Chocolate Coconut with Vanilla English Cream ▶
Chef Kim Kringlie’s recipe is a lesson in trompe l’oeil. He dips Mylar balloons into chocolate halfway up, refrigerates then to harden the chocolate, then pops the balloons. Voila!, a hollow chocolate half sphere ready to fill with cream cheese-coconut cream. Once the cream freezes, a melon baller is used to hollow out the center to resemble a coconut half. This chocolate molding technique can be used with other fillings such as chocolate mousse, ice cream, and fresh berries drizzled with sabayon.
Ingredients
- Milk Chocolate - 8 ounces, chopped
- Macadamia nuts - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
- Cream Cheese - 8 ounces, at room temperature
- Confectioner’s Sugar - 1 cup, sifted
- Coconut Cream - 1/4 cup
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Shredded Coconut - 1/4 cup
- English Creamc (Makes 2 cups)
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 3/4 cup
- Milk - 1/2 cup
- Egg Yolks - 4
- Sugar - 1/2 cup
- Vanilla Extract - 2 tablespoons, pure
Instructions
Place four coffee mugs on a baking sheet. In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate. Add the macadamia nuts. Dip each balloon halfway into the chocolate and set into a coffee mug, chocolate-side up. Refrigerate until the chocolate is firm. You may re-dip to thicken the coating if you wish. Set the melted chocolate aside; keep warm.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and coconut cream until smooth. In a deep, medium bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and fold in the shredded coconut.
Pop the balloons and remove them from the chocolate shells. Fill the chocolate shells to the top with the filling. Put them back onto the cold coffee cups, chocolate side down this time. Place in the freezer until firm. Using a melon baller, hollow out the middle of the shell to resemble a coconut half.
To serve: If necessary, rewarm the melted chocolate over hot water. Take the chocolate coconuts out of the freezer. Spoon a spot of melted chocolate in the center of each dessert plate and position a chocolate coconut on it, holding until the chocolate sets enough to hold the “coconut” in place. Repeat with all the plates. Pool English Cream around the chocolate coconuts.
English Cream Make 2 cups.
In a medium saucepan, heat the heavy cream and milk. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until pale in color. Gradually beat in the hot milk and cream. Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add the vanilla. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve.
