Chocolate unites us all!
If there ever was anything that everyone unanimously agreed upon, it would be about chocolate’s delicious taste.
Today’s Traveller invites Head Pastry Chef, Malo Le Cras, working at two Oetker Collection palaces in France – the Château Saint-Martin & Spa in Vence and L’Apogée Courchevel to share his favourite Choco Delight.
“What I love about pastry is its ability to give people pleasure and introduce them to new taste sensations. I love the creative side, the textures, smells and flavours. But what I love more than anything is sharing my passion with others”, says Malo Le Cras.
Malo Le Cras is delighted to share the recipes for two desserts set to feature on the menu at the establishment’s two restaurants, Le Saint-Martin and L’Oliveraie.
Le Chocolat
Le Saint-Martin restaurant
Milky Chocolate Siphon
- 75g Kidavoa 50% chocolate
- 22cl cream
- 3cl semi-skimmed milk
Bring the milk and cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate, whisking vigorously. Pour into the siphon and inject gas once. Set aside in the fridge.
Deconstructed crumble
- 30g butter
- 30g ground hazelnuts
- 30g sugar
- 30g flour
- 60g cocoa butter
- 5g mixed spice
- 20g maple syrup
Using the flat beater attachment, mix the first four ingredients into a crumbly dough. Bake on a silicon mat at 165°C. Melt together the cocoa butter, maple syrup and spices, and coat the crumble in the mixture. Set aside in the fridge.
Salted butter caramel
- 80g sugar
- 10cl cream
- 40g lightly salted butter
Make a dry caramel then deglaze with the hot cream. Dice the lightly salted butter and add to the caramel. Stir well and set aside in the fridge.
Chocolate garnish
- 100g Caraïbe 66% chocolate
Temper the chocolate and spread thinly over an acetate sheet. Once the chocolate has set, break into irregular shards.
Dressing
Lightly sprinkle crumble over the base of the plate. Add the salted butter caramel in the centre, then use the siphon to cover everything with milky chocolate mousse.
Dressing
Lightly sprinkle crumble over the base of the plate. Add the salted butter caramel in the centre, then use the siphon to cover everything with milky chocolate mousse.
Arrange shards of chocolate on top of the mousse.
Lemon Meringue Tart
L’Oliveraie restaurant
- Sweet pastry
- 500g strong white flour
- 185g icing sugar
- 60g ground almonds
- 2g salt
- 1 vanilla pod
- 300g butter
- 113g egg
Cream together the butter, icing sugar, ground almonds, salt and vanilla. Once the mixture is nice and smooth, gradually stir in the eggs, followed by the flour, taking care not to over mix. Roll out to a thickness of 1.5 mm ready to line the tart cases.
Almond cream
- 250g butter
- 250g sugar
- 250g ground almonds
- 250g egg
- 50g flour
- 1 vanilla pod
Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and ground almonds. Add the eggs one by one, followed by the flour.
Lemon cream
- 100g lime juice
- 100g lemon juice
- 125g sugar
- 150g butter
- 1g gelatin
- 200ml egg
Beat all the ingredients together until pale and fluffy then cook over a bain marie or a gentle heat until the mixture begins to simmer. Add the softened gelatin. Next, add the butter at 40°C and mix well.
Italian Meringue
- 100g egg whites
- 200g sugar
- 50g water
- 1 lime, zest only
Make a sugar syrup and heat to 121°C. When the syrup is boiling, whisk up the egg whites. Continue whisking at a slow speed whilst gradually pouring the sugar syrup onto the egg whites. Add the lime zest and continue whisking at moderate speed until the mixture has cooled.
Dressing
Line the tart cases with the pastry and bake for 10 minutes at 165°C. Using a piping bag, fill each tart case to one third full with almond cream and return to the oven for a further 8 minutes. Once cool, fill the tarts with the lemon cream and top with the Italian meringue. Garnish with a sprinkling of dried marigold petals.
Read more: Food Voyager
