Blueberry Mousse Cake (Delice des Bleuets)

For the Victoria Sponge
2 eggs separated, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp lemon flavoring
½ tsp vanilla flavoring
Sift together:
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
Beat egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually until eggs are stiff.
Beat egg yolks until thickened. Fold into batter along with flavorings.
Slowly and gradually fold in flour and baking powder.
Pour into greased and parchment lined 10 inch round cake pan and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until center springs back when touched. This will make a very thin cake base.

For the sorbet syrup
190g/7oz sugar
165ml/5½fl oz water
1 tbsp liquid glucose ( or corn syrup in a pinch )

For the blueberry purée
2 pints blueberries
100ml/4fl oz sorbet syrup (see above)

For the Italian meringue
120g/5oz sugar
5 tsp water
3 egg whites

For blueberry mousse
2 envelopes + 1 1/2 tsp gelatin powder soaked in 1/3 cup cold water
Blueberry purée (see above)
12g/½oz powdered milk
½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped out or 2 tsp vanilla extract
3 medium egg yolks
50 g/2oz sugar
Italian meringue (see above)
200ml/7fl oz blueberry wine
500ml/16 fl oz whipping cream, lightly whipped until ribbons form

For the glaze
1 ½ tsp gelatine powder
soaked in ¼ cup water
6 fl oz sorbet syrup (see above)
5 tbsp blueberry juice (reserved from preparing the puree)

Method

1. For the syrup, place all the syrup ingredients into a pan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Boil for about 2-3 minutes. What you don’t use for this recipe can be stored for several months.

2. For the blueberry purée, place the blueberries into a small saucepan with the syrup and bring to a boil. Shortly after the berries come to a boil, reserve 5 tablespoons of the blueberry juice for the glaze. Simmer to reduce blueberries by about 1/4. Remove from heat and cool. Puree in blender. Add the powdered milk and vanilla to the blueberry puree.

3. Place the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and whisk until the mixture forms a ribbon when the whisk is removed. While it is still hot pour half the blueberry puree onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously, then pour this custard mixture into a microwavable bowl along with the rest of the puree. Heat the mixture gently at low power for about a minute or two, stopping occasionally to stir with a spatula, until the custard is slightly thickened enough to coat the spatula. Do NOT allow it to boil. You are only trying to cook out the egg yolks. Add the softened gelatin and allow this mixture to cool to the point that it will not burn your finger, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming.

4. For the Italian meringue, place the sugar and water into a pan and slowly bring to the boil until the syrup reaches 110C/230F on a sugar thermometer At this stage, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric beater and whisk until firm peaks form when the whisk is removed. As soon as the sugar reaches 121C/250F, remove the pan from the heat. Immediately resume whisking the egg whites. With the beater at its lowest speed, pour in the melted sugar, in a steady stream, making sure it is clear of the beaters. Continue beating for about five minutes, until the meringue is tepid.

5. For the base, place the sponge base onto a FLAT serving plate. (You can brush the base with blueberry wine if you like) Place a 9 inch flan ring (or springform pan without the base) (3 inches deep) onto the sponge and cut out a circle to form the base.

6. When the custard is lukewarm, gently fold in the Italian meringue. Stir in the blueberry wine and then fold in the whipped cream. You must now assemble the dessert immediately, before the gelatin causes the mixture to set.

7. Fill the flan ring with the blueberry mousse mixture, leaving a small gap at the top, and carefully smooth over the surface with a palette knife. Place in a very cold fridge for several hours.

8. For the glaze, soak the gelatine powder in cold water for 15 minutes. Place 6 oz of the syrup and the remaining 5Tbsp blueberry juice into a pan and heat gently, then remove from the heat and stir in the gelatine until it is dissolved. Leave to cool to at least lukewarm and pour the glaze over the top of the mousse. Place into the fridge to chill before serving.

9. To serve, remove the tart ring by heating the outside of the ring with a blowtorch for a few seconds (Or a wet hot towel), then slide the ring upwards, rotating it slightly.

Garnish with fresh berries and serve. This recipe also works well with raspberries or bakeapples but make sure to sieve out the seeds from the berries after they are boiled.