Caprese Bonbon
Tomato Pâte de Fruits, Basil-Parmesan-Olive Oil Ganache, Dark Chocolate, Sourdough Crostini, Balsamic Sea Salt
Pastry Chef David of David Chow Chocolates & Confections | Toronto
Yield: 228 bonbons (22½-centimeter squares)
Adapted by StarChefs | October 2018
INGREDIENTS
Tomato Pâte de Fruits:
11 grams yellow pectin
493 grams sugar
400 grams tomato purée
132 grams tomato juice
105 grams glucose syrup (DE60)
Espelette pepper
Black ground
12 grams citric acid solution (1:1, acid:water)
Basil-Parmesan-Olive Oil Ganache:
280 grams 35 percent heavy cream, plus additional as needed
10 grams basil leaves
25 grams parmesan rind
Salt
45 grams glucose syrup (DE60)
25 grams extra virgin olive oil
450 grams Valrhona Opalys white chocolate, coarsely chopped
45 grams cacao butter
To Assemble and Serve:
Valrhona Équatoriale dark 55 percent chocolate, tempered
Sourdough crostini pieces
Balsamic sea salt
METHOD
For the Tomato Pâte de Fruits:
In a small bowl, combine pectin and 53 grams sugar. In a saucepan over low heat, combine tomato purée and juice, glucose, and remaining sugar; season with Espelette and black pepper. When mixture reaches 50oC, whisk in pectin-sure mixture and bring to a boil. When mixture reaches 75°Bx on a refractometer, immediately remove from heat and mix in citric acid solution. Pour into 4-millimeter by 34-centimeter by 34-centimeter frame set on top of a silicone mat. Set aside to cool.
For the Basil-Parmesan-Olive Oil Ganache:
In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, basil, and parmesan and season with salt. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and steep 30 minutes. Strain, scale infused cream, and record weight. Return infused cream to pan and add enough heavy cream to bring weight of mixture to 280 grams. Season with salt, add glucose, and return to boil; slowly pour into a heatproof bowl with remaining ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, mix from the center until the mixture is shiny and elastic, before the temperature falls below 34.5oC; set aside to cool. (Use an immersion blended, if necessary, but do not aerate the mixture.) Securely place a second 4-millimeter by 34-centimeter by 34-centimeter frame directly on top of cooled Tomato Pâte de Fruits. When cream mixture cools to 30oC, pour into frame on top of Tomato Pâte de Fruits. Let the slab crystalize for at least 24 hours at 17oC and 60 percent humidity.
To Assemble and Serve:
Coat the top and bottom of the pâte de fruits-ganache slab with a thin layer of chocolate. Using a guitar cutter, cut the slab into 22.5-millimeter squares. Separate the squares and adhere a small piece of sourdough to the top with a dot of dark chocolate. Rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours (overnight is best) before enrobing in dark chocolate so that the Bonbons form a crust to help maintain their shape and sharp edges. Dip squares into dark chocolate, decorate tops with balsamic sea salt. Crystalize at 17oC.
