Chocolate

December 10, 2012 Chocolate

Chocolate Fondant

Chocolate fondant, the nemesis of many a Masterchef contestant! I’ve no idea why they will insist on trying to make a fondant without choosing a recipe which guarantees success. This recipe by the charming Mark Lloyd is delicious (I had it at his pop-up in London), and it’s always struck me as more likely to succeed because of the addition of the liquid glucose. I can assume you it works perfectly!

Ingredients

75g unsalted butter, cut into dice
115g dark, dark chocolate (72%) , broken into even chunks
50mls or large tablespoon of liquid glucose, just slightly warmed
2 large, free range eggs, beaten to break the yolks
45g of Plain Flour

Method

Melt together the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water is gently simmering and isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl…
In a bowl or food processor, whisk the eggs and glucose together until mixed completely.
Now whisk in the flour, then add the melted butter and chocolate, keep stirring until the mix is even coloured.
When you are ready to cook them have you oven set at 190c and ¾ fill your frozen mould, gently tap to remove any air bubbles and bake for 7-8 minutes, remove from the oven, leave them for a minute to relax, then place the plate over the mould, tip over and they should turn out out, now get them to the table quick as there is nothing worse than bursting them before they get there!

Mixing the glucose, eggs and melted chocolate

Fill the dariole mould 3/4 full, having
coated it twice in melted butter and cocoa powder

Leave the fondant for one minute in its mould, before turning out

Et voila, oozing unctuous chocolate, pouring from a crisp shell

May 12, 2012 Chocolate

Vanilla-Ice Cream, and Chocolate Ice-Cream

Yes, I’m still making ice-cream at a ridiculous rate since I got the Thermomix, but it’s now so easy I’m determined never to buy another tub of ice-cream again. This way I know exactly what’s gone into it!

First up, vanilla…

1 vanilla bean

475ml whole milk

150g granulated sugar

4 large egg yolks

240 ml double cream

1 tsp pure vanilla extract.

Hey, it’s a thermomix recipe – first I pulse a whole vanilla bean with the sugar, then put everything in, cook to 80ºC, speed 5, for around 11 minutes in my case. Do make sure the custard reaches 80ºC. Strain it, preferably into a bowl over ice, and chill in the fridge. When cool, churn in your ice-cream machine until the consistency is right, then set in the freezer.

Using exactly the same technique, chocolate…

475ml whole milk

2 Tbs and 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I used the Green & Blacks)

Pinch of salt

170g good quality chocolate. I used Valrhona 68% cocoa solids

4 large egg yolks

200g granulated sugar

240ml double cream

1 tsp pure vanilla extract.

Just omit the stage with the vanilla, and carry on as above.

Vanilla Ice-Cream

Valrhona Chocolate Ice-Cream (slightly melting :0)

January 22, 2012 Book Review

Couture Chocolate… by William Curley

Author’s Bio:

William has worked in many illustrious kitchens, including Gleneagles, La Tante Claire (and Pierre writes the forward for the book), in Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saison, L’Esperance, and The Savoy. At The Savoy he met his wife Suzue, and together they have gone on to win numerous awards, including the Pastry Chef of the Year, British Dessert of the Year and four Best British Chocolatier accolades.

They have two established chocolate shops, one with a chocolate making school downstairs.

The book is broken down into:

The Concept:This book aims to teach both newcomers to chocolate making, and advances amateur chocolate makers, providing inspiration, tips, unusual ingredients and refreshing combinations. William also shares some of his most popular recipes from the shop, and from chocolate competitions, showing how to achieve the best results.

I have several chocolate books, but I think this is my current favourite. William breaks everything down into step by step guides, showing you exactly how to achieve good results for tempering your chocolate (without a tempering machine). William then shows you how to combine various ingredients into hand-made chocolates, moulded chocolates, bars, lollipops, even cakes, brioche, macaron and drinks. The book is clear, and most interesting from my point of view, actually makes you consider different flavour combinations for yourself. Perhaps I’m just at this stage of my chocolate making, but I found my mind wandering off into all manner of flavour variations. If you’re an experience chocolate maker, I can’t imagine it changing your technique management much, but I think it’s worth seeing his flavour combinations first hand. William also does show layering techniques, which I don’t think is covered in as much detail in some of my other chocolate books.

