Bitter chocolate box with salted caramel ice-cream, by Daniel Galmiche and Alex Edwards
Daniel Galmiche is the executive head chef, and Alex Edwards the pastry chef, at the Vineyard at Stockcross.
INGREDIENTS
(Serves fifteen to eighteen)
For the chocolate box
- 300g of good quality, dark chocolate
For the caramel ice-cream (to be made in a Pacojet)
- 1lt milk
- 10 egg yolks
- 50g caster sugar
- 1 tin of condensed milk, boiled for 5 hours to make a caramel
- 150ml whipping cream
- For the caramel mousse
- 100g caster sugar
- 100ml double cream
- ½ leaf of gold leaf gelatine (soaked in cold water)
- 140ml double cream, semi-whipped
For the bitter chocolate mousse
- 100ml whipping cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 250g Valrhona dark chocolate Caraibe 66%, melted
- 50g caster sugar
- 6 egg whites
For the hazelnut biscuit
- 150g caster sugar
- 50g roasted hazelnuts
METHOD
For the chocolate box
To temper the chocolate, melt 200g of it in a microwave to 47˚C. Make sure you use a medium heat so as not to burn it. Once the chocolate has reached 47˚C, add the remaining 100g and mix until it has melted.
With a pallet knife, spread the chocolate thinly onto an acetate sheet, leaving some to one side for the assembly. Leave to set for a minute or so, and then cut with a 3.5 x 3.5cm square cutter. Place on a tray, with a tray on top and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Once set you can start to assemble your box.
Place one of the pieces of chocolate shiny side down, then dip another square into the melted chocolate before attaching it to the first piece. Repeat this process, dipping two sides in some cases, until the box is formed.
For the caramel ice-cream
Bring the milk to the boil. While it is heating up, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Once the milk has started to boil, pour a little onto the yolks and sugar and whisk together. Then pour back into the milk and heat to 83˚C, stirring continuously. Then remove from heat, add the caramel and blitz using a hand blender. Add the whipping cream, combine well and pass through a fine sieve. Once chilled, place in a Pacojet container overnight.
For the caramel mousse
Place a pan onto a stove to heat up. Once hot, add the caster sugar, little by little, stirring with a spatula. Once it is a caramel colour deglaze it with the 100ml double cream. Once the cream is incorporated, add the gelatine and pass through a fine chinois. Leave to cool to room temperature and fold in the semi-whipped double cream. Place the mousse mixture into a piping bag and leave to set in the fridge.
For the bitter chocolate mousse
Bring the whipping cream to the boil, add the egg yolks and whisk together. Then pour onto your melted chocolate and fold in. Place the sugar into a pan with a little water and place on the stove. Heat up to 121˚C. Pour the melted sugar onto whisked egg whites and incorporate fully. Add the mixture to the melted chocolate, place in a piping bag and chill in the fridge.
For the hazelnut biscuit
Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C. Heat a saucepan and make a dry caramel with the caster sugar. Once it is a golden caramel colour, add the hazelnuts. Pour the mixture onto silicone paper and once cooled, blitz to a fine powder in a thermo mix.
Spread a thin layer of the powder onto a baking tray, line with silicone paper and melt in the pre-heated oven for a couple of minutes. Once melted, place a piece of silicone paper on top and use a rolling pin to make the biscuit as thin as possible. Cut it when it's still soft. If it gets too brittle, place it back into the oven for a couple of minutes.
To assemble the dessert
Pipe the mousses into the chocolate box to create a marble effect and sprinkle on some crackle crystals. Place a lid on each box. Top with a quenelle of caramel ice-cream and a sprinkling of fleur de sel. Place the hazelnut biscuit on the ice-cream.
