This dessert is inspired by excess. The gold chocolate bar is accompanied by various forms of raspberries, a contemporary interpretation on the classic pairing of chocolate and raspberry.
Yield: about 45 servings
Dark Chocolate Flexi Ganache
- 2 gelatin sheets (gold)
- 100 g Acqua Panna water
- 200 g dextrose
- 5 g agar agar
- 100 g glucose
- 600 g heavy cream
- 1 g salt
- 750 g Valrhona Tropilia dark chocolate 70%
1. Prepare a café tray with pan spray and line with acetate and a frame.
2. Bloom gelatin; set aside.
3. Combine the Acqua Panna with the dextrose, agar agar, glucose, cream and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a strong boil and then pour over the chocolate. Add bloomed gelatin and mix with a hand blender to combine. Pour into frame, then tap to remove any bubbles. Chill overnight.
4. Cut to desired size (for this dessert, I did a 4.75ʺ x 0.5ʺ/12 x 1.27 cm rectangular bar shape), then freeze solid.
Gold Cocoa Butter
- Melted white chocolate, as needed
- Gold cocoa butter, as needed
- Yellow cocoa butter, as needed
- Orange cocoa butter, as needed
- Dark chocolate, as needed
1. Using all the ingredients, prepare a gold cocoa butter to desired color, keeping it at a cool but fluid consistency.
2. Using a wooden skewer, dip the frozen ganache bars into the cocoa butter, then tap to remove excess and set on an acetate-lined café tray.
Champagne Gelée
- 6 g agar agar
- 150 g Acqua Panna water
- 125 g granulated sugar
- 350 g champagne
1. Hydrate the agar agar with the water in a small saucepan. Add the sugar and champagne and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set in a 2-quart Cambro container. Allow to set.
2. Cut into cubes.
Raspberry Purée
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 10 g agar agar
- 1 kg Ponthier raspberry purée
- Fresh lemon juice, to taste
- Simple syrup, to taste
1. Mix the sugar with the agar agar and then combine with the puree in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and set over an ice bath.
2. Transfer to a Vitamix and blend with the lemon juice and simple syrup until smooth.
Mimetic Raspberry
- 130 g granulated sugar, divided
- 500 Ponthier raspberry purée
- 16 g pectin NH
1. Mix half of the sugar with the purée in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix the remaining sugar with the pectin and add to the purée. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat, strain and pour immediately into raspberry-shaped silicone molds. Refrigerate until set.
2. Once set, remove from the molds and let stand out overnight. Store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.
Chambord Gelée
- 15 g agar agar
- 150 g Acqua Panna water
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 750 g Chambord liqueur
1. Hydrate the agar agar with the water in a small saucepan. Add the sugar and liqueur and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, strain and set in a 2-quart Cambro container. Allow to set.
2. Cut into cubes.
Raspberry Stones
- 2 gelatin sheets (gold)
- 225 g Ponthier raspberry purée
- 25 g glucose syrup
- 25 g trimoline
- 525 g Valrhona Raspberry Inspiration chocolate
- 750 g heavy cream
- 2 g salt
1. Bloom the gelatin and set aside.
2. In a saucepan, heat the purée with the glucose and trimoline, then pour over the chocolate. Emulsify with a hand blender. Melt the bloomed gelatin, then add it to the chocolate mixture and blend. Stream in the cold cream and salt and blend well. Pipe into stone molds and freeze overnight.
3. Unmold and store frozen.
Raspberry Hibiscus Sorbet
- 435 g granulated sugar
- 158 g glucose powder
- 3 g sorbet stabilizer
- 750 g Acqua Panna water
- 1 kg Ponthier raspberry purée
- 500 g hibiscus purée
1. Combine the sugar, glucose powder and sorbet stabilizer.
2. Combine with the water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour over the purées and blend until smooth. Pour into Pacojet containers and freeze for at least 4 hours before processing.
Assembly
- Fresh raspberries
- Gold leaf
- Edible bachelor buttons
- Raspberry powder
1. Pipe a thin vertical line of the Raspberry Purée on the first third of the plating surface (this is to stabilize the chocolate bar). Arrange a Chambord Gelée cube, Champagne Gelée cube, Raspberry Stone and Mimetic Raspberry on the bar, using the Raspberry Purée as needed to stabilize. Garnish with a fresh raspberry, filled with purée, gold leaf and bachelor buttons. Arrange a quenelle of the sorbet on some raspberry powder to serve.
Photo Credit @annarouth
(This recipe appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of Pastry Arts Magazine)
About Lia Benedetto
Lia Benedetto, Executive Pastry Chef at The Umstead Hotel and Spa, discovered her passion for pastry while working at an Italian restaurant. Her signature style blends nostalgia with a contemporary twist, aiming for relatability. She draws inspiration from her team, farmers’ markets, and online sources. Currently working on a winter vegan offering, Chef Lia values accommodating dietary restrictions creatively.
Photo credit @evehobgood
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