Chocolate Budino with Hazelnut Coffee Brittle
This one of my favorite roasty winter desserts: the hazelnut coffee brittle blends beautifully with the delicate chocolate pudding, and comes together to create a seamless flavor profile.
The brittle is actually a swiss meringue, which creates a light and delicate crunch that doesn’t overpower the pudding. Serving in ramekins, with everything packed together, and fishing around to construct a bite with the perfect amount of crunch is fun!
I cook both the brittle and the pudding using a sous vide for consistency and convenience. I don’t think the brittle needs it, but it does help ensure the pudding has a beautiful delicate mouth feel.
I slightly adapted a recipe from Bon Apetit for the budino, and from Pierre Herme’s Chocolate Desserts for the brittle. These came out nearly perfect the first time, and didn’t involve much tuning.
Budino
5oz bittersweet chocolate
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
6 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Whisk together the yolks and sugar, then combine with milk, cream.
Cook to 175f, preferably in a sous vide
Pour custard through a strainer over the chocolate, and stir gently until the chocolate has melted
Blend with an immersion blender until fully emulsified, 5-10 minutes
Add salt and oil, blend again
Brittle
2 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 tablespoon of boiling water
400g powdered sugar
400g toasted skinned hazelnuts
3 egg whites
Instructions
Create an “extract” by mixing the coffee with the boiling water, set it asside
Line a quarter baking sheet with foil, but keep one side “open” to create a barrier: we will pour our cooked batter in to the pan and want to keep it at an even thickness
Combine all the ingredients. Mix well and sous vide at 135 for 1 hour (or cook to 135 in a bain marie). Pour the cooked batter in to the baking sheet, and adjust the height so it is just under 1 inch. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Cut small one inch squares, and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Cook in the oven at 275f. These take absolutely forever to cook, since we’re looking to fully remove any chew. Their cooking can be accelerated by turning them over after about ~20 minutes, once they easily peel away from the baking sheet, giving them a chance to cook through on the bottom too. Be careful not to remove them too early though, they are extremely delicate in this stage. They are finished when they are dull, dry, and firm to the touch.
Notes:
I toast hazelnuts at 325 for ~18 minutes, which creates a more thoroughly roasted nut
