Chocolate Royal

Praline Paste
  120 g Almond, crushed

  80 g Hazelnut, crushed

  1 g Salt

  210 g Powdered sugar

Crunchy Praline
  150 g Praliné paste

  20 g Milk chocolate

  20 g Cocoa butter

  80 g Feuilletine*

Dacquoise Biscuit
  120 g Egg whites, at room temp

  1 g Cream of tartar, or lemon juice

  100 g Sugar

  60 g Almonds

  60 g Hazelnuts
  60 g Powdered sugar

  20 g Flour

Chocolate Coating
  200 g Dark chocolate

  30 g Neutral oil

Dark Chocolate Mousse

  190 g Milk

  60 g Egg yolks

  90 g Sugar

  4 g Gelatin

  225 g Chocolate couverture*

  500 g Heavy cream

Chocolate Mirror Glaze

  150 g Water

  300 g Sugar

  300 g Corn syrup, or glucose

  200 g Condensed milk

  20 g Gelatin

  300 g Bittersweet chocolate

Praline Paste

1 Toast nuts in a hot skillet or in a 375ºF/190ºC preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Let
cool. (Remove skin if desired). Meanwhile make caramel a sec (caramel without water).
In a hot saucepan stir in powdered sugar over medium high heat and cook until it turns
brown but not too dark. Turn off the heat and fold in the toasted nuts. Transfer the
caramelized nuts onto a silicon mat and let cool completely. Break into pieces (save
some for decoration). While the food processor is running throw in the caramelized nuts
pieces and blend for 5 minutes or until it forms a paste. Save 5 ounces (150g) for the
praliné crunch and refrigerate leftover for later use.

Crunchy Praline

2
 *Also known as paillete feuilletine, these crepes dentelles crumbs are a great addition to
cake making. It can be subbed for crushed corn flakes. Melt milk chocolate and cocoa
butter or coconut oil at 105ºF (41ºC). Mix the melted chocolate mixture with the praliné
and fold in feuillantine or crushed corn flakes and set aside at room temperature.

Dacquoise Biscuit
3 Beat egg whites with cream of tartar and one third of the sugar, on medium speed.
Meanwhile, crush nuts and toast them lightly in the oven and cool. In a food processor,
blend the toasted nuts, powdered sugar and flour together until coarse. Set mixer to high
speed and beat egg whites into firm peaks adding the remaining sugar gradually. Set
oven to 400ºF/200ºC. Stop mixer and fold the nuts-sugar mixture into the meringue.
Using a large offset spatula, spread dacquoise mixture onto a greased parchment or
silicon mat. Or, pipe out into desired size disks.

Baking

4 Bake at 400ºF/200ºC for about 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely
and chill.

Chocolate Coating (Chablon)

5 Melt chocolate, and mix in oil. Brush on the surface of the dacquoise (crust side up).
Chill to set, and cut into desired portions.

Chocolate Mousse

6 *For chocolate mousse, the choice of the chocolate is crucial. Use Valrhona Manjari or
Guanaja. Makes a 9''https://bruno.b-cdn.net/22cm diameter x 1.5''/3.75cm high pastry
ring or silicon mold. Or, 12 individual pastry ring or silicon molds. Melt chocolate over a
water-bath (just melted). Soften gelatin in cold water and drain. Make a creme Anglaise:
bring milk to a boil with some of the sugar. Meanwhile, beat yolks and remaining sugar.
Pour hot milk into the yolk mixture, whisk thoroughly. Return to stove and cook custard
to 185ºF/85ºC on medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Remove from the
heat, whisk in the melted gelatin and pass through a sieve over the melted dark
chocolate and mix well. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks. When the chocolate mixture
reaches 100ºF/38ºC fold in whipped cream. Use immediately.

Montage

7 From large to individual portions, this cake can be built from the bottom to top or using
the upside-down method. For the traditional method: place the dacquoise first
(chocolate chablon side down). Spread the crunchy praline on the dacquoise evenly
without crushing it too much and chill to set. Fill cake with the mousse to the top and
 smooth out using an offset spatula. Freeze overnight.
For the upside-down method: On a flat platter lined with a large frozen bag (Watch
Fraisier Cake Video). Avoid the use of plastic wrap or parchment; it will form small
creases. Spoon out the mousse and spread against the sides of the mold. Then sprinkle
some crunchy praline over the mousse. Top with the dacquoise (chocolate chablon side
up) gently pressing down to even up the surface of the cake. Remove excess mousse
and freeze 6 hours prior removing from mold. Place frozen cake on wire rack an hour
before glazing.

Chocolate Mirror Glaze

8 Soak gelatin in cold water to soften; drain. Melt chocolate over a water-bath (just
melted). In a saucepan bring water, sugar and corn syrup to a boil and cook to 103º
celsius. Turn heat off and mix in the condensed milk along with the gelatin. Pour the hot
mixture over the chocolate and blend without incorporating air. Pass through a fine
sieve, tap to remove any air bubbles and refrigerate one night before using. This
chocolate mirror glaze can keep 2 weeks in the refrigerator or frozen for months.

Glazing Cake

9 Place the frozen cake(s) rack over a baking tray lined with plastic wrap to collect the
excess glaze. Warm up chocolate mirror glaze to 100ºF/38ºC, tap over the countertop to
remove any excess air bubbles. Pour the glaze on the cake starting from the center
towards the sides using a ladle. Immediately run a large offset spatula from 12 to 6
o’clock to thin out finish. Place glazed cake in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
Chocolate royal can be stored in the refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for weeks.

Plating

10 The chocolate royal can be decorated in many different ways from edible gold leaf to
fine chocolate decorations, chocolate pearls, caramelized nuts, fresh raspberries, mint
leaves... If served as a plated dessert, the chocolate royal can be paired with sorbet
such as blackcurrant, mango, passion fruit, raspberry, apricot etc...
Enjoy!