Recipes > Cakes
Strawberry Shortcake

Directions

Strawberry Panna Cotta
Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water to bloom. Bring the cream to a boil and add gelatin to melt completely. Combine yogurt with purée, sugar and strawberry extract and process with an immersion blender until smooth. Add the cream with gelatin to the mix and process again. Divide between 12 glasses (approximately 115 grams per glass, depending on size) and chill for four hours.

Vanilla Streusel
Combine all dry ingredients on a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add cold, diced butter and mix on low speed until pea-sized pieces are formed. Place it on a perforated baking sheet lined with paper or a silpat. Bake it at 157 C (315 F) until lightly coloured, and spread and redistribute during the baking process. Cool and break into smaller pieces.

Strawberry Crunch Rocher
Toast almonds until golden brown and then cool. Combine cereal, freeze-dried strawberries, shortbread and cooled almonds. Temper the chocolate** and pour over the dry mixture. Gently, but quickly fold the mixture to thoroughly coat with the chocolate. Pour onto a silpat lined sheet pan and spread without pressing or flattening. Once the chocolate is set, break rocher into pieces.

Cereal Whipped Ganache
Combine the cereal and cold milk – let it sit for 30 minutes. Strain and rescale to 112 g. Melt white chocolate to 41 C (105 F). Bring the cream to a boil and slowly pour over the melted white chocolate in several additions to create an elastic core. Add the cold, infused milk and process with an immersion blender to perfect the emulsion. Let set overnight (maximum of seven hours) before using.

Soft Almond Cake
Combine almond flour, sugar, cornstrach and milk powder. Beat eggs with yolks until smooth (do not incorporate air). Add eggs to the dry mixture and blend until smooth. Spread batter evenly into a sprayed and paper-lined half sheet pan. Bake it at 180 C (350 F) until golden (approximately nine to 12 min.). Let it cool completely. Use a cutter with the correct dimensions to snugly git into the glass that will be used for the finished dessert. Keep cake discs wrapped and chilled until ready to plate.

Basil Infused Strawberry
Thinly slice strawberries, top to bottom, creating round slices. Gently spread sliced berries flat in a cryo-vac or plastic bag. Strawberries should be dispersed evenly. Add sugar to the bag, if necessary, depending on sweetness of berries, then place basil on top of berries. Seal bag to remove excess air, but take care not to crush berries. Let berries infuse during overnight refrigeration. When ready to use, open bag and drain berries, discarding basil.

Assembly

Using tempered chocolate, create chocolate décor in desired shapes to be used as décor for the finished verrine. Garnish panna cotta with infused strawberry slices and rocher, keeping each separate on each side of the glass. Add chocolate décor and fresh micro basil. Place a round of soft almond sponge on top, taking care not to press down and to preserve the space surrounding the rocher and strawberry garnish. Whip the cereal ganache by hand until a soft peak is reached. Using a large spoon or piping bag with a straight tip, finish the verrine with a dollop of the whipped ganache. Serve immediately.

This recipe is courtesy of Sarah Kosikowski, corporate chef for Valrhona North America. www.valrhonaprofessionals.com.