Ingredients

For the ganache:

• 200 gram 60% dark chocolate
• 400ml double cream
• 2 cardamom pods
• 50g sugar
• 10ml Cointreau

For the apricot chutney:

• 50g dried apricots
• 170ml white wine
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 stick star anise
• 25g sugar

For the orange tuile:

• 75g caster sugar
• 50g butter
• 50g Flour
• 1 pc Orange zest
• 2g salt

Tools

• Cooking Chef XL

Method

For the ganache:

1. Crush the cardamom pods and add them together with the rest of the ingredients to the Kenwood mixing bowl.
2. Use the "Creaming beater” attachment and set the Kenwood heating to 50°C. Dial the Kenwood on to mark 1 and melt the mixture till completely homogenous.
3. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl and leave to cool down. Once cooled down place it in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.

For the apricot chutney:

1. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds into a saucepan.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook gently with a lid for about 30 minutes until the apricot are soft.
3. Take the apricots out of the liquid and let the liquid reduce till a syrup.
4. Cut the apricots into small cubes with a sharp knife and put them back in the syrup.
5. Serve lukewarm.

For the orange tuile:

1. Cut one slice of orange zest from the orange and reserve for garnishing.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and grate the rest of the orange zest into the butter. Let it cool down but don’t let it set.
3. Weight all the other ingredients and combine them in a mixing bowl.
4. Add the cooled down butter to the rest of the mixture and mix well for 2-3 minutes till a dough ball forms.
5. Place this in the fridge for 30 min to set.
6. Line an oven tray with baking paper or a silicone mat and make small dough balls the size of a marble.
7. Press them flat on the tray and leave enough space in between for them to flow out.
8. Bake at 170° for 7-9 minutes or until they are golden brown.

To finish:

1. Make a cup of hot water with 2 dinner spoons.
2. Use the warm and wet spoons to make rochers of the chocolate ganache.
3. Start with one rocher, top with an orange tuile, add another rocher, one more tuile and a final 3rd rocher on top.
4. Spoon the apricot chutney around with the syrup.
5. Finish with a thin slice of orange zest on top of the ganache.

Chef's Notes:​​​​​​​

1. The ganache is best served at an ambient temperature so make sure to take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.