Recipe for Advent Crown with Almond Milk

SWEET PASTRY Dough Weigh all the ingredients and sift the powdered sugar. Grate the tonka bean using a microplane grater. Mix together the flour, cold butter, grated tonka bean, and powdered sugar between your hands until well combined and the texture resembles sand (You can also do this using a mixer with a paddle attachment). Make a well in the center and add the egg. Do not overwork the dough; it should not get too warm or become elastic. To prevent this, fraisage: press it down with the palm of your hand on the counter while pushing it forward to smooth it out. This will help to combine the fat without developing the dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

CUTTING AND BAKING Preheat the oven to 170°C, convection. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out the dough on a sheet of baking paper to about 3mm thick. Using a 22cm diameter ring or template, cut out a disk, then make a hole in the center using a 10cm diameter cookie cutter. Remove the excess dough. You will have a crown shape. Place the baking paper with the crown on a baking sheet and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. Repeat the process twice more to obtain a total of three crowns.

With the tip of a knife, pierce the dough to prevent it from puffing up during baking, and bake each tray for about 18 minutes while covering the crowns with a baking mat to keep them flat. Remove the mat 3 to 4 minutes before the end of baking. Once out of the oven, let cool completely before assembling. You can use the dough scraps to make small shapes for decorating your crown.

DIPLOMATE CREAM WITH ALMOND MILK Weigh all the ingredients and sift the cornstarch. Rehydrate the gelatin in a bowl of cold water for 5 to 10 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sifted cornstarch and 85g of sugar, then add a small amount of cold almond milk taken from the 500g, followed by the eggs.

In a saucepan, bring the almond milk to a boil with the remaining sugar. As soon as it starts to boil, pour it over the mixture of cornstarch/sugar/eggs, whisk, and return it to the saucepan over the heat. Let the cream thicken while continuously whisking, and until it reaches a boil. Off the heat, add the rehydrated gelatin, squeezed between your hands, and mix well. Quickly spread the cream in a dish, and cover it immediately with plastic wrap, making sure there are no air bubbles between the cream and the wrap. Cool it as quickly as possible to prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause foodborne illnesses.

Once cooled, place it in the refrigerator and let it rest for at least 2 hours. When the pastry cream is well chilled, place it in the bowl of your mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip on high speed for a few seconds. Set aside. In the bowl of the mixer fitted with the whisk, whip the liquid cream until firm peaks form. Then combine the smooth pastry cream with the whipped cream. Pour this cream into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.

To finish ASSEMBLY, place the first circle of sweet pastry on a plate. Pipe the cream over the entire surface, and garnish with currants. Place the second circle, pipe more cream, then add currants. Place the third circle, pipe the remaining cream on top, and decorate your crown with pieces of gingerbread, cookies, candy canes, and a few clusters of currants. Keep refrigerated.