STRAWBERRY AND TONKA BEAN ENTREMETS

I was a big fan of a London patisserie called Poppy & Sebastian, which has now sadly closed down, and spent a long time trying to make their entremets in as classy a fashion as they did. This is my version, and something we do in the bakery when I can summon the energy and time.

Preparation 1 hour 15 minutes, plus freezing and cooling Cooking 30 minutes Makes 12 tartlets

FLOUR, FOR DUSTING 400G-500G STRAWBERRIES 2 TBSP CASTER SUGAR 2 TBSP COGNAC

FOR THE BAVAROIS

4 GELATINE LEAVES

150G CASTER SUGAR 300G DOUBLE CREAM

1 TONKA BEAN, GRATED FINELY 600G YOGURT

FOR THE SWEET PASTRY 250G UNSALTED BUTTER 500G PLAIN FLOUR 200G ICING SUGAR 1 EGG

FOR THE MIRROR GLAZE 4 GELATINE LEAVES 200G CASTER SUGAR 200G DOUBLE CREAM 100G WHITE CHOCOLATE, FINELY CHOPPED WHITE FOOD COLOURING PASTE (OPTIONAL)

TO FINISH 1 TONKA BEAN, TO DECORATE FRESH FIGS

1 Begin with the bavarois. Soak the gelatine in water while you bring the sugar, half of the cream and the tonka bean to the boil in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Once the gelatine has softened, squeeze out the excess water, add to cream and stir until dissolved.

2 Put the yogurt in a large bowl and mix until smooth; add the cream mixture and mix until smooth. Set aside to cool, whisking occasionally, until it begins to thicken.

3 Whisk the remaining cream to soft peaks; fold into the yogurt mixture with a whisk. Divide between 12 round dome moulds (8cm dia). Put in the freezer overnight.

4 In the bowl of a food processor, weigh out all the pastry ingredients and blitz on a high speed until the mixture has a crumble-like consistency. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Blitz again, stopping when the mixture combines and forms a dough. You can also do this by hand, working the butter into the flour and icing sugar until you have a sand-like texture. Add the egg, then work gently to bring the dough together. Once combined, flatten into a rough rectangle 2cm thick. Cover with clingfilm and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

5 Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worksurface, until 2-3mm thick. Cut into 12 large discs, then use to line 8cm tart rings. Trim off any excess, then place on a lined baking sheet. Line each tart with a piece of crumpled greaseproof paper and fill with rice or lentils. Blind bake for roughly 15 minutes before removing the rice and paper and baking for a further 10 minutes or until the inside is evenly baked and golden brown. Once cooked, remove the tart ring; set aside to cool.

6 To make the mirror glaze, soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water for a couple of minutes. Put the sugar in a pan with 125g water and place over a high heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in the cream and boil for a few minutes. Remove from the heat, squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine and add to the hot cream mixture.

7 Allow the cream mixture to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the white chocolate. Once melted, add the food colouring and whisk until combined. The glaze should be a lovely white colour. Set aside to cool to room temperature for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time to stop it from developing a skin. The glaze should be cool enough to not melt the bavarois, but still pourable and not starting to set. If the glaze begins to set, melt it again gently over a low heat. To glaze the bavarois, remove the moulds and place on a metal cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Pour over the glaze, making sure it covers the domes evenly. Scrape any excess glaze off the bottom of the sheet and reuse as required. Allow the domes to sit for 30 minutes or so, or until the glaze sets and the middles have defrosted.

8 To assemble, chop the strawberries into chunks, reserving a few for decoration, and toss with the sugar and cognac. Set aside for 10 minutes to marinate. To serve, spoon strawberries into the tart cases. Place a dome on top, making sure it is level. Put strawberry quarters and fig slices around it and grate more tonka bean over the top of the dome.