Dark Chocolate & Orange Set Creams with Muscovado Sticks

Cook Time 3 hours

Servings 4-6

Ingredients

For the Dark Chocolate & Orange Set Creams

180ml cream

180ml milk

50ml Cointreau/Grand Marnier (optional) or warm water

½ orange, finely zested

1 egg

4 egg yolks

80g milk chocolate, chopped small

160g dark chocolate, chopped small

For the Muscovado Sticks

50g Muscovado sugar

50g caster sugar

1 tbsp dark treacle

100g unsalted butter, room temperature

200g plain flour

pinch salt

pinch bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp allspice

1 orange, fine zest

2 x egg yolks

Demerara sugar or white sugar crystal, as needed

Method

For the dark chocolate and orange creams, bring the cream, milk and freshly grated orange zest to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and leave to sit for 10 minutes to infuse.

In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs and egg yolks together. Bring the reserved liquid back to the boil and pour one third onto the eggs and mix well with a whisk. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk/cream and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Place the pan back onto a low heat and stir constantly. Cook the cream to 80°C using a digital thermometer to accurately check the temperature. Place both of the chocolates into a mixing bowl, and strain the hot custard through a sieve onto the chocolate. Mix well with a spatula or whisk until you have a smooth and shiny chocolate cream. Add the alcohol or water at this point and again mix in well. Pour the cream evenly into six serving dishes, and place the dishes into a fridge for a minimum of two hours to set.

For the muscovado sticks, place the sugars, treacle and butter into a bowl and beat smooth, by hand, with a spatula. Beat in the yolks and orange zest before adding the remaining ingredients. Use your fingertips to rub the ingredients in together and turn out onto the bench. Knead lightly and roll the dough out to a thickness of ½ cm between two sheets of baking parchment. Place the dough into a fridge to chill and rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Remove and peel off the paper top and bottom and place the dough onto a chopping board and quickly cut sticks approx. 8cm x 1cm. Place 12 sticks onto a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone mat and sprinkle them lightly with sugar. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for 10 minutes or until cooked to a golden brown. Place the remaining uncooked dough into the freezer for a later date.

Remove the creams from the fridge and serve with the muscovado sticks and orange segments.