Entremet: Sacher Sponge with Praline Mousse and Coffee Crémeux

METHOD:

For the Sacher Sponge:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Melt the butter and chocolate together. Using a 5-quart Hobart mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the almond paste with 65 grams of the sugar. Add the egg yolks and whole eggs. Continue to mix with the paddle for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whip the egg whites with the remaining 65 grams of the sugar to stiff peaks. Add the chocolate mixture to the almond mixture. Paddle the two together lightly. Fold in the pastry flour, cocoa powder, and egg whites, alternating them until everything has been added. Turn the sponge mixture onto a baking sheet. Bake in the oven 11 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

For the Tempered Chocolate:
Melt the chocolate with the oil and spread the mixture over acetate paper. Cut 2 rings slightly smaller than the cake mold out of the chocolate-coated acetate paper.

For the Coffee Crémeux:
Combine the cream and milk in a pot and bring to the boil. Steep the espresso beans in the hot cream mixture and strain. Add the strained liquid back to the pot and bring to a boil. Combine the egg yolks with the sugar in a mixing bowl. Temper the hot cream mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk 300 grams of the tempered cream-egg mixture into the chocolate. Allow the mixture to cool. When completely cool, pipe the mixture over the sheets of Tempered Chocolate. Freeze.

For the Praline Mousse:
Melt the milk chocolate with the praline. Bloom the gelatin. Heat the milk. Squeeze the excess water from the bloomed gelatin sheet and, off the heat, dissolve the bloomed gelatin in the milk. Mix the milk into the chocolate-praline mixture. Cool the mixture to 45ºC. Fold in the whipped cream.

For the Glaze:
Heat the unwhipped cream with the neutral glaze. Combine the mixture with the praline. Cool.

To Assemble and Serve:
Pipe the Praline Mousse on and around the cake base, starting at the bottom. Put in a blast chiller to slightly set. Put a sheet of the Tempered Chocolate on the counter, Coffee Crémeux side down. Pipe the Praline Mousse on top and finish with a final sheet of Tempered Chocolate. Pipe more Praline Mousse on top and cover with a disc of Sacher Sponge, followed by another layer of Praline Mousse and another layer of Sacher Sponge. Smooth the layers and freeze. Once fully frozen, unmold the entremet and glaze. Decorate and serve.