Chocolate & Orange are a classic combo and they silky smooth cream is offset with the crunchy biscuit lightly fragranced with spices.
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Dark Chocolate & Orange Set Creams with Muscovado Sticks
Cook time 3 hours
Servings 4-6
Ingredients
For the Dark Chocolate & Orange Set Creams
180ml cream
180ml milk
50ml Cointreau/Grand Marnier (optional) or warm water
½ orange, finely zested
1 egg
4 egg yolks
80g milk chocolate, chopped small
160g dark chocolate, chopped small
For the Muscovado Sticks
50g Muscovado sugar
50g caster sugar
1 tbsp dark treacle
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
200g plain flour
Pinch salt
Pinch bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp allspice
1 orange, fine zest
2 egg yolks
Demerara sugar or white sugar crystal, as needed
Method
- For the dark chocolate and orange creams, bring the cream, milk and freshly grated orange zest to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and leave to sit for 10 minutes to infuse.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs and egg yolks together.
- Bring the reserved liquid back to the boil and pour one third onto the eggs and mix well with a whisk.
- Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk/cream and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Place the pan back onto a low heat and stir constantly. Cook the cream to 80°C using a digital thermometer to accurately check the temperature.
- Place both chocolates into a mixing bowl and strain the hot custard through a sieve onto the chocolate. Mix well with a spatula or whisk until you have a smooth and shiny chocolate cream. Add the alcohol or water at this point and again mix in well.
- Pour the cream evenly into six serving dishes and place the dishes into a fridge for a minimum of two hours to set.
- For the muscovado sticks; place the sugars, treacle and butter into a bowl and beat smooth, by hand, with a spatula.
- Beat in the yolks and orange zest before adding the remaining ingredients. Use your fingertips to rub the ingredients in together and turn out onto the bench.
- Knead lightly and roll the dough out to a thickness of ½ cm between two sheets of baking parchment. Place the dough into a fridge to chill and rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Remove and peel off the paper top and bottom and place the dough onto a chopping board and quickly cut sticks approx. 8cm x 1cm.
- Place 12 sticks onto a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat and sprinkle them lightly with sugar.
- Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 10 minutes or until cooked to a golden brown.
- Place the remaining uncooked dough into the freezer for a later date.
Remove the creams from the fridge and serve with the muscovado sticks and fresh orange segments.