Intro:
Method:
White Chocolate Mousse:
3. When the matcha mint core has frozen set, we can now begin to make the mousse. Add 20ml of cold water to 4g of gelatin powder and again allow the gelatin to bloom. Now add 150g of white cooking chocolate and 120ml of the cream to a mixing bowl. Place the bowl on top of a pan with approx a cup of water to create a ban marie. Place onto a low heat and melt the chocolate in the cream until smooth and silky. (Take care not to allow the bowl to touch the simmering water and not too overheat the chocolate). When ready remove the chocolate from the heat then add the bloomed gelatin and mix until the gelatin has dissolved. When ready place the chocolate to one side.
4. Now in a separate bowl add 160ml of heavy cream and whisk until stiff peaks are formed. When the chocolate has cooled add to the whipped cream and add the zest of 1/2 a lemon. Fold in the chocolate to the cream until smooth.
5. When the mousse is ready add the mousse mixture to a piping bag then pipe the mousse into a large 1/2 sphere silicon mould. Fill the moulds up to approx 80% full leaving enough room to add the matcha mint core. Now remove the set matcha mint 1/2 spheres from the silicon mould and place into the centre of the mousse and carefully press into the mousse. Repeat this process until all of the mousses have a matcha mint core. Tidy the edges of the 1/2 spheres with a small pallet knife then place into the freezer over night to allow them to freeze.
6. By this point on day 2 the 1/2 spheres of mousse should have frozen set. Before glazing with the mirror glaze we need to stick the 1/2 spheres together. To do this remove the 1/2 spheres of mousse from the silicon mould then place two of the 1/2 spheres briefly into a hot pan to allow the mousse to slightly melt. Remove from the pan and carefully connect the 2 halves together. When all the spheres are connected place back into the freezer. (You can smooth out the seal by using a hot pallet knife).
7. Now the spheres are ready we can make the glaze. Add 60ml of cold water to 10g of gelatin powder and again allow the gelatin to bloom. In a bowl add 175g of white chocolate and place to one side for now. Then in a small pan add 80ml of water, 150g sugar and 100g of condensed milk and bring to a boil. When boiling remove from the heat and add the hot liquid to the chocolate and allow the hot liquid to melt the chocolate for 5 minutes.
8. After 5 minutes the chocolate should now have melted. Using a stick blender, blend the chocolate with the liquid until silky smooth. When smooth add the bloomed gelatin and 2 tbsp of matcha powder. Mix together until all ingredients are incorporated then sieve the mix into a pouring jug. Allow the glaze to cool to a core temperature of 32°c – 35°c. (This temperature is key to give the spheres a nice glaze, best to use a thermometer for this stage).
9. When the temperature of the glaze cools to between 32°c and 35°c it’s now time to glaze. Remove the set spheres from the mould and place onto a wire baking rack. Pour the glaze evenly over the spheres until glazed. When all the spheres are glazed place the wire rack into the fridge and allow the mirror glaze to set for at least 1 hour.
Additional notes
You can take only the mousse from this recipe and set that in a mould to make things so much easier. In terms of what else to use instead of white chocolate, you could use dark or milk and instead of the matcha, you could add citrus fruits, alcohol or berries. Have fun with this one!
