White Chocolate Pistachio Gift Boxes

Pastry Chef Wally Hewak
Goodies Bake Shop

For this recipe, Chef Wally uses wooden skewers to dip the frozen cakes into the melted white chocolate.

Ingredients
Pistachio Sponge
2/3 cup blanched, ground almonds
1/2 cup icing sugar
3 Tbsp flour
7 egg yolks
11 egg whites
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup coarsely ground pistachios

White Chocolate Pistachio Mousse
2 cups whipping cream
9 oz white chocolate
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup pistachio paste

Garnish
20 oz white coating or couveture
chocolate (tempered)
Oil-based food colouring
7 oz dark chocolate
3 Tbsp corn syrup

Method
Pistachio Sponge

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
3. Sift together ground almonds, icing sugar and flour.
4. In a medium bowl, whip egg yolks until thick.
5. In a large, bowl whip egg whites with the granulated sugar until it forms medium stiff peaks.
6. Fold the yolks into the egg white mixture. Add butter, then dry ingredients in three additions.
7. Spread half of the batter in each sheet pan.
8. Sprinkle ground pistachios over the surface.
9. Bake for 12-14 minutes until springy.

White Chocolate Pistachio Mousse

1. In a large bowl, whip cream to medium stiff peaks.
2. In a saucepan, melt white chocolate. Remove from heat, whisk in yolks.
3. Fold a small amount of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture, then add to the remaining cream.
4. Fold in pistachio paste.
5. Chill until set.

Chocolate Bows

1. In a saucepan, melt chocolate. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in corn syrup, mix well.
3. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap. Let sit at least an hour.
4. Knead chocolate. If too stiff, microwave for 4-5 seconds. Roll out chocolate until 1/8-inch thick, using icing sugar to prevent sticking.
5. Cut 20 strips 4-inches by 1/2-inch.
6. Lay the strip horizontally. Form a bow shape by folding both sides toward the centre and pinching in. 7. Cut another small strip to wrap around the middle of the bow.

Assembly

1. Cut sponge cakes in half widthwise, totalling four pieces.
2. Divide mousse into three portions.
3. Spread a layer of mousse onto one of the sponge pieces. Top with a sponge. Alternate, ending with a sponge piece, nut side facing down.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.
5. Trim edges of semi-frozen slab of cake and cut 2-inch squares.  Refreeze.
6. Dip frozen cakes in melted white chocolate until completely coated, scrape the bottom of the cake on the rim of the dipping bowl to prevent sticking.
7. Affix chocolate bow with a dab of melted chocolate.

Yield 20 servings