Samuel James Events Recipe: Chocolate Delice

For our first recipe blog we thought we’d give you one of our favourites. We serve this so often at weddings and corporate events. It’s a deliciously indulgent dessert that everyone loves.

It’s pretty simple to make and will really impress that special someone.

Ingredients

For the base:

100g Toasted Hazelnuts

100g Caramelised Sugar

150g Bran Flakes

For the delice:

140ml Full-fat Milk

330ml Double Cream

2 Eggs (free-range please)

340g Dark Chocolate (min 60% coco solids)

Method

For the base, toast the hazelnuts in a frying pan until golden and caramelise the sugar in another until deep gold in colour. This should take about 5 minutes.

Then, blend the hazelnuts and caramelised sugar in a food processor till you have a smooth paste.

Place the paste in a pan to warm through on the hob, and then add the bran flakes and incorporate into the paste.

Line a spring-form tin (about 14cm by 20cm) with grease-proof and transfer the mixture into it, pushing it down evenly to form a solid base. Place in the fridge to set.

Now for the delice, heat the milk and cream in a pan over the hob until just before boiling point. Don’t let it boil over. Meanwhile whisk the eggs in a bowl and chop the chocolate into small pieces.

Once the milk and cream is ready pour in the eggs and whisk constantly until smooth and thickened. It should coat the back of a spoon. Do not stop whisking or you’ll have scrambled eggs.

Take off the heat and add the chocolate and leave to stand for a minute or two, then whisk until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Leaving it to stand for a minute is important as it gives the delice a nice shiny finish.

Remove the base from the fridge and pour over the chocolate mixture. Tap gently on the work surface to dispel any air pockets and then return to the fridge for at least 6 hours to set.

When set simply remove from the tin, slice and serve.

It’s great served with salted caramel ice cream and sharp, tangy berries such as raspberries and blackberries.