Pomelo Cheesecake

BY FRANÇOIS PERRET

CHEESECAKE SHORTBREAD - GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE -
CHEESECAKE MOUSSE - PINK POMELO GLAZE

Serves 10

CHEF'S TIP: If you have any pink pomelo glaze left over, it can be stored in the freezer. The same goes for sweetened dough mixture. 

GRAPEFRUIT MARMALADE
2 grapefruits (for 75 g grapefruit zest and 230 g pulp)
2 g sheets gelatin 200 blooms
14 g water
90 g caster sugar
3 g yellow pectin

METHOD:
Zest the grapefruits using a vegetable peeler, removing only the zest and not the rind. Blanch the zest three times, rinsing in cold water each time (keep this water for blanching the zest). Drain.
Hydrate the gelatin in cold water. Peel the grapefruits using a knife (while keeping the juice for the glaze) to remove all the rind, then coarsely chop the pulp.
Mix the sugar and pectin and cook the grapefruit pulp and zest.
After 5 min at full boil, blend using an immersion mixer, then finish cooking for around 5 min until a marmalade consistency is obtained.
Add the squeezed gelatin, then pour a 5 mm thick layer into a tray.
Allow to set, then cut into 10 5 cm squares. Keep chilled for use in the cheesecake mousse.

CHEESECAKE MOUSSE
5 g sheets gelatin200 blooms
35 g water
190 g cream cheese
65 g caster sugar
235 g liquid cream (for whipped cream 30%)
12 g icing sugar, sifted

METHOD:
Hydrate the gelatin in cold water for 10 min.
In a bain-marie, melt the cream cheese with the caster sugar.
Add the squeezed gelatin.
Whip the cream with the icing sugar to obtain a frothy Chantilly.
Combine the two mixtures and divide between 10 square molds, each 6 cm wide and 2 cm deep. Place the grapefruit insert in the center of each mousse, then smooth the surface. Keep frozen.

PINK POMELO GLAZE
14 g sheets gelatine 200 blooms
98 g water
230 g 35% white chocolate
110 g sweetened condensed milk
120 g caster sugar
220 g glucose syrup
160 g grapefruit juice
60 g water
2 or 3 drops of grenadine syrup

METHOD:
Hydrate gelatin for 10 min in 98 g cold water.
In a large bowl, combine the crushed white chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and drained gelatin. Bring the sugar, glucose, grapefruit juice and 60 g water to 103°C. Pour this mixture into the bowl and stir thoroughly, adding a few drops of grenadine syrup to obtain your desired shade of pink. Blend using a vertical mixer, cover and keep cool.

SWEETENED DOUGH MIXTURE
(370g total)
90 g icing sugar
130 g semi-salted butter
30 g ground almond
50 g whole egg
Vanilla bean powder as required
250 g T55 flour

METHOD:
Mix icing sugar, softened butter and ground almond.
Add the egg and vanilla powder. Add the flour and mix gently until smooth. Set aside, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Take 450 g of this dough and roll out to a thickness of 2 mm. Bake the rolled-out pastry on a baking sheet in a convection oven at 160°C for approx. 10-15 min, until golden-brown. Leave to cool.
Grind to a powder in a mixer.

CHEESECAKE SHORTBREAD
370 g sweetened dough mixture
25g dry butter

METHOD:
Mix the sweetened dough mixture and dry butter in a beater fitted with a flat whisk. Roll out this dough to a thickness of around 1 cm and divide into 6 cm square molds. Bake on a baking tray in a convection oven at 170°C for around 7 min. Remove the molds and leave the shortbread to cool on a plate in the refrigerator.

FINISHING TOUCHES
1 Chinese pomelo

METHOD:
Unmold the cheesecake mousses. Melt the glaze and leave to cool. Use a spatula to glaze the mousses on a wire rack, then position over the shortbreads.
Remove the skin from the pomelo, peel the segments to obtain the pulp and crumble. Spoon generously over each mousse.