The Catalan TableIngredients
Servings:
4
Ingredients
- Orange cream
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 egg yolks
- 115 gOrange pulp (orange juice)
- 35 gsugar
- 5 gcornstarch or starch
- vanilla bean
- 30 gbutter
- 2 ggelatin
Nutritional Information
Per Serving (Approx.)
Calories
245 kcal
Protein
14 g
Fat
15 g
Carbohydrates
14 g
Disclaimer: These values are estimates based on ingredient types and may not be precise.
Step-by-step Guide
Prepare the Orange Cream
- Place the whole egg, the yolks, and the sugar in a bowl, and mix well with a manual whisk until you obtain a homogeneous mixture.
- Add the cornstarch and stir until it is well integrated.
- Squeeze the oranges to obtain the juice, and set aside.
- In a saucepan, heat the pulp over medium heat until it starts to boil; this will take about 5 minutes.
- Pour the hot pulp into the egg bowl and stir with a manual whisk until well combined.
- Transfer the mixture back into the saucepan and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a whisk, until it thickens, approximately 10 minutes.
- Now add the gelatin that has been previously soaked in very cold water and drained. Stir until it is completely dissolved.
- Allow the cream to cool until it reaches 40°C.
- Add the softened butter cut into small cubes and stir with a spatula until fully integrated.
- Take a 14 cm diameter x 2 cm height ring and line the interior with acetate tape to facilitate the unmolding.
- Fill the mold with the cream to a height of approximately 1.5 cm.
- Freeze for a minimum of 4 hours and keep it in the freezer until ready to serve.
Prepare an Orange Syrup
- Heat the orange juice with the sugar over medium heat until it begins to simmer gently, stirring occasionally to completely dissolve the sugar.
- Add the orange zest, stirring well to integrate it with the hot syrup.
- Let cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using or storing.
Prepare the orange and chocolate mousse
- In a medium-sized bowl, place the egg yolks and sugar, and mix well with a hand whisk until a homogeneous mixture is achieved.
- Heat the orange pulp in a saucepan over medium-high heat until it starts to boil, making sure it does not burn.
- Add half of the heated pulp to the yolk and sugar mixture in the bowl, and stir with the hand whisk until well integrated.
- Strain this mixture through a fine-mesh strainer directly into the saucepan with the remaining pulp to eliminate any lumps.
- Stir the pulp mixture and cook it over low heat, maintaining a temperature between 82-84ºC and stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the previously hydrated and well-drained gelatin. Stir until it is completely dissolved.
- Incorporate the soft butter, cut into small cubes, and stir until fully integrated and the texture is homogeneous.
- Pour this cream over the melted chocolate in a double boiler and stir with a manual whisk until a uniform mixture is achieved.
- Emulsify the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth and glossy.
- Allow the cream to cool until it reaches 30ºC.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks to ensure a light and creamy texture.
- Gradually fold in the whipped cream, using a spatula in a gentle folding motion to avoid losing volume.
- Take an 18 cm diameter ring mold with a height of 4 cm and line its interior with acetate strip to facilitate easy removal.
- Fill the base of the mold with approximately 2 cm of mousse.
- Place the frozen orange cream on top, pressing gently until it is level with the mousse.
- Cover everything with a thin layer of mousse, ensuring there is enough space at the top for the sponge cake disc, which will be about 2 cm in height.
- Cut a Genoese-style sponge cake disc approximately 14 cm in diameter and 2 cm in height.
- Soak the sponge cake disc with orange syrup to give it a juicy touch.
- Place the soaked disc in the middle of the mousse and fill the sides with more chocolate mousse.
- Level the surface with a spatula for a smooth finish.
- Freeze the mousse for a minimum of 4 hours before serving. Keep it in the freezer.
Almond Streusel for the Cake Base
- Mix the brown sugar with the white flour and almond flour in a bowl. Stir thoroughly until well integrated.
- Gradually add the cold butter, cut into small cubes. The mixture should have a crumbly and fairly grainy texture. It should not be kneaded but pinched with the fingers as when making a shortcrust pastry.
- Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to gain consistency.
- Crumble THE Dough into medium-sized pieces gently rubbing the dough pieces on a rack or with your hands.
- Grease a 20 cm diameter ring with butter to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Line the walls and base of the mold, pressing the pieces of dough against the inside. It should fit the part we have in the freezer.
- Bake it in a preheated oven at 140 ºC for 25 minutes or until the dough is slightly golden.
- Lightly waterproof the pastry once baked. Brush the interior with melted chocolate using a double boiler when it reaches 31 ºC, using a kitchen brush.
Glaze the truffle we have in the freezer with a
- Soak the gelatin in very cold water for about 5-10 minutes until it softens completely.
- Place 1/3 of the sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Allow it to melt without stirring with a spoon, only gently moving the saucepan to prevent it from burning.
- Once the first third of the sugar has completely melted, add another 1/3 of the sugar. Continue without stirring, only moving the saucepan.
- When the second third of the sugar has melted, add the final 1/3 of the sugar and melt until you obtain a dark golden caramel, ensuring it doesn't burn. Continue without stirring, only moving the saucepan.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully add the water to avoid splattering. Stir well with a whisk until the mixture is homogeneous.
- Return the saucepan to the heat and let it boil for a few seconds to dissolve any remaining sugar crystals.
- Remove from heat and incorporate the glucose. Stir with a whisk until the glucose is completely dissolved.
- Add the condensed milk. Stir until fully dissolved and the mixture is uniformly smooth.
- Incorporate the white chocolate and stir until it melts and the mixture is homogeneous.
- Add the previously hydrated and drained gelatin, and stir until it is perfectly integrated into the mixture.
- Pass the mixture through a chinois to eliminate any impurities or lumps.
- Allow the mixture to cool until it reaches an approximate temperature of 20-25ºC, stirring occasionally to prevent a film from forming.
- Remove the truffle from the freezer and place it on a wire rack with a plate underneath to collect any excess caramel when glazing.
- Glaze the truffle by pouring the mixture from the center towards the edges in a spiral motion, ensuring it is evenly covered.
- Use a long spatula or the blunt side of a long knife to smooth the surface and achieve a sleek finish.
Assemble the cake
- Carefully insert two wooden skewers into the glazed cake for stabilization. Then, transfer the cake using the skewers to the center of the streusel base, ensuring it is well-centered.
- To cover the holes left by the skewers, use a piping bag with a star nozzle to create chocolate flowers. Make sure to completely cover the holes and distribute the flowers evenly for an attractive finish. Let the cake sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the chocolate to set.
Recommendations & Tricks
- When preparing orange cream, make sure to beat the egg yolks and sugar until you achieve a foamy texture. This will help create a smoother and more homogeneous cream.
- When melting chocolate, do it over very low heat or using a double boiler to avoid burning it and to ensure a shiny and silky texture.
- To enhance the orange flavor, add a bit of grated orange zest to the cream. This will intensify the aroma and taste of the chilled tart.