Bitter Chocolate And Pumpkin Recipe
medium
Ingredients
- 200g of caster sugar
- 500g of pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 200ml of water
- 3g of flaky sea salt
- 40ml of cider vinegar
- 450g of caster sugar
- 200g of egg yolk
- 1l whole milk
- 40g of ice cream stabiliser, (Simon uses Stab 2000 Ice Cream Stabilizer)
- 300g of 54% dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 300ml of double cream
- 90g of egg white
- 270g of caster sugar
- 30g of liquid glucose
- 130ml of water
- 100g of egg yolk
- 180g of fondant icing sugar
- 80g of liquid glucose
- 80g of 54% dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 200g of caster sugar
- 200g of pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 60ml of rapeseed oil
- 40ml of water
- 3g of flaky sea salt
- 750g of pumpkin, peeled and finely diced
- 350g of maple syrup
- 300g of apple balsamic vinegar, (Simon uses Willy’s)
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- 100g of pumpkin seeds
- 200ml of water
- 100g of caster sugar
- cocoa nibs
- lemon sorrel or a sweet flavoured herb, such as basil
Method · 2 h 30 min
- The day before you want to serve, make the pumpkin ice cream base. To make a pumpkin caramel, make a dry caramel by placing the sugar in a small saucepan and heat until darkly golden. Carefully add the pumpkin and water and cook until soft, stirring occasionally
- Blend the pumpkin caramel until smooth then pass through a sieve into a clean saucepan. Season with the salt and vinegar, then weigh out 400g for the ice cream and transfer the rest to a piping bag and keep in the fridge until needed
- To make the custard for the ice cream, whisk together the sugar and yolks in a large heatproof bowl
- Place the milk and stabiliser in a saucepan with the 400g of pumpkin caramel and bring to the boil, then gradually pour the milk over the sugar and yolks, whisking constantly. Mix to combine, then return to a clean pan and cook until it reaches 83°C, stirring constantly, then pour into a container to cool
- Use a handheld blender to blend the custard to remove any lumps, then pass through a sieve and freeze in Pacojet containers for 24 hours at -20°C (or chill overnight before churning in an ice cream machine)
- The next day, make the chocolate mousse. First, make a chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to the boil, then pour over the chocolate. Leave for 30 seconds then mix to combine
- Next, make a meringue. In a stand mixer, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. In a saucepan, heat 120g of the sugar, the liquid glucose and 30ml of the water to 121°C, then pour the sugar into the egg whites in a steady, thin stream with the whisk running until the meringue forms and has cooled down
- To make a pâte à bombe, place the remaining 150g of the sugar and 100ml of the water in a pan and cook until it reaches 121°C while you whip the egg yolks in a stand mixer until pale. While continuing to whip, carefully pour in the sugar syrup over the yolks and whip until cool and the mixture is forming ribbons
- Fold the pâte à bombe into the chocolate mix with a rubber spatula until combined, then fold in the meringue. Pour into a container and allow to set in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (you could do this the day before and set overnight)
- To make the chocolate tuile, heat the fondant sugar and liquid glucose in a saucepan until it reaches 160°C. Add the chocolate and mix until smooth, then pour onto a nonstick mat or a baking sheet lined with baking paper and allow to cool completely
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Break the cooled mixture into small pieces and blend into a fine powder. Dust it evenly onto a nonstick mat or a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake until melted. Allow to cool, then break into usable pieces and set aside at room temperature until needed
- To make the pumpkin seed praline, first make a no-colour caramel by placing the sugar in a small saucepan and heating to 165°C. Carefully pour the caramel onto a nonstick mat or a baking sheet lined with baking paper and allow to cool
- Once cool, place in a blender and blend with the pumpkin seeds, oil and water into a smooth paste, then add the salt. Set aside until needed
- For the pumpkin maple chutney, mix all the ingredients together in a saucepan and cook until the pumpkin is cooked through and the liquid has reduced and is tacky. Set aside until needed
- For the crispy pumpkin seeds, heat a pan of oil or a deep-fat fryer to 180°C. Add the seeds, water and sugar to a separate pan, bring to the boil then reduce until syrupy and sticky. Drain off the liquid, deep-fry until crispy, then drain on kitchen paper. Set aside until needed
- To serve, Pacotize the ice cream if needed, or just remove it from the freezer for a few minutes to soften. Use a warm spoon to add rochers of the chocolate mousse to the centre of each plate, then do the same with the ice cream
- Top the chocolate mousse with a sprinkle of cocoa nibs. Add a smaller spoonful of the pumpkin chutney, then garnish with the seeds, praline, dots of pumpkin caramel and the chocolate tuiles and finish with lemon sorrel or basil
2 hours 30 minutes plus setting and chilling time
Simon Hulstone brings together sweet pumpkin and bitter chocolate in this dessert of contrasting textures. A classic chocolate mousse is accompanied by a pumpkin caramel ice cream, chocolate tuile, a pumpkin seed praline, a tangy pumpkin chutney and crispy fried pumpkin seeds. The many expressions of pumpkin here provide layers of flavour that will completely delight your guests.
PUMPKIN CARAMEL
PUMPKIN ICE CREAM
CHOCOLATE TUILE
PUMPKIN SEED PRALINE
PUMPKIN MAPLE CHUTNEY
CRISPY PUMPKIN SEEDS
TO SERVE
Pacojet or ice cream maker
Temperature probe
Piping bags
Non-stick baking mat
