valrhona.com-recipe-calao
Professional

CALAO

Made with Millot 74% - Pure Millot Plantation

Makes 48

4 steps

Recipe Step by Step

Step01

MILLOT 74% CHOCOLATE & COCOA NIB SHORTCRUST PASTRY

250g MILLOT 74% 

470g European-style butter

220g Eggs

860g Bread flour

330g Confectioner’s sugar

75g Extra fine almond flour

40g Cocoa nibs

7g Fleur de sel

Mix the chocolate melted at 95°F (35°C) with the creamed butter.
Gradually add the cold eggs. Combine the mixture with the flour, confectioner’s sugar, almond flour, the ground nibs and fleur de sel.
Briefly mix all these ingredients together. Immediately spread the mixture out.
Bake at 300°F (150°C).
Step02

TONKA CARAMEL

160g Heavy cream 36%

2g Madagascan vanilla bean

0.5g Tonka beans

20g Glucose DE 38/40

160g Sugar

45g Salted butter

Infuse the cream with the vanilla and grated tonka.
Sift out any pieces of bean, add in more cream if necessary and combine the glucose.
Cook the sugar in several stages to make a light-colored caramel.
Deglaze with the salted butter. Add the hot cream and cook the mixture at 235°F (108°C).
Step03

MILLOT 74% DESSERT GANACHE

390g Heavy cream 36%

65g Invert sugar

300g MILLOT 74%

Bring the cream and the invert sugar to a boil. Slowly combine with the chocolate.
Immediately mix using an immersion blender to make a perfect emulsion.
Use your ganache straight away or leave to set until you are satisfied.
Step04

CARAMELIZED NIBS

35g Sugar

12g Water

65g Cocoa nibs

5g European-style butter

Cook the sugar and water at 244ºF (118ºC) then take it off the heat and add in the cocoa nibs.
Mix until the sugar sets. Separate out the nibs.
Put the mixture back on the heat and caramelize it. Once it is cooked, add a knob of butter and cool it on a marble surface, stirring all the while, so you can separate out all the nibs.

Assembly and finishing

valrhona.com-recipe-calao

SQ MILLOT 74% 
SQ Cocoa Butter
Prepare the shortcrust pastry, caramel and ganache.
Between two guitar sheets, spread the shortcrust pastry out to a thickness of 2mm.
Cut it into 7cm disks and make a 4cm hole in the middle of two out of every three to create rings.
Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 20 minutes. Give them a coating of cocoa butter.
Spread the disks out between two guitar sheets decorated with pre-set chocolate.
Cut out 7cm thick disks and pierce some 3cm holes.
Use a piping bag with a plain, round nozzle to pipe the ganache onto the disk, then put a chocolate ring in place.
Repeat at the other side to make a third layer.
Finish by filling the middle of the disk with a spiral of caramel and adding on some caramelized cocoa nibs.