Recipe for sous vide blueberry ice cream

Ingredients

These ingredients results in 1000 grams of ice cream base and is roughly the quantity needed for a single run of most ice cream machines.

• 434 grams double cream (35% fat)
• 104 grams whole milk (3.4% fat)
• 68 grams skim milk powder
• 150 grams cream cheese or mascarpone
• 160 grams granulated sugar
• 84 grams egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 0.3 grams salt
• Biscuits of your choice (I use Dutch Bastogne cookies)

For the blueberry swirl:

• 225 grams blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 150 grams blueberries to dry (optional)
• 170 grams granulated sugar (I used unrefined cane sugar)
• 2.5 grams citric acid (or lemon juice)
• 1 gram of salt

Equipment

• Emersion circulator. I use an Anova, but any brand will do.
• Vacuum pouches + sealer. I use a fairly cheap vacuum sealer from Foodsaver.
• Waterbath, can be a large pan or plastic container.
• Saucepan to heat the cream and the swirl.
• Food dehydrator (optional), I use an WMF mini dehydrator.
• Ice cream churner, I use a Smart Scoop from Breville. Available as the Sage Smart Scoop in Europe.

Note on sous vide: This recipe can also be made non-sous vide if you have access to a food thermometer. Instead of heating the mixture in a water bath, heat the mixture on the stove and keep it for 25 minutes at 72 °C. Heating the mixture on the stove will result in more evaporation; to counter this, you can increase the amount of cream with 10%. I haven’t tested the non-sous vide version, let me know your results in the comments!

Perparing the base

1. Heat the water bath, set the circulator to 72 °C.
2. Combine sugar, eggs and salt. Add milk powder. Mix well.
3. Add the cream cheese.
4. Add the milk and cream.
5. Transfer the mixture to a vacuum bag.
6. Seal the bag and add it to the water bath.
7. Heat the mixture for 30 minutes at 72 °C.
8. Remove the bag from the water bath and transfer to a bowl with ice water. Cool the mixture as fast as possible. You can also cool the bag under running water in the sink.
9. Store the mixture in the bag in the fridge overnight.

Drying blueberries (optional)

Preferably, you don’t want to use whole fresh berries inside your ice cream base as these will freeze solid. One alternative way to add berries is to first dry them using a dehydrator. On the day that you make the ice cream, dehydrate 150 grams of blueberries at a low temperature in a dehydrator. After several hours they will look like raisins. After dehydration, you can add them to the swirl mixture.

If you don’t have a dehydrator, or want to skip this step to save time, you can skip the whole blueberries altogether or accept that they will freeze solid.

Making the swirl and churning the ice

Do this the next day, after the ice cream mix has chilled in the fridge overnight.

0. Pre-cool a storage container for the ice cream in the freezer. Crumble the cookies and also store in the freezer to cool.
1. Add the 225 grams of blueberries together with the sugar, citric acid and salt to a saucepan.
2. Slowly heat the berry mixture and, with a fork, crush the berries to the consistency of your liking.
3. Let the mixture slowly boil for a few minutes, making sure all sugar is dissolved. If you dehydrated berries, add them now. Remove from the heat and let cool.
4. Sieve the ice cream mixture and add one tablespoon of the vanilla extract by taste.
5. Churn the ice cream according to the instructions of your ice cream machine.
6. At the end of the churn, add the crumbled cookies.
7. After churning, quickly transfer the ice cream to a pre-cooled storage container. While transferring the ice cream, alternate with the blueberry swirl. Coarsely mix the swirl in the ice cream.
8. Let the ice cream harden in the freezer; this takes roughly 3 hours. If your freezer has a high setting, this is a good time to use it. The faster the ice cream freezes, the better.

Enjoy!

This recipe uses my preferred technique of heating the ice cream base sous vide. More info on this technique can be found in my post on sous vide ice cream base. It is possible to make this ice cream without a sous vide setup by adjusting the recipe, see below for more information.

Update March 1, 2020: After some experiments, I have updated the recipe. The new recipe has an improved texture and flavour release, compared to the old recipe. The main differences are the ratio of cream, milk and chocolate, and adding a tiny amount of salt.

Recipe for sous vide dark chocolate ice cream

Ingredients

These ingredients results in 950 grams of ice cream base and is roughly the quantity needed for a single run of most ice cream machines.

• 525 grams double cream (35% fat)
• 77 grams whole milk (3.4% fat)
• 35 grams skim milk powder
• 152 grams sugar (I used unrefined cane sugar, regular sugar also works)
• 86 grams egg yolks
• 76 grams cocoa mass
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 0.24 grams salt

Note on cocoa mass: The rich and non-sweet character of this ice cream is due to using cocoa mass instead of chocolate. I use cocoa mass from Callebaut, but it can be hard to find a supplier. Some alternatives are available through Amazon. If you cannot find cocoa mass, you can substitute it with high-cocoa chocolate (like 90%).

• Emersion circulator. I use an Anova, but any brand will do.
• Vacuum pouches + sealer. I use a fairly cheap vacuum sealer from Foodsaver.
• Waterbath, can be a large pan or plastic container.
• Saucepan to heat the cream.
• Stick blender (optional, but will result in smoother ice cream).
• Ice cream churner, I use a Smart Scoop from Breville. Available as the Sage Smart Scoop in Europe.

Note on sous vide: This recipe can also be made non-sous vide if you have access to a food thermometer. Instead of heating the mixture in a water bath, heat the mixture on the stove and keep it for 25 minutes at 72 °C. Heating the mixture on the stove will result in more evaporation; to counter this, you can increase the amount of cream with 10%. I haven’t tested the non-sous vide version, let me know your results in the comments!

