Chocolate Cream Towers

Ingredients

• 200 g dark chocolate
• 200 g chocolate (70 % cocoa content)
• 3 EL palm oil
• 450 g dark chocolate
• 4 sheets gelatin
• 200 g Cream cheese
• 500 g whipping cream
• 50 ml amaretto liqueur
• 125 ml milk
• 125 ml whipping cream
• 0.5 Vanilla bean
• 2 egg yolks
• 40 g sugar
• 3 EL strawberry puree

Instructions

1. 1.

   Coarsely chop both types of chocolate for the coins and melt together with palm oil over a double boiler, stirring until slightly cooled; once the mixture begins to thicken, spread very thinly onto two sheets of parchment paper and cut out 36 coins (6-8 cm diameter) using a ring cutter. Let dry, then carefully lift from the parchment; reserve remaining chocolate for other uses.

2. 2.

   Soak gelatin in plenty of cold water. Melt chopped chocolate over a double boiler, add well-extracted gelatin, dissolve into chocolate while stirring until slightly cooled. Mix in cream cheese and amaretto, stir smooth, let cool. When the mixture starts to set, whip stiff cream and fold into the chocolate cream. Fill a piping bag with a rosette tip and pipe about 20 minutes cold. Place 24 chocolate coins side by side on a chilled work surface and decorate with chocolate mousse cream. Stack two coins with cream as towers and cover with the third. Chill in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

3. 3.

   For the sauce, whisk milk and cream with vanilla bean and scraped flesh, bring to boil, then remove from heat.

4. 4.

   Beat egg yolks with sugar until creamy. Slowly pour warm milk-cream mixture into yolk mixture in a thin stream, stirring constantly; return everything to the pot and cook over low flame while continuously whisking to form sauce without boiling.

5. 5.

   Pour vanilla sauce into a saucier, let cool, dust surface lightly with sugar to prevent skin formation.

6. 6.

   To serve, pour sauce onto one half of the plate and decorate with strawberry flesh. Place chocolate towers on prepared plates and serve immediately.