1.
Chocolate raspberry pop delight
Preparation time:3 hours (+ setting time) Cooking time:40 mins Serves:4
Ingredients
100g dark cooking chocolate, melted Raspberries and halved strawberries, to serve Biscuit base 60g choc ripple biscuits 20g unsalted butter, melted Chocolate mousse 50g dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids) 1 egg 30g caster sugar 150ml thickened cream 1 tsp vanilla extract 3/4 tsp powdered gelatine 2 tbsp chocolate pop rocks Raspberry mousse 1 egg 30g caster sugar. 2 tsp raspberry liqueur 1/2 tsp raspberry essence 1/2 tsp pink food coloring 150ml thickened cream. 3/4 tsp gelatin powder
2 tsp water Raspberry coulis 100g frozen Raspberries 50g Sugar 2 tsp lemon juice Chocolate Raspberry Macaroons 80g egg whites 10g caster sugar 2 tbs water 100g almond meal 100g icing sugar mixture Red gel food colouring Macaroon filling 250g dark Chocolate (70%) 50g dark chocolate (50%) 150ml thickened cream 2 tbsp raspberry Jam Pop rock crumbs 50g chocolate pop rocks, crushed to form crumbs 50g plain neutral/unflavoured) pop rocks, crushed to form crumbs
Method
1. Place the four perspex tubes on a tray lined with baking paper. 2. To make biscuit base, process ingredients to form crumbs. Divide among perspex tubes, pressing over base. 3. To make chocolate mousse, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until smooth. Cool slightly. Beat egg and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Add cream and vanilla. Beat until thick. Add melted chocolate. Beat until combined. Dissolve gelatine in 2 teaspoons of hot water (not boiling). Stir into mousse mixture. Divide among tubes over biscuit base. Sprinkle with pop rocks. Refrigerate. 4. To make raspberry mousse, beat egg and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until pale and thick. Add liqueur, essence and colouring. Beat to combine. Add cream. Beat until thick. Dissolve gelatine in 2 teaspoons of hot water (not boiling). Stir into mousse. Divide among perspex tubes over chocolate layer. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
5. To make coulis, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan on low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture is soft. Push through a fine sieve. 6. When mousse is set, cut tape and peel away perspex. 7. To make chocolate-lace collars for mousse, drizzle remaining strips of perspex widthways with melted chocolate. Wrap around mousse, chocolate-side in. Secure with sticky tape. Refrigerate until set. Gently cut tape and remove perspex. 8. To make macaroons, line two oven trays with silicone mats or baking paper. 9. Beat half the egg whites with an electric mixer to form soft peaks. Stir sugar and water in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves and forms a syrup. Bring to 118C. With motor operating, gradually add hot sugar syrup to beaten egg whites, in a thin steady stream, to form a thick, glossy meringue. 10. Sift almond meal and icing sugar into a metal bowl. Stir in remaining egg whites. Fold in meringue in two batches. Fold in enough food colouring to tint mixture pink. 11. Using a piping bag fitted with a 1cm nozzle, pipe mixture into 3cm rounds on prepared tray. Stand at room temperature for 30 minutes or until mixture feels dry to touch and has formed a skin. 12. Preheat oven to 150C. Bake macaroons for 15 minutes. Cool on tray. 13. To make macaroon filling, stir all ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until smooth and combined. Refrigerate until thick enough to spread or pipe. Sandwich macaroons with filling. 14. To serve, place mousse in centre of serving plate. Top with a macaroon and raspberry. Dot plate with coulis and garnish with a raspberry and strawberry half. Sprinkle with pop rock crumbs.
Notes
Tips: - Gel or paste food colouring is a highly concentrated form of colouring. It is available from cake decorating suppliers and specialty stores. - You will need eight 5cm x 23cm pieces of food-grade perspex to make this recipe. Roll half of the pieces to form four 6cm-diameter tubes for the mousse. Secure with sticky tape. Remaining pieces can be left flat to make the chocolate lace collars. - Pop rocks are a carbonated candy which 'pops' in your mouth. We got ours from The Essential Ingredient in Rozelle Sydney.