Steps

1. Heat the water bath, set the circulator to 72 °C.
2. Add milk and cream to the saucepan, heat until around 70 °C. Don’t let the mixture boil.
3. Add the warm mixture to the chocolate, let the chocolate melt (about 1 minute).
4. Emulsify the cream-chocolate mixture with the stick blender. Try to minimize bubbles forming. If you don’t have a stick blender at hand, you can skip this step and use a whisk. If skipping, there is a chance that some small cocoa mass chunks will be in the ice cream.
5. Combine sugar, eggs and salt. Add milk powder. Mix well.
6. Slowly incorporate the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
7. Transfer the mixture to a vacuum bag.
8. Seal the bag and add it to the water bath.
9. Heat the mixture for 30 minutes at 72 °C.
10. Remove the bag from the water bath and transfer to a bowl with ice water. Cool the mixture as fast as possible. You can also cool the bag under running water in the sink.
11. Store the mixture in the bag in the fridge overnight.
12. The next day, sieve the mixture and add one tablespoon of the vanilla extract by taste.
13. Churn the ice cream according to the instructions of your ice cream machine.
14. After churning, quickly transfer the ice cream to a pre-cooled storage container. Let the ice cream harden in the freezer, this takes roughly 3 hours.

Traditionally, heating the mixture is done on the stovetop, as this has the added benefit that some of the moisture evaporates. However, this method is not precise and requires careful watching of the temperature. With sous vide, we can alleviate this and fully-automatic heat our ice cream mixture. Why I use sous vide for my ice cream base:

• No chance of burning the base or curdling the egg yolks;
• No need to monitor the ice cream base while heating;
• It’s easy to make large quantities;
• Heating the mixture in sous vide bags means you can easily cool and store them afterwards.

In this post, we’ll show how to use sous vide to make an ice cream base. As an example, we will create an Amarena Cantuccini ice cream based on a vanilla base. If you leave out the mixins, you end up with a normal vanilla ice cream.

Recipe for sous vide Amarena Cantuccini ice cream

Ingredients

These ingredients result in around 800ml of ice cream and is roughly the quantity needed for a single run of most ice cream machines. For the vanilla base mixture:

• 480 grams double cream (36% fat)
• 57 grams whole milk (3.6% fat)
• 65 grams skim milk powder
• 128 grams sugar
• 67 grams egg yolks
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

If making the Amarena Cantuccini variant:

• Amarena cherries, halved
• Cantuccini (almond cookies), chopped

Equipment

• Emersion circulator. I use an Anova, but any brand will do.
• Vacuum pouches + sealer. I use a fairly cheap vacuum sealer from Foodsaver.
• Waterbath, can be a large pan or plastic container.
• Ice cream churner, I use a Smart Scoop from Breville. Available as the Sage Smart Scoop in Europe.

Steps

1. Heat the water bath, set the circulator to 72 °C.
2. Remove the seeds from the vanilla pod. Cut the pod itself in small pieces or process using a food processor.
3. Combine sugar and eggs.
4. Add milk and cream to egg mixture.
5. Add milk powder. Mix well.
6. Transfer the mixture to a vacuum bag. Add vanilla seeds and pod to the bag.
7. Seal the bag and add it to the water bath.
8. Heat the mixture for 30 minutes at 72 °C.
9. Remove the bag from the water bath and transfer to a bowl with ice water. Cool the mixture as fast as possible. You can also cool the bag under running water in the sink.
10. Store the mixture in the bag in the fridge overnight.
11. The next day, sieve the mixture and discard pieces of the vanilla pod.
12. Add one tablespoon of the vanilla extract by taste.
13. Churn the ice cream according to the instructions of your ice cream machine.
14. In the meantime that the ice cream is churning, cut the cherries in half. Roughly chop the Cantuccini cookies.
15. Add the mixins in the final stage of churning.
16. After churning, quickly transfer the ice cream to a pre-cooled storage container. Let the ice cream harden in the freezer, this takes roughly 3 hours.

Note on adjusting recipes for sous vide

Not every recipe for an ice cream base can be made sous vide. For ice cream, the distribution between water and (milk) solids in the final mixture is very important for the end result. Traditional recipes, which heat the base on the stove, account for water evaporation. In those recipes, higher water content is used so that after heating, the distribution is correct. When heating the mixture sous vide you won’t lose any water, so the initial water content needs to be reduced. This reduction can be done by increasing the amount of cream or milk powder in the recipe.

Further reading

This specific entremet consists of two layers of chocolate brownie as a base, sour Amarena cherries, and dark chocolate mousse. As the entremet consists of multiple layers that need to be frozen, this recipe cannot be made in a single day. The following steps need to be done:

• Day 1: Bake and freeze the brownie base.
• Day 2: Create the mousse and assemble the cake.
• Day 3: Unmold, spray and serve the cake.

For this recipe, some special equipment/ingredients are required:

• Entremet mold. For this recipe, I used a Silikomart “Saturn” Entremet mold. If you don’t want to buy a dedicated mold, you can also use a cake tin lined with acetate foil.
• A cake tin to bake the brownie, the tin should be slightly smaller than entremet mold. Of course, you can also use the entremet mold and cut the brownie to size.
• Fruit filling. We choose to go for sour Amarena cherries as they complement the richness of the brownie and mousse. Of course, you can substitute this for something else.
• Cocoa butter velvet spray. I usually use the spray colors from Modecor as they are available at my local supply store. Alternatives are available through Amazon, like from Silikomart Make sure you get a food-safe cocoa butter spray.

1. Making the entremet base (the brownie)

The brownie can best be made the day/evening before you want to assemble the cake. A fully frozen brownie base makes filling the entremet mold significantly easier.

This recipe makes enough for two small layers of brownie, based on the size of the entremet mold I used. You can bake the brownie at once and then cut in two, or bake the layers separately.

