Chocolate custard with citrus foam
Here is another of the adapted recipes from José María Arzak’s book (thanks Nuria!) for the club of chocolate lovers. It is the second recipe I’ve made from this book, and so far the experiences have been very good, both in flavors and preparation methods—sometimes I feel like an explorer. And quite labor-intensive too, let’s be honest…
This is not your typical quick and easy dessert that you prepare when you’re short on time and don’t feel like cooking. No. To successfully make these custards, you’ll need effort, time, and an innovative spirit.
The result after all that patience? A very smooth cream on the palate, and a topping that will delight even the most demanding tastes.
Ingredients for 4 people
For the chocolate cream
1/2 liter fresh whole milk
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
150 g sugar
150 g chocolate couverture
3 tablespoons water
For the citrus foam
100 ml whipping cream
2 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
100 ml water
80 g sugar
peel of 1 lemon
peel of 1 mandarin
peel of half an orange
For decoration
Cocoa powder, fresh mint or spearmint, and orange powder
Preparation
Put the tablespoons of water in a saucepan over low heat and add the chocolate, stirring until it melts.
Remove the seeds from the vanilla pod and add them to the milk. Heat it in another saucepan.
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you get a very light, fluffy cream.
When the milk starts to boil, pour it over the yolks and stir well.
Then add the melted chocolate and mix again until fully combined.
Place the mixture in a saucepan over low heat until it thickens, but without letting it boil.
Fill the containers halfway (preferably transparent ones), and once at room temperature, place them in the refrigerator to cool.
Now prepare the citrus foam by making a syrup with the water, sugar, and the lemon, orange, and mandarin peels, cut into pieces and without the white part. Let it simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes.
Strain the syrup and reserve some of the cooked peel for final decoration (I used lemon peel).
Whip the cream and gradually add the syrup at room temperature.
Finally, add the beaten egg whites and stir until combined.
Take the custards out of the refrigerator and spread the foam on top using a piping bag or a spoon.
Decorate by sprinkling cocoa powder, with citrus peels, or with mint or spearmint leaves.
Things to keep in mind
You can replace the vanilla with a cinnamon stick, the mandarin with grapefruit, or the cocoa powder with instant coffee.