White chocolate pavé with whisky and Brazil nut praline

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Rosana shares her recipe for the 2014 Godiva Chocolate Challenge competition; a creamy white chocolate dessert based on Godiva's Praliné Brésilienne.

First published in 2015

You might have noticed that there are a few chocolate recipes on my blog. No, that's no coincidence, I am a chocolate lover! So much so that I went on a chocolate tour on Chocolate Week last year and on another occasion I took part in a chocolate tasting masterclass. Godiva is one of my favourite brands and I enjoy eating their dark chocolate bars. So to challenge myself I decided to enter the truly scrumptious 2014 Godiva Chocolate Challenge competition in the UK and cook with white chocolate for a change.

The competition: Conjure up a truly magical chocolate dessert, tick, inspired by Godiva, tick, and you could be on your way to Brussels to visit Godiva’s famous Chocolate Atelier, yes please! What’s more, your dessert will have a pride of place on the menu for a whole week at the exclusive restaurant HIX Soho, now that's a dream... that can come true!

So be creative, be daring, be different, tick, tick, tick. Four finalists will prepare their recipes for the judges (now that is scary!), restaurateur Mark Hix, food critic William Sitwell, chef Juliette Nothomb and head chocolatier Thierry Muret. And then the taste off begins…

This recipe is based on their Praliné Brésilienne, but I'm adding a twist inspired by my own heritage. I transformed the truffle into a Brazilian dessert called pavé, using a Brazil nut praline, instead of a hazelnut one, adding orange for flavour and a touch of alcohol. The latter can be left out, if desired. Pavé consists of layers of biscuits (Marie or any similar to Rich teas) or ladyfingers, cream and condensed milk and more cream on top. Usually, it's made with condensed milk, but I left that ingredient out. Also, it's traditionally served in a family size dish. I must warn you, this is not a dessert for the health conscious. This is an indulgent dish, perfect for when you need a treat!

Find out more about the 2015 competition.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Praline

  • 100g of caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp of water
  • 50g of Brazil nuts, finely chopped

Pavé

Biscuit layer

  • 300g of ladyfinger biscuits, (about 2 packets)
  • 10ml of whisky
  • 4ml of orange blossom essence
  • 1 tsp water

To serve

  • 1 tbsp of Brazil nuts, finely chopped
  • strawberries, dipped in melted white chocolate (optional)

Method

1
Start by making the praline. Line a baking tray with baking paper ready for the hot praline to set on
2
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over a low heat and stir for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to high, and bring to the boil without stirring, until the mixture turns golden (300°C on a sugar thermometer)
3
Remove from the heat and set aside for 3 minutes to allow the bubbles to subside. Add the chopped Brazil nuts and pour the caramel out on to the prepared tray. Allow the praline to cool and set, then break up or chop into small pieces ready for the dessert
4
For the pavé, melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie with a sprig of thyme then let it cool slightly and discard the sprig of thyme. In a very clean and grease-free bowl, whisk the the egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside
5
In another bowl, beat the egg yolks, butter and caster sugar until creamy. Scrape in the vanilla seeds from the pod, add the double cream and beat well to combine
6
Stir in the cooled melted white chocolate to the egg yolk mixture, then gently fold in the beaten egg whites until fully incorporated. Divide the mixture in two and mix in the chopped praline to one half
7
For the biscuit layers, mix together the whisky, orange blossom essence and water in a small bowl. Brush the ladyfinger biscuits one by one with the mixture and use these to line your chosen serving dish (one large dish or individual glasses, if doing individual portions, it may be easier to break the biscuits in half to fit)
8
Cover the biscuits with a layer of the praline cream, then another biscuit layer. Add a layer of the plain cream, then more biscuits, then the praline cream. Continue until all the mixture is used, ideally finishing with the plain cream. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 4 hours to firm up
9
Serve chilled. I decorated mine with dusting of extra chopped Brazil nuts and strawberries dipped in melted white chocolate
First published in 2015

Brazilian food and travel blogger, living in London.

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