Ingredients

• 155 g butter
• 80 g fine sugar
• 90 g dark caster sugar
• 140 g eggs (whole)
• 70 g flour
• 1 g (coarse sea) salt
• 125 g dark chocolate

Required materials

• Handmixer or whisk (if done manually)
• Mixing bowl
• Silicon mold, baking mold (anything to bake the brownie in)

Steps

1. Bring eggs and butter to room temperature. This way, the ingredients will mix more evenly, and you lower the risk of getting lumps in the batter.
2. Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
3. Put the butter in a large mixing bowl and whisk until soft.
4. Add the dark caster sugar and whisk/mix until the mixture is light and fluffy.
5. Gently add the eggs in batches and whisk until the eggs are fully incorporated into the mixture.
6. Sieve the flour and sea salt, and add to the mixture.
7. Melt the chocolate (45 °C) over a double-boiler. You can also use a microwave for this step, but be gentle. Add the melted chocolate to the mixture.
8. Put the brownie mixture into the desired mold, this can be either a round cake pan or a silicone mold. For an entremet, you do not want the brownie to be too thick (7-10 mm will do). When you use a silicon mold, make sure that it is proper silicon and can withstand the temperatures of the oven.
9. Place the mold into the oven at 160 °C for 15-25 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of your tin. The brownie is done when the middle does not ‘wobble’ when you move the tin, the top has a paper-like crust, and the sides are starting to come loose from the tin. You can use a clean wooden skewer to test if the brownie is ready. The cake is ready when the inserted wooden skewer comes out clean from the center of the cake.
10. Let the brownie cool, and if needed, cut to size.
11. If you make one large brownie, create two thinner layers by cutting the brownie through the middle. If you make two individual brownies, bake the second one by repeating the steps above.
12. Wrap the two brownie layers in cling-film and store them in the freezer overnight.

2. Making the chocolate mousse

For the chocolate mousse, please refer to my crème anglaise based chocolate-mousse. Halve (50%) of that recipe is sufficient for a single entremet. You can easily scale up this recipe if you plan to make multiple entremets.

3. Assembling the cake

When the chocolate mousse is ready, it is time to assemble the entremet. Note that the chocolate mousse sets over time, so don’t wait too long between making the mousse and assembly of the cake.

1. Place a layer of chocolate mousse in the base of your mold. Then, with a spatula, spread the mousse around the sides of the mold and make sure that they are covered. This prevents holes in the outer mousse layer. Don’t forget the sides of the inner ring if you are using the “Saturn” mold.
   
   

   

2. Lay the first brownie layer on top of the chocolate mousse. Press gently to spread the chocolate mousse around the sides of the layers. Make sure that the brownie does not touch the sides of the mold.
   
   

   

3. If using, add the Amarena cherries on top of the brownie. Cover with chocolate mousse.
   
   

   

4. Add more mousse to the mold to fill all the sides. Spread the mousse on top and make it even using a spatula or palette knife.
   
   

   

5. Cover the filled silicone mold with cling wrap and put it in the freezer. Freezing will take at least 6 hours (varies on the size of your mold and temperature of the freezer). The mousse cake must be completely frozen before removing it from the mold.

4. Decorating the entremet

If using cocoa butter (velvet) spray, check the instructions on your spray. Most sprays need to be heated in water for at least 20 minutes. When the spray is up to temperature, you can continue with the entremet.

When the cake is completely frozen, remove the mold and put the cake on a bowl (or something else to raise it). With clean hands, you can carefully remove condensation from the entremet; this makes sure that the velvet spray sticks to the entremet.

Spray the mold with the cocoa butter spray and let un-freeze in the fridge.

Instead of the velvet spray, you can also cover the cake with a mirror glaze or keep the chocolate mousse as the outer layer. The velvet spray is just for show and does not add any significant flavor.

Just before serving, you can add any garnishes of your choosing. I opted for some chocolate decorations in green:

Contents

• Speculaas spice mix
• Ingredients
• Equipment needed
• Recipe

Speculaas spice mix

The speculaas spice mix follows a fixed distribution of spices. You can always make more and store it for later use. There are also pre-made speculaas spice mixes available. To make the spice mix, simply combine all dried spices. The distribution is as follows:

• 10 parts Cinnamon (ground)
• 2 parts Clove (ground)
• 2 parts Nutmeg (ground)
• 1 part Ginger (dried, ground)
• 1 part Cardamom (ground)
• 1 part White pepper (ground)

For the bonbon filling, 2 grams of spice mix is required. Resulting in:

• Cinnamon (ground), 1.2 grams
• Clove (ground), 0.24 grams
• Nutmeg (ground), 0.24 grams
• Ginger (dried, ground), 0.12 grams
• 1 part Cardamom (ground), 0.12 grams
• 1 part White pepper (ground), 0.12 grams

If you don’t have a scale that is precise enough to measure small amounts, just make a larger batch. The spice mix can be stored in an airtight container for later use.

Ingredients for the bonbons

For the ganache filling:

• Double cream, 133 grams
• Glucose (or honey), 8 grams
• Ruby chocolate, 223 grams (can be bought through Amazon or in specialty stores)
• Unsalted butter, 14 grams
• 2 grams of speculaas spice mix (see above)
• (Optional) colored cocoa butter in red

For the chocolate shells:

• Chocolate, e.g. Callebaut 54.5% Dark chocolate with a 3-drops fluidity, see my chocolate mousse recipe for more information on chocolate fluidity. The amount of chocolate will depend on the size of the molds. For the molds used in this recipe, roughly 700 grams of molten chocolate was required.
• (Optional) Food-grade bronze spray

Equipment needed

• Polycarbonate chocolate molds (mold used in the picture)
• Stick blender or food processor
• Thermometer
• Tempering equipment, I use a temperature controlled chocolate melter.
• Piping bag
• Spatulas, pallet knife, or something else to clean up the molds after filling

Note on molds: You can use silicone molds to make the chocolates. However, to create very shiny bonbons, you are restricted to using the hard-plastic polycarbonate chocolate molds. These molds can be found online or in specialty stores.

Recipe

1. Prepare molds and chocolate

Heat the dark chocolate to 45 degrees. Clear the molds with a microfiber cloth.

(Optional) Spray the molds with bronze spray. You can also use colored cocoa butter to color the molds.

2. Make the ganache

This can be done in parallel with tempering the chocolate. For the ganache:

1. Let the butter come to room temperature.
2. Finely chop the ruby chocolate or use a food processor, add the glucose.
3. Add spice mix to the double cream and bring to a boil.
4. When the cream is just boiling, remove from the heat and add the cream to the ruby chocolate.
5. Wait one minute, and emulsify with a stick blender or in the food processor.
6. (Optional) Ruby chocolate can lose some of its ruby colors when adding other ingredients. To remedy this, you can add a bit of melted colored cocoa butter to the ganache.
7. When the mixture has cooled down to 34 degrees, add butter and emulsify for a final time.
8. Transfer to a piping bag and reserve for later.

