Maracaibo chocolate dessert
Maracaibo chocolate dessert
From the bountiful earth of Maracaibo, Venezuela, comes the prime of cocoa beans: the Criollo. Once the principal cocoa bean of the world, the Criollo today is a rare, fine-flavour species, making up just 5% to 10% of the world cocoa harvest. It is a rare indulgence, greatly sought after by chocolate lovers the world over for its delicate and complex aroma. Four dominant tastes; caramel, nuts, tobacco, and vanilla, are known to be included in the blend of flavours that make up the distinct Criollo essence. This recipe fully utilizes the Criollo’s unique mix of tastes and works its every advantage to bring this utterly divine dessert to fruition.
INGREDIENTS:
For vanilla-flavoured palm oil
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 bottle of red palm 0iI
For Maracaibo chocolate
- 250 g fresh cream
- 250 g fresh milk
- 75 g sugar
- 100 g egg yolks
- 200 g Maracaibo chocolate 70%
- 30 g baguette
- 5 g sea salt
For raspberry jelly
- 500 g raspberry puree
- 75 g sugar
- 10 g gelatine powder
- 30 ml water
METHOD:
To prepare vanilla-flavoured palm oil
- Place a halved vanilla bean along with its seeds in a bottle of red palm oil, and leave to infuse over a week. Shake the bottle well each day to ensure proper distribution of flavour in the oil. Once the oil is property infused, remove the vanilla bean, rinse it with clean water, and leave to dry at room temperature. Used pods may be buried in sugar to make vanilla sugar.
To make raspberry jelly
- Set raspberry puree and sugar to boil. Dissolve gelatine powder in water then mix into hot raspberry puree. Pour out into a flat, rectangular pan so that it forms a thin layer, than leave to cool.
To prepare Maracaibo chocolate
- Combine cream, milk, sugar and yolks in a metal pan. Heat the mixture over a gentle flame until it reaches 85°C, then mix in the chocolate to form a rich and smooth blond. Place the mixture in the chiller and allow to set.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the frosted baguette, lightly tapping both sides of each slice with clarified butter. Place on a baking tray, and bake in preheated oven at 160°C, until light-brown and crispy.
- Remove the chocolate mixture from the chiller and quenelle it. The mixture should be enough to form ten egg-shaped quenelles.
- Lightly dab the quenelles with vanilla-flavoured palm oil, then sprinkle on some sea salt. Torch briefly, until the chocolate surface gains a glossy appearance. Top each quenelle with a baguette slice and set atop thin squares of raspberry jelly. Garnish as appropriate with dark chocolate and serve immediately.