Overall, it would make a very good first chocolate book, and is certainly worth considering for those who already own a few books.

You can buy William’s book from Amazon >

December 16, 2011 Chocolate

Michel Roux’s Chocolate Soufflé [also for Thermomix]

Chocolate souffle – the ultimate hit of chocolate, but without the guilty stodge… You can almost convince yourself that this doesn’t count… This is the joy of soufflés, they satisfy without making you feel as though you’ve eaten a whole tart… Would be delicious served with pistachio ice-cream…

Ingredients
40g softened butter, to grease dishes
40g caster sugar, to coat dishes
50g cocoa powder, sifted
240g plain chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped into small pieces
10 medium egg whites (this is the equivalent of 330g of egg white)
40g caster sugar

For the pastry cream:
350ml milk
80g caster sugar
4 medium egg yolks
30g plain flour

To finish:
icing sugar, to dust

Method:

Butter four individual 10cm soufflé dishes and coat the insides with the sugar.
To make the pastry cream, put the milk and two-thirds of the sugar in a small pan, and bring slowly to the boil. Whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar in a bowl to a ribbon consistency, then incorporate the flour. Pour the hot milk on to the yolks, stirring continuously with a whisk. Return to the pan and whisk over a low heat for 1 minute, then pour into a bowl, cover with cling-film, and cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6 and put a baking sheet inside to heat. Measure 280g of the pastry cream and delicately mix in the cocoa power and the chopped chocolate using a whisk. (Keep the rest of the pastry cream for another use.)
Beat the egg whites to a thick foam, then add the 40g sugar and continue to beat until the form soft peaks. Fold one-third into the pastry cream using a whisk, then delicately fold in the rest with a large spoon; the mixture will be fairly loose.
Divide the mixture between the soufflé dishes, to come level with the rim. Stand on the hot baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. Serve the soufflés as soon as they come out of the oven on warm plates, dusting with a little icing sugar.

Thermomix Version:

Butter four individual 10cm soufflé dishes and coat the insides with the sugar.
Chop your chocolate in the Thermo bowl and set aside.
Put all the pastry cream ingredients into the bowl and cook for 7 minutes at 90C, speed 4. Give it a quick whizz at the end to ensure it’s smooth, then pour into a bowl and cover with cling film until it’s cool. This stops a skin from forming. You can also leave the Thermo on stir mode, until you’re ready to use it.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6 and put a baking sheet inside to heat. Measure 280g of the pastry cream and delicately mix in the cocoa power and the chopped chocolate using a whisk. (Keep the rest of the pastry cream for another use.)
Put the egg whites into a clean Thermomix bowl, and beat the egg whites to a thick foam on Speed 4 / 6 minutes before adding the sugar. Whisk for a further 3 minutes until the sugar is fully dissolved. Fold one-third into the pastry cream using a whisk, then delicately fold in the rest with a large spoon; the mixture will be fairly loose.
Divide the mixture between the soufflé dishes, to come level with the rim. Stand on the hot baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes. (I think this should be closer to 13 minutes, but that might be the size of my soufflé dishes!)
Serve the soufflés as soon as they come out of the oven on warm plates, dusting with a little icing sugar.

Soufflé Tips:

One of the key factors in achieving a perfect soufflé is to ensure that all of the ingredients are at the same temperature. If you’ve chilled the creme patisserie, bring it back to room temperature before you make the soufflés
I now double line my soufflé dishes – let’s face it – it takes no more time and gives a more consistent result. You could use caster sugar on the first layer, and grated chocolate on the second, if you’re prefer. I’ve found the sugar layer is best as the first layer as the granules allow the soufflé to elevate evenly. Chill the dishes in-between lining them
When filling your dishes, fill roughly half way first, and rap the dishes down onto a board to ensure that the mixture is evenly distributed over the base of the dish – this ensures an even rise… Air pockets can throw the soufflé off track and make it shoot out in strange directions
Always, always, smooth the top of your soufflé with a palette knife to ensure a flat surface. Then take your thumb and run it around the inside edge of the soufflé dish – this frees the mixture and allows it to soar!