3. Temper the chocolate and making the shells

Temper the chocolate by letting the dark chocolate cool to 27 degrees (partly by adding some unmelted chocolate), then increase the temperature to 32 degrees.

Pour the chocolate into the molds. Bash the side of the mold to remove air bubbles. Empty the molds by putting them upside down, letting all excess chocolate drip out. Let the chocolate harden upside down, for example, on a small rack.

4. Filling the bonbons

When the chocolate had hardened, fill the bonbons with the ganache. Make sure that the ganache has cooled down enough not to melt the chocolate shells. Let the ganache firm up in the shells. You can put the molds in the freezer for a couple of minutes, just make sure that no moisture gets in the bonbons.

When the ganache has hardened, top up the shells with the remainder of the tempered chocolate.

Let the bonbons harden completely, optionally for a few minutes in the freezer. Then remove from the shells. If the chocolate was tempered correctly, the bonbons should come out freely from the molds.

Contents:

1. Tempering ruby chocolate
2. Making colored chocolate shells
3. Making the bonbons
4. Bonbon fillings

Required materials:

• Polycarbonate chocolate molds (Mold used in the picture)
• Stick blender or food processor
• Thermometer
• Tempering equipment, I use a temperature controlled chocolate melter.
• Piping bag
• Spatulas, pallet knife, or something else to clean up the molds after filling

1. Tempering ruby chocolate

1. Measure out your chocolate. 300 grams of callets is usually enough for a single mold. In general it is easier to melt a larger batch of chocolate, especially when filling the molds. Left over chocolate can be reused in other recipes. An additional +/- 50 grams is required as a seed.
2. Start by heating the chocolate to 45°C (113 °F).
3. When the chocolate is completely melted, lower down the temperature and let the chocolate cool down to 27 °C (80.6°F). To speed up the process and to promote crystallisation of the chocolate, add a batch of your (unmelted) seed chocolate. Add more chocolate until it does not easily melt anymore. Make sure to stir regularly.
4. After the chocolate reached the target temperature of 27 °C, heat it back up to 32 °C (89.6 °F). It is now ready to use.

To test whether tempering was successful: With a knife take a small portion of the molten chocolate and store in the fridge. Within a minute the chocolate should be hard and glossy.

2. Adding color (optional)

To add colors to your chocolate shells:

1. Melt coco butter with food coloring. For the bonbons in the picture of this post, I used a combination of red and white Power Flowers, other options are available through Amazon or special stores. 1/4 of a flower is more than enough to color a mold.
2. Apply a thin layer of the molten coco butter to polycarbonate chocolate molds. Apply colors you want to show on the outside first; e.g. first red and then a layer of white as a ‘base’ coat. Silicon molds can also be used but will not result in the same glossy finish as when using polycarbonate.

3. Making the bonbons

1. (Optional) color the molds (Section 2).
2. Fill the molds with tempered chocolate (Section 1). Tap the molds to remove air bubbles. Turn the molds upside down and let the chocolate drip out. Clean the outside of the mold with a scraper. The inside of the mold should only be covered with a small layer of chocolate.
3. Let the chocolate cool down and harden.
4. Fill the shells with a filling of your choice (Section 4). Make sure that the filling is not hot as it can melt the chocolate.
5. Let the filling harden before continuing. If needed, move the bonbons to the freezer for a few minutes to cool down completely.
6. Close the bonbons with a final layer of chocolate. Clean the top of the mold with a scraper, this is essential to cleanly release the bonbons in the next step.
7. Let the bonbons cool down completely, optionally a few minutes in the fridge or freezer (but be careful of condensation). Turn the molds upside down, the bonbons should come out without to much trouble. If they do not release from the mold: add the mold to the freezer and wait a few minutes, then try again. The colder temperature makes the bonbons shrink slightly making them easier to release.

Ruby chocolate bonbon fillings

Below you can find a few of the fillings that I combined with ruby chocolate.

Ruby hazelnut praline

Mix 75 grams of hazelnut paste (100% hazelnut) with 110 grams of melted ruby chocolate. Fill the bonbons completely with the cooled down praline.

Ruby hazelnut with spiced raspberry

In a saucepan slowly heat 200g raspberry jam with 10 pink peppercorns, a cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and a splash of lemon juice. Don’t cook the jam, heating is only required to make it more fluid and to infuse the flavours. Strain the jam, discarding the seeds and spices. Let cool down.

Add a small portion of the spiced jam to the bonbons. Top off with hazelnut praline (see previous section).

Crunchy Speculaas

Mix 30 grams of crushed speculaas with a few table spoons of rapeseed oil or any other neutral oil. Add just enough oil to make a very coarse paste. Add molten ruby chocolate and mix well. Let cool down and fill the bonbons.

Tip: If you like speculaas, check out this recipe for dark chocolate bonbons with speculaas and ruby filling.

Recipe for a versatile and rich dark chocolate mousse. The mousse can be used as a basis for an entremet (a mousse cake), poured into silicon molds and frozen, or enjoyed on its own.

Ingredients

• 400g + 50g cream, 35% fat, unsweetened
• 50g whole milk
• 50g egg yolks
• 15-70g sugar (depending on the chocolate, see note). 30 grams if using standard dark chocolate.
• 250g dark chocolate (see Selecting the right chocolate). I used Callebaut 54.5%. {: .ingredient-list}

The recipe can easily be doubled if needed.

Note: First time making a crème anglaise? It is usually easier to make a larger batch as this overcooks not as quickly as a small amount. Double the ingredients for the crème and halve after completing the crème anglaise.

Required materials

• Handmixer (or any mixer to make whipped cream)
• Bowls
• Saucepan
• Whisk
• Piping bag (optional)
• Molds, glasses, ramekins (anything to serve the mousse in) {: .material-list}

Steps

1. Prepare cream

Gently semi-whip 400g of the cream until you get soft peaks. Reserve in the fridge.

