FRESON

The Princess of the Vitrin in the shop. No doubt. Let me introduce her: she is Freson. One of the cutest thing i ve ever made. She is a proper lady – when she has a good day – she is the most beautiful thing ever. But if its a bad day…. well… i would not be proud.

She is a pretty refreshing fruity mousse with a touch of nuts and herbs. Lets do it!

Step 1.

Turn on the oven first – make a basic sable and bake the round  base. Hope its a cold day because u need to keep the oven on – and bake a sponge of pistachio which is going to be in the center.

Step 2.

Make a gorgeous basil cream. Get some fresh basil, blanch it and blend it. Meanwhile prepair a cooked cream – while its still warm add your rehydrated gelatin sheets then chill it down before u add to your basil not to kill the color. Blend together and finish it with some melted white chocolate. Leave it to rest for a minimum half day. U just need to whip it up before u wanna use to spread on the top of your pistachio sponge.

Step 3.

Make your actual strawberry mousse using full fat cream cheese, some sugar, some strawberry liquor and lots of fruit puree. Blend these things together (warm up some puree to add your rehydrated gelatin sheets) while u are making some italian meringue and whip some cream to finally finish your mousse and make it as airy as possible.

Step 4.

Get your molds done – cover the bottom with some film not to let the mousse run away. Fill up your rings half way – put a piece of your center (pistachio-basil square) in the middle and fill up the rest of the mold with your strawberry mousse. Freeze it for minimum one day before u can take the tarts out by warming the metal ring with a blow torch.

Step 5.

Prepair a paint with white chocolate, cacao butter and wild red color then paint your mousses with a gun. Its such a fun! Make sure the they have the same color all around.

Step 6.

Decorate these beauties. Make a paper pen out of baking paper and fill up with melted white chocolate (to have this runny enough i use some extra cacao butter). Here in the La Postreria we want to have it absurd white – so we mix the (kindof yellow) white chocolate with some titanium dioxid powder. Its not necessary so u dont need to run and look for titanium dioxid in any culinary store. But to make these dots in a perfect orden – believe me, u need to practise.

Step 7.

More decoration. The belt. This is a real pain in the ass. Using the same mix of white chocolate, cacao butter and titanium. First we temperate the chocolate then spread it out on your acetate sheet which has got the same size and form like the belt you want. The timing its more important, u need to have your chocolate half way “harden” on the acetate but still flexible enough to put around your tart. Hold it for a couple of seconds to harden enough to keep its form. U make sure its hard enough before u are trying to take off the acetate sheet of your chocolate belt. U need to be really really careful.

footnote: the temperature is really important, after u freeze down your mousse at first time- need to work quick and between each steps u put your sweets back to the freezer

Step 8.

Last step to find some cute tiny little strawberries and make them shiny in some “brillo” before u place them on the top of your Freson like a crown.

Time to enjoy. With lots of love. Miss Strawberry.