Blood orange & chocolate dessert

We're going to make a lovely chocolate dessert! It's a chocolate & hazelnut espuma with a blood orange cake & a kinder bueno cream. We serve it with on the side a beautiful chocolate tartelette and a blood orange gel!

The hazelnut butter

250 grams

hazelnuts

Transfer the hazelnuts on a tray and toast them at 150 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes till golden brown. Once golden cover them with a kitchen cloth and rub the hazelnuts for a couple of seconds to separate the dark skins. Then pour them on an oven rack to remove the skins. Now transfer them into a blender and blend it till smooth. This takes a couple of minutes, but you really need to be sure that it’s a 100% smooth. Then pour it into a bowl and keep it out of the fridge for later.

The bueno & vanilla crème

200 grams	white chocolate
40 grams	hazelnut oil
40 grams	sunflower oil
50 grams	sugar
90 grams	hazelnut butter
1	vanilla pod

Mix the white chocolate with the hazelnut oil, the sunflower oil, the sugar and the hazelnut butter. Then cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add it to the blender and blend it till smooth. The friction will heat up the mixture and melt the chocolate and sugar. Once smooth pour it into a bowl and let it set in your fridge. After that transfer it into a mixing bowl and beat it with a whisk till fluffy peaks start to form. This takes around 3 to 4 minutes. Then transfer it into a piping bag and keep it out of the fridge for later.

Now for the chocolate espuma

25 grams	sugar
4 grams	pectin
350 grams	milk
1	empty vanilla pod
65 grams	hazelnut butter
130 grams	dark chocolate

First mix the sugar with the pectin. Then pour the milk into a saucepan. Also add the empty vanilla pod and while stirring bring this to a boil. Meanwhile mix the hazelnut butter with the dark chocolate. Once the milk is boiling while mixing add the pectin sugar and let this simmer for one minute. Then remove the empty vanilla pod and pour the hot liquid on the chocolate and hazelnut mixture. Now blend it till smooth. Once smooth cover it with foil and let it set in your fridge. Then blend it once more till there are no more lumps. After that pour it into a syphon and charge it with 1 charge. Shake it well for a minute and then keep it in your fridge for later.

Now for the chocolate tuille

60 grams	egg white
25 grams	flour
25 grams	cacao powder
10 grams	butter
50 grams	sugar
40 grams	sunflower oil

Mix the egg white with the flour, the cacao powder, the butter, the sugar and the sunflower oil. Blend this till smooth. Then spread it on a tuille mold. Click here for the mold. Now bake it at 160 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Then when still hot directly remove the tuille from the mold. Keep it dry and covered for later.

The chocolate and caramel tartelette

75 grams	glucose
10 grams	water
150 grams	sugar
30 grams	butter
30 grams	dark chocolate

Mix the glucose with the water and the sugar. Heat this up till the temperature is 170 degrees Celsius. When the light colored caramel is done turn off the heat and add the butter and the dark chocolate. Mix this till it’s an even mixture. Then pour it on a silicon sheet, level it and let it cool down out of the fridge. Now break it in small pieces and transfer it into a blender. Blend it till it’s a fine powder. Then dust it on a silicon sheet using a stencil till a thick layer has formed. Now remove the stencil and melt the powder at 170 degrees Celsius for a minute or 2. Then gently place the discs on the tartelette mold (click here for the mold) and let this melt for another 30 seconds. Now when still hot directly form it with the top and let it cool down for a couple of seconds. Then keep the tartelettes dry and covered for later.

The blood orange salad

4	blood oranges
90 grams	ginger syrup
3 grams	agar powder

Take 4 blood oranges and cut the top and bottom off. Then trim the sides. Now insert a thin knife next to the white membrane and twist to knife so you can push the parts out. Do this will all the oranges. Then drain the liquid and let it drip for a couple of minutes. Keep the orange parts for later. Now measure 160 grams of the blood orange juice and also add the ginger syrup and the agar. Mix this well and then bring this to a boil for 30 seconds. When it has boiled pour it into a bowl and let it cool down completely in your fridge. Now transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. Then pour it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later. Now take the orange parts and spread them on a tray that’s lined with some foil. Let this freezer till rock solid. Then transfer them into a bowl and break it into small segments with your hands or a hand mixer. After that let it defrost and season it with the gel. Mix it gently and keep it in your fridge for later.

The blood orange and vanilla cake

220 grams	butter
220 grams	sugar
4 grams	flaky salt
4 grams	baking soda
2	blood oranges
1	vanilla pod
4	eggs
220 grams	flour

Mix the butter with the sugar, the flaky salt, the baking soda and the zest from the blood oranges. Then cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the bowl as well and start beating it with a whisk. When the butter turns soft add the eggs one by one and beat this till fluffy. This takes a couple of minutes. Then turn down the speed and add the flour. You’ll end up with a thick and super aromatic batter. Now take the zested oranges and trim the top and bottom and the sides. Then cut both in thick slices. Place those slices in a baking tin that’s lined with some parchment paper and cover the entire bottom. Now spread all the batter on top and bake the cake at 180 degrees Celsius for around 45 minutes till fully cooked. Then let it cool down for 5 minutes before gently removing the tin upside down and letting it cool down completely. After that portion it into smaller pieces and keep it in your fridge for later.

How to finish the dessert

First place a couple pieces of cake in a bowl and add two tablespoons of the orange segments. Then add some dots of the kinder bueno crème and cover it completely with the chocolate and hazelnut espuma. Decorate it with some marigold flower pedals and gently place the chocolate tuille on top. After that take the tartelette and pipe some of the crème on the bottom. Now add a layer of the gel and cover both with the chocolate espuma. Then decorate it with the flower pedals or with some hazelnut skins. I love the color contrast so I chose the pedals.