Posts Tagged ‘chocolate’

Dessert tartlet a plum choice

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008


Practically the last indigenous fresh fruit of the year, plums will be in most shops over the next few weeks, and offer a real taste of autumn.

There are lots of ways to cook with plums; for example, try making a crumble or a simple compote to be spooned over hot porridge in the morning.

This recipe first appeared on our menu almost 20 years ago, when it was a firm favourite with our guests in the Wine Epergne Restaurant. It’s now on Thornton’s menu, where it is served with a choice of ice creams.

The crème patissière element of the dish is the base for a lot of sweet soufflé’s and also for fillings for tarts. Most recipes will need about half the amount I’ve given here, but it’s best to make it in larger quantities. You can refrigerate the rest for up to three days. You’ll need an ice cream machine to make the ice cream; otherwise, use a good quality bought chocolate ice cream with a high cocoa content.

Plum tartlet with chocolate ice cream and lemongrass sauce


Ingredients, serves eight
600g tart pastry
14 ripe plums (slice about ten plums and dice the flesh of the remainder)
Crème patissière
Chocolate ice cream
Lemongrass sauce
Tart pastry (pâte sucrée)
250g soft butter
18oz caster sugar
3-4 vanilla pods
2large free range eggs, beaten
500g plain flour
Two pinches of fine sea salt

Tartlet method
1. Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl using a hand-held electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
2. Slit the vanilla pods down the middle, scoop out the seeds and add them to the mixture.
3. Turn the mixer down to a slow speed and add the beaten eggs until the mixture completely binds.
4. Sift the flour and salt together in a separate bowl. Keep the mixer on the slowest speed as you add the flour and salt to the creamed butter and sugar in little amounts, until the mixture becomes a crumbly dough.
5. Turn mixture out on to a lightly-floured cool surface and knead it until it’s smooth (should only take a few kneads). Be careful not to overwork it and don’t allow it to get too soft.
6. Cut the dough into eight batches and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the dough from the fridge and knead it again gently for a few minutes. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface using quick, gentle strokes, taking care not to use too much pressure.
8. Line eight tartlet moulds with pastry and set aside.

Crème patissière
350ml milk
150ml double cream
75g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
1 large free range egg
3 large free range egg yolks
40g cornflour

Method
1. Put the milk and cream in a saucepan with one tablespoon of the sugar and the vanilla pod, and bring to the boil slowly.
2. Whisk the egg, egg yolks and remaining sugar together in a bowl until creamy.
3. Sift a third of the cornflour into the bowl and whisk thoroughly. Make sure the mixture remains a smooth consistency. Sift in and whisk the rest of the cornflour in two batches.
4. When the milk and cream is almost at boiling point, pour a third of it on to the egg mixture, beating well. Remove the vanilla pod. Return the egg mixture to the pot, whisking all the time as you let the mixture simmer gently for about three to four minutes.
5. Make sure the mixture is smooth and cooked through, then remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Cover and allow to cool, then place in the fridge until ready to use.

Chocolate ice-cream
Ice cream machine
500ml of cream
500ml of milk
10 egg yolks
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod
125g icing sugar
125 71 per cent dark chocolate
125g 62 per cent chocolate
25g 71 per cent of grated
chocolate chips
1 tsp cocoa powder

Method
1. Mix the egg yolks, vanilla seeds and icing sugar in a bowl with a spatula.
2. Line the bottom of a pot with a drop of water and add the milk and cream, then bring the mixture to the boil. Pour half of the liquid into the egg yolks and mix well with a spatula. Pour the egg mixture back into the pot and return to the heat.
3. Cook the mixture over a medium heat until you see the first bubble, then remove from the heat. Be careful not to allow it to boil as it will separate.
4. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and add to the liquid along with the cocoa powder. Stir with a spatula until the chocolate has melted. Do not use a metal spoon.
5. Place the pot into a bowl of iced water and allow to cool.
6. Place your mixture into an ice cream machine and when the ice cream is almost set, add the chocolate chips. Remove and place into a sterilised container, cover and freeze.

Lemongrass sauce
500ml water
250g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
4 sticks of lemongrass (whole)
1 slice of ginger
20g unsalted butter
Juice of two lemons

Method
1. Place all the ingredients, except the butter, into a stainless steel pot and bring to the boil. Cook until the liquid reduces by two-thirds, then remove from the heat and pass through a fine sieve.
2. Heat the sauce again in a stainless steel pot over a medium heat until it boils, then fold in the butter and remove.

To assemble the dish
1. Put about a tablespoon of crème patissière into each tartlet mould and divide the chopped plum among the moulds. Arrange slices of plum in a circle on top.
2. Bake in an oven heated to 175C for about ten minutes.
3. Plate with a spoonful of ice cream on top of the tart, pour a little warm lemongrass sauce over, and serve.

