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Caviar
Recipe by Kirsten Tibballs
Don't let looks deceive you with Kirsten Tibballs incredible creation featuring a chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, caramelised almonds, melba toast, soaking syrup, mascarpone cream and coffee pearls
- Steps
- Ingredients
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
Caviar Tin
Caramelised Almonds
Melba Toast
Chocolate Mousse
Soaking Syrup
Mascarpone Cream
Coffee Caviar
To Assemble
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Steps
- Preheat oven 1 to 170°C.
- Preheat oven 2 to 160°C.
- For the Chocolate Cake, place the brown sugar, milk and butter in a medium saucepan. Sieve the cocoa powder and bicarb soda over the mixture. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, transfer mixture to a medium bowl and allow to cool slightly.
- Fold through the sieved flour and baking powder then gently stir through the eggs.
- Pour the mixture into a half flexipat on a perforated tray and bake at 170°C for approximately 7 – 8 minutes.
- Once baked, transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly then place in the freezer to freeze.
- Once frozen, cut a 70mm disc and set aside.
- Pour tempered chocolate into the caviar tin mould. Tap out the air bubbles by tapping the mould on the bench from side to side. Turn the mould upside down over a piece of baking paper and tap the side of the mould with the handle of a metal scraper. This will dislodge the excess chocolate to leave you with a shell.
- Scrape the mould while it is upside down to remove any excess chocolate, then leave to set at room temperature.
- Once set, place in the fridge for 20 minutes before unmoulding.
- Repeat the process to create 4 bases and 4 lids.
- Once set, combine the gold metallic powder and food grade alcohol. Pour into the canister of an IWATA spray gun and spray the bases and lids until you have an even coat.
- For the Caramelised Almonds, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, place over high heat and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, scatter almonds on silicon mat lined baking tray.
- Drizzle some of the sugar syrup over the almonds to coat.
- Place in the oven at 160°C and bake for approximately 15 – 20 minutes until golden, turning the almonds frequently.
- Once golden, transfer the almonds to the freezer until chilled.
- Once chilled, finely chop 150g and add in the salt. Set aside until required.
- For the Melba Toast, pour the tempered white chocolate into the melba toast mould. Dislodge the air bubbles by tapping the mould on the bench from side to side. Turn the mould upside down over a piece of baking paper and tap the side of the mould with the handle of a metal scraper. This will dislodge the excess chocolate to leave you with a shell. Scrape the mould while it is upside down, leave to set at room temperature.
- Create 3 moulds and once the chocolate is set, divide the caramelised almonds between the cavities of each mould. Re-temper the white chocolate and seal each mould before placing it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- Combine the melted cocoa butter, milk chocolate and yellow colour powder in a bowl. Set aside on the bench to cool to 31°C.
- Unmould the melba toasts and with a small brush, coat the sides of the melba toast. Set aside on the bench until required.
- For the Chocolate Mousse, place cream (A) into a saucepan, place over medium heat and bring to the boil. Once boiled, add the coffee beans and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a bowl and set aside.
- Once cream is infused, strain and discard the coffee beans. Bring the coffee infused cream back to the boil then pour over the combined chocolate, whisking until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is combined.
- Allow the mixture to cool to 28°C – 30°C then fold through the semi whipped cream (B).
- Transfer mousse to a piping bag and set aside in the fridge until required.
- For the Soaking Syrup, combine the water and sugar in a saucepan, place over high heat and bring to the boil.
- Once the sugar has completely dissolved, add the cocoa powder and whisk to combine.
- Transfer the syrup to a bowl and allow to cool slightly.
- Once cooled, add the coffee and marsala and stir to combine. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.
- For the Mascarpone Cream, combine the mascarpone and sugar in a bowl using a spatula. Add the vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.
- Mix a small amount of cream into the mascarpone mixture then pour in the remaining cream and mix to combine.
- Add the marsala and mix until incorporated then whisk the mixture by hand to remove any lumps.
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with an 8mm round piping nozzle.
- For the Coffee Pearls, chill the grapeseed oil in glass bowl in the blast freezer.
- Combine coffee and water in a saucepan, place over high heat and bring to the boil.
- Add the sugar and agar agar to the coffee mixture, whisk to combine then bring back to the boil.
- Pour coffee mixture into a syringe and pipe droplets into the chilled grapeseed oil.
- Strain the coffee pearls from the oil and gently rinse in cold water, re-freeze the grapeseed oil and repeat the piping process again.
- Combine 60g of washed coffee pearls with 20g of mirror glaze.
- Place the prepared coffee pearls in the fridge until required.
- To assemble, place the chocolate cake disc in the soaking syrup briefly then place in the base of the caviar tin. Pour over a little additional soaking syrup.
- Pipe a thin layer of mascarpone cream on top to cover the chocolate cake disc.
- Pipe a thin layer of chocolate mousse over the mascarpone cream and press a single layer of chocolate crisp pearls into the mousse.
- Top with prepared coffee caviar and offset the chocolate lid on the side of the dish when serving.
- Repeat the assembly process to prepare the remaining 3 caviar tins.
- Serve with melba toast.
Notes
*NOTE
- Caviar tin moulds and melba toast moulds are custom made moulds.
- Temper the chocolate by placing it in a microwave safe bowl and place in the microwave in 30 second increments until it is half liquid and half solid chocolate. Stir vigorously until all the chocolate melts. If you have some resistant chocolate, you can use a heat gun to briefly and gently warm the chocolate while stirring.
