Mont Blanc (chestnut cream cake)
One of the things that makes Japanese food culture so interesting is that unless you’re eating grilled or simmered seafood, it probably originated outside of Japan. Tempura (Portuguese), Ramen (Chinese), and Karei Raisu (Indian) are just a few examples of borrowed food. For such a tradition oriented country, it amazes me how quickly they assimilate
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
for genoise (from Tartelette)
- 3 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup evaporated cane sugar
- pinch salt
- ½ cup cake flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
for chestnut puree
- 425 grams unsweetened chestnut puree
- ½ cup cream
- ½ cup evaporated cane sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 vanilla bean
for chestnut cream
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup chestnut puree (recipe above)
Instructions
Make the Genoise
- Setup a double boiler by filling a pot large enough to hold your mixing bowl and bring the water to a simmer. Move your oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400 degrees F. Prep an 18" x 13" jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment paper and buttering the paper.
- Put the 3 large eggs, 3 large egg yolks, ¾ cup evaporated cane sugar and pinch salt in a metal mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Put the bowl in your double boiler and whisk, heating until the mixture reaches 100 degrees F (luke warm). Mount the bowl on the mixer and beat with the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. The volume will triple and pale yellow ribbons of egg will flow off the whisk when they're ready.3 large eggs, 3 large egg yolks, ¾ cup evaporated cane sugar, pinch salt
- Combine the ½ cup cake flour and ¼ cup cornstarch. When the egg mixture is ready, sift ⅓ of the flour mixture into the eggs and fold together. Repeat twice more, folding between each addition until you can't see any more clumps of flour. Pour into the prepared baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.½ cup cake flour, ¼ cup cornstarch
- When it's done, slide the whole thing off the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool.
Make the chestnut puree
- Slice the 1 vanilla bean in half length wise and scrape the seeds into a small saucepan. Add the ½ cup cream, ½ cup evaporated cane sugar and whisk in the 1 large egg yolk. Heat over low heat, continually stirring until the mixture begins to thicken. Take the pan off the heat and allow the vanilla bean to steep while the mixture cools.½ cup cream, ½ cup evaporated cane sugar, 1 vanilla bean, 1 large egg yolk
- When the mixture is cool, put it in a food processor along with the 425 grams unsweetened chestnut puree. Blitz until smooth and creamy. Put a spoonful of chestnut puree in the double mesh strainer over a bowl and press through using a spatula. Strain the rest of the chestnut puree, cover and set aside.425 grams unsweetened chestnut puree
Make Chestnut Cream
- In the clean dry bowl of an electric mixer, add ¾ cup heavy cream. Using the whisk attachment, beat until the cream holds soft peaks. Add the 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and beat until the sugar is incorporated. Add ⅓ cup chestnut puree and mix until the cream holds firm peaks being careful not to over mix.¾ cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, ⅓ cup chestnut puree
Assemble the Mont Blanc
- When it's completely cooled, separate the cake from the parchment paper and trim off the edges. Cut out eight 2" x 1.5" rectangles and put them on a platter.
- Put a large round tip on a pastry bag and fill with the chestnut cream (not the puree). Pipe 3 layers of cream onto each piece of genoise, making each layer smaller, giving it the shape of a barn roof.
- Put a medium round tip (about the size of cooked spaghetti) on another pastry bag and fill with the chestnut puree. Starting at the bottom corner of one of the cakes and pipe chestnut puree in one continuous stream going over the top, down the other side, then looping back up and over again. Ideally you'll cover the whole thing with one continuous stream of puree, but if it breaks, just start back from where it broke and continue piping.