Tags: , , , ,

Chocolate mousse made with love

Sunday, July 6th, 2008


Sunday, July 06, 2008
By Kevin Thornton
The first time I saw and worked with a fresh cocoa bean, I was excited. The experience was even more special, as the beans I worked with were from the plantation that supplies the chocolate we use at Thornton’s.

I was thrilled to meet the person who grows the cocoa beans that I use. To me that’s what food is about – amazing people who take huge pride in what they do and pass enormous pleasure on to others.

Then it is up to the likes of me not to mess it up as I pass it on. When so many people go to great lengths to understand and respect their produce and have such pride in what they do, it gives me enormous pleasure to work with their produce.


This is a dish I developed as an ode to the beautiful cocoa bean. It is simple and can be prepared in the morning for a dinner party or for a garden lunch in this beautiful Irish weather. Ahem. The secret when working with chocolate is firstly to ensure the product is of good quality and secondly, not to overheat it.

Remember not to be too intense when you work, as I believe cooking is all about energy. Think about the produce – the person who planted the bean, the one who looked after it while it grew, the chocolate maker, the person who cooks the recipe. Remember that it goes through a lot before it reaches its final destination. Enjoy it, as chocolate is the way into everyone’s heart.

Opera Chocolate and Mango Mousse (serves 12)

Ingredients

Chocolate mousse

500g of 65 per cent chocolate
100g of 72 per cent grated chocolate
300ml of cream
4 medium-size free range eggs
80g of icing sugar
1 litre of lightly whipped cream
4 leaves of gelatine
1/2 glass of port

Mango mousse

150ml of mango puree
50ml of passion fruit puree
1 mango diced
1 leaf of gelatine

To garnish

5 raspberries each
100 ml of chocolate glaze (100g of 72 per cent chocolate, 5 drops of almond oil)

Method

Chocolate mousse

1. Melt the chocolate in a bowl of warm water, covering the bowl with cling film so as not to allow any moisture in.

2. Boil 300ml of cream to make an anglaise. Mix the sugar and eggs together for a few seconds. When the cream comes to the boil, mix half into the egg mix and stir well. Pour the rest of the egg mix into the cream, return to the heat and cook for a few minutes or until you see the first bubble, stirring consistently. Make sure it does not boil.

3. Pour the mix into the chocolate. Melt the gelatine in the port liquid and pour into the mix. Cool the chocolate for a few minutes. Fold in the slightly whipped cream and, after 5 minutes, fold in the grated chocolate. This gives the mousse a crunch.

Mango mousse

1. Mix the mango and passion fruit puree together. Cut the fresh mango into small pieces, add the gelatine, the puree and dissolve over a low heat.

2. Pour the mango mix into 8cm moulds to about 1cm in height only. Allow to slightly set for a few minutes and then pour the chocolate into the top of the mould. Refrigerate for about five hours.

3. To finish, melt some chocolate. Mix with a little almond oil and pour over the top. This gives the finished product a beautiful shine.

To serve

Place a chocolate ring in the centre of each plate. Remove the ring and scatter plate with raspberries.

Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Thornton’s Restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. www.thorntonsrestaurant.com

Tags: , , ,

An unbeatable mass of mousse

Sunday, May 25th, 2008


Purists would say white chocolate can’t really be called ‘chocolate’, as it does not contain the essential cocoa solids. Instead, it is made from cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids and lecithin.

Make sure when you’re buying white chocolate that it contains cocoa butter – some inferior brands use vegetable fat. Green & Blacks does an up-market white chocolate which can be found in food stores and most supermarkets. Or you could go all-out and source Valhrona’s wonderful Opera Chocolate.

Not only is its status as a chocolate under fire, but white chocolate is also difficult to work with. When melted, the cocoa butter in white chocolate can occasionally split, creating an oily compound that can be recovered by re-emulsifying.

To do this, melt a small amount of butter or chocolate and whisk back in the ‘oily’ compound.

As with other chocolate, the melted product rapidly turns lumpy and grainy when water is added. To save the mixture, just bring some cream to the boil and add the chocolate a little at a time.

This is a dessert I have being doing on and off in the restaurant for 20 years. What a scary thought!

When I first started doing it, two regular customers used to travel from outside Dublin to the restaurant just for the mousse. I hope you like it too.

White chocolate mousse with raspberry sauce


250ml cream
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
80g caster sugar
2 leaves of gelatin
675g white chocolate
1.25 litre of lightly whipped cream

For the sauce
Raspberry sauce
500g raspberries
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp of water
Extra raspberries and cocoa powder for serving

Sauce method
First, make the sauce by placing the raspberries into a pot, adding the sugar and water and keeping it on a low heat for a few minutes.

