'Mont blanc' – chestnut ganache with chocolate, cream and meringue
Item 1 of 1
- 8
- 2 hours
Viviana Varese's visually stunning Italian dessert recipe is as delicious as it is beautiful. A thick chestnut ganache supports delicate crescent-shaped meringues which act as the base for all the other elements; a rich white chocolate ganache, an airy crumble of cocoa sponge and a luxurious milk ice cream. Viviana decorates hers with luxurious golden chocolates, but you can be creative with your presentation and add your own personal touch.
First published in 2016
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Chestnut ganache
- 150g of chestnut purée
- 4g of gelatine
- 240g of cream
- 100g of milk
- 8g of glucose
- 115g of milk chocolate, chopped
Meringue
- 100g of egg white
- 100g of caster sugar
- 100g of icing sugar
Milk ice cream
- 635g of milk
- 120g of caster sugar
- 35g of milk powder
- 58g of glucose
- 48g of trimoline
- 4g of stabiliser
- 80g of cream
White chocolate ganache
- 220g of cream
- 80g of white chocolate, chopped
- 50g of glucose
- 4g of trimoline
- 1/2 vanilla pod
Cocoa sponge
- 320g of milk
- 55g of cocoa powder
- 25g of olive oil
- 20g of dextrose
- 25g of glucose
- 8g of dried albumen
To serve
- candied chestnuts, halved
- mint cress
- gold leaf
- chocolate decorations
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Electric hand whisk
- Dehydrator
- Piping bags
- Thermometer
- Ice cream maker
- Siphon bottle or cream whipper
- N2O cartridge 4
- Microwave
Method
1
Begin with the meringues as these require time to dry out. Whisk together the egg whites and caster sugar in a large bowl. While continuing to whisk slowly, add the icing sugar a little at a time until fully incorporated as a glossy meringue
- 100g of egg white
- 100g of caster sugar
- 100g of icing sugar
2
Transfer the mixture to a piping bag. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper then draw on the outlines of 4 crescent moons per sheet. Pipe the meringue to fill the outlines in a thick layer then place in a dehydrator set to 60°C for 8 hours to dry out completely
3
Meanwhile, prepare the chestnut ganache. Soak the gelatine in a small bowl of cold water to soften. Place the cream and milk in a pan then mix in the glucose. Place over a medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring to create a smooth mixture
- 4g of gelatine
- 240g of cream
- 100g of milk
- 8g of glucose
4
Remove from the heat and whisk in the chopped milk chocolate so that it melts into the hot cream. When thickened and smooth, squeeze out the excess moisture from the softened gelatine and mix into the chocolate cream until fully dissolved
- 115g of milk chocolate, chopped
5
Mix in the chestnut purée until fully combined. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and have a small tray lined with baking paper to hand. Pipe 2–3 long lines of the ganache onto the lined tray then place the tray in the freezer to set for at least an hour. Reserve the remaining ganache in the piping bag in the fridge
- 150g of chestnut purée
6
To make the milk ice cream, place the milk in a pan over a gentle heat and warm through to 30°C. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk powder, glucose, trimoline and stabiliser then stir into the warm milk
- 635g of milk
- 120g of caster sugar
- 35g of milk powder
- 58g of glucose
- 48g of trimoline
- 4g of stabiliser
7
Bring the mixture up to 50°C then stir in the cream. Continue to heat up to 85°C then cook at this temperature for 2 minutes. Allow to cool before transferring to an ice cream machine and churning as per the manufacturer's instructions. Freeze until ready to serve
- 80g of cream
8
Once the lines of chestnut ganache have frozen almost solid, cut the lines into 1cm logs and return to the freezer in a container until ready to serve
9
For the white chocolate ganache, measure out 50g of the cream and set aside. Place the remaining cream, white chocolate, glucose and trimoline in a pan and scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod. Warm through gently to 50°C
- 170g of cream
- 80g of white chocolate, chopped
- 50g of glucose
- 4g of trimoline
- 1/2 vanilla pod
10
Stir gently with a spatula to melt the chocolate then gradually stir in the reserved cream a little at a time until fully combined. Transfer to a piping bag and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve
- 50g of cream
11
Finally, make the cocoa sponge. Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl then pour into a siphon gun set with 4 charges. Fill a silicone mould or suitable microwave container with the mixture then cook in the microwave for 2 minutes, until firm to the touch
- 320g of milk
- 55g of cocoa powder
- 25g of olive oil
- 20g of dextrose
- 25g of glucose
- 8g of dried albumen
12
Allow to cool then unmould and crumble into small pieces, either by hand or by pulsing briefly in a food processor. The crumble will keep in a container until serving
13
When ready to serve, start by piping small mounds of the chestnut ganache on each plate in order to support the meringues – it may help to use the meringues as a guide. Carefully balance the moon-shaped meringues on top
14
Pipe 4 small rounds of the white chocolate ganache at intervals along the meringue then fill in the gaps with the crumbled cocoa sponge. Add the candid chestnut halves and frozen logs of the chestnut ganache, leaving a gap for a quenelle of milk ice cream in the centre
- candied chestnuts, halved
15
Garnish with sprigs of mint cress, edible gold leaf and chocolate decorations (such as gold-dusted discs) to finish
- mint cress
- gold leaf
- chocolate decorations
First published in 2016
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