Royal chocolate or trianon (video and tips)
Do you have a birthday or other special event planned, and would like to go all out for dessert? Follow our step-by-step recipe for Royal Chocolate, also known as Trianon. A light, gourmet, and above all chocolaty dessert! Composed of a hazelnut dacquoise, a praline crunch, a chocolate mousse, and a mirror glaze, a simple and refined decoration will complete the whole. It's up to you!
Ingredients
Hazelnut dacquoise :
Praline crisp :
Chocolate mousse :
Mirror glaze :
Decoration :
Materials
- Electric mixer
- Pastry bag
- Angled spatulas
- Entremets ring, 7.8 inches/20 cm diameter and 1.7 inches/4.5 cm high
- Rhodoid
- Grid
- Thermometer
- Chopper
- Whisk
- Frying pan
- Saucepan
- Colander
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Preparation
The hazelnut dacquoise:
Beat the egg whites until stiff, adding the sugar a little at a time.
Mix the hazelnut powder with the icing sugar.
Add the stiffly beaten egg whites to the powders, and mix gently, lifting the whites so as not to crush them.
Using a piping bag, pipe a circle of the mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. The circle should be 7 inches/18 cm in diameter. Draw it on the parchment paper before piping the cookie. Bake for 12 minutes at 370°F/190°C.
The praline crunch:
Put the water and sugar in a pan over medium heat. When the mixture bubbles, add the hazelnuts.
Stirring constantly, the sugar will first crystallize around the hazelnuts, then caramelize. When all the sugar has turned to caramel, pour onto a baking tray covered with parchment paper and leave to cool.
Once cooled, break off pieces of caramelized hazelnuts and place them in an electric chopper. Chop in 30-second bursts, so as not to overheat the motor, for around 5 minutes, or until you obtain a paste. Your hazelnut praline is ready!
Crush the Gavotte into flakes and add the hazelnut praline and melted milk chocolate. Mix well.
Immediately apply this mixture to the hazelnut dacquoise, smoothing well to ensure an even layer. Set aside in a cool place.
The chocolate mousse:
Whip the cold cream with an electric whisk. Melt the chocolate and pour over the whipped cream.
Using a whisk, gently blend to obtain a smooth mousse. If small pieces of chocolate form, don't panic, it's because your chocolate was too cold, so this won't be a problem.
Assembly:
Place your crisp-covered dacquoise on a stand. Place the circle around it (you should have a space of about 0.8 inches/2 cm between the cake and the circle). Line the circle with a strip of rhodoid. Using a piping bag, fill the margin with chocolate mousse, then the whole circle.
Once you've filled the circle with chocolate mousse, use an angled spatula to smooth the top of the cake. It needs to be smooth to get a nice icing result. Put in the freezer for at least 3 hours.
Mirror glaze:
Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water. Then mix all the other ingredients in a saucepan. Above all, don't use a whisk, which will create air bubbles that will spoil the mirror effect.
Place the pan over medium heat and heat, stirring constantly. Once most of the cocoa has dissolved and the mixture has liquefied, remove from the heat.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps of cocoa. Add the gelatin, wrung out well, and stir until it has dissolved. Once again, do not use a whisk, and avoid making any movements that will draw air into the mixture.
Place a thermometer in the icing, and bring the temperature down to 96°F/36°C, stirring regularly. It's essential to follow this step for a successful glaze.
Before reaching 96°F/36°C (when your mixture is at 102°F/39°C, for example), remove the dessert from the freezer and place it (without its stand) on a raised rack. Place a receptacle under the rack. Remove the ring (heat it a little with your hands or a blowtorch if it won't come out) and the strip of rhodoid.
When your icing has reached 96°F/36°C, pour it over your cake. Don't forget to pour well around the edges, so that no part of the cake is left without icing. Then, using 2 angled spatulas, gently lift your cake onto its final support. Place in a cool place.
Decoration:
Cut a 10 inches/25 cm strip of rhodoid. Melt 1.7 oz/50g of dark chocolate and pour it over the length of the strip. Using a spatula, spread the chocolate over the entire strip. Crush 2-3 Gavotte into flakes, and sprinkle over the strip. Remove from the work surface with the tip of a knife, and chill for around 15 minutes.
Take out your entremets. Use some crushed Gavotte to draw a line on the cake. Then add crushed hazelnuts along the same line.
Take out your chocolate strip, and cut triangles with a knife (dip it in boiling water and wipe it dry beforehand to make cutting easier).
Plant chocolate triangles all along the line you've formed. If you're having trouble, first insert the blade of a knife to create a space for the triangle.
And now your Royal Chocolate is ready to enjoy!
Observations
Praline: you can make it with almonds, or half almonds and hazelnuts. You can also buy it ready-made in specialist shops.
The dacquoise: although normally hazelnut in this recipe, you can also make a dacquoise with almond powder.
Praline crisp: if you can't find Gavotte, you can replace them with corn flakes. The result won't be as fine, but will remain crisp.
Chocolate mousse: traditionally, chocolate mousse is made on bombe pastry, a mixture of beaten egg yolks and hot sugar syrup. For simplicity's sake, we've opted for a more classic mousse.
Mirror glaze: this is the most difficult part of this dessert. If you don't want to do it, you can sprinkle it with cocoa powder and glue pieces of chocolate around it, for example. If you do so, follow the proportions to the letter to be sure of success. As for temperature, your icing must be between 95°F/35°C and 98°F/37°C when you pour it onto the cake, which must be completely frozen for it to set properly. Too hot, and it will "slide" over your cake without setting. Too cold, and your icing will be far too thick!
Decoration: here we've chosen a decoration that's not too difficult to make at home, but it's up to you to use your imagination and your own techniques to make the chocolate royal that suits you.
Storage: as with any dessert containing cream, it's best to eat it within 48 hours, and keep it in a cool place. However, you can freeze it directly after pouring the mirror icing over it.
