Chocolate aero with dark chocolate mousse and salted caramel

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An elaborate take on a childhood-favourite chocolate bar, this chocolate dessert from chef Matt Worswick has balance from a rich chocolate mousse with a crunchy biscuit base, cooling yoghurt and a hit of salted caramel.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Yoghurt sorbet

  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 200ml of yoghurt
  • 300ml of stock syrup
  • 1g of malic acid

Smoked yoghurt

Biscuit base

Dark chocolate mousse

Aero

Tuile

Salted caramel

  • 250g of sugar
  • 50ml of water
  • 250ml of double cream
  • 50g of butter
  • 1 tsp sea salt

Equipment

  • Espuma gun
  • Vacuum bag and machine
  • Cold-smoker

Method

1
Start with the yoghurt elements. For the sorbet, mix all the ingredients together and churn in an ice cream machine until frozen
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 200ml of yoghurt
  • 300ml of stock syrup
  • 1g of malic acid
2
For the smoked yoghurt, place the Greek yoghurt in a muslin cloth, wrap up and place in the cold-smoker. Smoke for 3 hours on a low temperature, then chill in the fridge
3
Heat the milk and double cream together over a medium heat until reduced by half. Add in the chilled smoked yoghurt and heat through. When it reaches 72°C, mix in the agar and allow to set
  • 75g of double cream
  • 100g of milk
  • 1g of agar agar
4
Blitz the set mixture in food processor until smooth, then season with the lemon juice to taste
5
Make the biscuit base by blending the digestives with the melted chocolate in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs
6
Press the biscuit crumbs down firmly into the base of a tin or mould with a removable base (approx. 20cm x 5cm)
7
For the mousse, make a sabayon by whisking the egg, water and sugar in a bowl over simmering water (bain marie) until thickened. Remove from the heat and continue to whisk (in a standing mixer) until room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 40ml of water
  • 155g of sugar
8
Melt the dark chocolate in another bain marie, then pour on to the sabayon mixture
9
In a separate bowl, lightly whip the cream and milk together, then whisk half of this into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold the remaining half of the cream in until fully combined
  • 150ml of double cream
  • 100ml of milk
10
Pour this mixture into the tin or mould over the chocolate biscuit base, then chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or until ready to serve
11
To make the aero, melt the chocolate in a bain marie then stir in the vegetable oil. Place in a gas canister or espuma gun with 2 charges and siphon the foam into a plastic container (5cm deep)
12
Vacuum the container so that the air is pulled out of the chocolate, creating bubbles. Stop when the desired texture is achieved, then leave for the top to set
13
Make a decorative tuile by melting the Isomalt sugar and trimoline together to make a caramel, then add the chocolate and allow to cool slightly before pulling and stretching pieces into thin tuiles. Place on a flat surface or greaseproof paper to set completely
14
For the salted caramel, boil the sugar and water together in a pan to make a caramel. Slowly add the cream and bring back to the boil. Add the salt and whisk in the butter until smooth
  • 250g of sugar
  • 50ml of water
  • 250ml of double cream
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 50g of butter
15
When ready to serve, remove the mousse from the fridge and carefully unmould. Cut into small cubes and add 3 to each plate. Cut the aero in small pieces and add a few to the plate along with the decorative tuiles
16
Dot some of the smoked yoghurt and salted caramel on to the plate, and add a quenelle of the frozen sorbet. Sprinkle over some freeze-dried yoghurt and mint cress to garnish, if liked
First published in 2015

Matt Worswick has worked his way through some of the UK’s best restaurants, earning a Michelin star by the age of twenty-six. He now cooks bold, hearty plates with fantastic flavour at The Latymer in Surrey.

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