 | Tropical Reverie ProfiterolePastry Chef Romina Peixoto of Sweet Graffiti | New York, NY |
My inspiration for Tropical Reverie was to create a harmonious balance of vibrant, exotic flavors with classic patisserie techniques. The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley products bring an intense, authentic fruit essence to each component, transforming a traditional profiterole into a refreshing, multi-textured dessert that transports you to a tropical paradise. This dessert is inspired by the idea of renewal—balancing freshness and depth. Lychee lends delicate sweetness, passion fruit adds brightness, and hibiscus ties them together with floral complexity and a hint of tartness.
Ingredients for Craquelin:
Yield: 1 batch
• 100 g. unsalted butter
• 120 g. brown sugar
• 120 g. all-purpose flour
Ingredients for Choux Paste:
Yield: 1 batch
• 160 g. water
• 160 g. whole milk
• 6 g. caster sugar
• 6 g. salt
• 150 g. unsalted butter
• 180 g. all-purpose flour
• 330 g. eggs
Ingredients for Passion Fruit Curd:
Yield: 1 batch
• 275 g. The Perfect Purée Passion Fruit Concentrate, thawed
• 270 g. granulated sugar, divided
• 6 g. agar powder
• 270 g. eggs
• 350 g. unsalted butter, room temperature
Ingredients for Lychee Namelaka:
Yield: 1 batch
• 440 g. The Perfect Purée Lychee Puree, thawed
• 50 g. glucose syrup
• 380 g. white chocolate (33% cocoa butter), chopped
• 760 g. cold whipping cream
• 100 g. The Perfect Purée Lychee Puree, cold
• 40 g. lychee liqueur
Ingredients for Sweet Hibiscus Sorbet:
Yield: 1 batch
• 359 g. water
• 230 g. The Perfect Purée of Napa Valley Sweet Hibiscus, thawed
• 45 g. inulin
• 6 g. stabilizer
• 78 g. granulated sugar
• 87 g. dextrose
• 145 g. atomized glucose
• 50 g. lemon juice
To Assemble and Serve:
• White chocolate discs
• Fresh mint sprigs
• White chocolate decorations
Method for Craquelin:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine butter, sugar, and flour. Mix until a uniform dough forms. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to 2 millimeters thick. Chill 1 hour, then freeze. Using round cutters, cut 3-centimeter and 1.5-centimeter discs. Set aside frozen.
Method for Choux Paste:
In a saucepan, bring water, milk, sugar, salt, and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add flour all at once, stirring vigorously until smooth and fully incorporated. Return to low heat and cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until dough pulls away from the sides and a thin film forms on the pan. Transfer to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed to cool slightly. Add eggs gradually until dough is smooth and glossy. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a No. 10 round tip. Pipe 3-centimeter and 1.5-centimeter rounds onto a buttered baking sheet. Top each with a Craquelin disc. Heat oven to 450°F, turn off the oven, place trays inside, and bake 12 minutes. Turn oven back on to 336°F and bake an additional 12 minutes, or until golden brown and firm. Cool completely.
Method for Passion Fruit Curd:
In a bowl, combine agar powder with half of the sugar. Using a Vitamix Commercial immersion blender, blend The Perfect Purée Passion Fruit Concentrate with the agar–sugar mixture until smooth. In a saucepan, bring to a boil with remaining sugar, whisking constantly. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk eggs, then temper with a small amount of hot mixture. Return tempered eggs to the saucepan and cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until 185°F (85°C). Remove from heat and cool to 104°F (40°C). Blend in butter until smooth, then strain through a chinois. Refrigerate overnight. The next day, blend until creamy and transfer to a pastry bag fitted with an 11-millimeter tip.
Method for Lychee Namelaka:
In a saucepan, warm 440 grams The Perfect Purée Lychee Puree and glucose syrup until just warm. Pour over white chocolate and let sit 1 minute. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Add cold whipping cream, cold Lychee Puree, and lychee liqueur. Blend again until fully emulsified. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, whip in a stand mixer until thick and pipeable. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with an 11-millimeter tip.
Method for Sweet Hibiscus Sorbet:
In a mixing bowl, combine The Perfect Purée Sweet Hibiscus with water. In a separate bowl, whisk to combine inulin, stabilizer, sugar, dextrose, and atomized glucose. Slowly whisk dry ingredients into liquid base. Bring to 185°F (85°C) to activate stabilizer, then cool rapidly to 39°F (4°C). Mature 4 hours at 39°F. Add lemon juice, homogenize, and process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instructions.
To Assemble and Serve:
Fill cooled profiteroles with Passion Fruit Curd and set aside. On a serving plate, pipe a dollop of Lychee Namelaka and place one profiterole on top. Pipe a small amount of Lychee Namelaka over the profiterole and top with a white chocolate disc. Add a quenelle of Sweet Hibiscus Sorbet atop the disc. Finish with a mint sprig and white chocolate decoration.