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Chocolate Spheres with Caramel Mousse and Nut Brittle

Chocolate Sphere with Caramel Mousse

The Easter weekend is traditionally a time to get together with family, gift chocolate treats and share a special meal. But too many basic Easter eggs may leave you feeling hollow.

This year, why not step up your chocolate game and try this decadent recipe from ? Providing a grown up and more indulgent treat than your traditional Easter egg, this chocolate sphere with caramel mousse and nut brittle is perfect to serve up at a small gathering.

Featuring tempered chocolate, almond and hazelnut brittle and light-as-air caramel mousse, the key to success with this recipe is sugar work and chocolate making skills. Recipes similar to this are taught at Le Cordon Bleu London as part the Diplôme de Pâtisserie, which is the perfect path for anyone with aspirations to become a skilled pastry chef.

Serves 4
Preparation time:
Cooking time:
Total time:

Ingredients

  • 4 x 7 cm dark chocolate spheres
Caramel mousse
  • 250 g caster sugar
  • 250 g hot whipping cream
  • 300 g cold whipping cream
  • 4 drops bergamot oil
  • pinch of salt
Nut brittle
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 20 g water
  • 80 g whole blanched almonds
  • 80 g whole blanched hazelnuts
  • 1 teaspoon butter
Chocolate sauce
  • 100 g dark chocolate (54.5%)
  • 100 g whipping cream
Decoration
  • cocoa powder
  • gold lustre dust
  • edible gold leaf

Method

Method
Caramel mousse

In a pan, add the sugar and melt over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until it turns a rich caramel colour

Add the hot cream and salt while whisking. Remove from the heat then add the cold cream. Let cool then add the bergamot oil.

Pour the mousse into a siphon charged with nitrogen and set aside in the refrigerator.

Nut brittle

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Combine the sugar and water in a pan and cook to 115°C.

Add the almonds and hazelnuts and continue to cook while stirring, until the sugar has melted and caramelised. Add the butter, then spread the mixture on the lined baking tray and let cool.

Chocolate sauce

Put the chocolate in a bowl and set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until melted then remove from the pan.

In a separate pan, gently heat the whipping cream. Gradually incorporate the hot cream in three stages, while stirring, until fully combined.

Assembly

Dust one side of the plate with cocoa powder, then carefully pipe dots of chocolate sauce on the other side of the plate.

Delicately stamp a round hole at the top of the sphere with a 4 cm round cutter. Use the cut-out chocolate as the bottom base for the sphere.

Using cotton wool, gently apply the golden lustre to the sphere.

Fill the sphere halfway with the caramel mousse, then top with the nut brittle. Fill the sphere with more mousse, then top with extra nut brittle.

To finish, decorate with a gold leaf.

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