Guanaja & Jivara chocolate duo half-spheres

INSTRUCTIONS

• 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 parchment paper, about 1.5cm thick.

• Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to set.

• Cut out 6 disks, 4cm in diameter, using a round cutter.

• 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 mold 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 mold with one sharp blow on the worktop to easily remove the chocolate spheres from their mold. Otherwise, place the molds in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, and then turn them out.

• Soak the gelatin 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 a boil and add the wrung-out gelatin. 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 an immersion blender to perfect the emulsion.

• Add the cold cream.

• Mix for a few seconds using an immersion blender.

• Seal the surface of the crémeux with plastic wrap, before letting it set in the refrigerator overnight.

• 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 center 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.

• Place a molded shell onto each disk 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 center to form the flower’s center.

• Sprinkle with caramelized hazelnut pieces.