Orange and macadamia pralines
I always look for new ways to impart more flavor into my chocolates and pralines. One thing I saw and ate in Paris, was a dark chocolate bar with toasted almonds and confit orange zest. The flavor of the orange was so delicious and powerful that it immediately stuck in my mind.
Making orange confit is very simple, all you need is oranges (not chemically treated) and sugar. The zest is cooked in water three times, to remove the bitter flavor. After the blanching, the zest is cooked in simple syrup until soft and that's it. Orange confit can be used in many desserts and it can be used just as a seasoning or to give some punch to the existing orange flavor.
I used macadamia nuts for this recipe, the macadamia is nice and creamy and it works really well with white chocolate and orange. The praline is also simple to make and the flavor is amazing, plus it gives a needed crunch to the chocolate. I simply mixed the praline and white chocolate ganache together. After I piped the ganache in the chocolate shell I added a few small pieces of orange confit and closed the shells.
While surfing the web, I saw an interesting video of how to make the shells of the pralines look colorful and different. The chocolate mold (using polycarbonate mold) is painted with powdered food coloring. I used gold, silver and pink food coloring. After the painting, the process is the same as always when making pralines. When the pralines come out of the mold, a nice coloring is visible all over the chocolate shell. I was especially pleased with how the gold color came through. The silver and the pink were not that pretty, but it still looked different and interesting. I can't wait to try this technique with different colors.
Making orange confit is very simple, all you need is oranges (not chemically treated) and sugar. The zest is cooked in water three times, to remove the bitter flavor. After the blanching, the zest is cooked in simple syrup until soft and that's it. Orange confit can be used in many desserts and it can be used just as a seasoning or to give some punch to the existing orange flavor.
I used macadamia nuts for this recipe, the macadamia is nice and creamy and it works really well with white chocolate and orange. The praline is also simple to make and the flavor is amazing, plus it gives a needed crunch to the chocolate. I simply mixed the praline and white chocolate ganache together. After I piped the ganache in the chocolate shell I added a few small pieces of orange confit and closed the shells.
While surfing the web, I saw an interesting video of how to make the shells of the pralines look colorful and different. The chocolate mold (using polycarbonate mold) is painted with powdered food coloring. I used gold, silver and pink food coloring. After the painting, the process is the same as always when making pralines. When the pralines come out of the mold, a nice coloring is visible all over the chocolate shell. I was especially pleased with how the gold color came through. The silver and the pink were not that pretty, but it still looked different and interesting. I can't wait to try this technique with different colors.
Orange and macadamia pralines
(Makes about 30)
Time:
Preparation: 45min
Cooking: 1 hour
Cooling: 30min
Cooling: 30min
Setting: 20-30min
For orange confit:
- 2 oranges (not chemically treated)
- 200g white granulated sugar
- 200ml water
For the macadamia praline:
- 40g macadamia nuts (not salted, if salted omit the flaked salt)
- 100g white granulated sugar
- a pinch of salt flakes
For the white chocolate ganache:
- 80g white chocolate
- 40g heavy cream
- a pinch of instant espresso (optional)
For the dark chocolate shells:
- 250g dark chocolate
- powdered food colors (optional)
Making orange confit:
Peal the orange with the help of a potato peeler or with a knife. Cut the orange zest in thin strips.
Place the strips in a small pot and fill with cold water. Bring the water and zest to a boil, pour over the strainer and place the zest back in a pot and top with cold water. Bring to a boil and repeat the process two more times.
This process is repeated three times to remove the bitterness from the orange zest. After the orange zest is blanched three times, place the sugar and the water in a pot and heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the blanched zest and cook on low heat until tender, about 30 minutes. Place a circle of parchment paper on top of the syrup, to ensure that the zest is fully submerged.
After the zest is cooked, pour it in a heat-proof jar and wait for it to cool down completely.
This process is repeated three times to remove the bitterness from the orange zest. After the orange zest is blanched three times, place the sugar and the water in a pot and heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the blanched zest and cook on low heat until tender, about 30 minutes. Place a circle of parchment paper on top of the syrup, to ensure that the zest is fully submerged.
Making the praline:
Prepare a baking sheet with a parchment paper or silpat.
Heat the sugar in a small sauce pan until it gets dark amber then add macadamia nuts. Stir the nuts until completely covered in caramel.
Pour the extremely hot macadamia nuts and caramel on the prepared baking dish, sprinkle over salt and set aside to cool completely.
