Inspiring recipes :

Pastry

Abyss

Olivier Vidal, France

Dessert of Santo Domingo dark chocolate and Piedmont hazelnut praline

For this dessert, my idea is to render the combination of the Santo-Domingo couverture with the delicate aroma of Piedmont hazelnut and to associate it with the crustiness of a nut streusel to give a contrast of textures.

Recipe for 2 desserts and 2 people

Praline of Piedmont hazelnut

Piedmont hazelnut 338g
sugar 225g
water 68g
vanilla bean 1/3
"fleur de sel" salt 1.5g

Roast hazelnuts lightly, remove skins
Mix sugar and water, cook at 115°C
Add vanilla, salt and hazelnuts
Caramelise the mixture
Let cool on a board, crush

Chocolate biscuit

Almond paste 70% 100g
egg yolk 80g
Cacao powder 15g
Santo Domingo dark chocolate 70% 80g
egg whites 150g
sugar 110g

Melt the chocolate at 45°C
Blanch the yokes with almond paste
Whip the egg whites; thicken with sugar
Slowly incorporate cacao powder with blanched yokes then with the chocolate
Delicately incorporate egg whites into the mixture
Spin out the biscuit with a 12 diameter head into 16 cm diameter rounds
Cook at 200°C for 8 minutes

Piedmont hazelnut Streusel

Piedmont hazelnut 90g
brown sugar 90g
flour 90g
freh butter 90g

Roast hazelnuts, remove skins
Crush hazelnuts along with brown sugar
Add four to mixture
Incorporate butter
Place paste in refrigerator
Once the paste is hardened, crumble it with sifter
Make 2 17 diameter rounds and weigh at 170g for one serving
Cook at 150°C for 45 minutes

Santo Domingo chocolate Ganache 70%

cream 21g
milk 21g
egg yolk 21g
sugar 8g
Santo Domingo chocolate 70% 50g
"Grand caraque" chocolate 11g

Bring to boil cream mixed with milk
Blanch egg yokes with sugar
Pour cream and milk over yokes
Coat at 83°C
Pour over the chocolates and mix
Spread the ganache over 2 moulds 3 mm thick and 16 cm in diameter
Place in freezer

Santo Domingo Chocolate Mousse 70%

cream 36g
milk 36g
yolk 36g
sugar 14g
Santo Domingo chocolate 70% 86g
"Grand caraque" chocolate 19g
cream 173g

Do the same procedure for the ganache
Whip the cream
Incorporate delicately into mixture at 46°C
Drop the mousse in 2 rounds of 16 cm in diameter at 140g for one serving
Place in freezer

Pastry Cream

milk 375g
sugar 40g
vanilla bean
cream 125g
cream powder 40g
egg yoke 200g
sugar 60g

Bring to boil first measure of sugar and half a vanilla bean
Mix cream and cream powder
Blanch yokes with second measure of sugar
Incorporate the cream with yokes
Pour milk over the mixture
Bring to boil
Place in refrigerator

Piedmont Hazelnuts Praline Mousseline

freh butter 120g
praline of Piedmont hazelnuts 135g
pastry cream 615g
cream 75g

Mix butter with the praline
Incorporate pastry cream
Lightly whip the mix
Whip the cream then incorporate into mixture

Shiny Black Glaze

water 112g
sugar 270g
cream 200g
glucose 100g
cacao powder 45g
inversed sugar 30g
gelatine powder 12g
water 64g

Mix gelatine with water, put aside
Mix water and sugar, cook at 120°C
Add cream, glucose and inverted sugar to heat
Deglaze the sugar with cream, bring to boil
Add cacao powder and bring again to boil
Let cool to 60°C then add gelatine
Mix and place in refrigerator

Mounting the dessert

Take 2 rounds 18 cm in diameter and place 350g of praline cream per dessert
Make inserts of chocolate mousse frozen (2 rounds 16 cm in diameter at 140g for one serving), then the chocolate ganache (3 mm thick and 16 cm diameter) then to finish by biscuit
Place in freezer
Cut circles, place chocolate velvet on the servings, put back in freezer
Reheat the glaze to 34°C
Partially glaze the servings
Place each serving on the hazelnut streusel

Pastry made at the World Chocolate Masters 2005 Finals in France.