Apricot Trompe L’Oeil Dessert

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In the trompe l'oeil dessert world, just about anything can be imagined and turned into a dessert. You will need two things: top notch ingredients at the right season, and a flawless—100 percent flawless—recipe. Thanks to Cedric Grolet, fruits en trompe l'oeil have inspired millions all over the pastry world. It is, however, not an easy thing to get an accurate recipe. Even in most printed cookbooks, recipes are too often inaccurate or incomplete. Let me introduce one of the best—if not the best—apricot en trompe l'oeil pastry. The round core is a mixture made of sautéed cubed apricot folded into a flavorful apricot spread. All from scratch of course. The whole sphere is then encapsulated in a delicate rosemary-infused mousse. Once frozen and carved, the cake is coated in a vibrant and paper-thin yellow and orange chocolate shell. What follows is a beautiful story of an apricot en trompe l'oeil cake that snaps at the first bite—then you'll get the whole story of this extraordinary treat.

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Welcome to the red fruit trompe l'oeil plated dessert—a masterpiece where illusion meets flavor...

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Let these amazing desserts thaw for 5 hours at least in the refrigerator before enjoying them.

Note: The Use of Silicone Mold

As shown in the video, you don't need to invest in purchasing 3 Silikomart silicone molds to build 15 desserts; one mold suffices. The only thing you have to do is stretch out the framework by scheduling three batches instead of one. Just divide the chilled ganache montée into 3 portions. Whip one batch, allowing you to fill 5 cavities at a time. And 3 to 4 hours later, demold the cakes and repeat twice.

Apricot Puree

If using apricot puree; skip this step. Rinse the apricots, cut them in half, and remove and discard the pits. Freeze the apricot halves overnight (thawed fruits ease the cooking process).
In a saucepan, heat the apricots on medium heat with the sugar. At 60 degrees celsius (140ºF), remove from the heat and mix with the immersion blender. Let it cool. Apricot puree can be kept refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for months.

Apricot Spread

In a bowl, combine sugar and agar-agar. Heat apricot puree, add the sugar-agar mixture along with the honey, and mix with the immersion blender. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring every so often on low heat. Add more sugar to taste if needed. Incorporate the lemon juice and let cool.
Refrigerate the apricot mixture for at least 4 hours; it must be completely set before you smooth it with the immersion blender.

Sautéed Apricot

Heat a frying pan and add the cubed apricots along with the olive oil. Sauté them over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the apricot puree and continue to cook for 2 minutes; stirring every so often. Remove from the heat and let cool off in the pan.

Apricot Inserts

Fold the room temperature sautéed apricots into the apricot spread.
Fill the 30 half-sphere cavities.
Flat even with the large offset spatula. Save leftovers for later use. Freeze for 4 hours or until it has completely hardened.
Then unmold half-sphere apricots and assemble them to form 15 apricot spheres. Each insert shall weight 1.25 ounces / 35 grams. Keep them frozen.

Rosemary Ganache Montée

Be aware that rosemary is a very powerful oiled herb; too much and it will overpower your dessert. Soak the gelatin sheets in ice water until softened, then drain and squeeze out the excess water. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate over a bain-marie on gentle heat. Remove from the heat once just melted. In a saucepan, quickly bring heavy cream and rosemary to a boil. Remove from the heat and let it infuse for 20 minutes. Remove and discard the rosemary.
Bring it back to a quick boil and pour over the white chocolate. Blend with an immersion blender.
Add in the bloomed gelatin, blend, and then add the remaining chilled heavy cream. Mix well and refrigerate overnight to set completely before whipping.

Assembly

Whipping ganache montée: Whip the chilled ganache montée to soft peaks (it should be quite runny).
Fill Silikomart cavities two-thirds full.
Grab the frozen apricot inserts and add one inside each filled mousse cavity. Gently press it down to ensure each insert is immersed into the mousse but not touching the bottom. Add more mousse if needed and smooth the surface with the small offset spatula. Freeze cakes for at least 5 hours.

Demolding Procedure

To ease the unmolding procedure, carefully run the tip of the small offset spatula around the edges of each mold.
Remove the silicone part from its sturdy base, flip it over, and let the cakes pop out of each cavity. Arrange them on a frozen tray lined with parchment and freeze them before carving.

Carving

Now, with the help of your paring knife, carve a slot and do it from the narrower side to mimic the shape of an apricot. Finish smoothing with the palm of your hands. Keep cakes in the freezer.

Chocolate Glaze Base

Otherwise, to make the main chocolate glaze (enrobage), melt the cocoa butter separately in a saucepan to 60–70ºC and add it to the chopped white chocolate. Let it stand, then mix with an immersion blender. Add food coloring to the desired tone. Prepare the red colored chocolate glaze as well (for spraying) and keep them over a bain-marie in a very low heat, water should never boil. Once at 42–45ºC, remove from the heat, wiping the bottom to avoid any water drops coming into direct contact with the chocolate.

Chocolate Glazing

Use chocolate glaze at 40 degrees celsius. Insert the bamboo skewer about an inch inside the frozen cake (do one at the time). Immerse the cake in the colored chocolate enrobage and rotate it, lift it up slowly. It will begin to set after about 15-20 seconds. Lay the glazed cake onto a frozen tray lined with parchment. Remove the bamboo skewer and continue with the remaining frozen cakes. Keep the glazed cakes in the freezer.

Chocolate Spray

To give the last reddish touch up to the glazed cakes, follow the chocolate spray tutorial.
Note that once the cake is sprayed, do not touch the "apricot skin" anymore, or fingerprints will appear once thawed. Wear gloves and transfer it with the help of an offset spatula for storage purposes. Alternatively, before being sprayed, place the glazed cake onto a small serving cake board and glue it with a dot of glucose. Spray the cake and then store it individually in a cake box.

Chocolate Plastic (Stems)

To mimic the apricot stems, marzipan is one option, and chocolate plastic makes another interesting alternative. Chocolate plastic is often used by pastry chefs to make complementary decorations for chocolate showpieces. It is easy to work with for roses and other creations, but it dries fast, so it must be kept wrapped or in a sealed container. In the food processor, pulse dark chocolate first, then add the warm glucose. Pulse until a smooth chocolate paste is formed. If stored properly, chocolate plastic can be reused indefinitely; just rewarm it with your hands before using it.
Use immediately. Dust with cocoa powder instead of flour if it sticks. Take a little piece and shape it into a thin rope. Divide into fifteen one centimeter portions. Form each into a clove shape.
Insert each edible stem into the hole that has already been made with the bamboo skewer. A mint leaf can also be inserted with the stem if desired (be aware that the mint leaf won't hold up well in the freezer), so do this the night before the cake is served.

Storage

Apricot trompe l'oeil can be kept for up to 2 months in the freezer. Once thawed, it should be eaten within 48 hours.

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