Coming Up Roses - Recipe by Pana Barbounis

Ingredients

"Chocolate, raspberry and rose combine to create a luscious harmony of flavours. Here, they come together to make a rich dessert that looks as beautiful as it tastes. Don't be daunted by all the components. Just take it one step at a time – it will be worth the effort." ~ Pana Barbounis.

Chocolate Syrup:

90 g (3 1/4 oz/ 3/4 cup) cacao powder
140 ml (4 1/2 fl oz) coconut nectar
100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz) filtered water

Chocolate, Raspberry and Rose Mousse:

100 g (3 1/2 oz) raspberry purée, deseeded
45 g (1 1/2 oz) bar of Pana Chocolate Rose, broken into pieces
1 tsp coconut oil
120 g (4 1/2 oz) coconut butter, melted
100 g (3 1/2 oz/ 2/3 cup) cashews, soaked
90 ml (3 fl oz) coconut water
90 g (3 oz) coconut sugar
2 Tbs coconut nectar

Beet Chia Crisp:

2 Tbs chia seeds
60 ml (2 fl oz/ 1/4 cup) filtered water
1 tsp beetroot (beet) powder
2 tsp coconut sugar
1 tsp cacao powder

Raspberry Granita:

60 g (2 oz) raspberry purée, deseeded
1 Tbs coconut water
3 Tbs coconut sugar

Method

Chocolate Syrup:

Place all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk together until smooth and shiny.

Chocolate, Raspberry and Rose Mousse:

To make the raspberry purée, blend the raspberries in a high-speed blender until smooth, then strain with a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together over a bain-marie.

Blend all the remaining ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender until very smooth.

Add the chocolate mixture and blend until all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the five metal rings and set in the freezer. Keep frozen until needed.

Beet Chia Crisp:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until all the chia seeds are coated with liquid.

Cover and leave at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes, or until the chia seeds have absorbed most of the liquid.

Spread (not too thin) onto a non-stick sheet and dehydrate overnight at 40C (104F).

Break into shards and store in an airtight container at room temperature until needed.

Raspberry Granita:

To make the raspberry purée, blend the raspberries in a high-speed blender until smooth, then strain with a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Set aside.

Whisk all the ingredients together until the coconut sugar dissolves, then freeze in a bowl.

After about 4 hours, or once the granita has frozen solid, scrape with a cold fork to break up the crystals.

Note: Place the granita on a frozen plate and keep frozen until ready to serve – it will melt quickly!

Assembly:

Chill your serving plates and cutlery in the freezer or fridge.

Use a 4 cm (1 1/2 in) metal ring cutter to cut out the centre of the mousse (bonus – you can eat this for a snack!).

Pop the mousse out of the metal ring and place it in the middle of a cold plate.

Pipe dots of chocolate syrup and extra raspberry purée around the top of the mousse ring. Scatter a few shards of the beet chia crisp among the syrup and purée.

Scrape the granita over the top of the mousse. Garnish with fresh baby herbs and edible flowers for a little extra colour and freshness, then serve immediately.

Equipment

Fine sieve
Bain-marie
High-speed blender
Five 11 cm (4 1/4 in) metal rings
Dehydrator
Non-stick sheet
Piping bag
4 cm (1 1/2 in) metal ring cutter
Half a quantity chocolate syrup
Baby herbs, to garnish
Edible flowers, to garnish

Credits: This is an edited extract from Pana Chocolate, The Recipes by Pana Barbounis published by Hardie Grant Books RRP $36 and is available in stores nationally.

Photo Credits: Armelle Habib.