Ingredients
Directions
This recipe is inspired by Cedric Grolet. Use Silikomart apple, cherry, or peach silicone mold. Available on my Shop Page.
Remove pits from cherries using a cherry pitter. Cut them into 8 pieces and set aside. Meanwhile combine sugar, pectin and corn starch; set aside.
Sautée half of the cherries (225g) with olive oil for a couple of minutes; on high heat. Then, flamber with Kirsch. Lower the heat and add corn syrup and the sugar-cornstarch-pectin mixture; cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tart cherry juice, remove from heat and add remaining cherries and lime zest. Let cool to room temperature. Fill the mini demi sphere silicone mold and freeze completely. Un-mold cherry inserts onto a frozen tray (wear disposable gloves) and seal them by 2 forming individual 1 oz/30g sphere. Freeze immediately. Repeat until done.
Soak gelatin sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes or more; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, melt white chocolate over water-bath, (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the boiling water). Stir every so often. Do not over heat chocolate; remove once just melted. Heat up heavy cream with the chopped tarragon (no boiling necessary). Turn off heat, cover and let sit to infuse for about 20 min. Pass through a sieve and over the melted chocolate pressing down the herbs to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard herbs. Add kirsch and gelatin and give a good emulsion using an immersion blender. Cover with a plastic wrap in contact and chill overnight. Transfer cold mixture into mixing bowl and beat on high speed until smooth – do not over work.
Melt cocoa butter first (cocoa butter can boil but the chocolate). Mix in white chocolate, blend and pass through a sieve. Use at 113ºF/45ºC. Store at room temperature or in a warm area if in use every day for months.
Fill each cavity of the silicone mold half way through with the tarragon mousse. Place a frozen cherry jelly insert in the center; it must not touch the bottom of the mold nor be placed too high. Fill up with remaining mousse pressing the mousse inside to avoid any possible gaps left between the insert and the edges of the mold. Freeze 6 hours at least before un-molding or store for up to 3 months kept in mold.
Soak gelatin in cold water to soften and drain. Cook water, sugar and corn syrup to 218ºF/103ºC and mix in gelatin, condensed milk and vanilla. Pour over white chocolate, let sit to melt and blend well without adding too much air. Add food coloring to desired color. Pass through a fine sieve, tap over the counter to remove remaining air bubbles and chill completely. Rewarm to 86ºF/32ºC before using.
Blend some dark chocolate in a food processor until it forms a workable paste; shape into apple stems and set aside. Brush out some gold powder if desired.
Un-mold the hard frozen cherry cakes, and arrange them on a frozen tray. Carefully, insert a short bamboo skewer inside each cake. Place them back in the freezer until ready to finish. Warm up white chocolate shell glaze to 113ºF/45ºC – blend with immersion blender a few seconds; keep warm. Warm up chocolate mirror to 88ºF/32ºC; keep warm. Carefully, immerse a frozen cherry cake in the white chocolate shell glaze first. Once set, immerse the cherry cake into the red mirror glaze. Repeat until done. Leave glazed desserts at room temperature for now and remove skewers carefully and insert chocolate stems in each hole. Place the finished cherry desserts in the refrigerator for a few hours to thaw completely before serving. Keep refrigerated for 48 hours max. Enjoy!