2. Making a crème anglaise

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl. The bowl should be big enough to contain both the eggs and the liquids (milk and cream).

Combine the milk and rest of the cream in a saucepan. Bring to a low boil. If you have a thermometer: a temperature of around 70°C is enough. Temper the eggs by slowing pouring the heated cream mixture in to the egg yolks.

Make a crème anglaise: Return egg/cream mixture to the saucepan and heat until the mixture reaches 82°C. Make sure to whisk continuously to prevent an uneven heating and to incorporate air bubbles. The mixture will become thick but make sure not to overcook it (as it will result in scrambled egg).

You can test whether the crème anglaise is ready without a thermometer: after heating, the mixture should coat the back of a spoon and not spread out when you make a line with your fingers.

3. Bring in the chocolate

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or using a double boiler. Combine crème anglaise with the chocolate. Make sure to mix it well but avoid creating (large) air bubbles. You can use a stick blender or do this by hand.

4. Combining

When the chocolate crème anglaise is around 38 degrees you can start adding the whipped cream. Work in batches and only add the new cream when the last batch is fully incorporated. If you add the cream when the chocolate is still to warm the mousse will collapse.

5. Serve

The mousse is now ready to be cast and cooled. For easy of use, transfer the mousse to a piping bag. Directly pour the mousse into molds, ramekins or glasses. Do not let the mousse cool inside the piping bag. Freeze the molds, or let the mousse cool in the fridge.

Pairing ideas

This mousse recipe can be used for many purposes. In the example below I transferred the mousse to a silicon mold and let them freeze overnight. As a standalone dish I usually pair it with caramelized pears and some white chocolate mousse.

Background of this recipe

A few years ago I discovered the fastest option to make chocolate mousse (or at least one that is very easy and takes almost no effort). That recipe uses a siphon for almost instant results. Although it is still the fastest option, I tend to use it less and less as it lacked the richness of a decadent chocolate mousse. Recently I found and adapted a new recipe that’s becoming my go-to recipe for chocolate mousse. It is versatile, still easy to make, and very rich.

This recipe is based on one I found on the Callebaut website. Some of the steps and ingredients have changed after testing. For one, I prefer a less sweet mousse that captures the flavour of a dark chocolate. This recipe reflects that by adding less sugar than more traditional recipes.

I have found that the secret to chocolate mouse lies in the first place not in the choice of chocolate. Of course, the chocolate is a very important ingredient and defines the flavour. However, even more important is the choice of binding agent: the ingredient that binds and stabilizes the mousse. Many recipes use gelatin which can result in a very stiff and jelly mousse. Some recipes use egg whites, resulting in an airy mousse. In this recipe I go for the rich option and use only egg yolks. Looking for a vegan alternative? See my Vegan Dark Chocolate Crème recipe.

With the egg yolks we create a crème anglaise which can be difficult definitely worth the effort. Getting experience in making crème anglaise is useful as it is used in many other (sweet) recipes as an ingredient or topping.

This recipe is my take on chocolate mousse. Some parts are still in development, especially the choice of chocolate and sugar ratio, so feel free to comment!

Selecting the right chocolate / fluidity of chocolate

The choice of chocolate is a very important part of any chocolate mousse recipe. Many will know that the amount of cocoa will say something about how bitter or sweet your chocolate and the resulting mousse is. There is, however, another aspect that we need to consider. Besides cocoa, the amount of cocoa butter directly influences the texture of the mousse:

If you used chocolate with a lower fluidity (i.e. containing less cocoa butter), it would yield a chocolate mousse with a really soft texture after crystallisation. It wouldn’t be solid enough to hold on a cake or inside a cake with the weight of different layers of cake filling on top. If you used chocolate with a higher fluidity (i.e. containing more cocoa butter) you’d get a chocolate mousse with a grainy, very solid and fatty texture, which would look and taste unappealing. – Callebaut fluidity explanation

Most professional brands of chocolate display the fluidity using a drop system. Callebaut, for example, uses the following descriptions:

1. Chocolate with a one-drop fluidity: great for infusing e.g. fillings, butter cream or ice cream with a hint of chocolate taste;

2. Chocolate with a two-drop fluidity: perfect for large moulded chocolate figures;
3. Chocolate with a three-drop fluidity: extremely versatile, ideal for any application;
4. Chocolate with a four-drop fluidity: best choice for moulded chocolates with a thin chocolate shell or (sharply) angular chocolate moulds;
5. Chocolate with a five-drop fluidity: excellent for applying a thin layer of chocolate on top of biscuits with a large surface.

Within this system we are looking for a chocolate with three drops, this results in a mousse with a nice texture. A three-drops chocolate corresponds to a chocolate that contains around 37% cocoa butter.

It is possible to deviate from this system. I, for example, sometimes mix chocolates to achieve a certain flavour or explicitly try to get a different texture. Just remember, in general the closer to the three drops the better.

No professional chocolate available? You can use store-bought general brands but keep in mind that the end product can differ slightly due to changes in cocoa butter content.

Selecting the right amount of sugar

The amount of sugar that this recipe requires is dependent on the type of chocolate and your personal taste. Personally, I prefer a dark chocolate mousse that is not to sweet and tend to pair this with a sweeter garnish instead (like caramelized pears). This contrast between a slightly bitter mousse and a nice pairing can really improve a dish. A more bitter mousse also pairs perfectly with another more sweeter mousse (a fruit mousse for example).

The type of sugar can be varied to achieve a desired taste. Regular granulated sugar works fine for almost all versions of this mousse. Various forms of brown sugar can also be used for a touch of caramel.

The table below can be used as a reference for selecting the amount of sugar. The percentages are based on the amount of chocolate, e.g. a 28% means that you have to take 28% of the weight of the chocolate as sugar. The amounts in grams are pre-calculated for this recipe.

Note: This table is a work in progress and will be updated when I try out more combinations. Use the “sweet-bitter” values as a rough range and adjust to your personal taste. The values in “my preference” are based on actual combinations I tried.

