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Meat and poultry
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Cakes and baking
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Pickling
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Shapes, tastes and textures of chocolate

by Francesco Bracali
  1. Shapes, tastes and textures of chocolate
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A true celebration of chocolate in many shapes and forms, Francesco Bracali's decadent dessert recipe will surely delight any chocolate lover. Preparing all the many varied elements – which include chocolate sorbet, jelly, white chocolate cake and a creamy whipped mousse – will take careful planning, but all can be made ahead for ease of serving and the end result is surely worth the effort. Read our how to temper chocolate guide for help with making the decorations.

First published in 2016
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Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Chocolate sorbet

  • 120g of dark chocolate, 72% cocoa, chopped into pieces
  • 100g of sugar
  • 330g of sparkling water

Chocolate creams

  • 50g of dark chocolate, 80% cocoa
  • 50g of white chocolate
  • 80g of cream
  • 40g of glucose
  • 36g of hazelnut paste

Chocolate jellies

  • 125g of sugar
  • 100g of water
  • 65g of cream
  • 50g of dark chocolate
  • 10g of gelatine

White chocolate mousse

  • 100g of white chocolate
  • 150g of cream
  • 1.5g of gelatine

Curried chocolate

Pistachio spheres

Cocoa crumble

  • 120g of butter
  • 120g of sugar
  • 120g of almond flour
  • 100g of 00 flour
  • 15g of cocoa powder
  • 2g of salt

White chocolate and passion fruit cake

  • 250g of white chocolate
  • 100g of passion fruit juice
  • 125g of butter
  • 200g of egg white
  • 60g of egg yolk
  • 90g of sugar
  • 100g of plain flour
  • icing sugar, for dusting

Chocolate caramel tuiles

Chocolate decorations

To serve

SAVE RECIPE

Equipment

  • Hand blender
  • Pacojet
  • Acetate
  • 2cm demi-sphere moulds 8
  • Food processor
  • Sugar thermometer
  • Piping bags

