Black Currant, White Chocolate, and Almond Entremet With White Chocolate Pop Rock “Feuilletine”

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and grease 2 6-inch round cake pans with butter (or skip oiling if using a silicon baking round), set aside.

Combine the whole egg, vanilla, stevia, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer until light, fluffy and doubles in volume and the mixture falls in ribbons from the whisk, about 5 minutes. Fold in the almond flour and baking powder.

In a clean bowl with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites and xanthan gum with an electric mixer until they form medium peaks (not quite stiff peaks). Gently whisk one third of the whites into the almond batter to lighten. Then fold in the remaining whites until evenly combined.

Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pans and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until springy to the touch but not browned. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Cool completely in the pan, about 20 minutes before removing and storing, wrapped in cling film to prevent drying. These can be made a day ahead (or frozen for up to a month).

Cook the currants – either microwave them until broken down and soft or heat over medium-high heat in a small pan on the stovetop, pressing to break them down. Strain this mixture through a fine mesh strainer if you prefer a smooth texture and into a small bowl, pressing to extract as much as possible, discard seeds and skins. Stir in the stevia, pinch of salt, lemon juice, and glucomann. Stir well until the mixture is smooth. Set aside, stirring occasionally until cool and thickened. You should have 1 cup of jam. Alternatively, if using a store-bought jam, heat and strain it. Set aside to cool (this can be made several days ahead).

Add the chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50% power, checking occasionally and stirring until melted (or over a double boiler on the stovetop). Cool to 80-90ºF (Around 100ºF, you will get a lot of the pop rocks releasing their carbonation and ruining the effect of popping later.) When cool enough, gently stir in the pop rocks and then transfer the mixture to a silicon (or well-greased metal) 6-inch can pan. Let cool and then turn out. Store well wrapped for up to a week.

Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl and it set aside to rehydrate.

Add the cream and milk to a large pot on medium heat and bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low.

Whisk the yolks together with the stevia, salt, and glucomann in a large heat proof bowl.

When the milk and cream are at a low simmer, slowly pour the hot mixture into the egg yolks while whisking constantly to keep the eggs from overcooking to temper them. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the pot of cream. Cook while whisking slowly and constantly until thickened, about 4-5 minutes. As the mixture becomes more thick, whisk vigorously to keep the cooking even, watching for bubbles. When you see a couple of bubbles, remove from heat. Do not boil as it will cause the eggs to overcook and scramble.

Remove from heat and whisk in the rehydrated gelatin until smooth, about 1 minute. Then whisk in the butter, another 30 seconds or so.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer and into a storage container. Immediately press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until completely cold, about 2 hours and up to 3 days. Whisk thoroughly before using.

Add the 1/4 cup cream and white chocolate to a bowl and microwave at 50% power, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Stir the mixture until smooth and set aside.

Whisk the white chocolate into the pastry cream until light.

Beat the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream and a small pinch xanthan gum, if using to stiff peaks. Fold into the chocolate pastry cream mixture until just combined.

Spread the jam over top of the almond cake and insert it into the mousse, jam side facing the mousse and bare cake facing up toward you.

Place the chocolate feuilletine on top of the cake and press into the mold so that it is level with the mold, a bit of mousse may spill out. Use a knife or offset spatula to level the bottom of the cake and wipe away any excess mousse. Freeze until completely set, at least 8 hours and preferably overnight.

Turn out of the mold and garnish as desired (in the photo, I have sprayed the cake with a white chocolate velvet spray and garnished with gold). Let thaw for 4 hours in the refrigerator before serving. To cut clean slices, dip a knife in hot water, wipe it dry and cut. Repeat between slices.