lemon curd and chocolate mousse crumble

I had this dessert from da Paolo gastronomia with HJ the other day and it was yummilious! Never thought of pairing chocolate with lemon curd. The tangy smooth lemon curd helps to break the monotony of the dark seductive chocolate mousse and crumble. It's like a little twist in an otherwise 'boring' dessert.


Lemon curd and chocolate mousse crumble (serves 4 hungry chocoholics)

First, prepare the CRUMBLE (adapted from Avec Eric)

1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup (56g) cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
4 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp light brown sugar
pinch of salt

Stir all the ingredients in a large bowl until it forms a pebble-like consistency. (Alternative: rub the butter into the dry ingredients.)
Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Spread crumble onto baking sheet and bake at 325F (162C) for 10-15minutes or until crumble is golden brown.

While waiting for the crumble to chill and bake, prepare the LEMON CURD

1 egg + 3 egg yolks
120g sugar
80g chilled unsalted butter
zest & juice of 3 lemons

Whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar in saucepan until smooth.
Place pan over low heat and add butter, juice and zest.
Whisk continuously until thickened.
Strain through a sieve and allow to cool.

Next, prepare the CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (adapted from Pierre Herme)

1 3/4 cups heavy cream
2 large eggs, at room temperature
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate (Valrhona Manjari), coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water

Beat the cream until it holds medium-firm peaks, then cover and chill. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs and egg yolks at the lowest speed for a few seconds, just to break up the eggs; set aside while you prepare the chocolate and sugar syrups.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave oven or in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Remove the chocolate from the heat, and, if necessary, pour it into a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients for the mousse. Cool the chocolate until an instant-read thermometer registers 114 degrees.

While the chocolate is melting and cooling, place the sugar and water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally and washing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil the syrup over high heat without stirring until an instant-read thermometer registers 257 degrees, about 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately remove it from the heat.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, beat the eggs for a few seconds, then very slowly add the hot sugar syrup in a thin, steady stream. To avoid splatters, try to pour the syrup down the side of the bowl, not into the spinning whisk. (Inevitably, some will splatter, but don't attempt to scrape the hardened syrup into the eggs -- you'll get lumps.) Increase mixer speed to high, and beat eggs for about 5 minutes, or until they are pale and have more than doubled their original volume. If the mixture is still warm, reduce the speed to medium and continue to beat until eggs are at room temperature.

Using a large rubber spatula, fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate. Fold in the rest of the cream, and then, very delicately, fold in whipped egg mixture.

Finally, make the GANACHE and assemble the crumble

200g dark chocolate (Valrhona Caraibe)
200ml heavy cream

Heat the heavy cream and let it boil for 1 minute
Add hot cream to chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes.
Stir mixture in concentric circles, starting from a small circle in the middle and slowly enlarging the circle to obtain a smooth glossy ganache.
Allow to sit at (aircon) room temperature for 40-60minutes until it sets.

Tasting notes & learning points:
The lemon curd was too sour and not "lemony" enough. MT suggested using the lemon cream recipe from Pierre Herme which I intend to try next time. Most importantly, do NOT reduce the sugar in the lemon curd.
My ganache separated!!! But I managed to salvage it in the end, all thanks to Edward Notter. He suggested stirring warm split ganache into a few tablespoons of heated cream slowly. The method worked perfectly and the ganache was soooo smooth and glossy.