JamieOliver.com

Some of the measurements may not be precise, as I didn't measure and weigh every ingredient, and I'm going by memory in some instances.

Hazelnut Biscuit

50g skinless hazelnuts
50g icing sugar
75g unsalted butter
1egg
70g plain flour
Pinch of salt


First, make a beurre noisette:

Place the butter in a pan over moderate heat. The butter will melt and sizzle. When the sizzling stops, remove the butter from the heat.

Strain the butter into a bowl through a sieve lined with kitchen paper and leave to cool. Discard the solids left behind.

Roast the nuts at 160C for about 20 mins, or until light golden and aromatic

Reduce the oven heat to 150C

Place a frying pan on a medium-low heat and, after about a minute, add the nuts and icing sugar

Toss the nuts and sugar together, heating until the sugar forms a caramel.

Transfer the hazelnut mixture to a silicon sheet or non-stick baking sheet and spread flat.

When cool and set, break up the praline mixture and place 3/4s in a blender with the butter

Blitz the mixture to a fine powder

Combine the butter, praline powder, praline, egg and salt in a bowl.  Quickly mix in the flour (or use an electric mixer with a paddle attachment on the lowest speed).

Spread the mixture an inch thick on a non-stick baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

Cut the biscuits into rectangles the width and length of the finished cake (best to go slightly bigger and trim up later), but do not attempt to separate the biscuits yet

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and leave to cool

When the biscuits have cooled and hardened, transfer them to an airtight container, preferably with some packets of silica to ensure a dry environment.


Cumin Caramel

50g whipping cream
5.5g cinnamon sticks
3.5g cumin seeds
100g caster sugar
24g unsalted butter

Bring the cream to a simmer in a saucepan

Add the cinnamon and cumin, remove from the heat and infuse for half an hour

Strain through a fine sieve and reserve the cream

Heat the sugar to 150C (or golden brown) in a large pan over high heat

Whisk in the butter, about 5g at a time

Whisk in the cream

Strain through a fine sieve and refrigerate

Balsamic Sponge

100g rice flour
100g sugar
10g cocoa powder
50g Villa Gracinda chocolate (Michel Cluziel)
50ml aged balsamic vinegar
50g butter into beurre noisette (see biscuit recipe)
100g egg whites (3 eggs)
100ml milk

Preheat the oven to 180C

Melt the chocolate with the vinegar

Whisk the egg whites with the cocoa powder at full speed until the mixture is frothy and starting to thicken

Continue to whisk, adding the sugar a tablespoon at a time, until soft peaks form

Combine the melted chocolate mixture with the beurre noisette and milk

Mix in the flour

Add a third of the cocoa meringue to the cake mixture and whisk together thoroughly

Pour the cake mixture into the meringue and delicately fold together

Transfer the mix to a rectangular cake tin that has been buttered completely

Bake for an 45 minutes, or until cake is springy and a needle comes out clean

Remove from the oven. Smack the tin on the work surface fairly forcefully

Leave to cool before unmoulding onto a wire rack.


Strawberry and Black Olive Puree

1 jar kalamata olives, with stones
2 large punnets ripe strawberries
30ml Ameretto
70g fructose
5g orange flower water

Strawberries

Fill a saucepan about an inch of the way up with water and bring to a simmer on the lowest heat

Hull the strawberries, place in a heat proof bowl that is slightly wider than the saucepan, and sprinkle over 50g of the fructose.

Add the orange flower water to the strawberries and cover with clingfilm

Place the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl

Let the strawberries warm gently for 6 hours, checking the water level occasionally

After six hours, the strawberries should be white and swimming in their own juices

Line a colander with damp muslin in a single layer, and position over a bowl

Tip the strawberries and juice into the colander tie up the muslin and leave overnight to collect all the juices. Do not attempt to facilitate the process by squeezing any juice through

Pour the collected juices into a wide-bottomed pan and reduce by 2/3rds

Olives

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a rapid boil. Have a bowl of ice water standing by

Drain the olives and remove the stones.
Tip the stoned olives into the boiling water.

