Strawberry Kiss

Method

1. For the sablé, beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth and creamy.
2. Beat in the yolks, then the almond meal and flour, just until the dough comes together.
3. Flatten the dough, wrap it and chill it for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
5. Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper to 3 mm thick and a little larger than the tin, then chill it for 10 minutes.
6. Peel off the top paper and trim the dough to the exact size of the tin base, using the tin as a guide.
7. Slide the dough on its paper onto the baking sheet and bake for 12–15 minutes, until pale golden; let it cool on the paper.
8. Raise the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line the tin with baking paper.
9. For the sponge, beat the butter and sugar for 3–4 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
10. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the lemon zest.
11. Sift the flour, cornstarch and baking powder over the mixture and fold them in.
12. Spread the batter in the tin and bake for 20–25 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
13. Cool the sponge in the tin for 10 minutes, turn it out and let it cool completely; wash the tin.
14. For the custard, soak the 6 g of gelatine in cold water (sprinkle powder over 2 tbsp cold water).
15. Heat the milk until steaming.
16. Whisk the yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl, then pour in the hot milk slowly, whisking.
17. Pour the mixture back into the pan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it boils and thickens, then 1 minute more.
18. Take the pan off the heat and whisk in the vanilla and the squeezed gelatine.
19. Press cling film onto the surface and let the custard cool to room temperature, about 1 hour; do not let it set in the fridge.
20. Line the clean tin with cling film or baking paper, leaving the edges hanging over the sides.
21. Lay the sablé base in the bottom of the tin.
22. Whip the cream to soft peaks, whisk the cooled custard until smooth and fold in the cream.
23. Spread the custard cream over the sablé and level it.
24. Trim the sponge to fit, lay it on the cream and press lightly; refrigerate the tin.
25. For the berry layer, soak the 8 g of gelatine in cold water.
26. Simmer the berries with the sugar for 5 minutes, until juicy, and blend them briefly.
27. Take the pan off the heat, stir in the squeezed gelatine and let the mixture cool until it is no longer warm but still liquid.
28. Pour the berry mixture over the sponge and spread it evenly.
29. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or 3 hours in the fridge and 1 hour in the freezer, until firm.
30. Lift the cake out by the overhanging film and cut it into bars with the knife dipped in hot water and wiped between cuts.
31. Top each bar with chopped strawberries and a mint leaf.

1. Sandy paste:
2. Blend everything in a mixer with a whisk, until evenly blended.
3. Roll out thinly (around 2-3mm) and refrigerate.
4. Then cut in stripes and bake under tempereture of 170ºC (338°F).
5. Butter sponge cake:
6. Whip butter, eggs and sugar.
7. Add lemon peel, then flour and starch.
8. Knead dough.
9. Put in a form and bake until cooked under temperature 180ºC (356°F).
10. Refrigerate the cooked layer.
11. Add gelatin to any marmalade made of red and black berries.
12. Add gelatin and a bit of whipping cream (up to taste) to any scalded cream.
13. Assembly of the whole cake:
14. Put the layer cooked of sandy paste, pour part of the scalded cream on top, cover with the biscuit, then pour marmalade.
15. Leave in freezer for a while.
16. Take the cake out of the form and cut in stripes.
17. Put chopped strawberry on top, decorate the plate.
18. Bon appetit!

The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.