Forest Floor: Deconstructed Chocolate-Pistachio Dessert - photo 1
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Forest Floor: Deconstructed Chocolate-Pistachio Dessert

Desserts Dishes for Special Occasions Fusion cuisine 120 min Medium 32 wyświetleń ~23.66 PLN - (0)
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Description

I invite you on a culinary journey to the heart of an enchanted forest, where nothing is what it seems. This dessert is a tribute to molecular cuisine, translated into the language of home cooking, so you can create magic on your own plate. "Forest Underbrush" is a composition of surprising textures and flavors: a crunchy, intensely chocolate "earth," a cloud-like, pistachio "moss," sweet and crispy meringue "mushrooms," and bursting "caviar" pearls of balsamic vinegar that look like drops of forest dew. The whole is complemented by aromatic mint oil. This is not an ordinary dessert; it is an experience that engages all the senses and serves as a spectacular finale to any festive dinner. Perfect for impressing guests and showing that modern cuisine is within reach.

Ingredients (18)

Servings:
4
  • Bitter chocolate 70% 50 g
  • Butter 30 g
  • Wheat flour type 450 55 g
  • Cukier drobny 65 g
  • Shelled, unsalted pistachios 30 g
  • Egg 1 szt.
  • Baking powder 2 g
  • Neutral vegetable oil 265 ml
  • Milk 3.2% 15 ml
  • Białko jaja 1 szt.
  • Powdered sugar 60 g
  • Lemon juice 2 ml
  • Balsamic vinegar 100 ml
  • Agar-agar 2 g
  • Fresh mint 1 pęczek
  • 🌿 Przyprawy
  • Kakao ciemne 15 g
  • Salt 0.0 szczypt
  • ✨ Opcjonalne
  • Edible flowers 5 g
💰 Szacowany koszt dania: ~23.66 PLN (5.91 PLN/porcję)

💡 Kliknij na składnik aby oznaczyć jako użyty

Preparation steps

Balsamic caviar - Preparation

1

Start by preparing the cold oil, which is key to forming the caviar. Pour 250 ml of neutral vegetable oil into a tall, narrow glass or jar. Place the container in the freezer for at least 30-45 minutes. The oil must be very cold, almost on the verge of freezing, but still liquid. The colder the oil, the more perfect and round your caviar pearls will be.

Ingredients: Neutral vegetable oil
It's best to use a glass that is at least 15 cm tall. The longer distance that the drop will have to travel in the cold oil will allow it to perfectly solidify into a ball shape. Don't skip this step - warm oil won't work!

Chocolate soil

2

In a bowl, combine the dry ingredients: 25g of all-purpose flour, 25g of granulated sugar, cocoa, and a pinch of salt. Mix them thoroughly with a whisk to avoid lumps. Add 30g of cold butter, cut into small cubes. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand or crumble. Finally, add the chopped dark chocolate and gently mix.

Ingredients: Wheat flour type 450, Cukier drobny, Kakao ciemne, Salt, Butter, Bitter chocolate 70%
Use cold butter straight from the fridge. Warm butter will melt and create a uniform dough instead of a crumbly mixture. Work quickly so that the butter doesn't warm up from the heat of your hands.
3

Spread the prepared crumble evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in an oven preheated to 160°C (fan mode) and bake for about 12-15 minutes. Halfway through baking, stir the crumble with a fork to ensure even cooking. The finished "soil" should be dry, crunchy, and fragrant. After baking, remove from the oven and let it cool completely on the baking sheet.

Be careful not to burn the crumble - due to its dark color, it's hard to notice when it's ready. Rely on the time and smell. Once cooled, it will become harder and crunchier.

Pistachio moss

4

In a high-power blender, place the shelled pistachios and grind them into a fine flour. Add 25g of sugar, 30g of wheat flour, and baking powder, then blend again until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with 15ml of milk and 15ml of oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones in the blender and blend just until you achieve a smooth, uniform mixture with an intense green color.

Ingredients: Shelled, unsalted pistachios, Cukier drobny, Wheat flour type 450, Baking powder, Egg, Milk 3.2%, Neutral vegetable oil
Do not blend the pistachios for too long, as they will start to release oil and turn into a paste. If you don't have a blender, you can use a coffee grinder to grind the pistachios and then mix everything by hand with a whisk.
5

Take 4 paper cups for drinks. Make 3-4 small cuts at the bottom of each with a knife (this will allow steam to escape). Fill each cup with batter to about 1/3 of its height. Place the cups in the microwave and cook on high power (e.g., 800W) for 45-60 seconds. The batter will rise very quickly, creating a spongy, porous structure. After removing, immediately turn the cups upside down and place them on a cooling rack. This will prevent the cake from sinking.

Do not fill the cups more than 1/3, the cake will triple in volume! Cooking time may vary depending on the power of the microwave - start with 45 seconds. The finished cake should be springy to the touch.

Meringue Mushrooms

6

In a perfectly clean and dry metal or glass bowl, place the egg white. Start beating it with a mixer on medium speed. When the foam begins to form and turns white, add a few drops of lemon juice. Then, without stopping the beating, add the powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time, taking short breaks between each addition. Once all the sugar is added, increase the mixer speed to the highest setting and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until the foam is very thick, stiff, and shiny. When you remove the beaters from the foam, a stiff, non-collapsing peak should form.

