Whisky Cocoa Amaretti Caramel With Torched Mandarin

Caramel

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons finely diced shallots (or 2 tablespoons finely diced brown onion)

Custard

• 1 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 eggs + 1 yolk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup amaretti cookies, crushed (plus more for serving)
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons rum

Torched Mandarin

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoon Camborne Whisky
• Fine julienne peel of 2 mandarins
• The juice of 1 mandarin

Note: You can use gluten free biscuits or gluten free ginger nuts, just as long as they have a light dry texture. If you don’t have individual moulds just make 1 whole custard, using a round cake tin or glass dish (heatproof).

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 120°C. A long slow heat will make a bubble free silky custard.

Caramel

• • Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and mix until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring & don’t touch it again until you have a dark caramel.
  • Put on medium heat and let the mixture boil, until the syrup turns into a caramel.
  • Once the caramel turns a dark golden hue, take the pan off the heat and pour it into the ramekins.
  • Set them aside to cool. Do not touch the toffee at all with your hands as it will burn!

Note: It will turn from a golden hue to burnt in seconds, so don’t walk away once the caramel turns and be ready to pour into your ramekins, using glass, metal or heatproof china.

Custard

• Warm milk in another saucepan over a medium heat. Do not let it boil.
• Take the pan off the heat and set it aside to cool a little.
• Using a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the eggs with cocoa & three tablespoons of sugar.
• Add the warm milk to the cocoa powder mixture, whisk until it’s all incorporated, then add crushed amaretti cookies, and rum.
• Pour into medium-sized ramekins, on top of the caramel that should be hard by now.
• Place the ramekins into a deep baking tray lined with a tea towel or cloth.
• Pour warm water (not boiling) into the baking tray, about 1/3 of the tray.
• Place the baking tray in the oven for about 40 to 50 minutes. Just until the custard is set, touch the top of the custard with your finger, it should just have the slightest bounce back and not a loose wobble. They will continue to cook as they cool so try not to overcook them. The only way is the touch test as all ovens behave differently.
• Take the tray out of the oven, remove the custards from the bath and cool down to room temperature.
• Once completely cooled, place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Torched Mandarin

• In a medium sized saucepan add sugar & water, rapidly boil till you have a light caramel (do not stir the pot).
• Once the syrup has turned to a light caramel add julienne peel & whisky in that order.

Final Touches

• For an extra special effect use a blow torch to char the mandarin, top the custard’s with the charred mandarin & a teaspoon of whisky mandarin peel.
• Reinvert chocolate custards onto a serving plate and serve with mandarin.