Remove the raspberries and place into a blender to puree. Then pass the mixture through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Mousse method
Cut the vanilla pod in half and remove the seeds, then place the pods and the cream in a stainless-steel pot. It is a good idea to place a film of cold water on the bottom of the pot before you add the cream, as this stops it from burning.

While you are bringing the cream to the boil, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds for one minute.

When the cream boils, add half of it to the eggs and sugar and mix, stirring constantly. Then add the remainder of the cream and return to the heat, mixing slowly with a wooden spoon. Cook on a low heat for about two minutes.

The chocolate should be cut into small pieces and added to the mixture, a little at a time. Stir until the chocolate has dissolved, remove the mixture from the heat and cool slightly.

Soak the gelatine in cold water. When it becomes limp, remove it and squeeze it to remove excessive water. Place the gelatine in a pot, along with a few tablespoons of the chocolate mixture, and leave it on a low heat until the gelatine dissolves.

Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and add to the chocolate mixture. If you can’t get gelatine leaves, use 10g of dried gelatine, dissolved in a little warm cream and strained into the mix.

Cover the chocolate mix. Lightly whip the cream in a stainless steel bowl. Then fold the cream into the chocolate mix, a little at a time. Now divide the chocolate into moulds, or a bread tin lined with cling film. Cover and place in a freezer for about five hours.

To serve
Remove the mousse from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before serving. Place the mousse on the plate, add a little sauce, arrange the raspberries and sprinkle with cocoa powder.

Tags: , , ,

Da capo Dessert

Sunday, February 3rd, 2008


There are occasions in life when a special cake is required. If you are up for a challenge, this recipe for opera cake is perfect.

I first tasted this dessert when working in the pastry section of Paul Bocuse’s restaurant in Lyon. I loved the fact that it contained so many of my favourite ingredients.

In Bocuse they used pistachio cream to flavour the cake but, since I prefer vanilla, this is my version. I have been asked for this recipe hundreds of times over the years. It takes a long time to make but it is worth every ounce of patience and effort.

It’s possible to make the sponge the day before as long as it is kept in an airtight container overnight. Opera is broken down into three different stages: almond sponge, butter cream with vanilla and coffee and, finally, ganache.

Almond sponge
1 large free-range egg
50g caster sugar
10g unsalted butter noisette (butter heated until it turns golden brown)
1 free-range egg white
10g icing sugar
20g sieved flour
50g sieved, ground almonds
A pinch of sea salt

Method
1. Butter the baking tray and cover with parchment paper, brush with butter and sprinkle with flour. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Beat eggs over low heat for a minute. Add the sugar and beat until the volume has doubled. It is ready when you can draw the figure 8 into the whipped eggs.

3. Fold in the almond and flour.

4. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites add a third of the icing sugar. When the eggs are nearly stiff add the remainder of the sugar and whisk until stiff. Add the salt and whisk for a minute.

5. Fold the whipped egg whites into the mixture. Fold in the noisette butter then pour the mix onto the baking tray, spreading evenly with a spatula. Cook in the oven for 12 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and remove the parchment paper from the sponge and rest it on the paper.

Coffee syrup
250ml water
42g ground espresso coffee or enough coffee for a double espresso.
1 cup espresso
100g sugar

Method
1. Bring water and sugar to boil, add coffee and rest for 30 minutes.

Coffee buttercream
117g butter
6g caster sugar
1tsp ground espresso
1 vanilla pod, de-seeded

Method
1. Dice the butter and mix until soft. Cream together with the vanilla and sugar, then add the coffee syrup.

Vanilla cream
10ml water
200ml of milk
50ml of cream
3 free range egg yolks
50g icing sugar
1 vanilla pod

Method
1. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the egg yolks.

2. Mix the water, milk and cream in a pot, add the vanilla stems and bring to the boil.

3. Add the sugar to the eggs and vanilla and whisk. Then add half the boiled liquid and mix. Return pot to a low heat and stir with a spatula. Heat until the mixture coats the back of the spoon – do not boil. Place pot into cold water.

Italian meringue
75g free-range egg whites
65g icing sugar
50g granulated sugar
15g water

Method
1. Mix egg whites and a third of the icing sugar until stiff. Mix in the remainder of the icing sugar.

2. Bring the granulated sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan.

2. Boil without stirring until the syrup registers 112C on a sugar thermometer.

3. Pour the syrup into the egg whites and mix for five minutes.

4. Fold in the buttercream, then fold in half the vanilla cream. Place into a clean bowl and cover.

Chocolate ganache
500ml of cream
250g of 70 per cent dark chocolate
200g of 60 per cent dark chocolate

Method
1. Boil cream.

2. Melt chocolate over a bain-marie (a pot of water on top of which can be added another container).

3. Add the chocolate to the cream and mix well. Cover and cool.

Assembling the opera cake
1. Cut the sponge into three pieces and brush with coffee syrup.

