LIQUID S ’ MORES
Serves 6
The key to making a long tasting menu successful is that the desserts have to be tiny and intense so you get an amazing experience without feeling overstuffed.
S’mores are always so fun, so we took that gooey, delicious experience and re-created it as a small dessert. We begin by freezing a creamy graham cracker center and dipping it in whipped chocolate cake. The graham cracker melts in the refrigerator into a silky liquid center—which you have to have, to capture that feeling of being a kid with gooey stuff all over your face. Then it’s paired with bourbon marshmallow fluff. We’ve got all the flavors of a classic s’more, amped up and combined into an intense one-bite dessert.
CHOCOLATE CAKE MOUSSE:
200 grams bittersweet chocolate, chopped
250 grams unsalted butter
100 grams freshly brewed coffee
75 grams sugar
188 grams (about 4 large) eggs
4 grams salt
2 sheets silver gelatin (see Sources, here)
GRAHAM CRACKER FILLING:
200 grams whole milk
100 grams graham crackers
35 grams light brown sugar
1.5 grams salt
Chocolate Cake Mousse
BOURBON FLUFF:
85 grams corn syrup
40 grams sugar
12 grams bourbon
40 grams (1 large) egg white
10 grams water
1 gram methylcellulose (see Sources, here)
0.5 gram salt
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
500 grams liquid nitrogen (see Sources, here; optional) or water jacket for a stand mixer
Insulated cooler or dewar (optional)
1-ounce cylinder silicone mold
Butane torch
Wooden skewers
CHOCOLATE CAKE MOUSSE:
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Grease an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler set over simmering water, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula. Once the mixture is smooth, remove the top of the double boiler from the heat and stir in the coffee and sugar. Put the eggs and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the warm chocolate mixture until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes, until the cake springs back lightly when touched gently with a finger, and a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the sheets of gelatin in ice water until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain and reserve the softened gelatin sheets in a small bowl. Turn the cake out of the pan and break it into pieces; it will still be hot in the center. Put the cake in a blender and puree on high for 1 minute, until smooth. Reduce the speed to low, add the gelatin, and puree for 10 seconds, until the gelatin is absorbed. Pour the pureed cake into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Whip the pureed cake at medium speed, adding liquid nitrogen a little bit at a time to cool the cake. Alternatively, you can wrap a water jacket around the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk, or set a mixing bowl in a bowl of ice water and use a hand mixer fitted with beaters to whip and cool the cake mixture. As you whip the batter and it cools, it will start to set up as a mousse. Once it has turned into a light, fluffy chocolate mousse, at least 5 minutes, turn off the mixer. Remove the whisk, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and reserve in the refrigerator until you are ready to dip the Graham Cracker Filling.
GRAHAM CRACKER FILLING:
Put the milk, graham crackers, brown sugar, and salt in a blender and puree for 2 minutes, or until the mixture starts to get hot. Pour 25 grams of puree into each cylinder of a 1-ounce cylinder silicone mold set on a sheet pan. This will make a few extra pieces to eat as you go. Freeze overnight in the freezer. The next morning, remove the mold from the freezer and push the frozen pucks out of the mold. Lay them out on a sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and reserve in the freezer until ready to dip.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. To coat the Graham Cracker Filling, remove a graham cracker puck from the freezer and stick a wooden skewer into it to create a handle. Dip the puck in liquid nitrogen for 15 seconds, then dip and twist the frozen puck into the Chocolate Cake Mousse to coat it with the mousse. Dip the whole thing back into the liquid nitrogen to set the mousse. Remove the dipped cake from the skewer and lay it on the prepared sheet pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour to defrost the graham cracker and create a liquid center. Continue dipping until you have coated all of the Graham Cracker Filling spheres. Alternatively, dip each sphere in the Chocolate Cake Mousse, turning it to be sure to coat it completely. Lay it on the prepared sheet pan, remove the skewer, and freeze for 3 hours to set the mousse around the filling. Repeat with the remaining spheres of Graham Cracker Filling. Transfer the pan of dipped Graham Cracker Filling to the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving so the filling can melt inside the mousse and create a Liquid S’more.
BOURBON FLUFF:
Put the corn syrup, sugar, and bourbon in a small saucepot, set over medium heat, and bring to 236°F. While the sugar heats up, whip the egg white, water, methylcellulose, and salt in a mixing bowl set over simmering water with a hand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, until it starts to get frothy. Once the sugar mixture hits 236°F, slowly pour it into the egg white mixture, whisking continuously. Continue to whip the fluff until it cools to room temperature. It will thicken and become shiny. Reserve in an airtight container until ready to plate.
TO FINISH:
Place 20 grams of Bourbon Fluff in the center of each plate. Stand the tip of a spoon in the fluff and drag it across the plate in a line to create a swoosh. Use a butane torch to brûlée the fluff. Place a Liquid S’more on top of the fluff. Repeat with the 5 remaining plates and serve immediately.
