Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Praline Mice
Source of Recipe
Chocolate Passion by Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty
Recipe Introduction
A heavenly hazelnut praline ganache is piped into teardrop shapes, with round milk chocolate bases. Coated in a thin sheath of tempered milk chocolate, the candy centers are transformed into whimsical creatures with sliced almonds for ears and piped dark chocolate forming the eyes, noses, and coiled tails.
List of Ingredients
Hazelnut Praline Mousse Ganache--
Vegetable oil, for oiling baking sheet
1/2 cup sifted granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted and skinned hazelnuts
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
12 ounces Swiss dark chocolate, such as Lindt*
2 teaspoons invert sugar, such as Nulomoline**
2 tablespoons cognac
1/8 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia***
Round Chocolate Bases--
6 ounces milk chocolate couverture, such as Valrhona Lactee
Decoration--
Sliced almonds, for mouse ears
4 ounces dark chocolate couverture, such as Valrhona Caraque
Recipe
* Note: Use 3-ounce Lindt Swiss dark chocolate bars for preparing the ganache. This particular chocolate contains just the right proportion of cocoa solids and cocoa butter to enable the whipped hazelnut praline ganache to set up properly. The piped center will be just firm enough to be coated in a thin, crisp shell of tempered milk chocolate. Yet when the chocolate-coated mouse is bitten into, it will yield a soft and creamy filling.
** Note: Invert sugar acts as a softener and helps to prolong the freshness of the ganache filling.
*** Note: Fiori di Sicilia is an oil-based flavoring that exudes the aromas of vanilla, fresh citrus, and flowers. A tinny bit of this flavoring adds a lovely nuance to the hazelnut praline ganache.
Make the hazelnut praline ganache---
Lightly oil a heavy baking sheet and a flat metal cake spatula.
In a small, nonstick saucepan or skillet, combine the sugar and lemon juice. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar is evenly moistened. Cook over medium heat, swirling the pan frequently, until the mixture liquefies and turns to an amber-colored caramel. Gently stir in the hazelnuts. Continue to cook until the mixture is fluid again and the hazelnuts are evenly coated with the caramel
Pour the hot hazelnut praline onto the prepared baking sheet. Set the baking sheet on a cooling rack and allow the praline to cool for 3 minutes.
Using the oiled cake spatula, carefully loosen the undersides of the caramel to prevent it form sticking to the baking sheet. Let the caramel cool until it hardens completely.
Coarsely chop the praline and put it into a food processor fitted with the metal chopping blade. Process for 15 to 20 seconds, until it is finely ground. Continue to process for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture forms a crumbly paste. Scrape the praline paste into a small, heavy saucepan. (Do not clean the work bowl or metal blade, as you will be using it again to chop the chocolate.)
Using the tip of a small knife, remove the paste of tiny black seeds from the inside the split vanilla bean. Add the scraped vanilla pod and seeds to the saucepan. Add the heavy cream and stir with a wooden spoon until blended. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the praline paste is completely dissolved and the mixture is scalding hot. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to infuse for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, coarsely chop the dark chocolate. Put the chocolate in the food processor with the metal chopping blade. Process for 15 to 20 seconds, until finely chopped. Remove the lid of the food processor and leave the chocolate in the work bowl.
Add the invert sugar to the praline-cream mixture and reheat, stirring frequently until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Using tongs, remove the vanilla bean pod and discard. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate in the food processor work bowl. With a rubber spatula, press down on the chocolate so that is is almost completely submerged in the hot cream. Let the mixture stand for 1 minute. Replace the lid of the food processor and pulse 6 to 8 times, until the mixture is creamy. Scrape down the sides of the work bowl, and add the cognac and Fiori di Sicilia. Pulse 4 to 6 more times, until smooth. Scrape the ganache onto a baking sheet, letting it spread into a thin layer. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and freeze for at least one hour, until firm.
Make the round chocolate bases---
Temper the milk chocolate. The working temperature for making the milk chocolate bases should be 89°F to 91°F, slightly higher than the normal dipping temperature for milk chocolate. (The process of spreading the chocolate into a thin layer will continue to temper the chocolate.)
Place a 12-by-16-inch rectangle baking parchment or waxed paper on a flat Formica or wood work surface, with the long sides lying parallel in front of you. (Do not lay paper on a marble, granite, or a metal countertop, as the chocolate will set up too quickly on any of these work surfaces.)
Pour half (3 ounces) of the tempered milk chocolate in a thin line about 8 inches long down the center of the paper. Using an 8-inch offset metal cake spatula, quickly spread the chocolate into a paper-thin rectangle, about 1/32 inch thick, leaving about a 1/4 inch border around the edge of the paper. Continue moving the spatula back and forth over the chocolate rectangle for 10 to 20 seconds, or until the chocolate starts to feel tacky and begins to loose its sheen.
As the milk chocolate starts to set, press the 1-inch round open end of a closed start decorating tip (such as Ateco#2) into the chocolate rectangle, leaving about 1/2-inch of space between each circle. Continue using the tip as a cutter, until you have pressed thirty-five 1-inch rounds. Leave the round chocolate bases attached to the paper. Cover the bases with a sheet of baking parchment or waxed paper and weight with a heavy baking sheet. (The weight will prevent the chocolate bases from curling up as the chocolate contracts while it hardens.) Leave the round chocolate bases under the baking sheet until ready to pipe the chocolate mice centers.
