This is a dessert I did a few weeks ago and I'm finally getting around to posting it. This was one of those desserts that will be a definite keeper for the modern dessert repertoire. Simple in concept, chocolate, hazelnut, orange, caramel. All those flavors go perfectly together. Now the trick is trying to find out how to bring it all together in an exciting fashion. The first: salted caramel ice cream, straight forward and delicious.
The next, chocolate; I did in a few different ways, honey ganache truffle, and aerated frozen chocolate, and I also did a hot chocolate meringue because I didn't have cocoa powder but I did have sweetened hot cocoa powder. Orange segments with an orange vanilla jam. Finished it with hazelnut sponge cake and the result was a plate full of familiar flavors with lots of textures presented in a modern way. Absolutely delicious and not overly heavy as well. I love dessert, it is probably one of my weaknesses, and I have an inner pastry chef in me that would love to come out and play on a higher level. Enough wishful thinking. Here is the recipe I hope you enjoy! Some of the recipes were adapted from the Nomad cookbook.
Recipe Ingredients
Salted caramel ice cream
2 cups cream
1 cup of milk
1/4 cup glucose
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup of sugar plus 1/4 cup
Salt to taste 1/2 tsp
Hazelnut Sponge
3 eggs
1 cup of hazelnut
100 grams of milk
60 g of flour
50 g of butter
75 g of sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tbsp frangelico
2 cartridges of isi siphon
Honey ganache
1/4 cup honey
7 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp butter
1 cup of ground hazelnuts
Aerated Chocolate
125 g of bittersweet chocolate
17 g of grapes oil
2 isi cartridges
Orange Jam
4 1/2 cups of orange juice and segments
2 1/2 cups of sugar
2 oranges zested
1 vanilla bean
1 package of liquid pectin
Meringues
2 egg whites
1/3 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of hot coco mix
1 orange segments
Recipe Instructions
How to make Salted Caramel Ice cream,
Set up an ice bath. Heat milk, cream, and glucose in a small pan on medium heat. Meanwhile In another pan on high heat add 3/4 cups sugar to make caramel. Then add the cream mixture to caramel carefully. In mixing bowl mix yolks and 1/4 cup sugar and stir on high for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Then temper yolks with the milk mixture and then add all of it back to pot. Bring the pot back to a medium heat stirring continuously until temperature comes to 170 degrees. Then strain through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Place the bowl in the ice bath until the mixture has completely cooled. Then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Then add salt and place into an ice cream maker to finish the ice cream. Place in the freezer until ready to serve.
How to make Aerated Chocolate
Melt chocolate and oil together stirring until warm and smooth. Then fill the isi container 3/4 full. Charge with two charges. Then cool the mixture slightly, dispense the chocolate foam on to a acetate lined 1/2 baking pan. Freeze until ready to use and then break into various pieces.
How to make Honey Ganache
Add cream and honey to a pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Then whisk until completely smooth. Then add the butter until shiny and smooth. Then fill half moon molds with the ganache. Fill all of them and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours. Then take out and place 2 halves together to make one round truffle. Take the truffle roll in hazelnut dust. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
How to make Meringues, Preheat oven to 200 degrees
Simply place your egg whites in a stand mixer with a pinch of sugar. Whisk on high speed after a minute gradually add your sugar and hot cocoa powder. Keep whisking until you have stiff peaks and shiny about 4 minutes. Place in a pastry bag with a plain tip. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and pipe small rounds ( I did small and tiny ). Place in the oven and bake for an hour, then take out and let it completely dry for 5 minutes. Then take out and place in an airtight container.
For the Hazelnut sponge
In a food processor or vita mix place sugar and hazelnuts and puree until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients and puree until smooth. The batter should be smooth and somewhat thick but yet still pourable. Then pour into a isi siphon half way, and charge with the first charge. Shake very well ( 1 min) then add the second charge. Shake again very well to make sure the air gets all the way through the batter. Then spray small paper cups with non stick oil and make three holes with a paring knife around the bottom 1/3 of the cup and one whole in the bottom of the cup. Then take your siphon and shake it well, fill the paper cup about 3/4 full with the sponge batter. Place the cup in the microwave for 30 seconds then take the cup and flip upside down to continue letting the sponge cook. Continue with more cups as you need them. Then break sponge into little pieces and set aside.
How to make Orange Jam
Place fruit, zest, sugar, juice, and vanilla bean into a large soup pot. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Stir in the pectin with a hand blender to puree everything smooth; let it cook for another 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and pour into a container or fill your sterilized jars. Follow the steps from the National Center for home food preservation or simply fill jars and seal with lids. Place jars in a water bath, completely covered with water and simmer for 5 minutes. Place jars out onto a flat surface to allow the jars to set. Don't move them for 12 hours. You should hear the lids pop and then you know you have a proper seal.
To Finish,
Simply add a little jam to the bottom of your plate. Then add one ganache truffle to the plate. Break up some of the hazelnut cake and place it around. Add a few pieces of the aerated chocolate. Add both sizes of the meringues along with orange segments. Finish with the salted caramel ice cream, serve and enjoy!
