William Curley’s Maple Mont Blanc Tart

For the chestnut and maple mousse:

• 180g double cream 
• 125ml pure maple syrup (preferably very dark syrup for its strong taste)
• 180g marron purée (unsweetened)
• 7.5g gelatine leaves
• 30ml dark rum

For the sweet pastry:

• 480g all-purpose flour 
• 280g unsalted butter
• 140g maple sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 medium eggs (100g)

For the almond cream:

• 125g unsalted butter
• 60g icing sugar 
• 65g maple sugar
• 3 medium eggs (150g)
• 125g ground almonds
• 25g plain flour

For the rum maple syrup:

• 190ml pure maple syrup (preferably very dark syrup for its strong taste)
• 225ml water
• ½ vanilla pod, split and scraped
• 200ml rum

For the blackcurrant buttercream:

• 180g unsalted butter, softened
• 275g blackcurrant purée
• 45g egg whites
• 90g maple sugar

For the crème Chantilly:

• 100g double cream
• 100g whipping cream
• 10g maple sugar
• ½ vanilla pod (seeds)

Other ingredients needed:

• Blackcurrant jam
• Blackcurrants
• Confit chestnuts
• Cocoa powder
• Chocolate, for decorating

To make the chestnut and maple mousse:

1. Pre-soak the gelatine with cold water.
2. Boil the maple syrup and marron purée together.
3. Remove from the heat then add the pre-soaked gelatine. Use a hand-blender and blend until smooth. Allow to cool.
4. Add the dark rum — this is now your chestnut mixture.
5. Separately, whip the double cream in a bowl to ribbon stage, so that it falls in thick ribbons.
6. Fold the chestnut mixture and cream together.
7. Allow at least 2 hours to set. Keep in the airtight container in the fridge.

To make the sweet pastry:

1. Chop the unsalted butter into cubes and add to a mixing bowl.
2. Sieve the soft flour into the bowl.
3. Crumb together the soft flour and butter, until no lumps are left.
4. Add the caster sugar and salt, mix together.
5. Mix the eggs in a separate bowl until smooth.
6. Gradually add the eggs to the original bowl, mixing until it is smooth and combined to a pastry-like consistency.
7. Place your pastry onto a floured tray, wrap with cling film and rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour before use.

To make the almond cream:

1. Sieve the flour into a bowl.
2. Place the unsalted butter and icing sugar in a separate mixing bowl and mix together until light and aerated.
3. Beat the eggs and gradually add them into the butter and sugar mixture.
4. Add the ground almonds and dark rum.
5. Fold in the flour.

To make the rum maple syrup:

1. Put the water and vanilla pod in a pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 2–3 minutes.
2. Take off the heat and leave to cool. Once cool, add the rum.

To make the blackcurrant buttercream:

1. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and gradually add the blackcurrant purée. Beat until smooth.
2. Meanwhile, in a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites and sugar over a bain-marie (water bath) until the mixture reaches 60°C / 140°F.
3. Take off the heat and continue to whisk until soft peaks form and the mixture cools, making your meringue. Mix the meringue into the creamed butter mixture.

To make the crème Chantilly:

1. Whisk all ingredients together until soft peaks form.

To make the maple mont blanc tart:

1. Firstly, prepare the chestnut and maple mousse, and allow it to set for at least 2 hours. See section for instructions.
2. Next, prepare the sweet pastry and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. See section for instructions.
3. Once cooled in the fridge, roll out the sweet pastry to approximately 3mm thick. Line each barquette tart mould with pasty and trim the edges. 
4. Pre-heat the oven to 180’C.
5. Prepare the almond cream and put inside a piping bag. See section for instructions.
6. Spoon blackcurrant jam into the base of each tart, then pipe the almond cream in each tart until two-thirds full. Place frozen blackcurrants into the almond cream.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool before removing the tarts from the moulds.
8. Prepare the rum syrup and soak the centre of each of the tarts. See section for instructions.
9. Make the blackcurrant buttercream and put inside a piping bag fitted with a St Honore nozzle. See section five for instructions. Pipe an arch of buttercream in the centre of each tart. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
10. Prepare the crème Chantilly. See section for instructions. Use a palate knife to coat the buttercream in a layer of crème Chantilly.  
11. Fit a piping bag with a Mont Blanc nozzle and fill with the chestnut mousse. Pipe lines of mousse over the tart until covered evenly. 
12. Decorate by dusting cocoa powder on one side, then piping a floret of crème Chantilly and lastly a confit chestnut flecked with gold. Finish with a chocolate stick for decoration.