Melon Entremet
– melon mousse
– a melon compote insert,
– an almond biscuit
– chocolate icing.
Materials used
– Pumpkin 3D silicone mould
– Ancel 210 bloom gelatine
– Baking tray
Ingredients
Melon compote insert
60g mixed melon10g sugar2g NH pectin30g diced melon1.5g gelatine
Almond biscuit
✔35g icing sugar
✔35g almond powder
✔10g melted butter
✔25g egg
✔7g flour
✔1 egg white
Melon mousse (the day before)
✔2 egg yolks
✔25g sugar
✔140g melon
✔100g single cream
✔4g gelatine
Icing
✔250g white chocolate
✔20g neutral oil
✔green colouring
The recipe
For 3 entremets
Melon compote insert60g mixed melon10g sugar2g NH pectin30g diced melon1.5g gelatine
Soften the gelatine in a bowl of cold water. Mix the caster sugar and NH pectin in a bowl. Heat the blended melon in a saucepan over a low heat for a few minutes to reduce the water content. Increase the heat and when it boils, add the diced melon and the sugar and pectin mixture. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine, stirring well. Fill the silikomart petits fours mould. Chill for at least 30 minutes for the gelatine to take effect, then freeze for at least 3 hours.
Almond biscuit
✔35g icing sugar
✔35g almond powder
✔10g melted butter
✔25g egg
✔7g flour
✔1 egg white
In a bowl, mix the whole egg with the icing sugar. Add the almond powder, flour and melted butter. Mix well. In another bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer. Gently fold into the mixture using a pastry blender. Pour the biscuit dough onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake the biscuit for around ten minutes at 180°C. The biscuit should come out golden brown. Remove the biscuit from the oven and leave to cool completely before cutting out with a cookie cutter.
Melon mousse (the day before)
✔2 egg yolks
✔25g sugar
✔140g melon
✔100g single cream
✔4g gelatine
Place the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water. Pour the 2 egg yolks and 25g caster sugar into a bowl (adjust the amount according to your melon). Mix well. In a small saucepan, heat the 140g of melon mix for a few minutes (3-4 minutes) over a low/medium heat to reduce a little and evaporate some of the water. Pour over the previous mixture and stir. Return the mixture to the saucepan and, without stopping stirring, continue cooking like a custard, without exceeding 82-83°C. Remove from the heat and add the gelatine, wrung out and softened. Mix well and set aside.
In a separate bowl, whip the 100g of cold liquid cream with an electric mixer. Pour over the previous mixture, whose temperature is below 30°C, and stir gently with a spatula.
Assembly
Fill the mould with the melon mousse, add the melon compote insert, add a little more mousse if necessary and finish with the almond biscuit. Place in the freezer overnight. I kept some of the leftover mousse for the melon stem.
The next day, unmould the desserts. Use the remaining mousse to make a melon stem. Put back in the freezer to set and harden.
Icing
✔250g white chocolate
✔20g neutral oil
✔green colouring
Melt some white chocolate in the microwave with a little neutral oil in a narrow container that is high enough but can hold your entremet. Add a tiny pinch of green colouring to obtain a pale green white chocolate. Remove a little chocolate and add some green colouring. Fill a piping bag with it. Poach the green chocolate on the star-shaped surface. Using a wooden skewer, dip your dessert into the chocolate (with the melon tail pointing downwards).
Repeat for the remaining cakes. Add more green chocolate to the surface and dip your frozen entremet.
Place the desserts in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours, just long enough for them to defrost.
Post-tasting opinion: I wanted to try this seasonal fruit in a dessert. It looks nice but the melon doesn’t have a strong enough flavour, very pronounced for my taste. Lacks flavour.
