Chocolate Bombe with Hazelnut Ice Cream and Croccante
Pastry Chef Jose Luis Flores of OLA - Miami, FL
Adapted by StarChefs

Yield: 22 Servings

Ingredients:

Hazelnut ice cream:

• 16 ounces heavy cream
• 16 ounces milk
• 5 ounces sugar
• 1 ounce glucose
• 2 ½ ounces hazelnut paste
• 8 egg yolks, beaten

Meringue:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons glucose
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cups egg whites

Mousse:

• 1 pound, 2 ounces Valrohna Semi Sweet Chocolate (56%)
• 8 ounces unsalted butter
• 1 ½ ounces light cocoa powder
• 3 cups heavy cream, divided
• 6 ounces sugar
• 11 egg yolks
• 1 pound toasted hazelnuts, chopped

Chocolate cake:

• 5 ounces almond flour
• 4 ounces powdered sugar
• 5 eggs
• 1 ounce butter
• 1 ounce all-purpose flour
• ½ ounce cocoa powder
• 6 egg whites
• 2 ounces sugar

Chocolate ganache:

• 4 ounces unsalted butter
• 5 1/3 ounces light corn syrup
• 26 ounces semi sweet chocolate (64%), chopped
• 32 ounces heavy cream

Caramel sauce:

• 1 cup water
• 2 ounces glucose
• 16 ounces sugar
• 24 ounces heavy cream

Hazelnut sauce:

• 16 ounces heavy cream
• 16 ounces milk
• 6 ounces sugar
• 2 ounces hazelnut paste
• 8 egg yolks

Hazelnut croccante:

• 3 ounces glucose
• 3 ounces fondant
• 1 ounce hazelnuts, crushed

Special equipment:

• 4 ounce dome shaped molds

For meringue:
Place 2 cups sugar, water, and glucose in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Heat until mixture reaches 248 F. At same time, in an electric mixer, whip egg whites and remaining sugar to soft peaks. Add the syrup slowly to the egg white and sugar mixture. Continue running the mixer at high speed until the meringue becomes glossy. Set aside.

For mousse:
In a double boiler over gently simmering water, melt chocolate, butter, and light cocoa powder. In a separate medium saucepan, boil 2 cups of heavy cream and sugar. Slowly add yolks into hot cream and stir to thicken. Transfer saucepan to an ice bath. When cool add to chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Slowly fold 1/3 of the meringue in the chocolate mixture. Repeat 2 more times. In a clean, medium bowl whip remaining 1 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture. Fold in toasted hazelnuts. Transfer mousse to molds. Freeze for 6 hours.

For chocolate cake:
Preheat oven to 325?F. Grease a half sheet pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Place the almond flour, powdered sugar and whole eggs in an electric mixer and beat at high speed for 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, melt butter and add to egg mixture. Sift flour and cocoa powder together into a small bowl. Gently fold into egg mixture. With an electric mixer, whip egg whites and sugar to soft peaks. Fold 1/3 of egg whites into batter. Repeat 2 more times. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Place pan in oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean.

For chocolate ganache:
Place butter, corn syrup and chocolate in a large mixing bowl. In a medium saucepan, bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour over chocolate and stir until well incorporated.

For caramel sauce:
In a saucepan, place water, glucose, and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until golden brown. Slowly add heavy cream. Stir constantly until well incorporated.

For hazelnut sauce:
In a medium saucepan, bring heavy cream, milk, sugar, and hazelnut paste to a boil. Slowly add yolks and stir until slightly thick. Let cool.

For hazelnut croccante:
In a small saucepan, bring glucose and fondant to a boil and cook until golden brown. Add hazelnuts to saucepan and stir until incorporated. Working quickly while still hot, place 1 Tablespoon of mixture between two Silpats. Flatten with a rolling pin and shape. Repeat with remaining mixture.

To assemble:
Cut 2 inch pieces of cake with a 2-inch cookie cutter and put on metal rack over a sheet pan. Remove mousse from freezer and unmold, warming slightly with a blowtorch, if necessary, to loosen from mold. Place mousse on top of cake. Using a circular motion, pour a thin layer of ganache over mousse until completely covered. Repeat once more. Let stand for a few minutes. Refrigerate bombes until ready for service.

To serve:
In the center of the plate, pour a circle of ganache. Pour circle of hazelnut sauce around ganache. Pour a circle of caramel sauce around hazelnut sauce. With a skewer, create a design by forming figure 8 shapes through the three rings of sauce. Place bombe in center of sauce. Insert croccante. Serve with a quenelle of hazelnut ice cream.

Wine Pairing:
A Tawny Port such as the Warre’s Otima 10 Year (Tawny Port)

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