Chocolate crémeux and passion fruit sorbet

  • medium
  • 8
  • 3 hours plus freezing time
5.00

These adorable chocolate mushrooms from Caroline Martins are decorated with little pieces of panko to make the spots, and a sweet crystallised chocolate soil. The white chocolate stems are filled with tart passion fruit sorbet, to balance the sweetness.

First published in 2024

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Passion fruit sorbet

  • 250g of passion fruit purée
  • 40g of glucose
  • 115g of caster sugar
  • 270g of water
  • 30g of honey
  • 10g of white balsamic vinegar
  • 2g of xanthan gum

White chocolate base

Chocolate crémeux

Crystallised chocolate crumb

Garnishes

Equipment

  • Toothpicks
  • Pacojet or ice cream maker
  • 8 hole silicone canelé mould
  • 8 hole 5 cm x 2.5 cm silicone dome mould

Method

1

Blitz all ingredients for the passion fruit sorbet except the xanthan gum until smooth

2

Blend in the xanthan gum until the mixture thickens

  • 2g of xanthan gum
3

Place the sorbet into pacojet jugs and freeze until solid, or, if using an ice cream maker, chill overnight

4

Churn before serving and place sorbet into a piping bag

5

Fill the silicone canelé moulds with water, and place toothpicks inside each mould. Freeze until solid

6

Once frozen, dip each canelé-shaped ice cube in melted white chocolate, so you have an even coat of chocolate all around the outside of each ice cube. Transfer each ice cube to an oven tray lined with baking paper. Let the water melt at room temperature, then remove the toothpick and pour off the water

7

Warm the top of a small knife over a flame, then poke a small hole at the bottom of each white chocolate shell

8

Fill the white chocolate shells with passion fruit sorbet through the hole. Keep them in the freezer until ready to serve

9

Add all ingredients for the chocolate crémeux to a Thermomix except for the cocoa butter and the panko. Cook the mixture until it reaches 83°C. Alternatively, blend the ingredients together and then cook in a pan, stirring constantly, until it reaches 83°C

10

Divide the mixture between the silicone dome moulds and freeze until solid

11

Once frozen, dip the domes in the red cocoa butter

12

Place the dipped chocolate domes on a baking paper-lined tray to defrost, then keep them in the fridge until ready to serve

13

For the crystallised chocolate crumb, chop the chocolate into small pieces, roughly 1 cm in size

14

Line an oven tray with a silicone baking mat

15

Melt the water and sugar together into a syrup. Cook the syrup until it reaches 135°C, then immediately add in the chocolate and stir everything quickly with a whisk. After about 10 seconds, the chocolate will transform into a crumb. Immediately, carefully pour the hot crumb onto the silicon mat, then allow it to cool completely

  • 45g of water
  • 120g of caster sugar
16

Once cool, stir in the flaky sea salt

17

To assemble this dish, first garnish each plate with some chocolate crumb. Place the white chocolate base of the mushroom on the plate

18

Gently press a few pieces of panko onto each red mushroom top, then place it onto the white chocolate base

  • Panko breadcrumbs, to garnish
19

Garnish the plate with flower petals, blackberries and slivers of radish and cucumber

Leaving behind a career in plasma physics in the US to chase her dream of becoming a chef, Caroline Martins has gone on to make a name for herself here in the UK thanks to her refined modern Brazilian cookery. She’s currently wowing guests at her Manchester chef’s table restaurant SAMPA with a Brazilian-British fusion tasting menu.

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