I’ve just spent a memorable weekend in La Baule, alongside chef Christophe Roussel for the “Défi pâtissier” competition (the aim was to reinvent the Opéra). Lots of emotions but also some wonderful encounters! The cherry on the cake the Opéra: I came first in the competition!!! I’m going to need a little more time to get over it! I’ll tell you more about it very soon on the blog, but in the meantime, here’s a new recipe, because with all those Opéra trials, the last recipe dates back 10 days! :O
It’s a recipe I’d been keeping preciously for a year (since the food blogging fair in Soissons!). This year, the fair won’t be taking place, unfortunately, so to make “as if”, here’s the recipe for the OrangeChoKmarron loaf cake made by Chef Régis during the workshop. Chocolate, orange, candied chestnuts… flavours that remind us that summer is well and truly over. A recipe that looks a little long but isn’t very complicated in the end. You’ll just need to take your time and get a minimum of organisation.
My family simply loved it! The orange cream brings a bit of zing to this dessert (of course, you have to like the orange and chocolate combination, which isn’t necessarily my case *gulp*). A recipe you could almost see on the Christmas table for those who aren’t fans of Yule logs (iced or not) 🙂
Ingredients & method
6 components · Full recipe
Orange Cream
Ingredients
- 80 g (2.8 oz) eggs
- 90 g (3.2 oz) sugar
- 3 g (0.1 oz) orange zest
- 60 g (2.1 oz) orange juice
- 135 g (4.8 oz) butter
Method
1
Pour the orange juice into a saucepan and add the zests.
2
Add the eggs and sugar, then mix together with a whisk.
3
Heat to 85°C / 185°F, stirring constantly. The cream will thicken. This is like cooking a crème anglaise — be careful not to exceed this temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, here is a tip from Chef Michalak: simply whisk the mixture quickly then stop. If the “whirlpool” stops dead, the cream is at the right temperature.
4
Leave to cool in a dish.
5
When the orange cream is at approximately 35°C / 95°F, pour it into a tall container (I use a jug). Add the butter all at once, then blend with a hand blender. The cream should be smooth and will lighten slightly in colour.
6
Leave to cool in a wide dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Brownie
Ingredients
- 60 g (2.1 oz) egg yolks
- 100 g (3.5 oz) sugar
- 115 g (4.1 oz) brown sugar
- 170 g (6 oz) butter
- 90 g (3.2 oz) dark chocolate
- 40 g (1.4 oz) flour
- 10 g (0.4 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 40 g (1.4 oz) glacé chestnuts
- 20 g (0.7 oz) candied orange zests
- the zest of one orange
- 90 g (3.2 oz) egg whites
- 15 g (0.5 oz) caster sugar
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
In a bowl, vigorously mix the softened butter and sugars until the mixture is white and smooth.
3
Add the egg yolks and mix with a spatula.
4
Melt the chocolate in the microwave, then add to the previous mixture. Mix gently.
5
Sift the flour and cocoa powder, then zest an orange into this mixture of powders.
6
Add the sifted powders to the chocolate mixture and mix.
7
Whisk the egg whites with the 15 g (0.5 oz) of caster sugar until they reach the consistency of a meringue.
8
Gently fold the meringue into the chocolate mixture. First add a generous tablespoon and mix vigorously to loosen the batter. Then add the rest gently.
9
Finish by adding the diced glacé chestnuts and candied orange zests.
10
Pour into a buttered square tin of approximately 20 cm (7.9 in) and bake for approximately 20–25 minutes. Check it is cooked through with the blade of a knife — it should come out slightly moist.
11
Remove from the oven, wait about ten minutes before turning out, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
12
The chef baked the brownie in rectangular aluminium trays. I chose to use a square tin so I could cut the brownie in 2. Either make 2 brownies, or stack the 2 rectangles (only if the brownie is quite thin).
Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
- 350 g (12.3 oz) couverture chocolate
- 50 g (1.8 oz) rapeseed oil
- 40 g (1.4 oz) toasted almond sticks
Method
1
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie until it reaches a temperature of 32°C / 90°F. Add the oil and mix well. Keep warm, maintaining the temperature.
Crumble
Ingredients
- 50 g (1.8 oz) salted butter
- 50 g (1.8 oz) brown sugar
- 50 g (1.8 oz) flour
- 2 g (0.1 oz) fleur de sel
Method
1
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together by hand.
2
Roll out the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper to form a square or rectangle 1 cm (0.4 in) thick. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
3
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F.
4
Remove from the freezer and cut into small cubes, then arrange in a staggered pattern on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
5
Bake for a few minutes (keep a close eye on them!).
Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
- 75 g (2.6 oz) full-fat whipping cream
- 125 g (4.4 oz) dark chocolate
- 15 g (0.5 oz) glucose (optional)
- 20 g (0.7 oz) butter
Method
1
Break the dark chocolate into pieces in a bowl (you can melt it slightly in a bain-marie or microwave).
2
Pour the cream into a saucepan and heat until just simmering (no need to bring it to a full boil).
3
As soon as it simmers, pour one third of the cream over the dark chocolate and mix with a spatula to create an emulsion. Then pour in a second third, then a third, to obtain a smooth and even mixture.
4
Add the butter cut into pieces and mix, still with the spatula.
5
Transfer to a wide dish, press a sheet of cling film directly onto the surface and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The ganache should be firmer and thicker so it can be piped easily.
Decoration
Ingredients
- glacé chestnuts
- dried oranges
- crumble
- crispy pearls
- candied oranges
- chocolate ganache
Method
1
Transfer the orange cream to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1 cm (0.4 in) nozzle.
2
Pipe 3 cylinders of cream onto the brownie (2 side by side and a third above and in the middle of the 2 cylinders, as in the photo).
3
Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
4
Place the cake on a wire rack set over a wide dish (to catch the glaze).
5
Pour the chocolate glaze over the entire brownie, taking care to cover everything. It should set fairly quickly.
6
Transfer the ganache to a piping bag fitted with a plain 1 cm (0.4 in) nozzle.
7
Pipe balls of chocolate ganache onto the cake, on either side of the cream cylinders.
8
Place cubes of candied orange and pieces of glacé chestnut on top, along with the crispy crumble. You can also add a few decorative pearls if you wish.
9
Photos of the cakes made on the day of the workshop.
Gallery
