Valentine’s Day Dessert

Pecan Brownie
  250 g Butter, softened

  160 g Bittersweet chocolate 64/70%

  200 g Eggs (4)

  260 g Sugar

  120 g All-purpose flour, sifted

  200 g Pecans, chopped

Hazelnut Praliné / Spread

  300 g Hazelnuts

  250 g Sugar

  1.50 g Salt

  5 g Vanilla (Optional)

Crunchy Praliné
  50 g Milk chocolate, melted

  60 g Feuilletine / Dried crepesOr crushed corn flakes

  160 g Hazelnut praliné

  15 g Butter, melted

White Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

  5 g Gelatine

  350 g Milk

  90 g Hazelnuts, toasted

  160 g White chocolate

  225 g Heavy cream, hot

  225 g Heavy cream, chilled

  140 g Hazelnut praliné

Lemon Marmalade / Insert

  120 g Lemon juice Preferably organic Meyer lemon

  50 g Water

  8 g Agar-agar*

  85 g Sugar

  5 g Olive oil

  120 g Poached lemons*

Chocolate Glaze
  150 g Water

  300 g Sugar

  300 g Corn syrup

  220 g Condensed milk

  21 g Gelatin sheets

  225 g Dark chocolate Unsweetened, or bittersweet 80/90%

About

1 Here is a doable yet exceptional dessert that can be achieved using fancy molds, or
regular cake rings. It begins with a luscious white chocolate hazelnut mousse, layered
with lemon marmalade, crunchy praliné, and soft pecan brownie biscuit.
Make 3 days ahead. This recipe yield a 600ml Silikomart Amore Heart-Shape silicone
mold. (Look up at my Shop Page), and a 8''x2''https://bruno.b-cdn.net/20x5cm cake ring.
For the poached lemons, look up at Poached Lemons Recipe. If you prefer skipping it,
 that's fine – the cake will still be delicious without the lemon insert. Perhaps, you may
want to add a layer of praliné spread instead.

Pecan Brownie
2 Melt chocolate slowly in bain-marie; keep it lukewarm. In the stand mixer fitted with the
whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar on high for 5 minutes. Transfer mixture into a
pastry bowl. In the same mixing bowl, beat soften butter on high. Add chocolate
gradually. Beat on high speed until fluffy; it should have the texture of buttercream.
Warm up if too firm, or place in the freezer for a few minutes if too soft. Incorporate a
third of the egg-sugar mixture into the butter-chocolate mixture; add remaining. Fold in
sifted flour – then pecans. Spread batter onto a 18''x13'' sheet pan lined with a lightly
oiled parchment, or silicone mat.

Baking

3 Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Bake brownie for 20 /22 min. Do not over bake. Cool to
room temperature and freeze brownie overnight. To remove from sheet tray: run a
spatula around the edges. Heat up bottom over the flame for a few seconds. Top
brownie with parchment and flip. Cut out into desired shapes; keep frozen. The bottom
of the brownie can be coated (Chablon) with a mixture of melted dark chocolate and
10% oil. Save scraps for later use.
Hazelnut Praliné / Spread

4 Toast hazelnut on the stove, or in the oven at 350ºF/180ºC for about 12 min. Cook sugar
to brown color (Caramel a sec). Add vanilla seeds, salt, and nuts. Transfer onto a baking
mat. Let cool completely. Break caramelized hazelnuts into pieces. In a running food
processor, throw them in and let run until it turns into paste. Praliné can be stored for
months in a cool area, or refrigerated. Stir up before using.

Crunchy Praliné

5
 Crush corn flakes in the food processor; set aside. Melt milk chocolate; do not overheat.
Combine praliné with chocolate, and melted butter. Fold in flakes. Roll it out into a 1/4-
inch/6mm thick sheet between 2 parchment paper, or silicone mat. Chill and cut into
desired shapes (Smaller than the mold, or cake ring. Keep frozen until ready to use.

White Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse

6 This mousse is a ganache montée. Soak gelatin sheets in cold water to soften, drain
and set aside. Bring to boil milk and toasted hazelnuts. Mix using and immersion
blender. Pass mixture through a sieve and press down solids to extract as much flavor
from the hazelnuts. Spread solids on a sheet pan and pop in oven to dry out - save and
mix with your morning granola. In a saucepan, bring to a boil the hazelnut flavored milk
(≈250g) along with the heavy cream (225g). Pour over white chocolate and mix with an
immersion blender; add gelatine and mix. Add remaining chilled heavy cream (225g) and
praliné. Mix well and chill overnight. Beat ganache montée to soft peaks right before
using.
Lemon Marmalade Insert

7 *Depending on the brand, I noticed that agar-agar may have different strength. If using
Now Foods Agar powder, divide the amount by 2 (Use 4g vs 8g). Mix sugar and agar to
together; set aside. Heat up lemon juice and water. Swirl in sugar-agar mixture, and bring
to a boil; let simmer a minute. Cool over ice water and chill overnight to set. Add olive oil,
and smooth out using an immersion blender. The texture should become like corn syrup;
not too firm nor soupy. Add chopped poached lemons. Make insert using device that
comes with the mold kit, or use a cake ring that should be a size down smaller than the
ring. Also, the thickness of the lemon insert should not exceed 0.5''/1.25cm and should
weight 125g if using the Silikomart Amore Heart-Shape cookie cutter. Freeze overnight.
Montage (Upside Down For Silicone Mold)
8 Fill mold two-third up with the chocolate hazelnut mousse. Add the frozen lemon
marmalade insert, and gently press it down. Pipe out more mousse around the edges,
and smooth out with a spoon. Top marmalade with the frozen crunchy praliné, and then
the brownie biscuit. Freeze cake overnight. De-mold cake the day you want to glaze it.

Montage (Classic)
9 Line cake ring with plastic acetate that matches its height. Freezer bag strips can be
used instead, in this case lightly oil the cake ring. Place cake ring onto a flat tray lined
 with silicon mat, or parchment. Place a brownie disk that should be 0.5''/1.25cm smaller
than the ring diameter. Pipe out some chocolate mousse all around the edges. Lift up
sides using a spoon. Add crunchy praliné which should be in direct contact with the
brownie. Add the frozen lemon marmalade insert. Top with mousse and smooth out
with an off set spatula. Freeze cake overnight. The day of glazing, de-mold cakes, and
keep frozen.

Chocolate Mirror Glaze

10 Make a day ahead. Soak gelatin in cold water to soften; drain and set aside. In a
saucepan, cook water, sugar, and corn syrup for 3 minutes. Add condensed milk, and
gelatin. In a narrow container, add chocolate and pour in hot liquid. Mix mirror glaze
using an immersion blender. Keep nozzle down to prevent air bubbles to form; sieve.
Mirror glaze can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, or kept frozen for months.

Glazing Cake

11 Rewarm mirror glaze to 104ºF/40ºC. Transfer frozen cake onto a tray lined with plastic
wrap and a wire rack. Glaze and transfert cake onto a serving plater. Let thaw
overnight before serving. Decorate cake with a real rose, or made out of marzipan, gold
leaf...
Happy Valentine's Day ❤