The combinations I’ve tested so far:

Though, sometimes dietary requirements (or the need of a challenge) requires us to look for alternatives. The eggs and cream do however play an important role in the final dish. Egg yolks are used to chicken a base and add a certain richness. Cream can be used to introduce lightness, through whipping, or acts as the main ingredient waiting to be flavored. Is it possible to adequately substitute these important ingredients? Well, sometimes, yes!

Recently, I was looking for a full vegan chocolate dessert that approached the intensity of one based on cream and eggs. My previous experiments failed and ended up in watery dull desserts. With these new recipe I finally found a good combination of ingredients that can compete with the real non-vegan thing!

This recipe does contain hydrocolloids in the form of Kappa and Iota Carrageenan. Carrageenan is extracted from some species of red algae (seaweed) of the Rodophyceae class and is fully vegan. The type of carrageenan is important as each type has a different function. In this recipe Kappa is used as a gel and Iota to give a custard-like mouthfeel. It is not really possible to use other hydrocolloids without changing the recipe. It is possible to substitute the carrageenan to some extent with agar but I haven’t tested this. Also, the use of agar will change the final structure of the crème.

Ingredients

• Almond milk, 400 grams
• Granulated sugar, 20 grams
• Dutch cocoa powder, 8 grams
• Salt, 0.4 grams
• Xantham gum (optional), 0.25 grams
• Iota Carrageenan, 0.85 grams
• Kappa Carrageenan, 0.6 grams
• Dark chocolate, chopped, 160-220 grams (I used Callebaut 54.5%)
• Ramkins or other (ring) mold

Note: The amount of chocolate controls the richness and the final texture of the dish. Use 220 grams of dark chocolate for a very rich and firm texture which can be easily cut. Use less for a more flan-like texture.

Recipe

Mix sugar, cocoa powder, salt, xantham gum and both carrageenans. Place chocolate in a separate bowl (large enough to contain the final mixture). Add dry ingredients to almond milk and mix thoroughly with a stick blender. Try to minimize the amount of bubbles.

Pour the mixture in to a small sauce pan and turn on the heat. The mixture must reach at least 79°C for the hydrocolloids to hydrate.

Turn of the heat and pour the liquid on top of the chocolate. Let stand for a few moments to melt the chocolate. Use a stick blender to fully incorporate the chocolate in to the liquid. You need to end up with a smooth mixture.

Quickly pour the mixture in to your ramkins or other mold. The mixture gels below 45°C. If the mixture gels before you were able to pour it in to the ramkins you can slowly reheat the mixture on the stove (carrageenan is thermo-reversible). I poured my mixture in to a ring mold placed on a silicon mat and used a circular cutter to get individual portions. Before serving dust the chocolate crème with some cocoa powder.

Pairing ideas

The chocolate crème can be paired with caramelized pear and nougatine. For the nougatine used in this picture, caramelize 50 grams of granulated sugar with a small teaspoon of glucose syrup. When the caramel is ready, mix it with 50 grams of shaved almonds.

For me, flank steak has a great trade-off between being not too expensive while having lots of flavor. The texture of the steak is at its best when you cook the steak medium to medium rare and cut against the grain before serving.

Ingredients

• Flank steak
• Oil (for searing the steak)

Optional, to finish (as shown in the image):

• (Black lava) salt
• Rosemary (fresh)
• Butter

Equipment

• Emersion circulator. I use an Anova, but any brand will do.
• Vacuum pouches + sealer or a zip-lock bags. I use a fairly cheap vacuum sealer from Foodsaver.
• Pan for searing the steak.

Recipe

My preferred method for preparing flank steak is to use sous vide, this guarantees a perfectly cooked inside of the flank steak. However, due to the typical thinness of the cut, it is also possible to skip the sous vide step. In both cases: keep an eye on your pan when searing the meat; you can easily overcook it.

The recipe below uses the sous-vide method.

1. Heat water bath at 56°C (for medium to medium-rare).
2. Vacuum seal the flank steak (or put in a zip lock bag).
3. Put the sealed steak in a water bath for roughly 1.5 hours. The total duration will depend on the thickness and whether you want to pasteurize the steak. A general rule: preferably 30 minutes longer than the other way around. The sous vide guide by Douglas Baldwin is a great resource for determining the total time.
4. Finish the steak on the stove. I prefer to use a cast iron or stainless steel skillet on medium to high. Make sure not to overcook the steak as it will lose its lovely texture.
5. (Optional) At the end of cooking, you can add butter and herbs to the pan and baste the steak to add flavor.
6. Cut the steak in strips before serving and make sure to cut against the grain. Cutting against the grain shortens the muscle fibers in the meat, which results in a more tender steak.
7. Serve with black lava salt, fresh rosemary, and freshly ground pepper.

Flank steak pairs pretty well with a radicchio salad, parmesan cheese, and broccoli puree.

Ingredients (filling)

• Earl Grey darjeeling tea (or other Earl Grey / black tea)
• Lavender (make sure it can be used for consumption)
• Chocolate 180 grams, milk
• Heavy cream 100 grams
• Butter, unsalted, 25 grams

Recipe

Note: This recipe only covers the filling of the bonbons. All my bonbons roughly follow the same steps regarding coloring and making the shell.

1. Add cream to a saucepan.
2. Add darjeeling tea and lavender. The amount of lavender is by taste, don’t overdo it.
3. Slowly heat cream to 70C, let infuse.
4. Strain the cream and pour over chocolate. Discard the lavender as it will be to overpowering to keep in.
5. Let the chocolate stand for a few minutes.
6. Stir the chocolate, creating an emulsion.
7. Add butter.
8. Let cool before filling the bonbons. Make sure that the temperature of the ganache is low enough not to melt the chocolate but still high enough that it flows nicely into the shells.

Ingredients (filling)

• Anise seeds (few tea spoons, by taste), note: not star anise
• Chocolate 180 grams, white
• Heavy cream 100 grams
• Butter, unsalted, 25 grams

Recipe

Note: This recipe only covers the filling of the bonbons. All my bonbons roughly follow the same steps regarding coloring and making the shells.

