St Émilion au Chocolat

A very simple and insanely good chocolate dessert, this is my variation of the inspirational Elizabeth David, whose books, many decades later, are never less than an joy to read. Essentially this is a top-notch chocolate mousse that is indulgent yet light textured; this might well be a retro dessert but, quite frankly, when something is this good it matters not one jot!

The more rustic macaroons can be used in this recipe for the base and they get shamelessly soaked in brandy. Macaroons are very easy to make and while they don’t have the sophistication of the French macarons, they are, nonetheless, lovely sweet treats.

However, I like to use Amaretti biscuits: the Amaretti are crisper than macaroons, but once soaked and left in the dessert they go soft anyhow.

I prefer the biscuits to be lightly broken up into smallish pieces for the base: neither too fine nor too chunky. They soak up the brandy, giving the most thrilling sweet, nutty flavour with the gorgeous heat of the alcohol.

Assembling

I usually put the mixture in an 8″ loose-bottomed cake tin with a layer of the brandy-soaked macaroons on the bottom, followed by a layer of the chocolate wickedness and then topped with a generous sprinkling of brandy-soaked macaroons.

You get a dessert that has just enough depth without being too deep (which, for this, would be far too daunting to eat – even for the most ardent chocoholic – and I count myself among that demographic!)

A trifle different!

You can layer this up, trifle-style, in individual ramekins or small glasses: macaroon, chocolate, macaroon, chocolate…an insanely indulgent trifle for sure!

The brandy (or rum) is absolutely crucial in this dessert; I have made it without alcohol but it doesn’t work nearly as well. Amaretto is also an excellent choice.

Simplicity is key

Simplicity of presentation is the order of the day here: just clean slices, served with cream; the natural elegance of the dessert itself is enough to make it shine.

You can serve the St Émilion with fresh raspberries which cut through the richness, but it doesn’t actually need them!

Recipe: St Émilion au Chocolat: serves 8-10

• 150g Amaretti biscuits or English macaroons

Chocolate layer:

• 150g macaroons (or use Amaretti biscuits), plus a few for the topping
• 100ml brandy
• 110g best quality unsalted butter, softened
• 110g golden caster sugar
• 200ml full-fat milk, warmed
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon espresso coffee
• 225g excellent quality dark chocolate (at least 70% coco solids), chopped roughly
• 1 medium egg yolk, at room temperature

To serve:

• chilled cream, either whipped or poured –  or crème fraîche

(1)  Roughly tear apart the Amaretti or the macarons, making sure you don’t end up with pieces that are too fine. Sprinkle over most of the brandy and stir in. Leave for a few minutes until the macaroons absorb the excess moisture. Sprinkle these generously over the bottom of an 8″ loose-bottomed sandwich tin that has an acetate collar around the circumference on the inside.
NB: the acetate collar is not essential but it makes it easier to remove the St Émilion from the tin, maintaining a smooth edge all the way round.

(2) Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and whisk very well until pale and light. You can use vanilla sugar which adds a lovely flavour.

(3) Put the chocolate, coffee, vanilla extract and salt into the warm milk and leave for a couple of minutes to start to melt. Whisk well until smooth.

(4) Add the egg yolk to the butter and sugar and slowly pour in the hot milky chocolate, whisking well – don’t worry about the butter melting; it is meant to! Pour this mixture over the brandy-soaked macaroons and smooth off. The egg yolk will just cook in the heat.

(5) Roughly crush the remaining Amaretti or macaroons over the chocolate mixture and sprinkle gently with more brandy.  Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before slicing thinly and serving with very well chilled cream.