
Bittersweet
Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Sable Cookie
By Chef Thomas Keller,
The French Laundry, Yountville, CA
Wine
Pairing: Grappa de
Luce
Servings:
Makes 6
Servings
Fondant
Ingredients:
1 Egg White
1/4 cup Sugar
7 tbls. (3 1/2 oz.) Butter (very soft)
5 1/2 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate (melted and kept hot in
a metal bowl)
2 tbls. Coffee (hot, strong brewed)
3 Egg Yolks
2/3 cup Heavy Cream (whipped to soh peaks)
1/4 cup Currants (soaked in hot water about 30 minutes
or until plump)
1/4 cup Almond Slices (toasted blanched, chopped)
Ganache
Ingredients:
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate (finely chopped, in a small
bowl)
Chocolate
Dentelle Ingredients:
1 cup Almond Slices (toasted blanched)
1 tbls. Cocoa
2 tbls. Milk
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tbls. Corn Syrup
6 tbls. (3 oz.) Butter
Sable
Cookie Ingredients:
14 tbls. (7 oz.) Butter
2/3 cup (4 1/2 oz.) Sugar
1 Egg Yolks
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz.) Flour
Method:
1. Although
the techniques involved in this recipe are not difficult,
it is imperative that the ingredients are assembled at
the proper temperatures. If not, it is likely that the
mixture will separate and if it does, you will not be
able to recombine it.
2.
Place 6 ring molds (2 inches wide by 2
inches high, with a 4 ounce capacity) on a parchment lined
sheet pan. At the end of the recipe you will use a blow-torch
to loosen the fondant from the sides of the molds. If
you do not have a blowtorch, line the inside of each ring
mold with a piece of clear acetate plastic to enable you
to lift off the ring before serving.
For
the Fondant:
1. In a
metal bowl, whisk the egg white until it begins to hold
a shape, then gradually whisk in the sugar. Continue to
whip until the meringue holds a shape, about 4-5 minutes.
2.
Place the softened butter in a bowl and
whisk until it is smooth and creamy. Add the coffee to
the chocolate and stir to combine. Remove the bowl from
over the heat and let the chocolate cool slightly, just
enough so that when you add the chocolate the butter will
combine with, rather that melt into the chocolate; it
should still be quite warm.
Working quickly, whisk in the egg yolks and then the butter.
With a spatula, fold in the meringue and then the heavy
cream. Add the currants and almonds, mixing just to combine.
3.
Spoon the fondant into the ring molds.
The mixture should come to the top of the molds. Using
an offset spatula, smooth the tops level with the rim
of the mold and refrigerate the fondants for at least
4 hours to firm or up to 5 days.
For
the Ganache:
1. Heat
the heavy cream and pour it over the chocolate. Let it
sit for a minute to melt the chocolate, then stir to combine
the ganache. Remove the fondants from the refrigerator
and top each one with a spoonful of glaze, smoothing it
to the rim of the mold. Refrigerate the molds for an hour
or up to 5 days before serving.
For
the Chocolate Dentelle:
1. Pulse
the nuts and cocoa in a food processor, then run the machine
until the nuts are in small pieces and "gravel-like"
in appearance. Remove to a bowl. Place the milk, sugar,
corn syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil,
stirring occasionally, and cook until the mixture reaches
a temperature of 220° F.
2.
Stir the hot milk mixture into the nuts.
Pour half the dentelle mixture between two sheets of parchment
paper and roll out as thinly as possible. Lift the dentelle
in the parchment and place the sheets on a pan and into
the freezer (it must be frozen to remove a sheet of the
parchment.) Repeat with the remaining dentelle batter.
These sheets each make about 24 cookies and can be kept
in the freezer for future use. For a smaller yield, just
cut through the parchment paper and store the dentelle
in smaller quantities.
To
Bake the Dentelle:
Remove the dentelle from the freezer, pull off and discard
the top sheet of parchment paper and place the cookies
(still on the bottom sheet of parchment) on a sheet pan
and into a 350° F oven for 12 minutes. Remove the
pan from the oven and let the dentelle cool slightly.
Cut the dentelle with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, then
cut each disc in half. If the cookies harden too quickly,
return them to the oven to resoften. Let the dentelle
cool, then store them in an airtight container. The baked
cookies do not freeze well but the uncooked dentelle sheets
can stay frozen for several weeks.
For
the Sable Cookies:
1. This
recipe will make about 8 dozen cookies. Extra baked cookies
can be frozen, but for better results, freeze the uncooked
dough. In a mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the butter
and sugar together until smooth. Add the yolk, beat well,
then mix in the flour until combined. Remove the dough
from the mixer and roll it between two pieces of parchment
paper into a thin sheet, about 1/16th inch thick. Place
the parchment wrapped dough in the freezer for an hour
or so to harden completely.
2.
Remove the sable from the freezer, place
the sheet of cookies on a cutting board, remove one piece
of parchment paper and cut rounds with the same diameter
as the fondant molds.
3.
Place the cookies on a silpat or parchment
lined sheet pan and bake at 350° F. for 12 minutes
or until golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven
and when they have cooled, store them in an air-tight
container. The sable can be made up to 5 days in advance.
For
the Creme Anglaise:
Mix the creme anglaise with the coffee extract and refrigerate.
To
Complete:
Place a sable cookie under each fondant. Briefly run a
blowtorch around the mold just to loosen and remove the
ring, or if you used acetate paper, just lift off the
ring.
Links
to more Thomas Keller Recipes:
Braised
Stuffed Pig’s Head with Sauce Gribiche
Bittersweet
Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Sable Cookie
Broccolini
Salad with Burrata Cheese - (new)
Buttermilk
Biscuits - (new)
Buttermilk
Fried Chicken - (new)
Creamy
Maine Lobster Broth, Russet Potato and Lobster Coral Gnocchi
Foie
Gras Infused Custard with White Wine Poached Anjou Pears
Iceberg
Lettuce Slices with Blue Cheese Dressing, Oven-Roasted
Tomatoes, Bacon, and Brioche Croutons - (new)
Leek
Bread Pudding - (new)
Milk
Poached Wild Turbot with "Foie Gras" and Sweet
Onion "Cracklings" and Foie Gras Emulsion
Nantes
Carrot Stew - (new)
Pig’s
Feet with French Green Lentils
Pork
and Beans
Sautéed
Gulf White Shrimp* with Jasmine Rice, Raisins and Spicy
Shrimp Broth
Scallion
Potato Cakes - (new)
“Surf
and Turf" Pan Roasted “Filet Mignon" of
Veal with a Maine Lobster “Pancake", Clam Shell
Mushrooms and Sauce “Homardine"
Sweet
Butter Braised Maine Lobster with Baby Arrow-leaf Spinach
and a Saffron-Vanilla Sauce
Other
Related Links:
Thomas
Keller: Ad Hoc at Home
Bringing
Home the Bacon
The
Great Chefs Series
Chef
Thomas Keller
Thomas
Keller Joins The Culinary Institute of America Board of
Trustees

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