The Naked Mellowpuff

Serves 8

The Mellowpuff is a wonderful biscuit. Brings back so many childhood memories.

We wanted to do our version as a dessert at Ahi, naked this time (no chocolate coating).

It has become a real favorite with our guests.

Tip:

An Intricate dessert, lots of preparation ahead, but it’s all worth it.

Ingredients & Methods

Miso Foam

  • 2g gelatin sheets
  • 125ml milk
  • 25g sugar
  • 100ml cream
  • 25g miso paste

Chocolate Mousse

  • 100g sugar
  • 80ml water
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 210ml cream
  • 20ml milk
  • 200g melted dark chocolate

Cocopop Tuile

  • 140g dark chocolate
  • 10g cocoa butter
  • 150g cocoa pops cereal

Cocoa Crumb

  • 200g cocoa
  • 80g sugar
  • 5g sea salt
  • 140g softened butter
  • 60g egg whites

Chocolate Base Discs

  • 130g caster sugar
  • 130g demerara sugar
  • 250g almond meal
  • 200g gluten-free flour
  • 100g cocoa powder
  • 10g fine salt
  • 250g butter
  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 50g butter

Rhubarb Jam

  • 500g fresh rhubarb chunks
  • 250g sugar
  • 5g citric acid

Rhubarb Sorbet

  • 9g stabiliser
  • 2g xanthan
  • 225g sugar
  • 1.6L homemade rhubarb juice (juice about 3kg fresh rhubarb)
  • 325g glucose syrup
  • 2 gelatin sheets (bloomed)
  • 5g citric acid

To Serve

  • Cocoa powder (for dusting)
  • Edible flowers (for dusting)

Miso Foam

  1. Bloom the gelatin by soaking the sheets in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
  2. Heat the milk and sugar in a pot over low heat until sugar is dissolved.
  3. Blend in the gelatin and the cream, followed by the miso. Hand blend until combined.
  4. Pass through a sieve and set aside in the fridge for 2 hours until set.
  5. Hand blend until smooth then transfer to an isi espuma gun and charge twice.
  6. Chill for at least 2 hours before using to assemble your dish.

Chocolate Mousse

  1. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over a low heat until the temperature reaches 118°C on a kitchen thermometer.
  2. Place the eggs and yolks in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
  3. Pour the hot sugar liquid onto the eggs and yolks slowly, while whisking on low. Once all the sugar is added to the eggs, increase the mixer speed to high and whisk until the mixture is coled (this is making a pate bomb mixture).
  4. In a separate bowl, whip cream and milk until they form soft peaks and fold one-third of the cream mixture into the pate bomb, followed by the chocolate. Fold in the remaining cream mixture, one-third at a time.
  5. Place in a piping bag and reserve for assembly.

Cocopop Tuile

  1. Melt chocolate and cocoa butter together in the microwave. Add the cocoa pops and mix to combine well.
  2. With a rolling pin, roll the chocolate mix out in between 2 sheets of baking paper to about 2-3mm thick then place in the fridge to chill for about an hour or until cold and set.
  3. Once cold, break into interesting shapes, around 4-5 cm square pieces.
  4. Keep in the fridge until assembly.

Cocoa Crumb

  1. Preheat oven to 150°C.
  2. Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt in a blender.
  3. Add butter and egg whites and blend to combine, making a crumb-like mixture
  4. Spread on a tray lined with baking paper, making sure there are no big clumps. Bake for 20 minutes, turning twice throughout.
  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble.

Chocolate Base Discs

  1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
  2. Combine the sugars, almond meal, flour, cocoa powder and salt in a blender. Add butter and pulse to form a crumb-like mixture.
  3. Spread mixture out on a tray lined with baking paper and bake for roughly 18 minutes, turning and breaking up three times during the cook.
  4. Cool the mix to room temperature, then blend the crumble again until fine.
  5. Line another tray with baking paper. Melt the chocolate and butter together, then fold through crumble and spread the mixture out on the tray to roughly 0.5 cm thickness. Place in the freezer until set.
  6. Using a 7cm round cutter, cut out 8 discs from the chocolate mixture.
  7. Keep in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble.

Rhubarb Jam

  1. Combine rhubarb and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook for about 1 hour until it reaches a ‘jammy’ consistency.
  2. Season with citric acid while hot.
  3. Set aside to cool.

Rhubarb Sorbet

  1. Bloom the gelatin by soaking the sheets in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes.
  2. Whisk together the stabiliser, xanthan and citric acid until combined.
  3. Place one-quarter of the rhubarb juice and the glucose in a large saucepan and bring to the boil.
  4. Using a hand blender, mix in the gelatin and the dry mixture and bring the temperature back to 80.
  5. Place in the fridge until chilled, then blend in the rest of the juice.
  6. Churn the sorbet in an ice-cream machine, following manufacturer’s instructions.

Assembly of Dish

  1. Place the chocolate disc on one side of a serving plate.
  2. Pipe the chocolate mousse around the edges of the disc three times.
  3. Fill the hole the mousse has created with the rhubarb jam.
  4. Place the crumble on the other side of the plate.
  5. Spoon the sorbet onto the crumble and garnish with the chocolate tuile.
  6. Take the isi espuma gun with the foam and cover the chocolate/rhubarb jam.
  7. Dust with cocoa powder and garnish with edible flowers.