AYCH EL SARAYA WITH BLACK CHOCOLATE
BY CHRISTOPHE TORBAY
Makes 6 pieces 8cm in diameter | Prep/cooking time 1hr 10 mins
Refrigeration 6-8hrs
INGREDIENTS |
For the black chocolate mascarpone cream
• 25g caster sugar
• 50g dark chocolate with 70% of cocoa
• 250ml fresh liquid cream
• 250g Mascarpone (Italian cream cheese)
For pocket apples with cardamom
• 4 peeled apples
• 1L water
• 500g white sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tsp vanilla powder
For syrup
• 200ml syrup used for apple poaching
• 200g sugar
• Orange blossom water
For assembly
• 18 slices bread
• Crushed hazelnuts
PREPARATION |
For the chocolate-mascarpone cream:
1. Chop the chocolate with a knife then put in a bowl.
2. Pour the fresh cream over the sugar in a saucepan and mix well with a whisk. Put the pan over a low fire until the mixture boils.
3. Then, set the pan aside, pour the hot cream on the chopped chocolate while hand-whisking the mix till the chocolate is completely melted. Set
aside to cool.
4. Keep the bowl 6 to 8 hours in the refrigerator. Before being used, the preparation should have a temperature of 4ºC.
5. Peel and slice the apples. Pour the sugar into a large saucepan, add water and mix. Add the apples and spices,then heat the water on a low fire for
20 minutes. Once cooked, place them in an airtight container and allow to cool at room temperature.
6. The next day, pour the refrigerated cream into a bowl and whisk using an electric stand mixer at medium speed until it is almost firm but still
frothy.
7. Put the Mascarpone in a bowl and whisk it until it attains a creamy consistency. Using a spatula, remove 1/3 of the whipped cream and gently
mix it with the Mascarpone. Then,pour the Mascarpone mixture over the rest of the cream and mix until the spread becomes homogeneous before
storing it in the refrigerator.
8. Preheat oven to 200ºC. Using an 8cm diameter pastry cutter wheel, draw circles in each slice of bread. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 7-8
minutes. Allow time to cool.
9. Collect 200ml poached apple syrup and pour into a saucepan. Add 200g of white sugar, orange blossom water and mix. Heat over medium flame and allow to boil for 2 minutes.
10. Put the chocolate-Mascarpone mix in a creamer with a smooth-tip nut head.
11. On a serving platter, place a slice of bread and soak it with the syrup using a syrup brush. Place a piece of apple in the center and decorate each piece
of the outer rim with small round cream puffs. When finished, repeat once more.
12. Top it off with a slice of bread over the cream on each piece. Sprinkle all the cakes with crushed hazelnuts then refrigerate until ready to serve.
