Raspberry, Salted White Chocolate
Salted white chocolate cream has been a big dessert go-to of mine because it always makes everything better. The salt helps counteract that overly sweet flavour that white chocolate can often evoke.
Raspberry Consommé
- 1 kg frozen raspberries
- 150g pure icing sugar
- 200g raspberry liqueur
- 150g light corn syrup
Heat the oven to 100°C (210°F) fan-forced. Put the frozen raspberries in a deep roasting dish and sift the sugar over the top to coat. In a saucepan, bring the raspberry liqueur and corn syrup to a simmer. Pour the syrup over the raspberries, then cover the tray tightly with aluminium foil. Put in the oven for around 2 hours, giving the raspberries a stir every so often.
Once they have leached all their juices, remove from the oven and pass the mixture through a fine sieve, allowing it to drain slowly for a few hours at room temperature.
Once the mixture has passed through the sieve, strain the juices through a paper coffee filter for an even clearer, finer consommé. You should have at least 600ml of raspberry consommé. Leave to cool, then refrigerate until required.
Scotch Finger Base
- 300g scotch finger or shortbread biscuits
- 180g unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
Break up the biscuits, then pulse in a food processor until you have a coarse crumb. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it begins to bubble. Remove from the heat, add the salt and allow to cool for a minute or two.
With the food processor running, pour the butter into the biscuit crumbs and blend until incorporated. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and set aside. Lightly spray a 22cm, loose-based, fluted flan tin with olive-oil spray. Press the biscuit crumble into the base of the flan, pressing it tightly into the edges and making sure it is even. Refrigerate until required.
Raspberry Jelly
- 300ml raspberry consommé, as above
- 4 gelatine leaves, gold strength
In a small pan, bring the raspberry consommé to a simmer. Soak the gelatine in iced water for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes soft and pliable. Squeeze out as much water as possible, then add the gelatine to the consommé, stirring until dissolved. Set aside at room temperature.
Salted White Chocolate Mousse
- 3 gelatine leaves, gold strength
- 275g Valrhona Ivoire 35% white chocolate
- 600g thickened (whipping) cream
- ½ tsp salt
Soak the gelatine in iced water for 5 minutes until it becomes soft and pliable. Break up the chocolate and put it in a heatproof bowl. Heat 200g of the cream with the salt and bring to a simmer. Squeeze as much water from the gelatine as possible, then add the gelatine to the boiled cream, off the heat, stirring until dissolved. Pour the boiled cream onto the chocolate one-third at a time, using a spatula to stir from the middle of the bowl to the outside until the chocolate mixture is smooth.
Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature until it has cooled to around 30°C (about 15-20 minutes). Whip the remaining 400g cream to soft peaks. Once the chocolate has cooled sufficiently, fold it through the whipped cream in batches. Stir well to ensure there are no small lumps of cream remaining.
TO FILL THE FLAN
Place the flan tin on a cloth, then pour the white chocolate mousse onto the scotch finger base. Lift the tin gently, tapping it down on the cloth once or twice to remove any excess air and help flatten the surface. At this stage, the mixture should begin to set. If not, put it in the refrigerator.
Once the surface is firm enough, pour the raspberry jelly liquid on top. Set in the fridge for at least 6 hours before unmoulding.
TO SERVE
To unmould the flan, use your fingers to gently pull the jelly from the sides of the mould in between the fluted edges. Use a blowtorch very lightly around the cream area of the tin to release the base and cream.
Place the flan securely on a low platform that is smaller than the metal insert of the flan tin, such as three tins of tomatoes, so the outer case can fall away, leaving the flan stable on top of the tins.
Make sure you support the mould while doing this, so that it falls away evenly and not just from one side. Carefully lift off the metal insert of the flan tin, place on a serving plate and refrigerate for around 1 hour before serving.
Negroni Rigatoni
Serves 6
This is always our go-to dish when we want to chill out in front of the television and it’s a knock-out dish to make for friends, too. You can use other pasta shapes if you like; it’s very forgiving.
Classic Negroni
- 30ml gin
- 30ml Campari
- 30ml Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
- 1 slice of orange peel, for garnish
Add the gin, Campari and vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice, and stir until well-chilled. Garnish with the orange peel.
Negroni Sauce
- 60ml olive oil
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 150ml Negroni
- 650ml essential red sauce
- 1-2 tbsp fragrant chilli oil
In a large, wide, heavy-based saucepan or flameproof casserole dish, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until softened. Add the Negroni mix to deglaze the pan, stirring until combined. Cook until the Negroni reduces and has almost evaporated.
Add the essential red sauce and continue to cook over a medium-low heat, stirring often, until the sauce is deep red, making sure the base of the pan doesn’t scorch. Reduce the heat to low and add the fragrant chilli oil, stirring. Set the sauce aside until ready to serve.
Essential Red Sauce
Makes 2.5 litres
This magnificent tomato sugo is a life-saver, and one of my all-time must-haves in the freezer. It can multitask from one end of the week to the other, forming the base of a simple pasta, enriching a braise, adding magic to a bolognese sauce, or spooned over steak, pizzaiola style.
- 60ml olive oil
- 4 large brown onions, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 long red chilli, finely sliced and seeds removed
- 20g (½ bunch) fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 1 x 60g piece of smoked pancetta
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 420g tomato paste (concentrated purée)
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 4 400g tins of tomatoes, chopped,
- 700g fresh roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
- 1 litre chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp sugar
Heat a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil, then add the chopped onions, garlic and chillies and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the thyme, pancetta, salt and peppercorns and continue to cook over a medium heat for a further 5-10 minutes, until the onions start to soften and lightly caramelise.
Add the tomato paste and paprika and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Add the canned and fresh tomatoes, stock and sugar, and bring to a simmer, stirring.
Turn the heat to very low and simmer gently for 3 hours, until the sauce is thick and rich. Remove the pancetta, then lightly whiz the sauce with a handheld blender. Return to a low heat and continue to reduce for a further 30-50 minutes until thick and dark red. Cool, then freeze in 1 litre batches. (For a vegetarian version, drop the pancetta and swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.)
TO SERVE
- sea salt
- 500g dried rigatoni pasta
- Negroni sauce, as above
- 120g thickened (whipping) cream
- 50g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Fill an 8 litre pot three-quarters full with water. Add a good amount of sea salt and bring to a rolling boil. Once boiling, add the rigatoni and cook according to the packet instructions (around 12-14 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, gently warm the Negroni sauce and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and gradually add the cream to the sauce, stirring well until smooth and glossy. Turn the heat to very low, while the pasta is cooking. Once the pasta is nearly cooked, transfer 100ml of the pasta water to the Negroni sauce, stirring to combine.
Drain the cooked pasta, reserving 200ml of the cooking water. Shake the pasta well to remove excess water. Add the rigatoni to the sauce, gently turning until well coated. Scatter with Parmigiano and gently fold through until it melts and is fully incorporated. Add some of the reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce, stirring, until it is rich, creamy and smooth, evenly coating the pasta. Season to taste and serve individually or in a bowl in the centre of the table.
An edited extract from The Dinner Party by Martin Benn & Vicki Wild (Hardie Grant Books, RRP $70).
