Assiette of chocolate

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. For the torte, mix together the biscuit crumbs, stem ginger and melted butter. Sprinkle the biscuit mixture all over the base of a 22cm/8½in loose-bottomed round cake tin and press down firmly.

2. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl together with the liquid glucose and the orange liqueur. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water, and leave until the chocolate has melted and become quite smooth. Stir, then take off the heat and leave the mixture to cool for five minutes. Don’t worry if the chocolate looks a little grainy as it will recover with the addition of the cream.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the cream until very slightly thickened. Fold half the cream into the chocolate mixture, then fold that mixture into the rest of the cream. When it is smoothly blended, spoon it into the prepared tin. Tap the tin gently to even the mixture out, then place in the fridge to set.

4. For the orange sauce, in a small bowl mix a couple of tablespoons of the measured orange juice with the cornflour to make a smooth paste. Pour the remaining juice into a small saucepan with the squeezed juice (and zest) and heat gently. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and quickly stir in the cornflour mixture. Stir over a low heat until thickened, then mix in the sugar and orange liqueur. Pour into a plastic squeezy bottle and chill until serving.

5. For the mousse, melt the white chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold in the sugar a tablespoon at a time. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the two mixtures together, then add the melted chocolate. Fold gently until completely combined, then pour into shot glasses and refrigerate immediately.

6. For the coulis, mix together the raspberries then press them through a fine sieve. Set the coulis aside until ready to serve.

7. For the choux buns, fold a sheet of baking parchment to make a crease and then open it up again. Sift the flour straight on to the square of paper and add the caster sugar.

8. Place the water and butter into a medium-sized saucepan. Place the saucepan over a moderate heat and stir with a wooden spoon. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture comes to the boil, turn off the heat then tip all the flour in and immediately beat the mixture vigorously using an electric hand whisk. Beat until you have a smooth ball of paste that has left the sides of the saucepan clean.

9. Beat the eggs into the mixture a little at a time, mixing in each addition thoroughly before adding the next. Beat until you have a smooth glossy paste. Lightly grease a baking tray, then hold it under cold running water for a few seconds and tap it sharply to get rid of excess moisture. This will help create a steamy atmosphere, which helps the pastry rise.

10. To make the buns, spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large, plain nozzle and pipe walnut-sized blobs onto the baking tray. Use a wet palette knife to cut the mixture away from the nozzle each time so you are left with a flat surface on each bun. Alternatively, dip your finger in water and pat each one down to remove the peak. The buns will double in size as they cook so leave plenty of space between each one.

11. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes then increase the heat to 220C/425F/Gas 7 and bake for a further 15 minutes until the buns are golden-brown. Puncture each one with a skewer or the tip of a sharp knife to let out steam and cool on a wire rack.

12. To make the vanilla cream, whip the cream with vanilla seeds until the cream is fairly stiff, then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle. Pipe a little cream into the base of each bun and set them aside until ready to serve.

13. To make the chocolate sauce, melt the milk chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, then stir in the butter and cream and remove from the heat. Keep warm until ready to serve.

14. To serve, melt the dark chocolate (for garnish) over a pan of simmering water and pour into a piping bag fitted with a small nozzle. Pipe an outline of a shape onto each plate to create a well to hold the orange sauce. Run a sharp knife under hot running water to warm it and slice the torte into 12 slices. Place a slice of torte on each plate and squeeze the orange sauce into the chocolate wells. Pour a little raspberry coulis into each shot glass of mousse, garnish with mint sprigs, then place a glass in the centre of each plate. Place the choux buns in a stack at the end of the plates and drizzle with the milk chocolate sauce.

1-2 hours preparation time

30 mins to 1 hour cooking time

Serves 12