• Preheat oven to 170°C fan-forced.

Crunchy Hazelnut Base

• For the Crunchy Hazelnut Base, place chocolate and praline paste in a microwave-safe bowl and melt in 30 second increments, stirring each time.
• When melted, add feuilletine and mix well.
• Spread onto a sheet of baking paper on a flat surface. Top with another sheet of paper and roll out to 3mm thickness. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the freezer and using a 14cm ring cutter, cut out a disc. Remove excess biscuit from the tray and place the tray back into the freezer until required.

Passionfruit And Blood Orange Curd

• For the Passionfruit and Blood Orange Curd, bloom gelatine in a bowl of cold water.
• Combine purees, eggs and sugar in a medium bowl and place over a saucepan of boiling water. Cook, stirring continuously until the mixture reaches 82°C.
• Squeeze excess water from gelatine add to the mixture, whisk well until combined. Add butter until melted then pass through a sieve.
• Pour into a cavity of a 12cm puck silicon mould, filling to a depth of 80mm and place in freezer for at least 60 minutes.

Toasted Hazelnut Ganache

• For the Toasted Hazelnut Ganache, place hazelnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 15 minutes. Set 4 hazelnuts aside for the garnish then crush the rest with the back of a knife on a chopping board.
• Meanwhile, combine cream, glucose and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
• Make a dry caramel by placing caster sugar in a small saucepan and cook on a medium heat until golden caramel. Add butter and mix until melted.
• Add warm cream mixture and stir again until smooth.
• Add chocolate to the saucepan and mix until the chocolate has melted and a the mixture is smooth and shiny. Fold through the hazelnuts.
• Remove the puck silicon mould from the freezer and fill another cavity to a height of 80mm with the hazelnut ganache.

Hazelnut Sponge

• To make the Hazelnut Sponge, place egg white in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form then slowly add the caster sugar (a) and beat until firm peaks form.
• In a small bowl, whip whole egg, caster sugar (b) and ground hazelnuts together.
• Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Add the hazelnut praline and combine.
• Add to the egg and hazelnut mixture and stir to combine.
• Gently fold through the meringue until fully amalgamated.
• Place a greased 12cm cake ring onto silpat mat on a baking tray. Pour the mixture into the ring and bake at 170°C for approximately 15-18 minutes, until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature.

Cognac Syrup

• To make the Cognac Syrup, combine the sugar and water in a small glass bowl and microwave for 40 seconds or until the sugar has dissolved.
• Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. Add the cognac and set aside.
• To prepare the Entremet Insert, after the curd has been in the freezer for an hour, check that the curd and ganache discs are solid.
• If so, remove from the freezer. Run a knife around the curd to gently remove from the mould. Remove the ganache and place both aside.
• Trim off a 80mm layer from the hazelnut sponge.
• Place the ganache disc on a sheet of baking paper. Place the 10mm layer of sponge on the ganache, cut side facing upwards. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of the cooled cognac syrup over the sponge and allow to soak for 1 minute. Using a palette knife, gently place the curd disc on top of the sponge. Transfer the insert to a lined baking tray and place in the freezer for at least 60 minutes until it is a solid, firm mass.

Praline Mousse

• When the insert has been in the freezer for 60 minutes, prepare the Praline Mousse.
• Bloom gelatine in a bowl of cold water.
• Place cream (a) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip until soft peaks form. Set aside.
• Prepare a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Add cream (b), milk, egg yolk and caster sugar to the bowl. Stir to combine and heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 82°C.
• Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and add to the bowl, whisking until fully dissolved. Pass the mixture through a sieve to a medium bowl over an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Cool for 5 minutes.
• Add hazelnut praline and salt to the bowl and mix until smooth. Fold through the whipped cream.
• Pour mixture into a 15cm mousse entremet mould, filling only halfway.
• Remove the frozen insert and crunchy hazelnut disc from the freezer. Place the insert on top of the mousse, with the ganache facing up. Gently push the insert down into the mousse and then add the crunchy hazelnut disc on top so it is flush with the top of the mould.
• Freeze for 2-3 hours until completely frozen.

Passionfruit Caramel Glaze

• When the entremet is almost set, prepare the Passionfruit Caramel Glaze.
• Bloom gelatine in a bowl of cold water.
• Place cream in a small saucepan and warm on a medium heat until just simmering.
• Place passionfruit juice and cornflour in a small bowl and whisk together, set aside.
• Make a dry caramel by placing sugar in a medium saucepan on a medium heat. Cook until deep amber. Add the warmed cream to deglaze and whisk until combined.
• Add the passionfruit and cornflour slurry and mix well until a smooth consistency.
• Return to the heat and bring the mixture to a slow rolling boil, whilst whisking continuously.
• Squeeze excess water from the gelatine and add to the saucepan, whisk to combine.
• Add the dark chocolate and whisk well until melted. Pass through a sieve into a bowl and set aside to cool to 30°C.
• NOTE: if the mixture cools down too much, it can be gently reheated in the microwave in 15-30 second increments.

Finishing Entremet

• To serve the entremet, remove the completely frozen mousse cake from the mould and place on wire rack over a baking tray.
• Pour the passionfruit caramel glaze over the cake, starting from the middle. Remove excess glaze with an offset pallet knife and place onto a serving plate.
• Halve the toasted hazelnuts, and garnish with hazelnuts, chocolate garnish and gold leaf.

Carnation

• To make the Carnation, use the tête de moin curler technique.
• Form a chocolate cylinder by placing tempered chocolate into a 10cm diameter round lined cake tin or container.
• Pour chocolate into a piping cornett to a height of 4.5cm.
• Allow both to set overnight, then remove the chocolate from the moulds.
• Set the cylinder onto the centre post of the cheese curler board.
• Thread the cheese blade onto the centre post with the handle positioned to the top.
• Place a round takeaway container lid (or plate) onto the cake turner, then place the support cone into the middle of it.
• In order to glue the curled petals onto the support it is important to note you cannot glue when elements are cold. The cone should be heated gently with a blow torch first.
• Using the curler, make one full turn. Turn the blade clockwise across the chocolate, taking care not to press down too hard as you do so.
• Use a paring knife to unpeel the ‘petal’ from the wheel and carefully remove.
• The speed of application is important here, apply a small amount of tempered chocolate ‘glue’ to the tip of the curled petal and stick to the cone with the ‘skirt’ pointing downwards.
• Continue each petal this way until you have completed a base skirt around the support cone.
• Apply a tempered chocolate ‘glue’ dot in the centre of the formed skirt and then a spiral of ‘glue’ across the inner surface to adhere the next layer of petal skirt to.
• Quickly continue curling the petals and adhering them to form the next layer of the carnation’s skirt of petals.
• As the layers progress up, they should form a natural sphere shape. You may use the tip of the paring knife to carefully push the petals in closer to the centre to assist the shape.
• When the sphere is completed, place on to the entremets.

Note:

• Temper the chocolate by placing it in a plastic bowl and melting it in the microwave in 15-30 second increments until it is half melted. Stir it vigorously until all the chocolate melts. If you have some resistant chocolate, you can use a heat gun to briefly and gently warm the chocolate while stirring. Stir the chocolate until it reaches a temperature of 31°C.