Joconde sponge — → Joconde
- 2 discs cut to ring size
Mousseline cream
- 500 g pastry cream — → Crème Pâtissière
- 250 g butter, softened
Assembly
- fresh strawberries, quality
- soaking syrup
The fraisier is one of the most demanding French entremets — not for the complexity of any single component, but for the timing and precision of the assembly. The mousseline must be applied immediately once made. The strawberries must be dry. And it must be unmoulded at the very last moment.
Method
Order of operations
- Make the pastry cream first — it can be made the day before and refrigerated. This preserves the egg whites for the Joconde.
- For the Joconde: whip the egg whites first, reserve them, then make the almond batter. Fold the whites in at the end. Beat at high speed and get plenty of volume — don't be timid.
- Cut the Joconde with the same ring mould that will be used to assemble the fraisier. Do this before assembling.
Mousseline cream
- Beat the softened butter at maximum speed until very pale and airy. Scrape down regularly to keep the beating even.
- Add the pastry cream in many small additions — about 10 — beating well between each. Let it beat at good speed, scraping down occasionally.
- Use immediately. The mousseline cannot be piped later — it must go into the mould right away.
Assembly
- Line the ring with rhodoid. Place the first Joconde disc and soak with syrup.
- Pat strawberries completely dry. Arrange halved strawberries cut-side against the rhodoid around the edge. Fill the centre with mousseline, then whole strawberries.
- Add a second layer of mousseline, smoothing to fill all gaps. Place the second Joconde disc on top, soak, and finish with a final layer of mousseline or a mirror glaze.
- Refrigerate until fully set. Keep the rhodoid in place until the moment of serving.
Background
The mousseline cream is always recoverable, but it requires patience. If it looks grainy, gently warm the outside of the bowl with a blowtorch while beating — the slight warmth melts the butter back in. If it becomes too liquid from warmth, refrigerate for 30 minutes and beat again. Never rush it.
Strawberry quality is not optional. Poor or wet strawberries will collapse the assembly. They must be well-drained and dry before going into the mould. If they are too watery, they will leach liquid into the cream and the whole structure fails.
Mistakes I've Made
- Strawberries too wet. They release water into the mousseline and the cake collapses. Drain and pat dry thoroughly — more than feels necessary. (Yann Couvreur)
- Unmoulding too early. Even in the fridge, the fraisier needs to be fully set before the ring comes off. Unmould at the absolute last moment before serving. (Yann Couvreur)
- Mousseline made too far in advance. It must go into the mould immediately after making. It cannot be held and piped later.
- Not cutting the Joconde before assembling. Once the ring is in use for assembly, cutting the sponge becomes much harder. Cut first, assemble second.
Sources
- Fraisier MDF —
- Fraisier —