Pear Necessities Petits Gâteaux

1. Combine the water and the gelatin in a small bowl and allow them to bloom.
2. Combine the first quantity of cream and the honey and heat to just before boiling.
3. Place the sugar in a pan and heat until the sugar is melted and caramelized to a dark color. Make sure to stir to insure an even caramelization.
4. Deglaze the caramel by adding the warm cream in two to three additions and mixing well after each.
5. Place the chocolate in a tall recipient and add the bloomed gelatin and the salt.
6. Strain the caramel over the chocolate.
7. Blend with an immersion blender until well emulsified.
8. Add the second quantity of cream and continue blending until well mixed.
9. Pour the crème parisienne into a bowl and cover with plastic film making sure the film is in contact with the entire surface of the cream.
10. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours to allow for crystallization.

1. Sift all the dry ingredients together on a piece of parchment paper.
2. Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a tabletop mixer.
3. Whisk the brown butter, melted chocolate, inverted sugar and vanilla together.
4. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl at least once. You can also mix all the ingredients by hand if desired.
5. Lightly foam the egg whites by hand. The texture of the egg whites depends on how you want the final texture of your financiers to be.
6. Gradually add the whites to the mixing bowl and combine.
7. Finish mixing the batter by hand. A traditional financier batter needs to rest for 12 to 24 hours but since this one has baking powder in it, it can be used right away.
8. Pour the batter into a piping bag and pipe 30-35 g (1-1.2 oz) of batter in each demi sphere.
9. Bake in a convection oven at 150°C (300°F) or in a deck oven at 162°C (325°F) for 15 to 20 minutes.
10. Once baked, wrap the entire tray in plastic film and reserve in the freezer.

1. Dry caramelize the sugar until obtaining a light caramel.
2. Spread the walnuts, almonds, and Maldon salt on the silpat.
3. Pour the caramel on the nut mix and allow it to harden.
4. While still slightly warm, break the praliné into large chunks and grind into a food processor until you obtain a fluid paste.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl a few times while grinding. This process takes a few minutes so make sure to continue blending until the paste is fluid.
6. Put the praliné into a bowl, cover with plastic film, and reserve at room temperature.

1. Place all the ingredients (except the gelatin and the water) in a saucepan, cook on medium-low heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Cook very gently until the pears are just tender and the juices are rendered. Do not overcook.
3. Strain off the juices, allowing the mixture to drain for 15 minutes.
4. Weigh the juice and calculate 2% of that, this will be the weight of the gelatin needed.
5. Bloom the gelatin in 5 times its weight in water.
6. Add the bloomed gelatin to the juice to melt. If the juice has cooled down too much, you can warm it up slightly.
7. Pour the stabilized juice over the cooked fruit until pears are barely covered.
8. Portion 12 g (0.4 oz) of compote into each demi-sphere mold and tap the tray to level. Freeze until set.
9. Reserve some extra compote in the cooler for garnish.

Melt cocoa butter and Combine all of the ingredients together and reserve warm until needed.

1. Pour the pre-crystallized chocolate on a guitar sheet and cover it with another guitar sheet.
2. Spread thinly with an offset spatula and smooth it out using a rolling pin.
3. Let it set for a few seconds and then use the ring cutter to cut circles in the chocolate.
4. Place the guitar sheets between two pieces of parchment paper and sandwich them between two metal trays.
5. Reserve in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to crystallize and then store at room temperature until needed.

1. Unmold the frozen financiers.
2. Carefully slice off the top of the financiers.
3. Using a ring cutter, trim the sides of the financiers.
4. Using the melon baller, scoop out a small hole in the center of each financier.
5. Pour the praliné into a piping bag and fill in the center of each cake.
6. Freeze the cakes.
7. Warm the glaze to 45°C (113°F). Temper the glaze by constantly stirring over an ice bath until it reaches 26.6°C - 28C (80°F – 82°F). Use immediately.
8. Using two toothpicks, lift each financier and dip it into the glaze. Place it on a metal tray lined with a silpat to set. Make sure they are levelled.
9. Once the financiers have thawed slightly, remove the toothpicks.
10. Carefully peel the guitar sheet off the chocolate garnishes.
11. Take the garnishes off and reserve on a parchment paper.
12. When ready to assemble the petits gâteaux, cut a small Saint-Honoré tip on a piping bag.
13. Place the crème parisienne into a chilled mixer bowl and whip on medium speed until it just holds peaks. Do not over whip the cream. The cream will stiffen slightly as you pipe it through the bag, so be sure to start with a soft peak cream.
14. Pour the cream into the prepared piping bag and use right away. This cream needs to stay very cold so only use a small amount at a time in the piping bag.
15. On a turntable, center a frozen unmolded pear compote on top of one of the chocolate decorations. Place a toothpick in the center.
16. Using the toothpick as an anchor point, pipe the crème parisienne with small, consistent movements until you reach the bottom.
17. Place a few drops of cream on the cake base and secure the pear compote. Remove the toothpick.
18. Use the microplane to shave some black walnuts on the petits gâteaux.
19. Using tweezers, garnish with a few gold flakes and then place one piece of pear compote on the center of the petit gâteau.