quince dessert

• Quince is a fruit related to apples and pears and it’s known for its firm flesh and tart flavor when raw. That’s why I always cook it. Not only to preserve it, but also to improve the flavor and texture. Once cooked it develops a fragrant, floral sweetness.
• Start by peeling the quinces and cut them in four. Now remove the core. Then cut them in big even chunks. After that transfer them into a pan. In total I had 2300 grams.
• Then cut the lemon in half and squeeze all the juice out. Be sure to check for any seeds. Now also add the apple juice, the sugar, the cinnamon sticks and the empty vanilla pods. Now cover the pan with a lid and slowly cook the quince on a medium low heat. It’s going to take some time, but it’s truly worth it!
• Once the quince is fully cooked remove the lid and let it cook for another 30 minutes.
• Then remove all the spices and blend it till smooth. Use the piping bag to fill your desired mold. Level the top with a pallet knife and let it set in your freezer.
• Once completely frozen remove them from the mold and serve them defrosted.

• First soak the gelatin in cold water.
• Then mix the quince compote with the white port and the lemon juice. Now mix it well and heat it up till it starts to steam. Then turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Now pour it into a bowl and set it aside for later.
• Then in another bowl start beating the cream. Beat it till it has a thin yoghurt consistency.
• Now give the quince compote another good mix and while stirring add the whipped cream. Mix it well to prevent lumps from forming and then fold it in till it’s an even mousse.
• Once you’re happy with the mousse fill you desired mold. Click here for the molds I used. Now tap the mold a couple of times to remove any air bubbles. Level it with a pallet knife and then freeze it till solid. After that remove them from the mold and serve them defrosted.

• Spread the white chocolate on a metal tray and toast it at 150 °C for around 20 minutes. This will caramelize the solids and give an incredibly rich flavor.
• Meanwhile melt the cacao butter on a low heat. Once melted set it aside for later.
• Then weight 200 grams of the toasted chocolate into a measuring cub and add the melted cacao butter. Now blend it till smooth. Be sure you blender is strong enough to get the best result.
• Then let the glaze cool down till it’s between 31 °C and 33 °C. When the temperature is good fill your desired mold and clean the top. Let it set out of the fridge.

• This will be the base for the cremeux and the ganache. Start by removing the chestnuts from the husks. You can also open them by standing on the sides. Obviously with shoes on.
• Then make a cross with a serrated knife. There are tools to do this, but a serrated knife works fine as well.
• After that submerge them in lukewarm water and let it sit overnight in your fridge.
• The next day you can drain the water and spread them on an oven tray. Make sure that the cross side is facing up and then toast them at 230 °C for 15 minutes. They’ll open up nicely and get a beautiful golden color. If you’re not happy with the color leave them in for another 5 minutes.
• Then let them cool down for a couple of minutes before taking the chestnuts out of the peels. In total I had 450 grams of cleaned chestnuts.
• If you want you can also buy cooked ones, but toasting them yourself is so much fun and delicious!
• Now transfer them into a blender and also add 300 grams of milk. Blend this till smooth. It’s going to take some time, but trust me it’s worth it! Then transfer it into a bowl, cover it and keep it in your fridge for later.

• First bring the cream to a boil. Once it’s boiling turn off the heat and add the white chocolate together with the baked chestnut puree and the flaky salt. Blend this till smooth and fully emulsified.
• Then pour it into a piping bottle and fill your desired mold. Let it set in your freezer
• Once frozen remove them from the mold and serve them defrosted.

• First need to make the beurre noisette. Beurre noisette is a toasted or caramelized butter. It’s rich in flavor and very simple to make. Just heat up the butter while stirring it every now and then. This will prevent it from burning. It takes a little bit of time, but eventually the milk solids will start to caramelize. When that is happening turn down the heat for more control. You want a nice golden color.
• Then pour it into a bowl and let it cool down in your fridge.
• Once it’s cold transfer 220 grams into a mixing bowl and also add the sugar, the salt, the baking powder and the zest from the lemon.
• Start beating it and then slowly add the egg. Once it’s a nice fluffy batter turn down the speed and add the flour. Keep on mixing till it’s an even batter.
• Then spread it on a baking tray that’s lined with a silicon sheet or a piece of parchment paper.
• Level it and then bake it at 180 °C for about  20 minutes.
• When you’re happy with the color let the cake cool down and then cut it to the desired size. Now brush a layer of white port on top. If you want something nonalcoholic use an almond syrup.

• First soak the gelatin in cold water.
• Then mix the cream with the chestnut puree, the corn starch, the sugar and the egg yolk. Mix it well and while stirring bring it to a simmer. This will thicken the cremeux.
• After that turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Also add the milk chocolate and mix it. Now pour it into a bowl, cover it and let it cool down in your fridge.

• First melt the white chocolate. Melt it till the temperature is between 40 °C and 45 °C.
• Then mix the sugar with the water and the empty vanilla pod. Heat it up till the temperature is 135 °C.
• Once it has the right temperature while stirring add it to the melted white chocolate. Preferably do this with two persons, but since I’m a one man show I just got to stir like a crazy person.
• Once all the sugar is incorporated remove the empty vanilla pod and then the powder is done.
• The next step is optional, but I selected a specific size. Because I use it to decorate a glaze, the size is very important. For that first pass the powder through a coarse sieve. Everything that’s passing through the sieve is not too big, but some of the powder is too small. To fix that we pass that sieved powder through a fine sieve, leaving you with the perfect sized powder. You can just blend the remaining powder, so nothing is wasted.

• Transfer the flour on your worktop and use the bowl to make a well in the middle. Fill it with the almond powder, the sugar, the cold cubes of butter, the flaky salt and the melted dark chocolate.
• Now bring all the ingredients together and then knead it till it’s a nice dough.
• After that spread it on an oven tray. My trays are coated, but otherwise line them with a silicon sheet.
• Now bake it at 150 °C for about 30 minutes. Stir it every 5 to 10 minutes to create a nice crumble.
• Once you’re happy with the color and the texture take the crumble out of the oven and let it cool down completely.

How to make the glaze

• First soak the gelatin in cold water.
• Then mix the condensed milk with the sugar, the water and the glucose syrup. Bring this to a simmer and stir it every now and then to prevent it from burning.
• Meanwhile transfer the milk chocolate into a measuring jar. Once the liquid is simmering turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin.
• Then pour it on the chocolate and blend it till smooth. Keep the blender at the bottom to prevent air from mixing with the glaze. Then cover it and keep it in your fridge for later.

How to use the glaze

• Gently heat up the mirror glaze till it’s between 31 °C and 36 °C. Give it a proper mix before using it. Now take a frozen component out of the freezer and place it on metal ring. Glaze it with the mirror glaze and then let it defrost in your fridge.

• First take the bottom half of the mushroom out of the mold and let them defrost in your fridge.
• Then gently heat up the mirror glaze till it’s between 31 °C and 36 °C. Give it a proper mix before using it.
• Now take the top half of the mushrooms out of the mold as well and place them on metal rings. Glaze them with the mirror glaze and then directly dust some cacao powder on top. This is optional, but I just like the look.
• Now also sprinkle some of the white chocolate powder on there. Then use a needle to gently pick up the top half and place it on the bottoms. Remove the needle and let them defrost completely.
• Now add a little dot of the cremeux on a plate and place the mushroom on there. This will prevent it from slighting away.
• Then cover the rest of the plate with the chocolate crumble and it’s ready to be served!