La Isla Bonita, Goooey gourmet chocolicious island is a Valentine’s Day special to celebrate with your valentino! This decadent Valentine’s Day special recipe by Chef Aman Tandon of Pride Hotels, Pune is a double decker heart shaped dutch chocolate ganache with exotic passion fruit and studded with full bodied strawberries topped with swaying truffled roses and dust of golden praline – it is the perfect destination for loving hearts.
Ingredients for the basic chocolate sponge cake:
6 large eggs
50 gms cocoa powder
120gms plain flour (maida)
200 g castor sugar
6 large eggs
Method to make the basic chocolate spongecake :
1. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder together.
2. Beat the eggs and sugar very well until thick and double in quantity.
3. Fold in the well-sieved flour carefully and mix gently with a spoon.
4. Pour the batter into a greased and dusted 175 mm (7” diameter) tin.
5. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°c (400°f) for 30 minutes.
6. The cake/sponge is ready when it leaves the sides of the tin and is springy to touch.
7. Take out from the oven and leave for 1 minute. Loosen the sides with a knife, invert the tin over a rack and tap sharply to remove.
8. Keep aside to cool and use as required.
Ingredients to make the Chocolate Ganache:
1 kg bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon dark rum essence
Passion fruit crush/pineapple crush
500 gms fresh, ripe strawberries
200 gms molten white chocolate to dip the strawberries
Method for the Chocolate Ganache:
1. Place the chocolate into a medium bowl. Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, watching very carefully because if it boils for a few seconds, it will boil out of the pot. When the cream has come to a boil, pour over the chopped chocolate, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the rum if desired.
2. Allow the ganache to cool slightly before pouring over a cake/sponge.
3. Using 2 heart shapes, cut out a big and a small heart of the chocolate sponge/cake .
4. Cut open each heart horizontally from the centre of the width of the sponge and pour the semi cooled ganache from the centre to the rim of the sponge gently spreading the molten chocolate all over the cake – repeat with both the hearts and keep aside.
5. Place the smaller heart over the bigger heart and pour the passion fruit/pineapple crush on the rim of the heart before finally covering with the dripping molten chocolate for the garnish .
6. Neatly hold each strawberry and dip ¾ it into individual dark and white chocolates and place them along the edge of each heart as in the photograph .
7. Pipe out figures/flowers of left over firm chocolate ganache and gently place on the strawberries of the top layer .
8. Refrigerate to set the LA ISLA BONITA.
We hope you try this spectacular Valentine’s Day Special recipe and make it to surprise you valentine! A very Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
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