2. Spread one third of the Italian meringue evenly on the sponge, place in a fridge for about 20 minutes to set.

3. Coat with 1/2cm of ganache.

4. Moisten the next two pieces of sponge and layer them using the same method.

The glaze
200g of 70 per cent chocolate 50g of unsalted butter

Method
1. Melt chocolate over bain-marie, melt butter and mix well, cool.

2. Coat the top of the cake with the glaze and cool for 20 minutes.

3. Cut the sides to clean the cake.

4, With the remainder of the glaze place into a plastic piping bag and decorate.

5. Serve with the remainder of the vanilla cream. It is best served at room temperature.

Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of Thornton’s Restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. www.thorntonsrestaurant.com

Tags: , , ,

Chocolate's hot secret

Sunday, January 27th, 2008


Learning how to make pastry and bake can take a great deal of time, and even more patience. But when it’s done right, this is an area of cooking with which you can have terrific fun.

Commis chefs and apprentices usually start in the pastry section – for a number of reasons, the first of which is discipline. Since everything has to be measured correctly, they learn precision. Pastry also allows for creativity and, as presentation is key, artistic flair.

Since both baking and pastry rely heavily on the way ingredients interact, many consider it a science. So, in order to be a good pastry chef, it is not only important to know how to create dishes, but it’s also essential to understand the basics behind the way the ingredients function.

During my own training, I spent two years in a pastry shop in Canada. If I was going to be a head chef one day, I wanted to know exactly what I was talking about. By the time I got my first head chef position, the experience enabled me to work confidently in the pastry corner.

Unlike other areas of the kitchen, very little has changed in pastry-making since the 1800s, when Antonin Careme – one of the greatest pastry chefs of all time – is said to have elevated French pastry to an art form.

Chocolate is a key ingredient for the pastry chef. Imagine how impressed someone would be on St Valentine’s Day if you could give them chocolate you made yourself.


The secret of chocolate is to understand exactly what happens when it is heated. Taking short cuts rarely works, and usually leads to the chef spending too much time fixing the errors.

To make chocolate truffles, use quality chocolate, such as Valrhona, Opera, Calabeau or Green & Blacks. Bars of these brands are available in most quality supermarkets and delicatessens.

Ganache for chocolate truffles

Ingredients
1/2 litre of cream
250g of 70 per cent chocolate
200g of 62 per cent chocolate
100g salted butter
20g cocoa powder for rolling the ganache
(Optional: hazelnuts)

Method
1.Heat the cream until it just comes to the boil

2. Roughly chop the chocolate and melt over a bain-marie (a pot of water on top of which another container can be added).

3. Add half of the melted chocolate to the cream, and mix. Add the remainder of the chocolate, and mix well.

4. Cut the butter into small pieces and fold it into the chocolate cream.

5. Place the chocolate into a dry, clean container, cover it with a lid, and allow it to rest until set in the refrigerator.

6. Remove and, with a small spoon, roll the ganache into small balls.

7. Sprinkle cocoa powder on the palms of your hands, and roll the balls. Be careful that the chocolate doesn’t melt.

8. Place the balls into the fridge for about 20 minutes to set. Now they are ready for dipping in couverture chocolate to finish them off.

Tempering chocolate
The process for preparing chocolate to coat truffles or to put in chocolate moulds is called ‘tempering’. Buy chocolate moulds from specialist food equipment shops, or via mail order. Tempering chocolate is very easy to do, but you have to be careful.

Method
1. Use 1kg of chocolate, keeping back 100g for later use.

2. Chop 900g of chocolate into even pieces, and place in a stainless steel bowl.

3. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, making sure that no liquid or moisture comes into contact with the chocolate, so the water should be barely simmering.

4. Stir the chocolate so that it melts evenly and maintains an even temperature.

5. Bring the temperature of the chocolate up to 40°C. Use a thermometer for an accurate reading – make sure it doesn’t go above 43°C or the chocolate will be damaged.

6. Remove the chocolate as soon as it has reached 40°C.

7. Add the 100g of chocolate cut into four pieces to the rest, and melt it until the chocolate reaches 33°C, and then 29°C. Do not bring the chocolate below 29°C, as it will lose the shine you are looking for and you will have to repeat the process. Tempered chocolate should coat the back of a spoon and create a good shine.

8. Now the chocolate is ready to be used for covering the ganache balls for truffles, or poured into the moulds to make chocolates. Place the ganache balls on a cocktail stick and dip into the tempered chocolate. Then use a piece of air board or a potato to hold the cocktail sticks so that you get an even coating.

9. If you want to decorate the truffles, put some of the remaining chocolate into a small piping bag, and then style them to your heart’s content.

Kevin Thornton is a Michelin-starred chef and the owner of Thornton’s Restaurant on St Stephen’s Green in Dublin. www.thorntonsrestaurant.com

Tags: , ,