Chefs' Recipes

Chocolate, salted caramel and hazelnut delice

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for chocolate, salted caramel and hazelnut delice by Ian Curley from The European.

By Ian Curley
  • 45 mins preparation
  • 50 mins cooking plus setting, freezing, cooling
  • Serves 10
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Chocolate, salted caramel and hazelnut delice
"The European's head pastry chef, Nicole Humbert, came up with this magical dessert. It's decadent but surprisingly light."

Ingredients

  • To serve: sea salt flakes, roast hazelnuts and ice-cream
Praline crust
  • 50 gm roast hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 50 gm caster sugar
  • 65 gm milk chocolate
  • 125 gm cigar wafers, processed in a food processor to fine crumbs (see note)
Salted caramel
  • 165 gm caster sugar (¾ cup)
  • 100 ml clotted cream
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • 35 gm butter, coarsely chopped
Chocolate cream
  • 210 gm dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
  • 185 gm milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 550 ml pouring cream
  • 120 gm egg yolks (6-7 yolks)
  • 40 gm caster sugar
Chocolate sauce
  • 90 gm caster sugar
  • 55 gm dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
  • 8 gm Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp liquid glucose

Method

Main
  • 1
    For praline crust, place hazelnuts on a lightly oiled oven tray and set aside. Combine sugar and 20ml water in a saucepan over medium heat, stir to dissolve sugar, then simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until caramel forms (3-4 minutes). Pour over hazelnuts, set aside to cool. Break into coarse pieces and process in a food processor until finely ground. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, add praline, stir to combine, add wafers and stir to combine. Press 1 tbsp of mixture into bases of ten 6.5cm-diameter, 5cm-high lightly oiled ring moulds (see note) placed on a tray lined with baking paper, then refrigerate until set (10-15 minutes).
  • 2
    Meanwhile, for salted caramel, combine sugar and 60ml water in a saucepan over medium heat, stir to dissolve sugar, then simmer, swirling pan occasionally, until caramel forms (7-8 minutes). Add cream and salt (be careful as hot caramel may spit), return to heat, whisk in butter, divide among 10 small greased patty cases (smaller in diameter than ring moulds) and freeze until firm (1-2 hours).
  • 3
    Meanwhile, for chocolate cream, place chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set aside. Bring cream to the simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl. Stirring continuously, add cream in a thin steady stream until incorporated, then stir over a saucepan of simmering water until thick (6-8 minutes). Strain cream mixture over chocolate, stir until combined and set aside to cool. Pour chocolate cream over praline crust, filling moulds halfway, place a salted caramel in the centre of each, top with remaining chocolate cream then refrigerate until set (2-3 hours).
  • 4
    Meanwhile, for chocolate sauce, bring sugar, chocolate, cocoa, glucose and 90ml water to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stir until smooth and glossy, cool, refrigerate until required.
  • 5
    Run a small knife dipped in hot water around sides of moulds, unmould chocolate delice onto serving plates, scatter with a pinch of sea salt. Scatter with hazelnuts, drizzle over chocolate sauce and serve with a scoop of ice-cream.

Notes

Cigar wafers are available from select supermarkets and delicatessens. Ring moulds are available from select kitchenware shops.
This recipe is from the January 2011 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: 2008 Yering Station Late Harvest Riesling.