INGREDIENTS
Chocolate crunch discs
200 g good-quality milk chocolate
100 g almond praline paste 50% or similar nut paste
80 g soba cha (Japanese roasted buckwheat)
60 g candied orange fillets, finely chopped
65 g dried cranberries, optional
Marshmallow
4.5 g gold gelatine sheets, or 2 ¼ individual gelatine sheets
40 g water (A)
30 ml water (B)
115 g caster sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tbs vanilla bean paste
Vegetable oil spray, for greasing
Chocolate coating
500 g good-quality milk chocolate
Finishing
100 g good-quality white chocolate
METHOD
Chocolate crunch discs
- Temper the chocolate by placing it into a saucepan over low heat, induction setting 2. Stir continuously until you have 50% solids and 50% liquid. Then, transfer the semi-melted chocolate into a heat-proof plastic bowl and stir vigorously until the solids have completely melted.
- Add the almond praline paste and mix to combine.
- Lastly, add the soba cha and chopped candied orange and mix to coat.
- Between two baking mats of sheets of baking paper, spread the mixture to approximately 4 mm in thickness.
- Allow to set for 1 hour at room temperature, or no more than 5 minutes in the fridge.
- Once set, use a 50 mm round cutter to stamp out twenty-five discs.
- Place a small cluster of cranberries in the centre of each disc and set aside until required.
Marshmallow
- Soak the gelatine in a bowl of cold water. Once soft and pliable, gently squeeze to remove the excess water.
- Place the hydrated gelatine and water (A) into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Place the water (B) and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, induction setting 7, and heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Begin whisking the water and gelatine on low speed while you pour the syrup hot into the bowl.
- Increase the speed and whisk for a further 10-15 minutes, until doubled in size.
- Add the salt and vanilla and whisk to incorporate.
- When the marshmallow holds on the whisk without too much movement and is approximately 28°C, transfer it into a piping bag fitted with a 14 mm plain piping tip.
- Pipe the marshmallow onto the chocolate crunch discs, covering the cranberries.
- Allow the marshmallow to set at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes before preparing the chocolate coating.
Chocolate coating
- into a heat-proof plastic bowl and stir vigorously until the solids have completely melted.
- Pour the tempered chocolate into a small round bowl.
- Place the marshmallow, marshmallow-side down, into the chocolate and gently push it down using an upside-down fork.
- Use the fork to flip the marshmallow so the chocolate crunch disc is on the bottom. Lift the fork up and tap the base of the disc on the surface of the chocolate to draw off the excess coating.
- Wipe the base of the fork on the side of the bowl, then carefully place the chocolate-coated marshmallow onto a sheet of baking paper and allow to set at room temperature.
- Repeat to coat the remaining marshmallows.
Finishing
- Temper the white chocolate by placing it into a saucepan over low heat, induction setting 2. Stir continuously until you have 50% solids and 50% liquid. Then, transfer the semi-melted chocolate into a heat-proof plastic bowl and stir vigorously until the solids have completely melted.
- Transfer the tempered chocolate into a piping bag, cut a small tip off the end, then pipe a cross on top of each chocolate-coated marshmallow.
- Allow to set at room temperature.
Hints and tips
- Soba cha can be found in Asian grocers, or it can be replaced with roasted chopped nuts.
- The water in the marshmallow can be substituted with a fruit juice, such as cranberry juice.
- The marshmallow can be piped without a piping tip, simply cut the end off the piping bag.
- Gelatine starts to set below 28°C.
- Tempered chocolate can be remelted and tempered at any time.
- There will be excess chocolate remaining once all the marshmallows are coated, as you need more volume to be able to dip the fillings.
- Spread the remaining chocolate over a sheet of baking paper, allow to set, then seal it immediately to avoid it absorbing moisture and make it easier to remelt.
- When piping the white crosses, begin each line on the baking paper at one side of the marshmallow and finish it on the baking paper at the opposite side. This ensures a neat and clean line.
- Store the hot cross bun marshmallows in an airtight container below 24°C for up to 2 weeks.
APPLIANCE / FUNCTION
Kirsten Tibballs
Kirsten Tibballs, proclaimed by MasterChef Australia as ‘the Queen of Chocolate’, is one of Australia’s most celebrated and internationally respected pastry chefs and chocolatiers.
With a desire to pass on her knowledge to other passionate food lovers and professional pastry chefs, Kirsten established Savour Chocolate & Patisserie School in 2002 in Brunswick, Melbourne. Savour creates an opportunity for students to learn from and work alongside their award-winning chefs. It boasts a state of the art kitchen and hosts a number of renowned international pastry chefs each year.
