Piñón. Jesús Escalera at La Postrería

For shortcrust pastry, it is important not to over-knead the dough to prevent the gluten in the flour from developing, which would result in an elastic and hard dough when baked.

Ingredients for the cocoa shortbread filled with chocolate

• 385 g of flour. *15 g of extra raw cocoa.
• 115g of almond powder.
• 2 g of salt. *250 g of butter. *125 g of icing sugar. *60 g of egg.
• Chocolate 62%.

Ingredients for moist cocoa cake

• 45g of 62% chocolate.
• 45g of butter.
• 60g of sugar. *95g of icing sugar. *95g of almond flour.
• 95 g de yema.
• 75g of egg.
• 112 g of egg whites.
• 60 g of sugar.
• 45g of flour. *25g of extra raw cocoa.

Ingredients for thick vanilla toffee

• 180 g of sugar. *24 g of glucose. *1 g of vanilla powder.
• 1 vanilla pod. *1 gr salt. *110 g of 35% cream.
• 40g of butter.

Ingredients for pulverizing mousses

• 75g of cocoa butter. *35g of milk chocolate.
• 35g of Dulcey chocolate.

Ingredients for the caramelized praline with 60% pine nuts

• 400g of pine nuts. *240g of sugar. *40g of vegetable oil.
• 1 g of soy lecithin.

Ingredients for pine nut mousse

• 135 g of cream 35% mg.
• 135 g of milk. *55 g of egg yolk. *105 g of sugar.
• 11 g of gelatin powder 290a B.
• 305 g of pine nut praline (previous preparation). *715 g of semi-whipped cream 38%.

Ingredients for candied pine nuts 60%

• 150 s of sprockets.
• 85g of sugar.
• 35 g of water.
• 10g of butter.

Ingredients for bourbon soaking

• 130 g TPT Almibar
• 60 g of water. *70 g of bourbon.

Ingredients for the chocolate pine cone silhouette

• 300g of 62% dark chocolate.
• Pine cone acetate template.

Preparation of the cocoa shortbread covered with chocolate

• Mix the flour, almond, cocoa, salt and softened butter in the kitchen aid with the paddle, until you get a sandy texture.
• Add the icing sugar and finally the eggs.
• Continue mixing until you obtain a homogeneous dough, store in the refrigerator covered with film for a minimum of 4 hours.
• Roll out the dough with a rolling pin or laminator to a thickness of 3 millimeters and line the 8 x 2 centimeter circular rings (first the edge and then the base) and freeze.
• Bake at 150º C for about 25 minutes, until it acquires a uniform golden color.
• Let it cool and paint the inside with melted chocolate.

Preparation of the moist cocoa sponge cake

• Melt the chocolate with the butter.
• Mix almond, sugar and icing sugar in the Thermomix until a moist paste forms.
• Put that paste in the KitchenAid with the eggs and yolks, until it doubles in volume and add the chocolate melted with the butter.
• Whisk the egg whites with the sugar and fold them into the first mixture.
• Mix the flour with the cocoa and sift it over the batter as you mix.
• Spread on a tray to a thickness of 1 centimeter and bake at 180º C for about 18 minutes (it should be at a height of 1.5 centimeters).
• Let cool, cut into 7.5 centimeter diameter circles and store in the freezer.

Making dense vanilla toffee

• Put the sugar on the heat and make a dry caramel.
• Add the glucose, mix well and gradually add the hot cream until the caramel is completely dissolved.
• Remove from heat and stir in the butter, scraped vanilla bean, and vanilla powder. Emulsify with an immersion blender and let cool.
• Use at around 25/30º C.

Preparation of the mousse powder

• Melt the butter and chocolate separately and mix them together. Set aside until ready to use.
• When using, melt at about 32°C and put in a paint gun.

Preparation of the caramelized praline with 60% pine nuts

• Make a dry caramel with the sugar, add the pine nuts, mix vigorously, remove from the heat and let it crystallize on baking paper.
• Blend in a food processor, adding the oil in a thin stream until you get a smooth paste. Add the lecithin and blend a little more.
• Store in a cool, dry place.

Preparation of the pine nut mousse

• Heat the milk and cream, pour over the egg yolks and beat vigorously.
• Make an English sauce up to 82º C and, when the temperature drops, add the powdered gelatin, dispersed in the sugar in the form of rain.
• Add the pine nut praline and mix with a hand blender.
• At about 40°C add the semi-whipped cream and half fill the Stone molds. Freeze.

Preparation of the caramelized pine nuts 60%

• Moisten the sugar with water and heat until it reaches 118º C.
• Add the pine nuts, remove from the heat and keep stirring until it cools and becomes coated.
• Return to the heat and stir until the sugar coating begins to caramelize.
• Add the butter and stir off the heat until melted.
• Pour the caramelized pine nuts onto a sheet of baking paper and stir while they cool so they become loose.
• Wait for them to finish cooling and store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Preparation of the bourbon infusion

• Mix and keep refrigerated.

Making the chocolate pine cone silhouette

• Melt the chocolate and temper it.
• Place the acetate templates on a sheet of baking paper and spread the tempered chocolate over the template to a thickness of about 2 millimeters.
• Using a fine point, peel off the acetate sheet covered with chocolate and place it on a flat surface. When it begins to crystallize, place a Silpat on top to prevent it from warping.
• Once crystallized, peel off the acetate and store in a cool place.

Finish and presentation –

Fill the tarts with a 0.5 centimeter layer of toffee.

• Using a brush, paint the sponges with the bourbon soaking (they should not be excessively soaked).
• Insert the sponge into the cake and press lightly (it should be flush, if not, remove the protrusion with a serrated knife).
• Place a frozen pine nut mousse in the center.
• Pipe a little toffee around and stick a row of candied pine nuts. 6th Finish with a pine cone silhouette on the mousse.