Break the macadamia praline in small chunks and place in a food processor.
Process the praline until you get a fine crumb and set aside.
Making the ganache:
Pour the cream in a small sauce pan on medium heat and add the instant espresso powder. Meanwhile chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl.
When the cream is just below boiling, take it off the heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted. If there are still chunks of chocolate left, put the bowl over simmering water and melt the remaining chocolate.
Wait for the ganache too cool then add half (or to taste) of the macadamia praline crumbs. Save the rest for the sprinkling on top of the chocolate shells. Pour the ganache in a piping bag and place in the fridge to set.
Making the chocolate shell:
Color the mold with different powdered food colors.
Chop 187 grams of dark chocolate in medium sized pieces, put in the heat-proof bowl and set aside. Chop the remaining 63 grams of the chocolate in tiny pieces and set aside. Put some water in a pot and heat gently to a simmer. Place the bowl with 187 grams chocolate on top of the pot, the water should not touch the bowl. When the chocolate starts to melt, stir and check the temperature. Keep checking the temperature until it reaches 45-48°C (113-118°F). When the chocolate reaches the right temperature take the bowl of the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. The temperature should drop. Stir the chocolate gently and cool the chocolate until it reaches 27°C (81°F). When the chocolate is cool enough place the bowl back on the pot of simmering water and heat back to 30-31°C (88-90°F).
Pipe the white chocolate and macadamia praline ganache in the chocolate shells. Do not overfill and leave room for the top layer of the chocolate.
Chop the orange zest confit into small pieces and place them on the ganache. Gently push the zest into the ganache.
Pour the remaining chocolate over the mold and smooth it out with the palette knife, tap the mold a few times on the bench to make sure that there is no air inside. Sprinkle over some saved macadamia praline.
Place in the fridge for 10 minutes. Take out of the fridge and let the pralines set in the mold for 20-30 minutes (if in a hurry) or for a couple of hours at room temperature for maximum shine. The pralines should pop out nicely after they are set. If they are not coming out, gently tap the mold on the table. If they are still not coming out leave them in the fridge a while longer.
Break the macadamia praline in small chunks and place in a food processor.
Making the ganache:
Pour the cream in a small sauce pan on medium heat and add the instant espresso powder. Meanwhile chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat-proof bowl.
Making the chocolate shell:
Color the mold with different powdered food colors.
Chop 187 grams of dark chocolate in medium sized pieces, put in the heat-proof bowl and set aside. Chop the remaining 63 grams of the chocolate in tiny pieces and set aside. Put some water in a pot and heat gently to a simmer. Place the bowl with 187 grams chocolate on top of the pot, the water should not touch the bowl. When the chocolate starts to melt, stir and check the temperature. Keep checking the temperature until it reaches 45-48°C (113-118°F). When the chocolate reaches the right temperature take the bowl of the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. The temperature should drop. Stir the chocolate gently and cool the chocolate until it reaches 27°C (81°F). When the chocolate is cool enough place the bowl back on the pot of simmering water and heat back to 30-31°C (88-90°F).
Now the chocolate is at the ideal working temperature, and you must work quickly. Fill the mold with chocolate, tap the mold a few times so that the air bubbles pop. Make sure the mold is fully covered in chocolate then flip the mold over the bowl of remaining chocolate so that the excess of chocolate drips off back into the bowl.
The whole process is a bit messy but try to save as much chocolate in the bowl for later. Smooth off the chocolate from the mold with the palette knife. Flip the mold upside down on the cooling tray to ensure an even coating then put the mold in the fridge to set, it should set fairly quickly. Keep the remaining chocolate at the working temperature by gently heating it up or you can use a hair drier to heat the chocolate directly in the bowl. Be careful that it does not exceed 31°C (90°F) because then you will have to start the process all over again.
Pipe the white chocolate and macadamia praline ganache in the chocolate shells. Do not overfill and leave room for the top layer of the chocolate.
Chop the orange zest confit into small pieces and place them on the ganache. Gently push the zest into the ganache.
Place in the fridge for 10 minutes. Take out of the fridge and let the pralines set in the mold for 20-30 minutes (if in a hurry) or for a couple of hours at room temperature for maximum shine. The pralines should pop out nicely after they are set. If they are not coming out, gently tap the mold on the table. If they are still not coming out leave them in the fridge a while longer.
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