1. Add cream to a saucepan.
2. Add anise seeds.
3. Slowly heat cream to 70C, let infuse.
4. Optionally strain the cream to remove the seeds. I prefer some seeds to be present in the ganache for a bite and additional anise flavor.
5. Let the chocolate stand for a few minutes.
6. Stir the chocolate, creating an emulsion.
7. Add butter.
8. Let cool before filling the bonbons. Make sure that the temperature of the ganache is low enough not to melt the chocolate but still high enough that it flows nicely into the shells.

This recipe is enough to fill around 12 small jars and can be made a few days in advance.

Ingredients

• 130g Egg yolk
• 500g Heavy cream (35% fat)
• 75g Sugar + for dusting in last step
• Some salt
• 1 Vanilla pod or extract
• 1 Star anise
• 1-2 Cinnamon sticks (or ground cinnamon)
• Orange zest (from 1 orange)
• Citrus zest (from 1 citron) {: .ingredient-list}

You can scale the ingredients according to the size of your jars. I’ve used this recipe to fill approximately 12 small jars.

Required materials

• Small canning jars (I use traditional small Weck jars), or zip lock bag (see step 3)
• Large pot or container to hold all the jars
• Sous vide setup (preferred, I use an Anova, but any brand will do.) or thermometer
• Blowtorch {: .material-list}

Time to make

30 minutes active time, 1 hour cooking, 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe

Step 1: infuse the cream

Add the zest, cinnamon, vanilla and anise to the cream. If used, you can also add the vanilla pod next to the seeds. Heat the cream slowly in a small pot to let it infuse with all the aromatics. Don’t let it cook. A temperature around 70°C is okay.

Step 2: Combine

Combine the egg yolk, sugar and salt. Whisk until smooth.

After heating the cream, sieve and temper the eggs by slowly pouring the warm heavy cream into your mixture. If you go to fast your eggs will turn in some sweet form of scrambled egg.

Let the mixture set for 10-15 minutes to let bubbles rise to the top. Remove any bubbles from the top with a sieve or slotted spoon.

Step 3: Fill jars

Make sure that your jars are very clean. Slowly fill each of your jars with the mixture. You can use a scale if you want to be exact. Poor from a low height to minimise the forming of any bubbles.

I’ve used Weck jars but other canning jars are also possible (e.g. Mason jars). Make sure that they are able to release air during the cooking process and not let water in.

Alternatively, it is also possible to use a zip lock bag instead of the jars. Pour the mixture in to a zip lock bag and hang the bag in to the water bath. During cooking, roughly every 10 minutes, agitate the bag to make sure that the mixture cooks evenly. After cooking, transfer the warm mixture to a blender and blend shortly until smooth. The blended cream can then be poured in to a serving container of your choosing.

If there are any bubbles at the top of your mixture you can carefully remove them with a blow torch. Bubbles do not interfere with the cooking process but do make the end-result looking less smooth.

After filling, close each jar. In case of Weck jars, make sure that the rubber bands are correctly placed else you risk that they will fill up with water during the cooking process. Mason jars should not be closed very tight or air won’t be able to escape.

Step 4: Cook

Heat a water bath to 80 °C. The exact temperature is important; to hot and your eggs will start to curdle, to low and the custard will not set. There are two methods:

• (Preferred and most easy method) Sous vide: Use your preferred sous vide equipment to heat a large enough water bath to contain all the jars.
• Using a large pot: The recipe can also be made without sous vide equipment, though it will be a bit harder. Heat a large pot (preferably with a thick bottom) on the stove and monitor the temperature with an external thermometer. Try to get the temperature as close as 80 °C. This method is easier with an electric stove. With gas stoves it can be more difficult to get an even heating of the water. I’ve used this technique for my crème brûlée recipe.

Add the jars to the water bath, cook for 1 hour. Do not be afraid of any bubbles that release from the jars, this is normal.

Step 4: Cool

Remove the jars from the water bath and cool them in a water/ice bath. Do this carefully, there is a small risk of breaking your jars due to the change in heat.

Store the jars closed in the fridge until serving. The Crema Catalana can be made a few days in advance, but make sure to leave the jars closed.

Step 5: Brûlée

Just before serving, open the jars and add regular granulated sugar. A finely grained sugar will result in a more even sugar layer. If there is moist on top of your cream you can remove it carefully with some kitchen paper. Use a blow torch to carefully create a “brûlée” topping on your custard. Be generous with the amount of sugar, you will see that this helps create a nice crust.

After making the caramel, cool the custards for a few minutes and serve. If you wait to long the caramel will eventually become soft.

I tried it out, with a full bottle of wine and not a leftover, and have to say: it is really delicious! It is easy to make and results in an end product packed with flavor. Wine salts can be used on top of meats, in salads or in any dish where you want a light wine accent. As the end result is 95% salt, it can be stored for quite some time without spoiling. In terms of taste, it comes closest to the taste of a red wine sauce you make after searing meat.

So, when you have some wine left over or want to have a new ingredient at your disposal: try this wine salt recipe!

Ingredients

• Red wine
  • Preferably one you like to drink yourself, a full bodied wine will work best.
  • I used an Argentine malbec, a Trivento, Malbec Reserve, 2014.
• Coarse sea salt
  • The grains should be large, this will ensure that the salt does not dissolve in the wine so easily.
  • I used Maldon salt for its irregular large texture.
• Fresh herbs, e.g. thyme (optional)
• Lemon zest (optional) {: .ingredient-list}

So how much do you need? I’ve used roughly 600ml of wine on 125 grams of Maldon salt.

Required materials

• Pot with a thick bottom (to reduce the wine)
• Baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or something else on which you can dry the salt) {: .material-list}

Time to make

1 hour, 10 minutes active time.

Recipe

Step 1: Reduce the wine

Add the wine to the pot and put on the stove. On medium heat reduce the wine until it gets the consistency of a syrup. This can take around 40 minutes.

The wine should reduce to roughly 2-3 tablespoons. When the wine has reached the correct consistency, remove from the heat (you don’t want to burn the wine).

