Chocolate-Caramel Palet with Poached Cherries and Goat’s Milk Ice Cream

METHOD:

For the Speculoos Sable:
Preheat oven to 325°F. In bowl of mixer fitted with paddle, cream butter with sugar. In medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Mix half flour mixture into butter mixture, followed by lemon juice and remaining flour mixture. Mix until dry dough comes together. Sheet dough into one 16x22-inch sheet. Cover and chill in refrigerator. Cut dough into 60mm discs with ring mold, and bake15 minutes. Bake scraps as well, to be used as crumble.

For the Caramel Cremeux:
In small pot, bring cream and glucose to a boil and remove from heat. In large pot, heat sugar over medium-high heat to make a dry caramel and deglaze with cream mixture.  Temper in egg yolks and cook to 85°F, stirring constantly. Remove Anglaise from heat, stir in gelatin until dissolved, and strain through chinois. Allow mixture to cool but not long enough to set. Line 60mm round molds with acetate, set one Speculoos Sable disc inside each mold, and pipe the caramel cremeux on top. Chill in the freezer to set.

For the Chocolate Ganache:
In small saucepan, combine milk, cream, and sugar and bring to a boil. Place chocolate inlarge bowl. When milk mixture boils, temper in egg yolks and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture reaches 85°F. Strain custard through chinois into bowl with chocolate; emulsify with hand blender. Slowly blend in water. Pipe Chocolate Ganache on top of set Caramel Cremuex and freeze.

For the Poached Cherries:
Bring purée, honey, and vanilla to a boil.  Add cherries and cook gently until tender.

For the Goat’s Milk Ice Cream:
Combine sugar and ice cream stabilizer and stir to combine. In medium saucepot combine water and inverted sugar, followed by sugar mixture and bring to boil. Chill in ice bath, add goat’s milk, and emulsify with hand blender. Allow to mature overnight in refrigerator then process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

For the Cherry Pearls:
Place container with 2-inch depth of vegetable oil in freezer until oil is just chilled, about 30 minutes. In small pot, combine purée, sugar, and agar agar and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Transfer to syringe or squeeze bottle, and drip small drops into cold oil. Drain pearls and rinse with warm water.

For the Vanilla Meringue:
In bowl of mixer with whisk, whip egg whites. While whites whip, in small pot combine sugar and water and heat to 121°F. Whisking egg whites on high speed, slowly stream hot sugar syrup into whites. Split and scrape vanilla bean, adding seeds to whipping meringue. Continue to whip to stiff peaks. 

To Assemble and Serve:
Fit a pastry bag with #5 tip and fill with Vanilla Meringue. Remove a palet from the freezer, peel off acetate ring, and plate just off center . Pipe a "kiss-" shaped dot of Meringue on top of Palet and lightly brûlée with torch. Place small mound of Speculoos Sable crumble next to meringue and garnish with Cherry Pearls. Place another, smaller mound of Speculoos Sable crumbles on plate and garnish with Cherry Pearls and a single Poached Cherry. Place third mound of Speculoos Sable crumble on plate and top with quenelle of Goat’s Milk Ice Cream.