Ingredients: Białko jaja, Powdered sugar, Lemon juice
The bowl and utensils must be absolutely free of fat; otherwise, the egg whites won't whip. Even a tiny bit of yolk can ruin the meringue. Patience when adding sugar is key for a stable foam.
7

Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip (about 0.5 cm in diameter). On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, pipe small portions of meringue. To form the "hats" of the mushrooms, pipe small round blobs about 1-1.5 cm in diameter. To form the "stems," hold the piping bag vertically and pipe small cones, pulling the tip away quickly in an upward motion. Place the meringues in an oven preheated to 100°C (convection) and dry for about 30-40 minutes. They should be dry and crispy on the outside and easily come off the paper. After this time, turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool completely.

If you don't have a piping bag, you can use a sturdy ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Drying at a low temperature is key to keeping the meringues white and not browned.

Balsamic caviar - Creation

8

In a small saucepan, place balsamic vinegar, 15g of sugar, and agar-agar. Mix thoroughly with a whisk to avoid lumps. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid comes to a boil. Cook for exactly 1 minute, continuing to stir. Remove from heat and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to cool slightly. Take a glass of very cold oil out of the freezer. Draw the warm balsamic liquid into a syringe or pipette and slowly, drop by drop, release it into the cold oil. The drops will immediately solidify upon contact with the cold, forming small pearls, and will sink to the bottom.

Ingredients: Balsamic vinegar, Cukier drobny, Agar-agar
Use a syringe without a needle or a pipette for the best control over droplet size. Do not drop the droplets too quickly, as they may stick together. If the liquid in the saucepan starts to set, you can gently reheat it.

Balsamic caviar - Finishing

9

When you have used all the balsamic liquid, gently pour the contents of the glass through a fine mesh strainer to separate the caviar from the oil. You can keep the oil for another use (e.g., for salads). Rinse the caviar pearls very gently under cold running water to remove excess oil. Carefully dry them on a paper towel. Store in the refrigerator in a small, closed container until serving.

Be very gentle when rinsing and drying the caviar, the pearls are quite delicate. It's best to prepare the caviar on the day of serving, as it is freshest then and has the best texture.

Peppermint oil

10

Separate the mint leaves from the stems. Prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. In a small pot, bring water to a boil and add the mint leaves for 15 seconds (blanching process). Immediately remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice-cold water for 30 seconds to stop the cooking process and preserve the vibrant color. Thoroughly dry the leaves on a paper towel. Place the blanched mint in a blender with 50 ml of neutral oil and a pinch of salt. Blend on high speed for 1-2 minutes until the oil becomes smooth and intensely green. Strain the oil through a very fine sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter to remove any particles.

Ingredients: Fresh mint, Neutral vegetable oil, Salt
Blanching and shocking in cold water are crucial for preserving the beautiful green color of the oil. Don't skip this step! Patiently wait for the oil to drain through the filter on its own - do not squeeze it, as it will become cloudy.

Final assembly

11

On four plates (preferably dark to highlight the colors), sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons of chocolate soil, creating an irregular base. Gently tear the cooled pistachio moss into smaller, irregular pieces with your fingers and spread them over the chocolate soil. Next, "assemble" the meringue mushrooms - you can attach the cap to the stem with a bit of melted chocolate or thick icing (if necessary) and arrange them artistically on the plate.

The composition should resemble a real forest floor, so embrace artistic chaos. Don't arrange everything symmetrically. Play with form and space on the plate.
12

Finally, decorate the dessert. Using a small teaspoon, scatter the balsamic caviar pearls on the plate - they will look like dewdrops or forest berries. Drizzle everything with a few drops of intensely green mint oil. If you are using edible flowers, arrange them gently in a few places for added color and elegance. Serve immediately to preserve all the texture contrasts.

Ingredients: Edible flowers
The most important moment is the surprise when guests discover that each part of the dessert has a different, unexpected flavor. Serve with pride - you have just created a culinary masterpiece!

Fun Fact

💡

The technique of creating "caviar," known as spherification, was popularized by the legendary chef Ferran Adrià in his restaurant elBulli. It revolutionized the culinary world by allowing liquids to be encapsulated in delicate, gel-like membranes, leading to incredible bursts of flavor in the mouth.

Best for

Uroczysta kolacja Rocznica Wieczór degustacyjny Kiedy chcesz zaimponować gościom

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve the dessert on flat, dark plates (e.g., slate or black ceramic) that will beautifully showcase the colors of the composition. A glass of sweet dessert wine, such as Recioto, or a cup of espresso, which will enhance the flavor of the chocolate, will pair well with the dessert.

🥡 Storage

Individual components can be prepared in advance. Store the chocolate soil and meringues for up to 3 days in airtight containers at room temperature. Keep the mint oil and caviar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The pistachio moss is best on the day of preparation, but it can be stored in an airtight container for one day. Assemble the dessert just before serving.

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