I’ve always liked the classic combination of chocolate and coffee and have been searching for a unique way to pair the two. In this dessert, the custard is dense and rich, so I wanted the coffee to be light. By using lecithin, I can turn coffee into a cloud.

　　

Ingredients

serves 8

　　

For the Pistachio-Chocolate Crunch

2 1/4 ounces (62g) bittersweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona Araguani 72% cacao), chopped

　　2 1/4 ounces (62g) pistachio praline paste

　　3 1/2 ounces (100g) feuilletine

　　

For the Bitter Chocolate Custard

4 3/4 ounces (137g) bittersweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona Guanaja 70% cacao), chopped

　　3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (210g) whole milk

　　3/4 teaspoon powdered gelatin (or 3.3g sheet gelatin; see page 276)

　　3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (210g) heavy cream

　　1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped

　　1/2 teaspoon (2g) coarse salt

　　3 large eggs

　　1/3 cup (65g) sugar

　　2 teaspoons (3g) orange oil

　　

To Assemble

Devil’s Food Cake (page 192)

　　Pistachio-Chocolate Crunch

　　

For the Espresso Bubbles

1 cup (240g) espresso

　　1/2 teaspoon (1.2g) lecithin

　　1 tablespoon (12g) sugar

　　1/2 teaspoon (3g) unsalted butter

　　

To Serve

Pistachio Tuiles (page 207)

　　Cacao nibs (optional)

　　Shelled unsalted pistachios (optional)

　　

For the Pistachio-Chocolate Crunch

Step 1

Melt the chocolate and praline separately in glass bowls in the microwave, using 30-second bursts. Stir together until smooth, then fold in the feuilletine.

　　

Step 2

Roll the mixture between two sheets of parchment to a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Clean up the edges and slide onto a baking sheet. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

　　

For the Bitter Chocolate Custard

Step 3

Set up an ice bath in a large bowl.

　　

Step 4

Put the chocolate in a glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. It won’t be completely melted.

　　

Step 5

Spoon 3 tablespoons of the milk into a small glass bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface and set aside.

　　

Step 6

Put the remaining 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk, the cream, the vanilla pod and seeds, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

　　

Step 7

Whisk the eggs and sugar in a medium bowl until pale yellow. When the milk mixture is simmering, slowly add about 1 cup to the eggs and whisk for about a minute to temper them (keep the pan off the heat while you do this). Scrape the eggs back into the saucepan and cook, stirring pretty much constantly, until the mixture reaches 180°F. Keep an eye on the color of the foam on the surface; when it turns the same color as the mixture, you’re very close to the right temperature.

　　

Step 8

Microwave the milk and gelatin for 30 seconds or heat gently in a small saucepan until melted. Whisk into the mixture.

　　

Step 9

Pour one-third of the mixture over the chocolate and stir from the center out. Pour in another one-third, stirring again from the center out. Pour in the remaining mixture; stir from the center out until smooth. Add the orange oil and mix with an immersion blender. Strain into a medium bowl and set into the ice bath. Cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface. Let cool completely.

　　

To Assemble

Step 10

Line eight 2 1/4-inch tart rings with acetate or parchment, making a collar, and place on a baking sheet.

　　

Step 11

Cut eight 2 1/4-inch disks of devil’s food cake and place in the bottom of the molds. Cut 2-inch disks of the pistachio-chocolate crunch and set on top of the cake. Fill a pastry bag with the bitter chocolate custard and pipe into the molds, filling them to the top of the collar. Even off the tops. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours or up to 2 days.

　　

For the Espresso Bubbles

Step 12

Put the espresso, lecithin, sugar, and butter in a small sauce-pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Keep warm until you’re ready to serve.

　　

Step 13

Aerate the espresso with an immersion blender until very bubbly.

　　

To Serve

Step 14

Spoon a generous amount of the espresso bubbles into each dessert bowl. Unmold the desserts carefully. Set a pistachio tuile on top of each dessert, then place the dessert in the center of the bubbles and garnish with some cacao nibs and pistachios, if you want. Alternatively, you could serve the bubbles next to the desserts.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__