Gateau De Mousse a la Nectarine
Submitted by mo_pac_man
Gateau de mousse a la nectarine: a refined French entremet of airy nectarine mousse layered with schnapps-soaked genoise, finished with a glossy peach glaze and toasted-crumb sides. A patisserie showpiece.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
4 hrsThis is patisserie-level baking, a French mousse cake worth every step for a special occasion. Layers of feather-light genoise sandwich a cool, airy nectarine mousse, all finished with a glossy glaze and an elegant fan of fresh fruit.
The mousse is the heart of it. Fresh nectarines are cooked, pureed, and sieved silky-smooth, then set with gelatin and lightened with softly whipped cream, beaten only to soft shapes, not stiff peaks, which keeps the texture cloud-like rather than dense.
A peach-schnapps syrup brushed onto each layer of cake keeps the genoise moist and laces it with fruity warmth.
The finishing touches are pure pastry-shop polish: a peach glaze poured over the top for a mirror-like sheen, sliced nectarines fanned in a pinwheel, and the sides coated in toasted genoise crumbs for texture and a tidy edge.
It chills in stages to set the mousse and glaze, so plan ahead. The payoff is a stunning, dinner-party-worthy dessert that tastes as light as it looks impressive.
Chef Tips
- Whip the cream only to soft shapes, not stiff peaks; over-whipping makes the mousse heavy instead of airy.
- Let the nectarine puree cool to room temperature before folding in the cream, or it can deflate.
- Brush the genoise layers with syrup so the cake stays moist against the mousse.
- Chill fully at each stage, mousse then glaze, so the layers set cleanly and slice neatly.
Variations
- Use peaches in place of nectarines, or a mix of summer stone fruit.
- Swap the peach schnapps for an orange or almond liqueur, or omit it for an alcohol-free version.
- Press sliced almonds onto the sides instead of cake crumbs.
Ingredients
Directions
Halve, pit, and chop nectarines and, in a heavy saucepan, combine them with sugar and ½ cup water.
Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook it at a slow boil, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
In a food processor, purée the mixture and force it through a fine sieve into a large bowl, pressing hard on the solids.
In a small saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over the lemon juice and schnapps, let it soften for 5 minutes, then heat mixture over low heat, stirring, until gelatin has dissolved.
Stir gelatin into nectarine purée, blending the mixture well.
Let it cool to room temperature.
In a chilled bowl, beat the cream until it holds soft shapes, (not as stiff as soft peaks) and fold it into the nectarine mixture.
Trim the Genoise and cut it into three layers, horizonally.
Peach Syrup:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and ¼ cup water.
Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved, and stir in the schnapps.
Let the syrup cool to room temperature.
Assembly:
Center one layer in the bottom of a 9½ inch springform pan and brush with half the peach syrup.
Pour half the mousse over the cake and top it with another layer of Genoise.
Brush with the remaining peach syrup and pour the remaining mousse over the cake, rapping on the side of the pan to expel any air bubbles and smoothing the surface.
Chill for 2 hours, or until it is set.
Peach Glaze:
In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 3 tablespoon cold water and let it soften for 5 minutes.
In a small saucepan, combine the preserves and schnapps, bring mixture to a boil, stirring, and simmer it for 1 minute.
Remove pan from heat, add gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved, and strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the solids.
Assembly:
Pour all but about 2 tablespoon of Peach Glaze over top of the mousse cake, covering it completely, and chill the cake for 2 hours, or until glaze is set.
While cake is chilling, in a food processor, grind the remaining Genoise layer into fine crumbs.
Toast the crumbs in a jelly-roll pan in a preheated 350f oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until they are golden.
Reserve.
Cut half the nectarine into thin slices, and arrange them decoratively on top of the cake in a pinwheel pattern.
Brush the remaining glaze over the nectarine slices and chill the cake, covered, for 1 hour, or until the newly applied glaze is set.
Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and remove the side of the pan.
Working over a sheet of wax paper, coat sides of cake with the cake crumbs.
Let cake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.
Comments
I would like to note that this recipe was originally printed in “Gourmet Magazine” over 25 years ago and has been one of my long-standing favorites. (I would correct its category of “Mexican” recipe; it is based on European baking techniques and style.) It is a fabulous and impressive dessert, but time-consuming in its preparation and not for the faint of heart! There are a number of periods when refrigeration for 2 or more hours is required before you can proceed to the next step of the recipe. This is definitely not a recipe to tackle the same day you plan to cook the feast! However, all the effort you put into it is well worth the outcome! The texture and flavor are to die for and heaven in every bite! So come prepared to hunker down in your kitchen for day to prepare a creation that looks and tastes like it came out of the kitchen of the pastry chef in the world! Psssssst.....yours!!!!!
I agree, it is outstandingly and one of my old favorites. I was devastated when Gourmet stopped publishing. We lost a cultural giant.