Method

1
Begin with the chocolate sorbet to allow for freezing time. Place the sugar and water in a small pan and bring to the boil. Allow to reduce for a few minutes to create a syrup
  • 100g of sugar
  • 330g of sparkling water
2
Place the chocolate in a bowl and pour over the hot syrup. Allow the chocolate to melt slightly, then mix with a hand blender until completely smooth. Pour into a Pacojet container and freeze until solid, preferably overnight
3
Next, make the chocolate creams. For the dark chocolate layer heat 40g of the cream and 20g of the glucose together in a small pan until combined. Pour over the dark chocolate and mix together to form a ganache, then mix in 20g of the hazelnut paste. Transfer to a piping bag and chill in the fridge until required
  • 40g of cream
  • 20g of glucose
  • 50g of dark chocolate, 80% cocoa
  • 20g of hazelnut paste
4
For the white chocolate layer, repeat the same process with the remaining ingredients. Combine the cream and glucose together in a pan and heat gently, then pour over the chocolate to melt and mix through the hazelnut paste. Transfer to another piping bag and chill
  • 20g of glucose
  • 50g of white chocolate
  • 16g of hazelnut paste
  • 40g of cream
5
Cut a sheet of acetate into 3cm wide strips. Roll to form 4 cylinders – each about 2cm wide – and secure, standing upright on a flat tray. Pipe the dark chocolate cream halfway up each cylinder and place in the fridge to firm up for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place the gelatine for the chocolate jellies in a bowl of cold water to soften
  • 10g of gelatine
6
Once the dark chocolate cream has set a little, pipe the white chocolate cream on top to fill the cylinders and transfer to the freezer to set completely for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve
7
To make the chocolate jellies, combine the sugar and water in a pan over a medium heat to create a syrup. Add the cream and chocolate to the pan of syrup, mix well and bring the mixture to the boil, then remove from the heat and set aside
8
Squeeze out any excess liquid from the gelatine and stir into to the hot mixture to dissolve, then strain the jelly mixture through a fine sieve. Pour the mixture into small silicone demi-sphere moulds, (about 2cm in diameter) and place in the fridge for at least 3–4 hours to set
9
For the white chocolate mousse, place the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and allow to soften for a few minutes. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate and cream together in a pan over a gentle heat, stirring to form a smooth ganache
  • 1.5g of gelatine
  • 100g of white chocolate
  • 150g of cream
10
Squeeze any excess liquid out of the gelatine and add to the white chocolate ganache. Remove from the heat and mix together until the gelatine has dissolved, then transfer to the fridge to cool and thicken for a few hours
11
To create the curried chocolate slices, place the chocolate and cocoa butter in a bowl placed over a pan of barely simmering water, taking care not to let the bowl touch the water. Mix together, stirring constantly while the chocolate gently melts
12
Once melted and smooth, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in the milk until fully combined. Spread the mixture out across a small tray to a thickness of 0.5cm, then transfer to the fridge and chill for a few hours until set
  • 25g of milk
13
For the pistachio spheres, beat the Cointreau into the chocolate and hazelnut spread and place in the freezer to firm up for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, gently melt the dark chocolate in the microwave and spread the chopped pistachios out across a plate
14
Once the hazelnut spread mixture has firmed up slightly, scoop 4 small balls of the mixture and dunk in the melted chocolate to cover. Transfer to the plate and roll in the chopped pistachios until fully coated. Place on a tray and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve
15
For the cocoa crumble, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Mix in the remaining ingredients to create a dough, taking care not to overmix. Place in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes
  • 120g of butter
  • 120g of sugar
  • 120g of almond flour
  • 100g of 00 flour
  • 15g of cocoa powder
  • 2g of salt
16
Preheat the oven to 175°C/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm baking tin with baking paper
17
While the dough is resting, make the white chocolate and passion fruit cake. Place the butter and white chocolate in a bowl over a pan, being careful not to let the bowl touch the water, and allow to melt
  • 250g of white chocolate
  • 125g of butter
18
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg whites with 60g of the sugar for several minutes to create a stiff meringue. Meanwhile, gently whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 30g of the sugar to combine
19
In batches, gently fold the meringue into the egg yolk mixture, then add the melted white chocolate and butter followed by the passion fruit juice and plain flour. When fully combined, pour into the lined baking tin. Bake for 10–15 minutes until lightly golden, then allow to cool
  • 100g of passion fruit juice
  • 100g of plain flour
20
Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C/gas mark 3½. Crumble the chilled cocoa dough over a baking tray to form rough clumps. Bake for 10 minutes until crisp, then set aside to cool for a few minutes, keeping the oven on. Place the crumbs in a food processor and blitz briefly to form sandy crumbs. Seal in a container until ready to serve
21
For the chocolate caramel, place the fondant and glucose in a small pan and heat through to 160°C on a sugar thermometer. Add the dark chocolate and stir to melt, then pour over a silicone mat or large sheet of baking paper and allow to cool slightly
22
Once cool enough to handle, chop the caramel into rough pieces and place between 2 silicone mats or sheets of baking paper. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes then, while still warm, roll out with a rolling pin to create a thin sheet as it cools. Stretch further by hand to create tuiles and store in a container until ready to serve
23
To make the chocolate decorations, temper the dark chocolate so that it can be used to create shapes. Using a template, silicone mould or simply by hand create 4 simple tree and spoon shapes on a piece of baking paper, leaving to cool and set. Peel off the paper and dust the trees liberally in cocoa powder, reserving both separately until serving
24
Spread out any remaining chocolate out thinly on a piece of baking paper to create a flat sheet. When cooled and set, this can be left plain or decorated with edible transfers if liked. Snap into uneven shards and reserve until ready to serve
25
Before serving, remove the chocolate sorbet from the freezer and churn in the Pacojet until smooth. Meanwhile, remove the white chocolate mousse from the fridge and whip until light and fluffy, then transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle
26
Remove the curried chocolate from the fridge and cut the slab into small triangles using a hot knife, then dust with the curry powder and set to one side. Similarly, slice the passion fruit cake into small squares and dust each one liberally with icing sugar
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • icing sugar, for dusting
27
To serve, sprinkle some of the cocoa crumbs across each serving plate and pipe on a few rosettes of the white chocolate mousse. Place pieces of curried chocolate, passion fruit cake, a pistachio sphere and a chocolate spoon across each plate, then unmould the jellies and arrange these alongside the crumble
28
Remove the acetate cylinders from the chocolate creams and place on each plate, topping with a shard of chocolate. Scoop a generous portion of chocolate sorbet on to the crumbs and decorate with the caramel tuile and tempered chocolate trees. Garnish with edible flowers and scatter over a sprinkling of chopped pistachio nuts to serve
First published in 2016
Francesco Bracali

From eating bread and ragù as a child to running a two-starred restaurant in Tuscany, Francesco Bracali has stayed true to the area's local flavours and has helped bolster the region's already famous foodie credentials.

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