Black Forest Gateau Recipe

Ingredients

• 100 g sour cherry purée
• 10 g kirsch
• 1 g agar agar
• 20 g icing sugar

• 168 egg whites
• 72 g caster sugar
• 96 g egg yolks
• 74 g T55 soft flour
• 30 g cocoa powder
• 2 g salt
• 48 softened butter

• Mousse
• 114 g Zephr
• 34% white chocolate
• 40 g caster sugar
• 20 g whole eggs
• 20 g egg yolks
• 10 g water
• 4 g gelatine
• 90 g sour cherry purée
• 110 g whipping cream

Cherry Gel
1. Bring the cherry purée and the kirsch to the boil, mix the agar agar and the icing sugar together, gradually pour into the boiling liquid and whisk well.
2. Bring back to the boil, once boiling pour onto a silicone mat to set.
3. Once set place in a Thermomix and blend to a smooth paste. Bag ready for use.
Chocolate Sponge
4. Make a French meringue with the egg whites and sugar in a mixing machine, adding the sugar in 2 stages until a stiff peak meringue is formed.
5. Sieve the cocoa powder and flour together with the salt.
6. Add the egg yolks to the meringue, add the softened butter and whisk until smooth.
7. Finally, with the machine on a low speed, gradually add the cocoa powder and flour, whisking until smooth. Spread onto a silicone mat and bake at 175°C for 9 minutes.
8. Cut into cubes and roll in cocoa powder.
Chocolate Cherry Mousse
9. Melt the chocolate to 40°C.
10. Make a pâte à bombe with the whole eggs, yolks, sugar and water.
11. Boil the cherry purée, add the bloomed gelatine and stir well.
12. Whip the cream to ribbon stage. Fold the purée into the pâte à bombe, then fold through the chocolate and finally the whipped cream.
13. Pipe into quenelle moulds to freeze.
Chocolate Soil
14. Melt the chocolate to 40°C.
15. Cook the sugar and water to 121°C.
16. Pour into the melted chocolate and whisk rapidly on heat until the sugar crystallises and small chocolate rocks are formed.
17. Pour onto a silicone mat to cool.
Kirsch Panna Cotta
18. Bring the milk, cream, kirsch and vanilla pod seeds to the boil.
19. Add the bloomed gelatine and stir well.
20. Pass through a muslin cloth and leave the mixture to set on an ice bath so that the vanilla is immersed.
21. Once set pour into quenelle moulds to set.
Poached Cherries
22. Cut the cherries in half. Bring the purée, syrup, kirsch and vanilla to the boil.
23. Pour over the fresh cherry halves and leave to marinade.
Whipped Chocolate Ganache
24. Make a direct caramel with the sugar. Once a clear golden brown add the glucose and stir well.
25. Deglaze with the 250 g of whipping cream and bring back to the boil. Melt the chocolate to 40°C and pour the caramel cream gradually in 3 stages into the chocolate.
26. Once smooth and glossy add the remaining 375 g whipping cream and stir well with a spatula.
27. Pour into an airtight container and leave refrigerated for 12 hours.
28. The next day place in a mixing machine and whisk to form a soft, whipped chocolate ganache.
29. Pipe into lollipop moulds and freeze.
Lollipop Dipping Mix
30. Melt both chocolates to 40°C, mix together and pass through a fine chinois.
31. De-mould the ganache lollipops and immerse in the mix.