Tonka Bean Mousse
Rich, nutty, chocolaty with the unique tonka bean flavour- what a terrific dessert!
Tonka bean is a seed from the Cumaru tree, a flowering tree from the pea family that can be found in the northern areas of South America. Very much like the vanilla pod it has a rich and pleasing fragrance.
Commercially used as a substitute to vanilla in food, perfume and tobacco mixtures.
I used it in this recipe by infusing it into the milk and with this milk, making a milk chocolate mousse recipe.
The chocolate and the tonka bean work fantastically well together creating a smooth rich and very spacial taste.
I serve it with sea salt caramel, caramelized hazelnuts, crystallized cocoa grue and a tonka bean ganache. The mousse is severed into a chocolate cylinder and topped with a chocolate glaze.
You can get these beans from various places online even from Ebay.
Tonka Bean Mousse
200ml milk
90ml egg yolk
40g sugar
300g milk chocolate
200ml whipped cream
Half a tonka bean
Method:
Place the milk in a small saucepan, grate the tonka bean into the milk. Bring the milk to the boil and take the pan off the heat.
Cover the pan and let the milk infuse for 10 minutes. Place the chocolate into a large mixing bowl. Bring the milk back to the boil, once boiling mix the yolks and sugar and pour 1/3 of the milk over the yolks and sugar. Mix well and pour back into the pan.
Stir constantly with a spatula until it starts to thicken. Strain through a fine sieve over the chocolate.
Using a hand blender whisk the chocolate until all incorporated. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixer.
Pipe into your desired moulds. I’m using a chocolate cylinder which I made in advance but you can pipe into any mould or glass. Let it set for at least a day in the fridge. After the mousse has set it can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days more or store in the freezer.
Tonka bean ganche
300ml whipping cream
1 tonka bean
250g dark chocolate 55%
Method:
Pour the cream into a medium size pan and grate the tonka bean into the cream. Bring the cream to the boil. Take the pan off the heat,
cover and let the milk infuse for 10 minutes. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to the boil once more. Once boiling, strain the cream
through a fine sieve over the chocolate. Let the chocolate sit for a minute or two before whisking. Pour to a plastic container, keep in fridge to set for 4-6 hours.
Enjoy!
Image by Ori