Dessert: Pliable Bittersweet Chocolate Ganache with Lemon Curd Gelato, Salted Marzipan Crumble

For dessert, I made a pliable bittersweet chocolate ganache with lemon curd gelato rounds and salted marzipan crumble for contrast and a pistachio macaron for color.

I used Bryan Voltaggio's recipe for the pliable ganache, pioneered by Alex Stupak from Alinea, from Bryan's dessert course in Season 3's Finale of Top Chef. The necessary ingredients were purchased from The Modernist Pantry, and they were pleasantly reasonably priced.

The dessert turned out quite well. Desserts have always been my forte, guess I need to work harder on the other parts.

Pliable Chocolate Ganache

- 375g 60-70% bittersweet chocolate
- 300g cream
- 100g sorbitol
- 3g agar agar (can buy in Chinese grocery store)
- 2g salt
- 50g glucose

- 1 gelatin sheet (I used silver strength)
- ~ 1 cup cold water

http://www.bravotv.com/foodies/recipes/ganache-with-spearmint-ice-cream-and-chocolate-tuiles

I'm not a sophisticated chef, this was my first time using gelatin sheets! I usually stick to cheaper Knox powdered gelatin! David Lebovitz has a great link on how to use sheet gelatin.

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/04/how-to-use-gelatin/

1. Measure out quantities of all items.
2. Finely cut chocolate into shavings or purchase in pre-cut form.
   
3. Combine cream, sorbitol, agar, salt, and glucose and bring to a boil.
4. Remove from heat.
5. In the meantime, bloom the gelatin in water. Don't overbloom, about 5 minutes should do it. Remove when gelatin is softened (if it's falling apart in your hands, you probably left it in the water too long).
6. Add gelatin to cream mixture until dissolved.
7. Strain.
8. Add strained liquid to chocolate shavings, mix until ganache is well formed.
9. Pour into a pan whose bottom is lined with parchment paper (this will give your pliable ganache smooth bottoms).
10. Refrigerate until solid, at least a day.
11. Cut into desired shapes.

Marzipan Crumble

- Coarsely grated marzipan
- Almond meal
- Butter
- Salt

1. Combine together grated marzipan, almond meal, butter.
2. Bake in oven ~ 350 degrees for a few minutes.
3. Salt the crumble.

Lemon curd gelato
- Lemon curd made the day before
- Half & half

1. Mix the two together.
2. Add to gelato machine.
3. Scoop out rounds.

Macarons

- Make macarons using your favorite recipe

Gumby would be proud!