Hibiscus and Lychee Petits Gâteaux

Ingredients

• White chocolate (35%)200g
• Cocoa butter30g
• Butter140g
• Eggs3
• Egg yolks2
• Sugar80g
• Almond flour90g
• Cake flour60g
• Lychee purée150g
• Dried hibiscus flowers12g
• Cream (35% fat)300g
• Gelatin sheets5
• Lychees (canned, drained)120g
• Lemon juice15g
• Freeze-dried raspberry powder5g
• Mirror glaze neutral base150g

Method

1. 1.Steep hibiscus flowers in 100g hot cream for 20 minutes. Strain, pressing well to extract all color and flavor.
2. 2.Bloom 3 gelatin sheets in ice water. Warm hibiscus cream, dissolve gelatin in it, then add 100g lychee purée and lemon juice. Chill until set to make the hibiscus-lychee mousse insert. Pour into half-sphere silicone molds and freeze solid.
3. 3.Melt white chocolate and cocoa butter together. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, yolks, and sugar until thick and pale.
4. 4.Fold melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Gently fold in almond flour and cake flour. Spread onto a lined sheet pan to about 1cm thick.
5. 5.Bake at 170°C for 12–14 minutes until just golden. Cool completely, then cut rounds to fit your petit gâteau molds.
6. 6.Bloom remaining 2 gelatin sheets. Warm 50g lychee purée, dissolve gelatin, then fold into 200g softly whipped cream. This is your lychee mousse.
7. 7.Dice drained lychees into small pieces. Fold half into the lychee mousse.
8. 8.Fill petit gâteau silicone molds halfway with lychee mousse. Press a frozen hibiscus insert into each center, then top with a cake round. Freeze at least 4 hours.
9. 9.Warm mirror glaze base to 30°C, tint with a few drops of pink food coloring and a touch of hibiscus-steeped cream for natural color. Unmold frozen cakes onto a wire rack and pour glaze evenly over each.
10. 10.Dust tops lightly with freeze-dried raspberry powder. Garnish with a small dried hibiscus petal or fresh lychee slice. Thaw in the refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.