Chocolate

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Pear and Chocolate Charlotte

Will serve 6/8 people

Poached pears

• 4 pears
• 250 ml of water
• 125g of caster sugar
• The juice of half a lemon
• 1 star anise
• ½ stick of cinnamon

Mix the water and the caster sugar in a pan. Bring to the boil on high heat. Add the spices and the lemon juice, mix well. Your poaching syrup is ready, now you can add the pears and cook them slowly over low heat- they are cooked as soon as they are soft, when the tip of a knife can pass through easily.

Drain the pears and discard the spices. Cut the pears lengthways; dice 4 halves and keep the other halves for garnishing the plate.

La crème anglaise

Ingredients:

• 50cl of milk
• 75gr of sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/2 vanilla beans
• 1 tspoon of corn flour mixed in 2 tbs of cold milk

Split the vanilla pod lengthways and using the point of a knife scoop out the seeds.

Place the pod and the seeds in a pan over a gentle heat and heat it to just below simmering point.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl, add the corn flour. Next remove the vanilla pod from the milk.

Then, whisking the egg mixture all the time with one hand, gradually pour the hot milk into the bowl. Return the pan to the heat and using a wooden spoon continue stirring until the custard has thicken and is smooth , which will happen as soon as it reaches simmering point. (Do not boil!).

La Charlotte

Ingredients

• 300g dark choc 70%
• 4 eggs
• 200 ml crème fraiche
• 1 pack of sponge fingers
• Diced pears

Line a dish with cling film  letting some hanging from the side . Cut the sponge fingers to the size of your dish and moisten them lightly in the poaching syrup. Then, line them with their round face side down or facing towards the outside of the dish. Moisten some more broken pieces of biscuits and set aside. In a bowl over simmering water melt the chocolate, smooth it out and add the crème fraiche; mix well and let it cool down.

Separate the egg yolks and whites. Add the yolks to the chocolate mixture and whisk the whites to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate with a wooden spatula .

Then, line the dish alternating a layer of chocolate mousse, with a layer of pears and few broken pieces sponge.  Finish off with a layer of chocolate mousse,  even out your charlotte with the blade of a knife and carefully fold the cling film over it. Apply pressure on your tin by putting a heavy object on top of it( eg cans). Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours.

Serve with crème anglaise  at room temperature and a fanned pear.

Chocolate Fondant

Preparation time 15 min

Cooking time 25 min

Will serve 3 people

Ingredients:

75g of dark chocolate
75g of butter
2 eggs
30g of ground almonds
15g sugar

2 handful of strawberries diced finely
100ml of balsamic vinegar
1 tbs pf sugar
1 tbs of apple concentrate

1. Warm up your oven to 190 degrees.

2. Melt the chocolate and the butter in a bain-marie. Let it cool down.

3. Mix the sugar and eggs until you are obtaining a creamy consistency.

4. Add the chocolate mixture to the eggs and sugar mixture. Mix well and add the almonds. Mix thoroughly.

5. Butter and flour 2/3 -depending on size- dariole moulds and pour the mixture in them.

6. Lower the temperature to 180 and cook for 8 minutes. Be precise with time, the fondant should be cooked on the outside but with a gooey heart.

7. Serve with some cacao powder, and a light mint-custard.