When I created the dessert menu for the Japanese meal of Renan and Daniel a few months ago, I thought about how to incorporate miso into one of the desserts. Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning made from the fermentation of cereals (usually rice or soybeans) along with salt and yeast. Miso’s taste is salty, so I thought it might be interesting to combine it with chocolate; because, as you know, chocolate and salt go just perfectly together.
This is how these next miso chocolate bars were created. These bars are made of chocolate brownie base made with almond meal (so it’s gluten free), miso chocolate mousse and coffee whipped cream a the top. These bars are so soft and fudgy and were definitely one of the most delicious Japanese desserts I made for that dinner party.
So, if you like Japanses flavors; you’re going to fall in love with these miso chocolate bars. The miso adds a wonderful saltiness that blends so well with the chocolate. Together it gets an umami flavor different from ordinary salt, which takes this dessert one step further.
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Miso Chocolate Bars with Coffee Whipped Cream
- 20*20 cm square pan
For the brownie base:
- 200 grams of dark chocolate
- 150 grams of butter
- 150 grams of sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 3 large eggs
- 75 grams almond meal
For miso chocolate mousse:
- 100 grams of dark chocolate
- 60 ml. whipping cream
- 15-20 grams of miso paste
- 180 ml. whipping cream (very cold)
For the coffee whipped cream:
- 125 ml. whipping cream (very cold)
- 1 teaspoon of instant coffee powder
- 30 grams of powdered sugar
For decoration:
- Cocoa nibs
Brownie Base:
- Preheat oven to 170 Celsius degrees and grease the pan.
- Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl. Add butter and melt together in the microwave or over double steam pot until everything melts and combined.
- Add sugar and salt and whisk until combined.
- Add the eggs one by one, whisking well until incorporated.
- Add almond meal and whisk until combined.
- Pour the batter into the pan, straighten the top and bake for 10-15 minutes until the brownie is firm to the touch, but the center is still a bit soft.
- Cool completely at room temperature.
Miso chocolate mousse:
- Chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl.
- Add 60 ml. of cream and melt in the microwave or over double steam pot until everything is melted and glossy and there are no chocolate chunks left.
- Add miso paste and mix well until combined.
- In a mixing bowl, whip 180 ml. of cream into a very firm and stable whipped cream.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and mix well until combined.
- Add the chocolate mixture into the remaining of the whipped cream and gently fold until the texture of mousse is obtained.
- Pour the mousse on top of the cold brownie base and flatten with a palate knife in a uniform layer. Refrigerate for about an hour.
- Cut into bars of the desired size.
Coffee whipped cream:
- In a mixing bowl, whip cream, coffee and powdered sugar into a very stable whipped cream.
- Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a serrated piping tip and drizzle whipped coffee cream mounds at the top of each bar.
- Garnish with cocoa nibs and serve.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Miso paste can be obtained in cook stores specializing in Japanese cuisine.