This rich, velvety chocolate ganache is deeply indulgent yet beautifully balanced, with silky custard notes and the gentle bitterness of dark chocolate. Finished with fragrant citrus olive oil, a touch of smoked heat, and crisp olive oil croutons for contrast. It’s an elegant dessert that feels luxurious without being overly sweet, perfect for a refined end to a meal.
A special thank-you to Sean Connolly, and his head chef, James Laird, for generously sharing this recipe from their event menu at Esther.
Serves 6
300g Valrhona Guanaja fèves
100g egg yolks
85g caster sugar
1 Heilala vanilla bean, seeds scraped
200ml milk
200ml cream
Chop the chocolate into even-size pieces, place in a large bowl and set aside. Mix the yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds together.
Bring the milk and cream to the boil, then slowly pour over the yolk mixture while whisking. Return the mixture to a clean pot and heat to 85°C while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Pour the hot Anglaise over the chocolate and emulsify together with a stick blender.
Place in container and chill for 8 hours.
Olive oil croutons
1 ficelle baguette
200ml extra virgin olive oil (EVO)
Finely slice the ficelle on an angle to get approximately 45 croutons 2-3mm thick. Brush the slices with EVO and spread them out on a metal rack.
Bake at 150°C for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden and crisp, let cool.
To serve:
Pons Clementine extra virgin olive oil or Colonna mandarin infused extra virgin olive oil
Pinch La Chinata hot smoked paprika
Sal de Añana salt flakes
Place a large spoon of ganache on each plate. Using a spoon, wet with warm water, make an indent in the centre of the ganache. Pour the mandarin or Clementine oil into the indent and sprinkle with paprika and salt flakes. Serve with croutons on the side.
Match with: Sichel Sauternes
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