Using the remaining 3 ounces of tempered milk chocolate, repeat steps 2 through 4 of making the round chocolate bases. Place the second sheet of paper with round chocolate bases on top to the first sheet of chocolate bases and cover with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Replace the baking sheet on top of the chocolate bases.
Whip the hazelnut praline mousse ganache---
Cut the pointed end off a disposable pastry bag and insert a 5/8-inch plain decorating tip. Twist the portion of the pastry bag that is just above the wider opening of the tip. Tuck this twisted portion of the bag into the wider opening of the tip. (This will prevent the whipped ganache from leaking out the end of the decoration tip before you are ready to pipe.) Place the bag into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Turn down the top 2 to 3 inches of the pastry bag, forming a cuff around the outside of the measuring cup. (The cup will support the bag as you fill it with the whipped ganache.)
Remove the plastic wrap from the chilled ganache. Gently warm the bottom of the baking sheet by passing it back and forth a few times over a gas flame or electric range top set on medium. Heat the pan only until the ganache starts to melt slightly so that it can be easily removed from the pan. Using a rubber spatula, scrape half (about 1 cup) of the ganache into the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer.
Set the bowl over another bowl of hot, not simmering water (the water must touch the bottom of the bowl) for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until the ganache reads 65°F on a digital thermometer and has softened to the consistency of handmade mayonnaise. Be careful not to overheat the ganache. If the ganache becomes warmer than 65°F, place the bowl over a bowl of ice water for 2 to 4 seconds. Stir the ganache with a rubber spatula, just until it starts to thicken. Remove the bowl from the ice water.
Using the wire whip attachment,, whip the softened ganache at medium speed for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, or until it lightens in color and forms soft peaks. It should have the texture of a fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting with a good piping consistency. If the whipped ganache becomes too firm and appears grainy, replace the bowl over the hot water for 2 to 4 seconds and stir gently until it softens enough to be rewhipped. Conversely, if the ganache is too soft and will not form soft peaks, place it over the bowl of ice water and stir for 2 to 4 seconds, until it just starts to thicken. Continue whipping until the ganache reaches the proper consistency.
Pipe the whipped ganache---
Immediately scrape the ganache into the prepared pastry bag. Work quickly as the ganache will start to set up shortly after it is whipped. Remove the baking sheet and paper covering a sheet of chocolate bases. Hold the tip of the piping bag in at a 20-degree angle, barely touching the middle of a round chocolate base. Pipe the ganache into a 1 1/4 -inch teardrop-shaped mound with an accentuated point - the head section of the mouse. Quickly finish piping the ganache onto the remaining chocolate bases.
Using the remaining chilled ganache, repeat steps 3 and 4 of whipping the hazelnut praline mousse ganache, and step 1 of piping the whipped ganache onto the sheet of the remaining chocolate bases.
To form mouse ears, break a sliced almond in half and insert the broken ends of each half into the head portion of a piped mouse. Insert two almond ears into each of the remaining mice. Cover the mice with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 20 minutes, until firm.
Individually transfer the chilled mice centers (still attached to their chocolate bases) to a paper-lined baking sheet. The leftover chocolate trimmings can be saved for another use. Cover the mice centers loosely with a sheet of waxed paper or baking parchment and let them stand at room temperature for 1 hour before coating.
Coat the chocolate mice--
Temper the milk chocolate. Put the tempered chocolate into a 1-quart glass bowl and set on a heating pad set to low heat to maintain the correct coating temperature. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats with the textured side facing up. Arrange the work area so that the uncoated centers are to the left of the tempered chocolate, with the mat-covered baking sheet on the right. Reverse these positions if you are left-handed.
Gently drop a mouse center (still attached to its round chocolate base) with the head facing up, onto the surface of the melted chocolate. Slide the prongs of a 3-pronged dipping fork underneath the mouse and at an angle, gently submerge the mouse into the chocolate until it is completely coated. Lift the coated mouse out of the chocolate and tilt the fork slightly so that it slips about an eight of the way off the end of the fork. Level the fork and gently tap the bottom of the fork in a forward circular motion, barely touching the surface of the chocolate. Tap several times until very little chocolate is being pulled from the bottom of the mouse.
Lift the fork away from the surface of the chocolate and lightly touch the edge of the bowl with the bottom of the fork. Hold the fork at a slight angle and follow the curve of the bowl with it to remove any excess chocolate that is left on the bottom of the fork.
Place the coated mouse on the upper right-handed corner of the baking mat and pull the fork away with a quick but gentle motion. Coat the remaining mice in the same manner, setting them on the baking mats in straight rows.
Decorate the chocolate mice--
Temper the dark chocolate. Make a small paper cone with a tiny opening at the tip. Fill the cone with some of the tempered dark chocolate. Pipe tiny dots for the eyes and nose on the face of each mouse. Pipe a curled tail on the back of each mouse. Let the chocolate mice set for at least 1 hour before removing them form the silicone mat.
Spread the remaining tempered milk and dark chocolates into even layers onto waxed paper lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 10 to 15 minutes, until hardened. Let the chocolate stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Break into pieces and store in zip-lock bags.
Store the chocolate mice in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Allow the chocolates to come to room temperature in the storage container before serving.
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