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A nutty petit four from Tom Aikens served prettily on a spoon with a scoop of chocolate mousse and chestnut cream - these walnut and chestnut chocolates are a must-have for a special winter celebration.
To make the anglaise, place the yolks in a bowl, add the sugar and cream together with a whisk. Infuse the milk, cream, coffee and a split and scraped vanilla pod for approximately 20 minutes. Pour the milk mixture onto the egg and sugar mix
Cook over a low heat until it reaches 85°C and then chill
3
To make the chocolate mousse, boil the sugar and glucose with the water and cook to the soft ball stage (112-116°C), when a blob of syrup dropped into water will form a very soft ball. Place the egg yolks in a bowl, pour over the syrup and whip up until light
To make the Italian meringue, bring the sugar, water and glucose to the boil and skim off any scum. When the sugar has reached 110°C, start to whisk the egg whites in a food processor with a whisk attachment
Bring the sugar to a soft boil. When it reaches 121°C, remove from the heat. Turn down the mixer and slowly add the boiled sugar to the egg whites. Beat until cool, for about 15 minutes
7
To make the walnut caramel, heat the sugar, glucose and the water until they form a caramel consistency
110g of caster sugar
15g of glucose
25ml of water
8
Coarsely chop and add the walnuts, then place onto a silicone baking mat to cool. When it has set hard, place in a blender and break down to a coarse crumb
To make the chestnut cream, mix 125g of the Anglaise and the chestnut purée together, then add 75g of the Italian meringue and the whipped cream, then the chopped chestnuts