Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Petits Fours Recipe
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150 minutes prep time
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30 minutes cook time
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Intermediate
These dark chocolate ice cream petits fours are made with a ball of rich dark chocolate ice cream, enrobed in a dark chocolate cocoa nib shell and dusted with edible gold. Think indulgent mini-Magnum ice creams in the guise of Ferrero Rocher. Serve in a pyramid on a silver platter, and it won't be long before guests put on their best French accents and say "Ambassador, with this you're really spoiling us".
The recipe is really two recipes in one: a dark chocolate ice cream recipe, and a recipe for dark chocolate ice cream petits fours. The dark chocolate ice cream recipe makes about one litre of ice cream, but the chocolate and cocoa nibs will cover 20-25 chocolate petits fours, which is approximately a quarter of the ice cream. That's the number we could shape and cover before tiring.
It won't be long before guests put on their best French accents and say "Ambassador, with this you're really spoiling us".
Either scale up the chocolate cocoa nib exterior part of the recipe and always have some impressive petits fours in the freezer to whip out effortlessly on any occasion - they can be made weeks and perhaps even months in advance - or keep the dark chocolate ice cream in the freezer, and just cover enough petits fours for that week's dinner party. Or, enjoy the rest of the home-made chocolate ice cream as it is!
The elegant simplicity of the chocolate petits fours is set off by a light dusting of edible gold.
For the chocolate ice cream recipe Serves: 10
- 100g caster sugar
- 100ml water
- 3 heaped tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1½ tsp corn flour
- 3 large egg yolks
- 360ml milk
- 150g dark chocolate couverture (54%)
- 3g ice cream stabiliser
- 300ml whipping cream or double cream
For the chocolate cocoa nib coating
- 250g dark chocolate couverture (54%)
- 45g cocoa nibs
- Edible gold crumbs
Equipment
- Ice cream maker (optional)
- Melon baller
- Toothpick
- Pâtisserie brush
First make the chocolate ice cream
- Heat half the sugar with the water. Boil for 1 minute and then set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa, corn flour, remaining sugar, and ice cream stabiliser. Whisk in the egg yolk, and then whisk in the cool syrup.
- Bring the milk to the boil and gradually add pour onto to the cocoa mixture, stirring constantly. Fold in the melted chocolate. Return to the heat to thicken the mixture until it coats the back of a spoon. Take care not to overheat as the mixture will curdle. Leave to cool.
- When the chocolate custard is cold, lightly whisk the whipping cream or double cream until thickened and fold into the chocolate custard.
- Churn the mixture in an ice cream machine before storing it in the freezer. If you don’t have an ice cream machine, place the mixture in the freezer for 2 hours. Transfer to a food blender and blend to break down the ice crystals. Repeat every two hours until the ice cream is completely frozen and crystal free.
- When the choocolate ice cream is ready use a melon baller dipped in hot water to make round truffle sized balls. Freeze the balls immediately.
Finishing
- Melting the chocolate couverture in a bain-marie and stir in the cocoa nibs.
- Dip the frozen ice cream balls into the chocolate using a toothpick, and lay out on a tray to set. Return the tray the freezer to harden. Once the chocolate is set, coat the chocolate ice cream petits fours with a little edible gold shimmer using a pastry brush, and return to freezer.
- Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving to allow the condensation on the surface of the balls to thaw (see picture below straight from the freezer).
