Citrus Abacus

Mix the praliné with the melted cocoa butter and couverture. Temper the mixture like a couverture at 24°C. Pour into a 34x34cm frame on an acetate sheet coated with dark chocolate couverture.

Cook the sugar, glucose and water to 185°C. Stop the cooking with the mandarin pulp and concentrate. Heat again to 103°C, stop the cooking and let the temperature fall to 60-70°C before making an emulsion with the melted white chocolate. At 35°C add the butter. Blend to perfect the emulsion.

Heat the pulp to 60°C and infuse with the zests for 10 minutes. Strain. Cook the sugar, glucose and water to 185°C. Stop the cooking with the pulp. Heat again to 103°C, stop the cooking and let the temperature fall to 60-70°C before making an emulsion with the melted white chocolate. At 35°C add the butter, blend and fill some hollow white chocolate shells. Leave to set for 12 hours at 17°C and 60% humidity. Make sure the temperature of the ganache is below 30°C when filling the hollow shells.

Heat the lemon juice to 60°C and infuse with the lime zests for 10 minutes. Strain and make up the weight with some extra lemon juice. Use a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment to gradually mix the lemon juice with the cold almond paste. Towards the end, add the warmed melted cocoa butter and the Kéva. Set the mixture aside in the refrigerator for around two hours to allow the cocoa butter to set. Beat in a freestanding mixer with a paddle attachment.

Fill the Ivoire hollow shells. Leave to set for 12 hours at 17°C and 60% humidity. Take care to ensure the temperature of the ganache is below 30°C when filling. Use a heat gun to melt the edges of the hollow shells and then seal them using a piping bag filled with tempered chocolate. Color some caster sugar in orange, yellow and green citrus colors, using some water-soluble coloring and a little citric acid solution. Add some orange, gold and green sparkling powder. Pipe a little tempered white chocolate on the top of the hollow shells and add a little sparkling powder (see photo). Place it in the original transparent plastic packaging to give the sugar on top a rounded shape and expose the lower part of the hollow shell. Spray the underneath of the hollow shells with some orange, yellow or green tempered cocoa butter and then leave to set before sticking them on the frames.