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Stone fruits start to come into season around the summer and some beautiful peaches have started to pop up in the farmer's market. Blending the flavor of peaches with milky panna cotta balances out the acid and makes for a classic creamy treat for warm weather.
When you shop for peaches, shop by smell and texture. Look for ones that are soft, but not mushy. Pick one up and smell it. If it smells like nothing, don't buy it. You want the peach to have a lovely peach aroma without smelling too stale. It's important that the peaches are ripe, but not overripe because they won't have the acid that balances so well with the fat in the creams.
These ingredients are for an 8" entremet. Double the amounts for a 10" entremet.
(Depending on the size of your entremet and layers, you may have some surplus)
This will make a 10X surplus which you can save for future entremets
For more detail on the techniques for this component, see how to make basic sponge cake.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks and divide the sugar in half. Whip the egg yolks with half the sugar until they are light and frothy. Fold the almond flour into the egg yolks, which will deflate a bit. Prepare a meringue by whipping the egg whites until stiff with the other half of the sugar.
Spread this out into a pan and bake at 350°F (180°C) for anywhere from 15-35 minutes. Use the toothpick test to know when to remove the sponge.
Start by whipping the cream to soft peaks.
Do not bring it to stiff peaks yet and be careful not to over-beat it.
When the gelatin is stiff, heat it in the microwave just until melted (5-10 seconds). Whisk this into the cream and bring the cream just to stiff peaks.
Spread this out into a pan just smaller than your entremet ring. You can also use your entremet ring and cut it to size later. Freeze the mousse until completely solid.
Reserve one peach for the garnish.
They will be pureéd so precision does not matter here. As you peel them, drop them into water acidified with the lemon to prevent them from oxidizing and browning while you work.
Bloom the gelatin in cold water and stir it into the peaches. Turn off the heat.
Pour the peaches into a container to cool. Remove the allspice.
Freeze this until completely solid.
Despite the name of this dessert, there is no milk in the entremet. Instead, the panna cotta is made from cream for an extra indulgent dessert.
Only prepare this component once the other components are frozen solid.
When the sugar is fully dissolved, allow the vanilla to steep for a bit with the heat off. Stir in the gelatin and let sit for about 20 minutes. Let the panna cotta come to room temperature or chill in the refrigerator just enough to slightly thicken.
Remove the frozen layers from the freezer and, if necessary, cut to a diameter just smaller than the ring. You may brush your sponge with simple syrup for an extra moist sponge cake.
Your panna cotta must be room temperature or chilled to prevent the butter from melting. Place in the sponge, peach coulis, honey mousse, and pour over the panna cotta liquid only until it just overlaps with the mousse. If you fill to the top now, the mousse might float to the top. Place this in the freezer until the panna cotta starts to set enough to hold the mousse in place. Then pour in the panna cotta until the liquid is flush with the top.
The entremet should have time to freeze overnight. The next day, prepare the white chocolate mirror glaze.
Combine the water, sugar, condensed milk, and vanilla together in a saucepan. Bring the heat up to medium.
Let the chocolate sit for about 5 minutes until fully melted before using an immersion blender to pureé smooth.
The mirror glaze is ready to be poured when it cools to between 90°F and 94°F.
Being careful not to damage the glossy glazed layer, use the spatula and your hands from the bottom to place the frozen entremet onto a gold base.
Arrange the peaches on a cutting board as you would across the top of the cake. Place the entremet ring over the arrangement and press down hard using a twising motion to cut the peaches into shape.
Optionally, glaze the peaches with some neutral nappage for a glossier look.
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