Blanch for 30 seconds, and transfer to the ice water

Repeat this process twice more

Dry the olives on kitchen paper, and transfer to a small bowl with 20g fructose

Tip the Ameretto in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and ignite to burn off the alcohol

Cool the Ameretto by tipping into a bowl set over another bowl filled with ice water

Pour the Ameretto over the olives, cover with clingfilm, and refrigerate overnight

To finish

Combine the strawberry juice, Ameretto and olives and blend together

Push through a fine sieve into a wide-bottomed pan

Reduce to a thick puree consistency, and tip into a bowl set over another bowl filled with ice

When cool, transfer to a piping bag without a nozzle and refrigerate


White Chocolate Ganache

40g Toscano White chocolate(Amedei)
50g UHT cream
10g butter
Pinch smoked salt

Break the chocolate into small pieces in a heatproof bowl and add the butter

Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan

Pour the cream over the chocolate and mix together until the chocolate is melted

Season to taste with the smoked salt

Transfer to a piping bag without a nozzle and a 1inch wide hole cut and refrigerate


Flourless Sponge

22g Concepcion dark chocolate (Michel Cluziel)
2 egg yolks
43g unrefined caster sugar
5g Valrhona cocoa powder
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 180C and grease a rectangular cake tin

Break the chocolate into small pieces in a heatproof bowl

Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water (ensure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl)

Allow the chocolate to melt, without agitating, remove from the heat and leave to cool

Using an electric whisk, beat the yolks with 20g of the sugar until thick and white

Stir in the chocolate and the cocoa powder

Whisk the whites until foamy, then, continuously whisking, gradually add the sugar, until soft peaks form

Add a third of the meringue to the chocolate mix and beat together

Fold the chocolate mix delicately into the remaining meringue

Pour into the brownie tin and bake for 20-25 minutes

Remove from the oven and leave to cool before turning onto a sheet of greaseproof paper set on a wire rack


Soaking Syrup

100ml Ameretto
20g unrefined caster sugar

Bring the Ameretto to the boil and ignite to burn off the alcohol

Remove from the heat, add the sugar and stir to dissolve

Pour the syrup evenly over the flourless sponge (this is best done after positioning the sponge on the cake)


Dark Chocolate Ganache

70g Guanaja chocolate (Valrhona)
30g water
Pinch salt

Using cardboard, make 3 1inch deep moulds the same dimensions as the rectangular baking tin. Tape each mould to a strip of acetate larger than the width and length of the mould

Break the chocolate into small chunks

Place all the ingredients in a saucepan

Heat gently, whilst stirring

Pour the mixture into a bowl set over another bowl filled with ice

Furiously whisk the chocolate mixture for about 10-20 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and fairly solid

Place the mixture in the cardboard mould, making sure the top is levelled out and smooth (and with the acetate underneath)

Refrigerate until ready to use


White Chocolate Mousse

100g Toscano White (Amedei)
1 egg white
100ml double cream
1 egg white
30g refined caster sugar
10g unrefined caster sugar

Allow all ingredients to come up to room temperature for about 2 hours

Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water

Whisk the egg yolk and the unrefined sugar together until pale and creamy

Whip the cream to a soft peak stage

Place the egg white in a bowl set over simmering water

Whisk the white until frothy, then gradually whisk in the refined sugar

Continue whisking to a soft peak stage and remove from the heat

Mix the chocolate and yolk together

Fold in the whipped cream

Fold in the meringue

Transfer to the second mould and refrigerate to set


Dark Chocolate Mousse

100g Los Anconas chocolate (Michel Cluziel)
50ml whipping cream
2 yolks
1 white
30g refined sugar
10g unrefined sugar
5g cocoa powder

Melt the chocolate as per the other components of the cake

Whip the cream to soft peaks

Whisk the yolks and unrefined sugar together until thick and creamy

Place the white and cocoa powder in a bowl set over simmering water

Whisk the white until foamy, then gradually whisk in the refined sugar

Continue whisking to the soft peak stage, then remove from the heat

Combine the chocolate and yolks

Fold in the whipped cream

Fold in the meringue

Transfer the mousse into the final mould and refrigerate to set


Before making the coating, assemble the cake.

Place the biscuit on a piece of non-stick baking paper.

Spread the cumin caramel on top

Position the balsamic sponge on the caramel

Pipe a line of fruit puree down the centre of the sponge

Pipe a line of white chocolate ganache either side of the puree

Position the flourless sponge on top of the puree and ganache

Pour the soaking syrup over the flourless sponge, if not already done so

Place the dark chocolate ganache on the flourless sponge

Position the white mousse on the ganache

Position the dark mousse on the white mousse

Using a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry, trim the cake at each side, to get a neat cuboid

Chocolate Coating

150g Couverture le noir (Valrhona)

Break the chocolate into small pieces

Place 135g in a heatproof bowl, and set 50g aside

Slowly heat the chocolate over simmering water to 53C

Remove the chocolate from the heat

Add the reserved 15g chocolate to the melted chocolate

Bring the temperature of the chocolate down to 28C

Heat the chocolate back up to 32C

Pour the chocolate over the cake and, using a palette knife, smooth the chocolate over the top and sides

Place in the fridge to set

Last edited by TheBeast2 (Fri 09 Oct 09 11:48pm)