This recipe and this mould in particular, I’d spotted them 4 years ago now. When Imane from Le Meilleur Pâtissier presented a magnificent heart-shaped dark chocolate and raspberry entremets with a pink mirror glaze to die for!
It had, moreover, impressed the chefs, as much for the look as for the taste. I’d promised myself I’d try it one day… and I’d got myself the famous mould. I just didn’t think so much time would pass before I made it.
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought the occasion was perfect to finally get going on making this dessert. As you’ll have gathered, I drew heavily on the recipe from Imane. I simply added a raspberry confit inside the fresh raspberries. There’s no particular crunchy layer in this dessert, but I advise you to coat your chocolate sponge with a thin layer of chocolate to bring a light touch of crunch. It’s simple and effective.
Clearly, this dessert is made for lovers of dark chocolate and raspberry. I’ve never been a big fan of this pairing, what can I say! But I’m always up for being convinced. Verdict? It’s a bit too strong in chocolate for me. And yet here I used a 65% cocoa dark chocolate (Inaya from Cacao Barry), so nothing too intense. At the same time, I’m a milk chocolate addict… As for raspberry, I’ve only recently been learning to appreciate it. In short, as you’ll have gathered, this dessert doesn’t make my top 3 for personal reasons (being neither a dark chocolate fan nor a raspberry fan, I had a long way to go). But I know it will please all lovers of this famous pairing. What’s more, it’s not very sweet, perfect to round off a good meal.
And you, what are you planning to make for your sweetheart?>
Ingredients & method
6 components · Complete recipe
Red Mirror Glaze (can be made ahead)
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) glucose
- 150 g (5.3 oz) sugar
- 75 ml (2.5 fl oz) water
- 150 g (5.3 oz) white chocolate
- 100 g (3.5 oz) whipping cream
- 10 g (0.4 oz) powdered gelatine
- 60 g (2.1 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
- red food colouring
- black food colouring
Method
1
Ideally, make the glaze the day before (or in advance) and reheat it in the microwave when ready to use.
2
Rehydrate the gelatine in the water.
3
In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar and glucose and heat to 103°C / 217°F.
4
Meanwhile, in a tall jug, place the white chocolate (chopped), whipping cream, rehydrated gelatine and the food colourings (a touch of black to deepen the red).
5
Once the sugar-glucose mixture reaches 103°C / 217°F, pour it into the jug and blend with a hand blender to smooth the glaze — be careful not to incorporate air bubbles, as they will spoil the finish.
6
If needed, pass through a fine-mesh sieve, cover with cling film directly on the surface and refrigerate.
Raspberry Confit
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) raspberry purée
- 15 g (0.5 oz) caster sugar
- 2 g (0.1 oz) NH pectin
Method
1
In a saucepan, gently warm the raspberry purée.
2
Add the sugar and NH pectin, which have been thoroughly combined together. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly.
3
Pour into a small container and leave to cool. Set aside. (Note: the cross-section photo was taken while the entremet was still frozen, which explains the firmer texture of the mousse.)
Chocolate Sponge
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 70 g (2.5 oz) dark chocolate
- 70 g (2.5 oz) sugar
- 25 g (0.9 oz) butter
- 25 g (0.9 oz) flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a little melted dark chocolate for coating the sponge
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
Place the chopped chocolate and butter in a bowl and melt in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
3
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick, then add the vanilla extract.
4
Add the melted chocolate and butter mixture to the bowl and stir to combine.
5
Meanwhile, whip the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold them gently into the chocolate mixture.
6
Sift in the flour and fold gently with a spatula, taking care not to deflate the whites too much.
7
Pour the batter into a 26 cm (10.2 in) diameter mould or ring and bake for 15–20 minutes (depending on your oven).
8
Unmould and leave to cool on a wire rack.
9
Once the sponge is cold, cut out a heart shape the same form as the mould but slightly smaller. (Use the mould as a template: turn it upside down, trace its outline on paper, then redraw it about 5 mm smaller. Melt a little dark chocolate in the microwave.)
10
Coat one side of the sponge with the melted chocolate using a pastry brush — be very careful to coat the correct side, as this mould is not symmetrical.
Chocolate Raspberry Bavarian Mousse
Ingredients
- 300 g (10.6 oz) raspberry purée
- 264 g (9.3 oz) dark chocolate
- 24 g (0.8 oz) sugar
- 48 g (1.7 oz) egg yolks
- 115 g (4.1 oz) milk
- 115 g (4.1 oz) whipping cream
- 6 g (0.2 oz) powdered gelatine
- 36 g (1.3 oz) water (to rehydrate the gelatine)
- 250 g (8.8 oz) whole raspberries
Method
1
Rehydrate the gelatine in cold water.
2
Heat the milk in a saucepan.
3
In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar.
4
Pour the hot milk over the yolk-sugar mixture, stir well, then return everything to the saucepan over low heat.
5
Cook to 83°C / 181°F, stirring constantly with a spatula. Do not let the custard boil.
6
Remove from the heat and stir in the rehydrated gelatine.
7
Pour the custard over the dark chocolate (chopped into small pieces, or pre-melted). Blend with a hand blender until smooth and homogeneous.
8
Add the raspberry purée and fold in with a spatula.
9
Whip the cream to a soft, mousse-like consistency — do not over-whip.
10
Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate-raspberry mixture, then set aside until assembly.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Pour half the chocolate-raspberry mousse into the mould, using a spatula to push it up along the sides for a clean finish.
2
Gently press the raspberries into the mousse, leaving the hollow of each raspberry facing upwards.
3
Fill each raspberry with the raspberry confit, piped from a small piping bag.
4
Add a little more chocolate-raspberry mousse, then place the chocolate-coated sponge on top (melted chocolate side facing down into the mousse). Press gently to set it in place and smooth the surface with a spatula.
5
Cover with cling film and freeze for at least 3 hours — ideally overnight.
Decoration
Ingredients
- fresh raspberries
- gold lustre dust
- cocoa nibs
Method
1
Reheat the mirror glaze to approximately 30°C / 86°F.
2
Remove the entremet from the freezer and unmould it. Place it on a wire rack set over a plate or tray to catch the excess glaze.
3
Pour the glaze carefully over the entremet to coat it completely.
4
Lift the entremet off the rack and press cocoa nibs all around the base, then transfer to a serving plate.
5
Dust a few raspberries with gold lustre dust for decoration.
6
Defrost in the refrigerator — allow at least 6 to 7 hours.
Gallery
