This recipe by chef Christophe Michalak can’t be found anywhere online or in any of his books. The photo of the “Monsieur Jean Dujas” fantastik was simply posted on Facebook (to make us drool with envy!) with a description of the different layers: brownie sponge, hazelnut almond praline, chocolate crémeux, chantilly and Gianduja glaze. Never mind, I’m going to make this dessert anyway by making these different preparations.
I have to admit that my eyes were bigger than my stomach: the brownie and the crémeux were far too thick (well, it was a first attempt…). In the end, I got a frankly hefty cake and a small slice was more than enough. In the recipe steps, I give you a few tips so you don’t make the same mistake I did. Ideally, the brownie and the crémeux should be half as thick. Otherwise, it was delicious! I’m still as much of a gianduja fan as ever! 🙂
Credit where credit is due… I found the brownie recipe on the blog I love cakes (frankly delicious, even without making an entremets) and the crémeux is Yann Couvreur’s recipe found on the blog Patiseb.
You’ll see 2 different types of photos since I had the chance to make this dessert twice. The second time, I tried to correct the little flaws I’d found in it, namely a sponge and a crémeux that were too thick, as well as the glaze. I’ve still given you the gianduja glaze recipe, which is more indulgent. You just need to be careful not to pour it in too thick a layer.
Ingredients & preparation
6 components · Full recipe
Gianduja Chantilly (to be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 5 g (0.2 oz) glucose
- 85 g (3 oz) gianduja
- 145 g (5.1 oz) very cold full-fat whipping cream
- 1/2 gelatine sheet
Method
1
Soften the gelatine leaves in cold water.
2
Cut the gianduja into small pieces in a bowl.
3
In a saucepan, heat the 50 g (1.8 oz) of cream with the glucose. Then off the heat, add the squeezed-out gelatine.
4
As soon as the cream simmers, pour one third of the cream over the gianduja and mix to create an emulsion. Then pour a second third, then a third, to obtain a smooth and homogeneous mixture.
5
Add the remaining cold cream and mix gently.
6
Cover with cling film and refrigerate for several hours (ideally, for a whole night).
Chocolate Cremeux (to be made the day before)
Ingredients
- 170 g (6 oz) milk
- 170 g (6 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 50 g (1.8 oz) egg yolks
- 30 g (1.1 oz) sugar
- 120 g (4.2 oz) dark chocolate
- 2 g (0.1 oz) gelatine
Method
1
Soak the gelatine in cold water.
2
Heat the cream and milk in a saucepan.
3
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture whitens.
4
When the milk and cream mixture is hot, pour it into the bowl, mix well and return everything to the saucepan.
5
Allow to thicken without boiling and without stopping stirring (this is what is called “cooking to the ribbon”, without exceeding a temperature of 85°C / 185°F).
6
Off the heat, fold in the squeezed-out gelatine.
7
Using a fine-mesh sieve, pour the crème anglaise over the chocolate cut into small pieces and blend with a hand blender to obtain a smooth mixture.
8
Pour into an 18 cm (7.1 in) diameter ring to a depth of 1 cm (and never mind if you have a little left over, put the surplus in a small mould to make a small individual entremet) and place in the freezer.
Chocolate Hazelnut Brownie
Ingredients
- 135 g (4.8 oz) butter
- 170 g (6 oz) dark chocolate
- 115 g (4.1 oz) sugar
- 100 g (3.5 oz) light brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- 135 g (4.8 oz) plain flour
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
- 80 g (2.8 oz) toasted chopped hazelnuts
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave then fold in the sugar, brown sugar, salt and eggs one by one, whisking.
3
Add the toasted and crushed hazelnuts and the flour.
4
Pour into a buttered 24 cm (9.4 in) diameter mould (note, it is possible that you have slightly too much batter. Do not put it all in if so, the rest can easily be baked in one or more small muffin moulds for example. The brownie needs to be fairly thin for this dessert).
5
Bake for about 10 minutes. The brownie is a cake that remains quite fudgy.
6
Leave to cool slightly on a rack before turning out and leaving to cool completely.
Praline Crunch
Ingredients
- 120 g (4.2 oz) praline
- 60 g (2.1 oz) crushed crêpes dentelle (feuilletine)
- 40 g (1.4 oz) milk chocolate
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
Method
1
Melt the praline with the chocolate in a bain-marie. Mix to obtain a smooth, slightly fluid paste.
2
Off the heat, fold in the crushed gavottes then mix.
3
Spread the crunch between 2 sheets of baking paper to a maximum thickness of 3 mm. Cut out a 24 cm (9.4 in) diameter circle and set aside in the fridge.
Gianduja Glaze
Ingredients
- 110 g (3.9 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 50 g (1.8 oz) glucose
- 40 g (1.4 oz) dark chocolate
- 120 g (4.2 oz) gianduja
- 15 g (0.5 oz) grapeseed oil
Method
1
In a saucepan, bring the cream and glucose to the boil.
2
Cut the dark chocolate and gianduja into pieces in a bowl.
3
Pour the hot cream into the bowl.
4
Blend with a hand blender to obtain a smooth mixture then add the grape seed oil and blend again, without incorporating air bubbles.
5
Set aside.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Place the brownie on a serving dish.
2
Pipe a quick spiral of praline then carefully place the praline crunch disc. Press lightly to adhere.
3
Remove the cremeux from the freezer. Smooth the edges of the cremeux with your hands to get something very smooth (thanks to the warmth of your hands).
4
Then place the frozen cremeux on a rack, itself placed on a plate to catch the surplus glaze.
5
If your glaze was made in advance, reheat it in the microwave to approximately 30°C / 86°F. Pour it carefully to completely cover the cremeux. You can pass a spatula over the top to remove the surplus glaze (I did not do this, it was a little too thick…)
6
Leave to drain then place the glazed cremeux on the praline crunch base, right in the centre. Set aside in the fridge.
7
Remove the gianduja ganache from the refrigerator and whisk it like a chantilly. Place in a piping bag fitted with a small Saint-Honoré nozzle.
8
Pipe the chantilly around the edge of the tart making small zigzags then add small dots of praline on top of the tart.
9
Leave to thaw for 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.
Gallery
