Choux au craquelin with Itakuja chocolate and pistachio

Procedimento

Chocolate craquelin 

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment work together all the ingredients until obtain an homogeneous dough.
2. Roll out the dough between two parchment paper or guitar sheets to a thickness of 2-3mm and place in the freezer for 1h.
3. Remove the craquelin from the freezer and cut out 11 circles (6 cm wide) with a round mould cutter. Store in the freezer until needed.

Chocolate choux pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C, regular mode. Line a perforated baking tray with perforated silicone baking mat. Leave marks with a 6 cm round mould cutter, slightly "dirty" with flour. Leave some space between the tracks.
2. Sieve the flour with the cocoa powder in a bowl.
3. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to boil. Once the mixture is boiling, remove from the heat and add the sifted flour-cocoa powder mix in one motion and stir with a wooden spoon. Return the saucepan to the heat and on a medium-low heat continue to stir until the mixture comes together to form a roux and the surface has a slightly oily sheen (approximately 2 minutes). To test if it is ready, take a piece of the roux in your hand and roll it into a ball to feel the texture. It if doesn't stick to your hand it is ready.
4. Remove from the heat, transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on a medium-low speed to cool down the roux (50-60°C).
5. Place the eggs into a bowl and break up by hand. Very slowly, start to add the eggs to the mixture. Ensure the eggs and dough are well combined before adding more eggs. You might not use all of the eggs, it depends on how firm or soft the choux dough is. Check the consistency by holding a spoonful of the dough on its side, if it slowly moves and starts to slide off the spoon it is the correct consistency. If the dough does not move, add more eggs.
6. When the dough is ready and has a shiny, creamy and elastic consistency, transfer it to a disposable piping bag fitted with 14mm round nozzle and pipe the choux pastry into the marks, holding the bag vertically. Cover the leftover dough with clingfilm to prevent dryness.
7. Place each craquelin circle on top of the choux and bake to 190°C for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170°C and continue to bake for 30 minutes to dry them out. Do not open the oven at this stage, otherwise the choux will collapse.

1. Soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl of cold water.
2. Heat the milk with the heavy cream in a saucepan without boiling. Place the egg yolks, caster sugar and cornstarch into a bowl and mix together with a fine whisk. Pour the hot milk-cream mix into the egg yolks-sugar-cornstarch mix in three times, stirring constantly with the whisk. Return to the same saucepan, place back on the heat and cook to 82-85 ̊C, stirring constantly with the whisk until the cream is firm.
3. Pour the cream into a bowl, add the drained gelatin sheets and stir to melt it. Add the pistachio paste and combine well with the whisk.
4. Pour the cream into a measuring cup and emulsify with a hand blender, without adding air, to obtain a velvety, smooth texture. When the cream is 35- 40°C, add the butter and emulsify again.
5. Transfer the cream into a disposable piping bag and pipe into the globe shaped silicone moulds (4,5 cm wide) and freeze for at least 2h.

Itakuja 55% dark chocolate crémeux

1. Melt the dark chocolate in microwave to 45-50°C.
2. To make the anglaise, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan without boiling. In a bowl mix together the egg yolks with the Dulcita brown sugar. Pour the hot mixture over the egg yolks in three times, mix with a whisk and then return the mixture to the same saucepan. Heat this to 82-85°C, stirring continuously with a spatula, then strain.
3. Pour the anglaise over the melted chocolate, in three times, stirring with a spatula just to obtain a velvety, glossy cream.
4. Pour the cream into a mixing glass or a measuring cup and mix with the hand blender to obtain the best and most silky smooth consistency.
5. Pour the cream in a bowl, cover with clingfilm touching the surface of the cream and place in the fridge for 12h or overnight.

Pistachio praline paste

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C, convection mode. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and distribuite the coarsely chopped pistachios. Put in the oven for 8-10 min to toast.
2. Heat the sugar in a saucepan until it melts and caramelizes, then pour over the toasted nuts and set aside to cool down and harden.
3. Break in large chops the caramelized nuts and place into a food processor. Add the salt and mix until obtain a creamy paste. Be careful to not overheat the praline paste, otherwise it gets bitter.
4. Fill 11 half spheres shaped silicone moulds (3 cm wide) with the praline paste and freeze for at least 2h. Store the leftover praline paste into an airtight container, away from the light and to room temperature.

Cocoa powder mirror glaze 

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in 64 g cold water for at least 10 min.
2. Heat the first 7 ingredients in a saucepan to 104°C.
3. Remove from the heat and add in the sifted cocoa powder and mix with a whisk. Heat again to 104°C.
4. Pour in a bowl, cover with clingfilm pressed on top of the glaze and set aside to cool down. Once the glaze is 70°C, pour into a measuring cup or mixing glass, add in the soaked gelatin sheets and the Absolu Cristal and emulsify with the hand blender, without adding air.
5. Strain the glaze and cover with clingfilm pressed on top of the glaze and put in the fridge for 12h or overnight.
6. Heat the glaze in microwave until the edges start to melt. Emulsify with the hand blender, so that the centre begins to melt too. Keep the blade of the hand blender on the bottom of the mixing glass, to avoid air.
7. Once the glaze is 35-38°C, cover the frozen individual pistachio crémeux. Place them over the tempered Bahibé 46% milk chocolate discs and put in the fridge.

Assembly and decoration

1. With a small serrated knife cut the top of each choux to create a round hole (a little over 3 cm wide). Insert the frozen half sphere of pistachio praline paste.
2. Transfer the Itakuja crémeux into a disposable piping bags and fill the choux, so that cover the pistachio praline paste and the choux are heavy enough.
3. Place at the centre of the summit of each choux the pistachio crémeux, using a small palette knife. The holes will be closed. Finish the decoration with pansy flowers.