Every now and then you find a dessert that is just perfect. It looks amazing, tastes divine, has a variety of textures, and, of course, the ingredient list includes chocolate. The only downside of this beautiful dessert is that it’s not particularly quick or easy to make. However, don’t let that discourage you as it can be made well ahead of your planned event and frozen, thereby reducing unnecessary stress on the day.
INGREDIENTS
CHOCOLATE CHANTILLY CREAM
- 2 cups (500 g / 17.6 oz) heavy cream (35 percent fat)
- 6.4 oz (180 g) milk chocolate, chopped
CRISPY BASE
- 4.9 oz (140 g) milk chocolate
- 2.5 oz (70 g) dark chocolate
- ½ cup (180 g / 6.4 oz) Nutella
- 1 cup (30 g / 1.1 oz) Rice Krispies (Rice Bubbles or other crispy puffed rice cereal)
HAZELNUT DACQUOISE
- 1½ cups (200 g / 7.1 oz) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- 2 cups (200 g / 7.1 oz) hazelnut meal
- 7 egg whites (250 g / 8.8 oz)
- ¼ cup (60 g / 2.1 oz) sugar
- A pinch of cream of tartar
- ¾ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) hazelnuts, roughly chopped
CHOCOLATE CRÉMEUX
- 7.1 oz (200 g) milk chocolate
- 9.5 oz (270 g) dark chocolate
- 8 egg yolks (120 g / 4.2 oz)
- ¼ cup (60 g / 2.1 oz) sugar
- 2¼ cup (550 g / 19.4 oz) heavy cream (35 percent fat)
CHOCOLATE RECTANGLES
- 14.1 oz (400 g) milk chocolate
ASSEMBLY
- 20 roasted hazelnuts (18 g / 0.6 oz)
- 3.5 oz (100 g) milk chocolate
- Pastry comb
METHOD
CHOCOLATE CHANTILLY CREAM
Bring your cream to a boil and pour it over the chopped milk chocolate. Leave it to sit for a couple of minutes, then whisk until smooth. Place in the fridge overnight. Whisk with an electric mixer until it becomes a little lighter in color and forms smooth peaks.
CRISPY BASE
Melt the chocolates in the microwave on high for one minute, then stir, microwave 30 seconds, stir again, and repeat in 30-second bursts until melted. Stir in the Nutella. Add the Rice Krispies and stir well.
Pour onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Place baking paper over the top; then, using a rolling pin, flatten the mixture out to make a rectangle 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm) in size. Place it in the freezer.
HAZELNUT DACQUOISE
Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).
Sift the icing sugar and hazelnut meal together through a course sieve. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the icing sugar and hazelnut meal into the egg whites.
Spread the mixture into a lined pan 12 x 16 inches (30 x 40 cm) and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts. Bake for around 20 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and leave to cool.
CHOCOLATE CRÉMEUX
Break up the chocolate and place in a bowl with a sieve resting over the top. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yolks and the sugar. Put the cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Whisk a quarter of a cup of hot cream into the egg yolks, then tip the yolk mixture into the pan with the rest of the cream and mix well.
Return to the heat and stir constantly until it reaches 85°C (185°F). Immediately remove from the stove and pour through the sieve over the chocolate.
Leave it for a couple of minutes to melt, then whisk to combine.
CHOCOLATE RECTANGLES
Take a 45 inch (115 cm) sheet of aluminum foil and mark 2.2 inch (5.5 cm) increments along the top edge and 3.75 inches (9.5 cm) down the side. Temper the chocolate, then spread it out thinly on the aluminum foil to make a large rectangle. Once it is firm but not yet hard, cut the chocolate with a knife. Use a ruler and the guidelines that you drew to make 40 perfectly even rectangles. Place in the fridge until crisp.
ASSEMBLY
Line a 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 inch) container with plastic wrap along the bottom and sides. (You can use two smaller containers if necessary.) Reserve 1 cup of crémeux, then pour the rest into the container and jiggle to smooth. Trim the dacquoise to fit snuggly into the container and place on top of the crémeux, hazelnut side down. Spread on the remaining 1 cup of crémeux; finally, top with the crispy base. Freeze for at least 3 hours.
Temper the milk chocolate and pour it on one side of a strip of acetate, using a pastry comb to spread it out into thin, even lines. Curve the acetate slightly by placing the ends into cups and leave it to set.
Take the base out of the freezer, flip it over, and remove it from the container. Leave a 1 cm (0.4 inch) gap at each edge and cover the top with 20 chocolate rectangles neatly lined up with each other.
Put a long sharp knife in a tall container of hot water. Use the hot knife to cut rectangles the same size as your chocolate.
Place the Chantilly cream in a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle and pipe six dots on top of each rectangle. Top with another rectangle of chocolate. Pipe a swirl of Chantilly cream in the center on top, then add half a roasted hazelnut and a chocolate swirl.