Crème brûlée with compressed chocolate cake recipe by Coenie Snyman paired with Rust en Vrede Shiraz wine.
Ingredients
250 ml cream
150ml milk
1 vanilla pod
7 egg yolks
80g castor sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top
Chocolate Cake
400 g dark chocolate
300 g butter
10 eggs, separated
160 g castor sugar
60 ml cocoa powder
Tip: If you use Lindt 85%, don't add the cocoa.
Recipe
Makes 8 small [6 cm] or 4 normal [10 cm] brûlées
Preheat the oven to 150°C.
Begin with the chocolate cake. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of simmering water.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and then fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture into a greased 20 cm springform cake pan and bake at 150 °C for about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and weigh down with three dinner plates covered in clingfilm.
For the crème brûlée, ensure the oven is at 110°C. Combine the cream and milk in a pot. Split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into the mixture. Add the pod. Heat to just below boiling and then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Beat the egg yolks. Add the sugar a little at a time, beating each time until the sugar is amalgamated. Combine the mixtures and strain.
Pour the strained mixture into ramekins (6 cm or 10 cm size) and place in a water bath filled with warm water. Bake for 40-50 minutes: the brulee must be jelly-like. Allow to come to room temperature and then place in the fridge to chill.
Before serving, sprinkle some castor sugar on top and brown with a blowtorch. Place the ramekin on a small plate with a thin slice of chocolate cake.
Wine Pairing
Rust en Vrede Shiraz
Wine Notes
'Even better than the R&V Shiraz is the R&V Single Vineyard Shiraz; it's more chocolaty and
complements the cake. A sweet dessert wine also works well with the crème brûlée; try Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest (from The Bergkelder, of course...!).'
Bearnaise sauce and chocolate cake recipes courtesy of Peter Goffe-Wood's Kitchen Cowboys