Gourmet

Guanaja & Jivara chocolate duo Half-Spheres

Made with Cooking Range Guanaja 70% dark chocolate

RECIPE CREATED BY VALRHONA’S ÉCOLE GOURMET

4 steps

MAKES SIX INDIVIDUAL DESSERTS

To be made the day before:
JIVARA 40% crémeux
GUANAJA 70% whipped
ganache

To be made on the day:
Puffed rice and quinoa
GUANAJA 70% moulded shell


Required utensils:
4cm-diameter round cutter
6cm-diameter half-spheres
Strainer
2 piping bags
5-mm plain round nozzle

Recipe Step by Step

Step01

PUFFED RICE AND QUINOA

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Leave to sit for: at least 2 hours

120 g GUANAJA 70%
70 g 50% almond & hazelnut nutty praliné
50 g Puffed rice
40 g Puffed quinoa

Melt the GUANAJA 70% chocolate and the 50% almond & hazelnut nutty praliné.
Incorporate the puffed rice and quinoa, then mix everything together.
Spread the mixture between two sheets of baking paper, about 1.5cm thick.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.
Cut out 6 discs, 4cm in diameter, using a round cutter.
Step02

GUANAJA 70% CHOCOLATE MOULDED SHELL

Preparation time: 30 minutes

250 g GUANAJA 70%

Temper the GUANAJA 70% couverture. For tempering, melt the chocolate in a bain-marie. Stir and check the temperature regularly. Remove the bowl from the bain-marie when the chocolate reaches a temperature of 120/130°F (50/55°C).
Place the bowl of chocolate into a cold water bath. Stir and bring the chocolate down to a temperature of about 95°F (35°C).
Remove the chocolate from the cold water bath and continue stirring to bring the chocolate to a temperature of 82/84°F (28/29°C).
Place the chocolate bowl on the bain-marie, but not for too long to avoid overheating it. Bring the temperature back up to
88/90°F (31/32°C), then mould the 6cm diameter half-spheres.
Leave to set in a warm, dry room, between 60 and 65°F (16 and 18°C) (similar to the temperature of a wine cellar).
Turn out the spheres, taking care to touch them as little as possible. If the chocolate has been tempered well, tap the
mould with one sharp blow on the worktop to easily remove the chocolate spheres from their mould. Otherwise, place the
moulds in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, and then turn them out.
Step03

JIVARA 40% CRÉMEUX

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Leave to sit for: 12 hours

200 g Whole milk
400 g Cold whipping cream 35%
350 g JIVARA 40%
5 g Gelatine

Soak the gelatine in a large quantity of cold water for about 20 minutes. Melt the JIVARA 40% chocolate at 45/50°C (115/120°C).
Bring the milk to the boil and add the wrung-out gelatine. Strain. Gradually pour the hot milk over the melted chocolate, so as to
obtain an elastic and shiny texture, the sign that an emulsion has begun to form.
Mix using a hand blender to perfect the emulsion. Add the cold cream. Mix for a few seconds using a hand blender.
Seal the surface of the crémeux with clingfilm, before letting it set in the refrigerator overnight.
Step04

GUANAJA 70% WHIPPED GANACHE

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Leave to sit for: at least 3 hours

110 g Whipping cream 35%
10 g Acacia honey
90 g GUANAJA 70%
220 g Cold whipping cream 35%

Chop the GUANAJA 70% chocolate. Pour the cream and honey into a saucepan and boil.
Slowly pour the cream and boiling honey mixture over the GUANAJA 70% chocolate, mixing in the centre using a spatula to create an elastic, shiny texture, the sign that an emulsion has begun to form. Maintain this texture throughout the mixing process.
Continue adding the liquid little by little. Mix a final time, and set aside. Mix together the ganache base with the cold cream.
Allow to set in the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours, before whipping the mixture to obtain a thick enough texture for the ganache to be used in a piping bag.

Assembly and finishing

18g Caramelised hazelnuts

Place a moulded shell onto each disc of puffed crispy rice and quinoa. If necessary, get it to stick using
a little stiff JIVARA 40% crémeux. Using a piping bag, pipe out 70g of JIVARA 40% crémeux into
each GUANAJA 70% shell.
Beat the GUANAJA 70% ganache using a stand mixer. Using another piping bag with a plain round
nozzle, pipe out 70g of GUANAJA 70% whipped ganache over the crémeux, forming a flower, then
pipe out a sphere of JIVARA 40% crémeux into the centre to form the flower’s middle.
Sprinkle with caramelised hazelnut pieces.

Nutrition tip

At the assembly stage, replace the caramelised hazelnut pieces with other caramelised nuts of your choice: almonds, pistachios, cashew nuts, pecans, or even cocoa nibs!