LOUIS XV DESSERT
This is an adapted version of the classic Louis XV dessert served at the restaurant of the same name. The Louis XV restaurant in Monte Carlo is owned by Alain Ducasse and this is one of their signature desserts. I have made a few modifications to the recipe so that some of the elements are easier to construct. I didn't like the glaze that the original recipe came with and I have provided the glaze recipe from William & Suzue Curley's book Patisserie, along with the feuilletine praline layer from their book. There are lots of options for the size of dessert you can make. I made one large 20cm square dessert and a 10cm round dessert using cake rings. You could make a 20x25cm rectangular dessert too. You're limited by the size of the dacquoise, so as long as your ring/tin fits on the baking tray, you'll have enough ingredients.
Ingredients
- ***Hazelnut Dacquoise***
- 170 g Egg Whites
- 50 g Caster Sugar
- 120 g Icing Sugar
- 100 g Hazelnuts
- 25 g Plain Flour
- ***Feuilletine Praline Layer***
- 100 g Chocolate
- 10 g Cocoa Butter
- 75 g Hazelnut Praline Paste
- 90 g Feuilletine Wafer
- ***Chocolate Mousse***
- 75 g Egg Yolks
- 30 g Water
- 25 g Caster Sugar
- 10 g Liquid Glucose or Glucose Syrup
- 135 g Dark Chocolate
- 270 g Whipping Cream
- ***Dark Chocolate Ganache Glaze***
- 260 ml Whipping Cream
- 50 g Caster Sugar
- 40 g Liquid Glucose or Glucose Syrup
- 250 g Dark Chocolate
- ***To Decorate***
- Tempered Chocolate Squares
- 75 g Caster Sugar
- 8 Hazelnuts
Instructions
- To make the dacquoise roast the hazelnuts in the oven at 150C for 15 minutes.
- Allow the hazelnuts to cool a little before blitzing them to a powder in a food processor. Be careful not to over blend or the hazelnuts will begin to form a paste.
- Turn the oven up to 180C and cover a baking tray (any size from 30x20 - 35x25 will work) in baking paper.
- Whisk the egg whites until foamy, add half the sugar and whisk until stiff peaks form. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again briefly.
- Sieve the icing sugar, hazelnut powder and flour together into a large bowl.
- Add the meringue in 2 batches to the dry mixture using a spatula.
- Pipe the dacquoise onto the prepared baking tray, this will fill the tray.
- Cook at 180C for 12-15 minutes until the cake has coloured slightly and springs back to the touch. Transfer to a cooling rack.
- When cool remove the baking paper and use rings to cut out your desired size of cake.
- To make the FEUILLETINE PRALINE LAYER melt the chocolate and cocoa butter together in a bain marie.
- Then add the hazelnut praline paste and mix thoroughly.
- Finally add the feuilletine wafer and mix thoroughly.
- Using a teaspoon or a palette knife spread a thin layer of the mixture onto the dacquoise inside the cake/mousse rings.
- To make the chocolate mousse add the water, sugar and liquid glucose to a pan and bring to the boil. Leave to one side to cool a little.
- Place the egg yolks and the cooled syrup in a stand mixer bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 55C.
- Transfer the bowl back to the stand mixer and whisk until the mixture cools and reaches ribbon stage (this is where the mixture when drizzled from a spoon keeps its form and ribbons on the surface of the mixture).
- Melt the chocolate in a bain marie and gently stir into the whipped eggs.
- In a separate bowl whisk the cream until it forms medium peaks, fold the cream into the whipped eggs gently, until fully mixed.
- Spoon the mousse into the mould(s) and level off with a palette knife before placing in the freezer.
- Freeze the mousse for at least 4 hours, but if possible, overnight is best.
- To make the dark chocolate ganache glaze, put the cream, sugar and liquid glucose in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
- Gradually add the hot liquid to the chopped chocolate, mixing constantly to form an even emulsion.
- The ganache can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for a couple of months.
- To use the ganache allow it to defrost (if frozen) and then warm it to around 35C in the microwave or in a pan over the hob.
- Take your mousse rings from the freezer and pour a thin layer of glaze into the rings. Allow the glaze to cool and then set it in the fridge.
- The remaining glaze can be used on other cakes or kept in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen for a couple of months.
- Using a chef's blow torch or a warmed towel heat the outside of the rings and remove them from the moulds.
- if you're making a large cake (square or rectangular) and you want to cut it into portions, get a long straight edged knife and a jug full of hot water. Put the knife in the hot water, dry it with a piece of kitchen roll and slice the cake straight through it, be sure to the pull the knife away from the cake so that you separate out the portions, rather than dragging the knife through the length of the cake. This will ensure you maintain the neat layers.
- Each time you make a cut put the knife in the water and dry it with clean kitchen towel.
- Alternatively you could just neaten the edges of the cake by cutting it and leaving this as one large celebration cake.
- To decorate you can add squares of tempered chocolate, gold leaf and you can make your own caramelised hazelnuts.
- Make a caramel by melting sugar until it is a thick light brown caramel. Put the base of the pan in cold water to stop the caramel cooking.
- Stick cocktail sticks/toothpicks into each hazelnut and use this to dunk the hazelnuts in the caramel, hold the hazelnuts over the pan to let the excess drain off.
- Then rest the hazelnuts on a surface and allow the caramel to drop down, giving you the long spike when the caramel has set.
- Then use these to decorate the cake(s) anyway you like.