Fillings Galore!
Together with Debic let's take a brief look at the composition of a classic entremet and how to construct it in a surprising but rational way.
Explore new flavours and textures with these easy and delicious fillings
Which flavours to combine?
When it comes to combining flavours, the golden rule is to pair sweet with sour or bitter. Soft textures can be punctuated with a crunchy or slightly more liquid accent. You can find many flavour combinations online on the Foodpairing® website, or why not draw inspiration from the trendy world of cocktails, where ingenious combinations are as much a part of the culture as the right amount of alcohol. A well-chosen fragrance, such as Cointreau, Cognac or a fruity eau de vie, is the salt and pepper of modern patisserie.
Texture and colour
The flavour of the interior should be chosen carefully. Does it complement the main flavour of the creation? Is it (too) dominant? Is the texture surprising? Does it look amazing when you cut the pastry? Does it all come together to form a whole? We have divided them into five categories for you.
Pure fruit, where fruit purée is bound with gelatine. Combinations with pieces of fruit or spices make all the difference to a classic fruit, sugar and gelatine recipe.
The age-old favourite from grandmother’s kitchen. Pure pieces of fruit, sometimes mixed with purée, boiled and bound with pectin, almost like a jam. Great for combining apricots, apples, pineapple or peach with a mousse.
Perhaps the most elegant way to harmoniously add an accent layer of fruit or nuts to a mousse. The addition of emulsified butter gives a velvety mouthfeel. At room temperature, a crème is light and airy but also just about spreadable and suitable for piping. It has a full, rich taste, a smooth texture, and melts quickly and completely in the mouth. The key to preparing a good crème is to whip enough air into a mixture of fat, sugar and liquid. In terms of texture, a crémeux is more a combination of a mousse and a ganache. It is less airy than a crème and has an exceptionally soft, creamy texture.
A classic in the world of chocolate. You can take it to the next level by making a ganache montée – a ganache that you can whip after crystallisation, giving it a lighter and softer texture than a classic, very compact ganache. A ganache always consists of cream and a chocolate covering. Adding extra butter makes the ganache creamier; adding glucose makes it stiffer. You can make the ganache firmer or more fluid by adding more or less chocolate. This makes it a versatile filling for pastries or pralines. On top of that, your creation will also last longer, as the ganache protects it from drying out.
A delicate, soft mousse is the perfect filling for a bombe or other sophisticated pastries. Achieving the perfect texture can be tricky, especially when using the mousse as a filling in pastries. In a traditional preparation we use gelatine as a binding agent. This is especially important with fruit purées, as they contain a lot of water. A chocolate mousse, on the other hand, requires less gelatine or none at all, as the cocoa butter gives it extra firmness.
Be inspired and give them a try!
Find out what you can create with all these delicious fillings.
Check out these Macarons with Americano filling.
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