Raspberries and chocolate go well together and here chocolate is found in three different preparations, helping balance and accentuate at the same time the freshness, fruitiness and sharpness of the fruit.
Ingredients (serves 4)
For the chocolate cream
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 100g caster sugar
- 40g corn flour
- 500ml full fat milk
- 75g dark chocolate (72% or 80% cocoa solids)
For the caramelized puff pastry
- 1 ready rolled puff pastry, 320g
- 100 g Icing sugar
For the chocolate ganache
- 50g dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 75ml double cream
To serve:
- 250g fresh raspberries
- Chocolate shavings
Method
You will need two baking trays one fitting onto the other and two silicone mats or two pieces of baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/430°F/gas 7.
Unpack the pastry and lay onto a baking tin lined with either baking paper or a silicone mat. Spray the pastry with a little water and dust with half the icing sugar. Place the second mat or baking sheet over the pastry and top with the second baking tray.
Bake the pastry in the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes. Take it out of the oven, remove the top tray and turn the pastry over. Sprinkle with a little more sugar, cover again, top with the second tray and bake for a further 10 minutes. When ready, it should be a deep golden colour. Leave to go cool. Trim if necessary and cut into twelve equal pieces.
To make the chocolate cream, heat the milk and the chocolate in a pan. Stir to melt the chocolate.
Put the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk till light and fluffy. Add the corn flour continuing whisking. Pour the hot milk to the mix slowly while whisking all the time and return the whole thing back to the saucepan. Cook over medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon continuously to a thick, smooth, glossy cream consistency. Transfer the cream to a flat tin, lay a piece of plastic film on its surface to stop it forming a skin and leave to cool. When cool, transfer the cream to a bowl, whisk till smooth and glossy and spoon into a piping bag. Keep in the fridge till required.
For the chocolate ganache, bring the double cream to the boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Leave for 30 seconds to soften. Whisk to a smooth and glossy ganache. Spoon into a piping bag.
To assemble, the 12 pieces of pastry should give you 4 millefeuille of 3 pastry pieces each. For each millefeuille, lay a piece of pastry on a plate. Cut a small hole into the piping bag, approx. ½ cm and pipe the cream in a zigzag movement covering all the surface of the pastry.
Cut two thirds of the raspberries in half. Lay the half raspberries on top of the cream and lay the second piece of pastry on. Repeat with the cream and the raspberries. Lay the 3rd piece of pastry on. Pipe the cream as before and decorate with whole raspberries this time. Cut a small hole in the chocolate ganache bag and drizzle over the raspberries. Sprinkle with the chocolate flakes and serve.
If the ganache has hardened, place the piping bag in a mug of hot water to make the consistency runny again.