Split the vanilla pods in half, using the unsharpened side of a knife extract the vanilla seeds and put them in the milk and cream along with the pods as well
Bring to a boil, and let it infuse at room temperature for at least 10min (but per Conticini’s book recommendations, 1h is best)
Bring it back to a boil
Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow
While whisking energetically add 2/3 of the boiling liquid , put everything back together and bring it to 83-84°C (182°F) while stirring at all time with a wooden or silicone spoon using an 8 figure to make sure it doesn’t stick.
(Obviously if you have a Kenwood Cooking Chef, this part is much easier)
Add the gelatin, making sure it dissolves properly
Pour this creamy liquid while still very hot, through a sieve, onto the white chocolate.
Blend using a long neck blender
Add the black powdered food coloring, and continue to mix until well blended
Put aside in the fridge till cold
Crispy Vanilla Duja
Blend the blanched almonds with the icing sugar until it becomes like an almond paste
Melt the white chocolate with the butter over a bain-marie
Still over the bain marie, add the salt and the vanilla seeds, putting aside the unused pots, and stir until well mixed
Add the almond paste, the feuilletine and stir carefully
Roll the dough between two parchment papers, about 2-3mm thick
Cut it with a 22x22cm square dessert frame and put it in the fridge to harden it on a flat surface
Vanilla Biscuit
Whisk the 135g egg whites at medium speed, adding a few drop of lemons
When the foam is forming, add the 15g brown sugar to stiffen the whites until soft peaks form, and put aside
Mix the almond flour, the brown sugar, the egg whites and yolks, the vanilla seeds (again put aside the unused pots), the cream, the sugar, the salt, and the melted butter still warm (so everything but the flour and baking powder)
Add 1/3 of the whisked egg whites and mix
Add the flour and the baking powder through a sieve and mix
Add the remaining of the whisked egg whites, mixing gently to have a foamy preparation
Pour in a 22x22cm dessert frame on a silicone mat and bake at 170°C/335°F for about 20min (until a knife tip stays clean when piercing the cake)
Inner assembly
Apply a colloid strip inside the 22x22cm dessert frame (this will help to unmold once frozen)
Using the 22x22cm dessert frame on a silicone mat, pour the black vanilla cremeux and level with a spatula as best as you can
Triming the thickness if necessary first, layer the vanilla biscuit/cake on top of it, the biscuit’s flat side facing downward
Likewise, layer the crispy vanilla duja on top of the vanilla biscuit. Be careful, the duja is very fragile. If it doesn’t fit perfectly, don’t force it. You can use a peeler or a knife to trim the sides slightly until it fits.
Put it in the freezer
White Chocolate Mousse (cremeux base)
Make a cremeux using the same technique than for the black vanilla cremeux (except there’s no sugar this time). If you want, you can use the unused vanilla pots put aside during the other preparations.
White Chocolate Mousse (pâte à bombe)
Mix all the ingredients over a bain-marie until it reaches 70°C/160°F
Whisk/beat it at medium speed until cold
White Chocolate Mousse (whipped cream)
Remove the vanilla pot if you used a Tahiti’s vanilla
Put the cream and your metal (balloon) whisk attachment in the freezer for 15min, and if you can the bowl as well (or put it somewhere cold)
Increasing the speed every 30s, whisk the cream into a Chantilly cream. This won’t work if the cream is not cold enough, or if you don’t have a 30-35% fat cream. Furthermore, apparently UHT cream doesn’t work that well either.
White Chocolate Mousse
Mix the cremeux and the pâte à bombe
Gently mix in the Chantilly cream
Entremet Assembly
Apply a colloid strip inside the 24x24x3.5cm dessert frame (this will help to unmold once frozen) and put it on a silicone mat
Pour the white chocolate mouse
Unmold the inside layers (black vanilla cremeux+vanilla biscuit+cripy vanilla duja). You can use a spatula to help separating the colloid from the frame
With the black vanilla cremeux facing downward, layer it carefully in the center on top of the white chocolate mousse (the crispy vanilla duja should therefore be facing up)
Press on it gently and evenly until the mousse fills the sides and levels with the crispy vanilla duja
You can use a spatula to properly level the mouse
Put everything in the freezer for at least 4h
Velours/velvet finish
Stir the titanium dioxide with the cocoa butter and the white chocolate. This is important to do that before melting, otherwise you can have annoying lumps
Melt everything over a bain-marie. You’ll need to use it at 30-35°C/86-95°F
To be extra-careful, you can filter it through a fine siever
Unmold the frozen entremet. You can use a spatula to help separating the colloid from the frame
Make sure to protect everything around, because it’s going to be messy 😉
Using a paint sprayer with the melted preparation and spray over the frozen entremet on all sides
Put it into the fridge to let the entremet unfreeze and Voilà, enjoy!