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.