Step 2: Combine

Ground the herbs in a mortar or finely cut them into small pieces.

Combine the salt, the herbs and the lemon zest. Add the salt in batches, stop when all the wine syrup has combined with the salt.

How much herbs and zest you use is purely based on taste. Don’t overdo the lemon zest; you want the salt to smell like wine, not lemon! You can also make a version with just the wine and salt.

Step 3: Dry

Spread out the salt on some parchment paper, cover it loosely with another sheet, and let it dry. Depending on how moist the salt is this can take 1-2 days. Optionally, you can also dry the salt in the pot (make sure you stir it from time to time) or in the oven (on a very very low temperature).

After drying, store in an airtight container. The wine salt is delicious on top of red meat or salads. Enjoy!

Small note: This is of course almost 95% salt, so make sure you don’t use to much in your dishes!

Luckily, we don’t have to use an oven! I got inspiration from a ChefSteps recipe and tried to make my own crème brûlée in a new way: using a water bath.

By using a water bath, similar to sous vide cooking of meat and vegetables, we can precisely control temperature and prevent any overcooking. As I am still waiting on my immersion circulator to arrive, my ‘cooking-experimentor-in-crime’ Maaike and I had to resort to a more low-key approach: the ‘stove top’ method. While a good sous vide setup is advisable, this recipe can also be done using a regular pot, a thermometer and canning jars. And guess what, it worked perfectly!

So, if you are a crème brûlée enthusiast and have some canning jars laying around, you should definitely try this!

Ingredients

• 130 g Egg yolk
• 500 g Heavy cream
• 75 g Sugar
• Some salt
• Vanilla pod or extract {: .ingredient-list}

You can scale the ingredients according to the size of your jars. I’ve used this recipe to fill approximately 12 small jars.

Required materials

• Small canning jars (I used traditional Weck jars)
• Large pot to hold all the jars
• Thermometer (or sous vide setup)
• Blowtorch {: .material-list}

Time to make

30-40 minutes active time, 1 hour cooking, 10 minutes for serving.

Recipe

Step 1: Combine

Combine the egg yolk, sugar, salt and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Heat the heavy cream in a small pot. Don’t let it cook. A temperature around 70°C is oke.

After heating, slowly combine the warm heavy cream into your mixture. If you go to fast your eggs will turn in some sweet form of scrambled egg.

Let the mixture set for 15 minutes, remove any bubbles from the top with a sieve or slotted spoon.

Step 2: Fill jars

Make sure that your jars are very clean. Slowly fill each of your jars with the mixture. You can use a scale if you want to be exact. Try not to create any bubbles.

I’ve used Weck jars but other canning jars are also possible (e.g. Mason jars). The main requirement: they need to be able to release air during the cooking process and not let water in.

If there are any bubbles at the top of your mixture you can carefully remove them with a blow torch.

After filling, close each jar. If you misplace the rubber band (as I did for one of my jars) they will fill up with water during the cooking process. Mason jars should not be closed to tight or air won’t be able to escape.

Step 3: Cook

Heat a water bath to 80 °C. The exact temperature is important: to hot and your eggs will start to curdle, to low and the custard will not set.

I’ve used a large pot, put it on my stove and monitored the temperature with an external thermometer. Of course, you can also use a sous vide setup (which will save you the hassle of constantly checking the temperature!).

Add the jars to the water bath, cook for 1 hour.

You will see small air bubbles escape from the jars. This is normal and part of the process.

Step 4: Cool

Remove the jars from the water bath and cool them in a water/ice bath. Do this carefully, there is a small risk of breaking your jars.

(Tip: Open one of the jars to check the consistency before you start the cooling process. Check if the custard did in fact set.)

Store the jars closed in the fridge until serving. You can do this a few days in advance.

Step 5: Brûlée

Just before serving, open the jars and add regular granulated sugar. Use a blow torch to carefully create a “brûlée” topping on your custard. Be generous with the amount of sugar, you will see that this helps create a nice crust.

Enjoy 😀!

If everything worked out you will have that typical ‘crack’:

We’ll start of with a recipe that is simple and fast, doesn’t require eggs and is fun to serve!

Tip: Interested in another chocolate recipe? I also have a recipe for mousse based on crème anglaise which can be used for filling molds and entremets.

Ingredients

• 200 g dark or milk chocolate
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 100 ml milk
• 10-30 g powdered sugar (by taste)
• Vanilla pod or extract
• Amaretto (optional) {: .ingredient-list}

Required materials

• Whipping siphon (0.5L / 1L). I use a siphon from iSi, the Gourmet Whip but other brands will also do fine.
• Cream chargers (1 for 0.5L, 2 for 1L), like the ones from iSi. Make sure to get the cream chargers, the CO2 chargers won’t work. {: .material-list}

Time to make

10 minutes active time, 1 to 3 hours waiting.

Recipe

Step 1: Combine

Combine the heavy cream, the milk and powered sugar. Sugar is by taste, personally I prefer a darker mousse. Add some vanilla extract or seeds from a pod. If you are like my and love the Amaretto-chocolate flavour you can add some Amaretto liquor.

Melt the chocolate using any method (you don’t have to keep the chocolate in temper). Add to the cream mixture and mix until fully combined.

Step 2: Charge

Add the mixture to your whipping siphon. Make sure that the mixture doesn’t contain any lumps, this can clog up your siphon. To be sure, use a sieve. Check the maximum fill line of your siphon, don’t exceed this!

Ensure that your siphon is correctly sealed, make sure you add a tip. Add cream chargers: 1 for a 0.5L siphon, 2 for a 1.0L version. Shake, almost like your life depends on it!

Put the siphon in the fridge and let it cool for 1 to 3 hours (depending on the original temperature and the temperature of your fridge).

Step 3: Serve

Remove from the fridge before serving. Test the consistency of the mousse. If nothing comes out, let the siphon warm up a little bit.

Eat directly, as the mousse doesn’t contain any gelatin it will collapse quickly. You’re end result will look something like this:

Tip: If you have any guests that are not familiar with a siphon, let them serve their dessert! Who doesn’t get excited from instant chocolate mousse?