Salted Caramel Chocolate and Clementine Leaf Cremosa

Introduction

‘Cremosa’ is simply the Spanish word for mousse, but this recipe is essentially a variation of the great British classic of Chocolate custard. It’s incredibly simple, yet done in a way where the chocolate and custard are emulsified to create the perfect balance between the richness of the egg and the bitterness of the chocolate.

Clementine

1- Peel and segment 5 clementines and remove all the pith.

2- Make a simple stock syrup by mixing the 250g sugar, water and star anise in a sauce pan. Keep stirring as you bring it to a boil. Allow it to cool.

3- Place the clementine segments into the cooled stock syrup, and let it steep for 24 hours.

4- Remove the segments from the syrup and place into a dehydrator set at 57°C for 12 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, use an oven on full fan set to 50°C overnight.

Caramel

1- Place the sugar and salt into a pan with a splash of water.

2- Bring up gently over the medium heat; make sure there is no sugar on the side of the pan. Cook to 161°C, (or until dark, rich caramel forms).

Crème Anglaise

1- Pour the caramel into a large bowl and add the egg yolks.

2- Boil the milk, cream and vanilla add 60g clementine leaves. Pour over the egg yolks and caramel whilst whisking.

3- Return the custard mixture to a pan and cook until thickened and coating consistency. Pass this through a fine sieve and retain.

4- Using a blender, preferably a thermo mix, blend the chocolate and crème anglaise together until glossy.

5- Place into a plastic container and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.