I’ve been exploring new ways to make chocolate soups. In particular, I wanted to find a way to remove the fat and keep a full, deep chocolate flavor, and I thought it would be interesting to contrast cold white chocolate with warm dark chocolate. I’ve succeeded in this recipe, which is a play on temperatures, textures, and techniques. A scale is essential for this recipe. You will also need a hotel pan and a perforated hotel pan, both half size. You can get these online from BigTray. The technique of clarifying the soup base by freezing and slow defrosting comes from Wylie Dufresne of wd-50 in Manhattan and Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck in England.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 on it¿s own or 8 as part of fourplay
Ingredients
For the White Chocolate Consommé
For the Dark Chocolate Consommé
To Serve
Preparation
For the White Chocolate Consommé
Step 1
Day 1: Set up an ice bath in a large bowl.
Step 2
Soften the gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Squeeze out the water and set the gelatin aside in a strainer.
Step 3
Bring the 1,333g water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chocolate and whisk until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin. Mix with an immersion blender and pour into a medium bowl. Set into the ice bath to chill down quickly. Once cool, pour into a half-size hotel pan and freeze overnight.
Step 4
Day 2: Early in the day, line a half-size perforated hotel pan with several layers of cheesecloth. Unmold the frozen block into it (in the restaurant, we use a blowtorch on the back of the pan to release the consommé quickly; at home you could set the pan into a sink of hot water) and set the perforated pan into the hotel pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 36 hours.
Step 5
Day 3: Set up an ice bath in a large bowl. Line a strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and pass the flavored water from the bottom of the hotel pan through it. Discard all the solids. Weigh 500 g of the flavored water. Pour the flavored water into a blender and add the gellan F a few grains at a time. Pour into a saucepan and heat to 190°F. Return to the blender and add the calcium lactate a few grains at a time. Pour into a medium bowl and set into the ice bath. Stir constantly until cooled and set. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
For the Dark Chocolate Consommé
Step 6
Day 1: Set up an ice bath in a large bowl.
Step 7
Soften the gelatin in a bowl of cold water. Squeeze out the water and set the gelatin aside in a strainer.
Step 8
Bring the 1,920 g water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chocolate and whisk until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin. Mix with an immersion blender and pour into a medium bowl. Set into the ice bath to chill down quickly. Once cool, pour into a half-size hotel pan and freeze overnight.
Step 9
Day 2: Early in the day, line a half-size perforated hotel pan with several layers of cheesecloth. Unmold the frozen block into it and set the perforated pan over the hotel pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 36 hours.
Step 10
Day 3: Set up an ice bath in a large bowl. Line a strainer with several layers of cheesecloth and pass the flavored water from the bottom of the hotel pan through it. Discard all the solids. Weigh 500 g of the flavored water. Pour the flavored water into a blender and add the gellan F and gellan LT 100 a few grains at a time. Pour into a saucepan and heat to 190°F. Return to the blender and add the calcium lactate a few grains at a time, then add the glucose. Pour into a medium bowl and set into the ice bath. Stir constantly until cooled and set. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
To Serve
Step 11
Shear the consommés—you’re slicing through the gels—with an immersion blender, keeping the blender under the surface to avoid making air bubbles. (In the restaurant, we remove any resulting air bubbles in the Cryovac machine.)
Step 12
Put the dark chocolate consommé in a saucepan and bring it to just under a simmer over low heat. Don’t heat it more than this, or the consommé will set.
Step 13
Fill each glass about one-third full with the dark chocolate consommé. Float the white chocolate consommé on top (pour it slowly over the back of a spoon). Garnish with a few chocolate pearls.
Step 14
Leftovers will keep for 2 days in the refrigerator.
