If you like caramel and coffee – you’re going to like these caramel mousse domes. A coffee and hazelnut golden crust topped with caramel mousse covered in caramel and espresso glacage and candied hazelnuts for decoration. YUM!
Photo: Natalie Levin
Caramel Mousse Domes with Candied Hazelnuts
For coffee and hazelnuts Sablé Breton:
- 75 grams soft butter
- 75 grams dark brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp. fine salt
- 1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder
- 2 large egg yolks
- 100 grams all-purpose flour
- 50 grams ground hazelnuts
- 8 grams baking powder
For caramel mousse domes:
- 5 grams gelatin
- 25 ml. water
- 100 grams sugar
- 35 grams glucose or corn syrup
- 45 ml. water
- Pinch of salt
- 125 ml. heavy cream
- 2 large egg yolks
- 250 ml. heavy cream (cold)
For caramel and espresso glacage:
- 6 grams gelatin
- 30 ml. water
- 20 ml. milk
- 15 grams cornstarch
- 250 grams sugar
- 80 ml. espresso
- 200 ml. heavy cream
For candied hazelnuts:
- 50 grams sugar
- 1-2 tbsp. water
- 100 grams peeled hazelnuts
You will need:
- 8-10 baking rings 8 cm in diameter
- 5-6 cm individual domes silicon mold
- Coffee and hazelnuts Sablé Breton: preheat oven to 170c degrees and lightly butter your molds.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment put butter, sugar, salt and coffee and blend at high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add egg yolks and continue to blend until they are assimilated into the mixture.
- Add flour, hazelnuts and baking powder and mix until you get smooth, slightly sticky dough.
- Divide the dough evenly between the molds and tighten to the bottom to create bases for the tartelettes. If the dough is too sticky, work with slightly wet hands.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until evenly golden brown and set.
- Cool completely and extract from the molds.
- Caramel mousse: in a small bowl soak gelatin and 25 ml of water for 10-15 minutes or until gelatin absorbs all the liquid.
- In a small saucepan put sugar, glucose, water and salt and form caramel.
- In a separate pot, heat the cream almost to a boil.
- When caramel is amber in color, pour in the hot cream and stir carefully until you get a uniform caramel sauce.
- Beat egg yolks in a small bowl.
- Pour about 1/3 of caramel sauce over egg yolks, while whisking fast, until the mixture is uniform.
- Add the egg mixture to saucepan with remaining sauce and cook, blend and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cream reaches 82-84c degrees. Remove from heat.
- Dissolve the gelatin and add into the caramel mixture.
- Strain and cool at room temperature to 45c degrees.
- Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold into the caramel.
- Pour the caramel mousse into the domes, and smooth the top.
- Freeze the domes for 4-5 hours at least, or until they are completely frozen.
- Caramel and espresso glacage: in a small bowl stir the gelatin and water and set aside for about 10 minutes until the gelatin absorbs all the liquid.
- In a separate bowl mix milk and cornstarch until blended.
- In a large skillet put sugar and form caramel. Meanwhile, heat cream and espresso in a small saucepan to simmering point.
- When caramel is amber in color, carefully add in the cream mixture and mix well until smooth.
- Pour about 1/3 amount of caramel sauce into the bowl with the cornstarch and mix well. Add it all back to the pan and stir well.
- Add in the gelatin and stir until it melts.
- Cool the glacage to 27-28c degrees.
- Extract the frozen mousse domes and place over the rack.
- Carefully but quickly cover in glacage, creating a glossy coating.
- Cool in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- Place coated mousse dome on the bottom of the baked Sablé Breton. Refrigerate until nuts are ready.
- Candied hazelnuts: preheat oven to 140 degrees.
- In a medium pan put sugar and water and cook until thick syrup forms.
- When the syrup reaches 118c degrees, add ins the nuts and stir well until the nuts get white coating.
- Transfer the nuts into an oven pan lined with baking paper and bake for 10-15 minutes until the nuts are dried and roasted slightly. Cool completely.
- Arrange candied nuts around the mousse and serve.
- Keep the caramel mousse domes (without decoration) for up to 3-4 days in a closed container in the refrigerator. Add the candied nuts before serving.
Photo: Natalie Levin