Strawberry Bavarois with a twist
Traditionally, a strawberry bavarois is a light strawberry mousse on top of a thin layer of génoise (sponge cake). As I love the contrast between the smoothness of the filling and the texture of the crumbly crust found in the cheesecake, I decided to replace the traditional sponge cake base by a crunchy chocolate cookie crust. I am very pleased with the result: the dark chocolate crust adds a rich depth and works wonderfully with the airy strawberry mousse. CRUST 150 grams of Oreo-style cookies (about 6 oz.) 50 grams of butter, melted pinch of salt FILLING 500 grams of fresh strawberries 1 lemon 6 leaves of gelatin (11 or 12 grams) 40 cl. of liquid heavy cream (at least 30% fat), chilled 200 to 220 grams of white sugar (1 cup) Preheat oven at 350°F. To make the crust, place cookies in a mixer and pulse to obtain a sandy texture (20 to 30 seconds). Pour into a bowl, add salt and melted butter. Stir to combine ingredients and spread evenly at the bottom of a 9-i