Krug Champagne dessert

We’re going to make an incredible KRUG champagne dessert. The flavors of the dessert are created to pair with a glass of KRUG champagne and it’s going to blow your mind! The first part is a lemon soufflé filled with an elderflower cream. The second part is an edible golden champagne cork that’s filled a lemon chiboust and a elderflower & honey gel. The final part is a toasted brioche chocolate that’s filled with a brioche almond praline, confit lemon and an elderflower mousse.

The elderflower Cheong

Elderflower

Sugar

This is a super intense Korean syrup and will be the base of a couple of recipes. First pick enough elderflower for 100 grams. You want to remove as much stem as possible. Now for every gram of elderflower you need to add a gram of sugar. So for the 100 grams I added 100 grams of sugar. Give it a good mix and then transfer it into a preserving jar. If there’s any sugar left just scoop it on top. Then close the jar and let it sit in your fridge for at least 10 days. Every other day you need to mix it a bit. In the end all the sugar will dissolved and you’ll end up with a flavor boost! Once that’s done pass the syrup though a fine sieve and press it with a spoon so you don’t waste a single drop! Now keep it in your fridge for later.

The toasted brioche chocolate

400 grams	brioche bread
200 grams	cacao butter
100 grams	milk powder
100 grams	sugar

Take the brioche bread and slice it in thick slices. Now place them on an oven tray and toast the brioche at 160 degrees Celsius till golden brown on both sides. I like a darker color, but if you prefer a lighter color toast the bread at 140 degrees Celsius to insure all the moisture has evaporated. Set it aside for later. Then transfer the cacao butter into a pan and melt it on a low heat. Meanwhile spread the milk powder on a metal tray and toast it at 160 degrees Celsius. Mix it every couple of minutes to insure an even golden brown color. Now pour the melted cacao butter into a wet grinder and also add the toasted milk powder with the sugar. Start grinding the chocolate. Then while grinding also add half of the toasted brioche bread. And now it’s all about patience. It’s going to take a couple of hours, but then you’ll end up with a smooth and incredibly rich toasted chocolate. Once the chocolate is done we need to temper it. For that first pour it into a bowl. Now pour 4/5 on your worktop and while moving the chocolate cool it down till it’s 27 degrees Celsius. I do this with a big pastry pallet knife. Then transfer the chocolate back into the bowl and mix it well till it has a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. Once I use the chocolate to fill both of the molds I use for this dessert. First is the Krug logo mold. Tap the mold a couple of times to remove any air bubbles and then turn it around to get rid of the excess chocolate. Clean the top with a pallet knife and then let it set out of the fridge. The second mold we need to fill is the champagne cork mold. The process is exactly the same. Both the molds are from Mold Brothers, click here for more info. Now we have quite a lot of leftover chocolate and to process it I’m going to make my own chocolate bars. Fill you molds with the chocolate and again tap it a couple of times to remove any air bubbles. Then let it set out of the fridge. We temper the chocolate to create stable, uniform crystals in the cocoa butter. This results in a smooth, shiny finish, a satisfying snap when broken, it prevents the chocolate from easily melting and the final reason is that the chocolate will shrink slightly so you can easily tap it out of the mold. Once the chocolate has shrunken you know it’s done. Then keep it out of the fridge for later.

The confit lemon peel

5	lemons
100 grams	water
100 grams	sugar

Take the lemons and peel them with a triangle canneleur. You can also do this with a knife, but I find this tool very helpful for an even result. Then slice it in small pieces. Once that’s done blanch the peels for a minute in some boiling water. Then drain the water and repeat this process two more times. This will remove the bitter flavor. After the third time drain the water again and then add the 100 grams of water with the sugar. Let this simmer on a low heat to confit the peels. This takes about an hour. Meanwhile clean the zested lemons by slicing off the peels. Now make a cut on one side of the segment and twist you knife to remove it. If there are any also remove the seeds. Then when the peels have confit and softened add the lemon segments and continue heating it till you’re left with a nice jam. Now pour it into a bowl and let it cool down in your fridge. After that fill your desired mold with the confit lemon and level it with a pallet knife. Let this set in your freezer.

The toasted brioche praline

150 grams	sugar
50 grams	water
200 grams	almonds
	The remaining toasted brioche
4 grams	flaky salt

Mix the sugar with the water and caramelize it till golden brown. Do this on a medium high heat. Once the caramel is golden add the almonds and continue heating it for a couple more minutes. Keep on stirring to create an even color on the almonds. When you’re happy with the color and therefor flavor turn off the heat and pour it on a silicon sheet. Spread it and then let it cool down completely. Then transfer it into a blender and start blending it. In the beginning not much will happen, but be patient! The almonds will release their oils and a praline will start to form. When that happens add the remaining half of the toasted brioche and continue blending till you’re happy with the consistency. For this dessert I want a bit more texture, so I only blended it for another 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the flaky salt for seasoning and pour it into a bowl. Now fill a piping bag with the praline and pipe it on top of the frozen confit lemon. Let this freeze as well. If the confit lemon stays too soft just turn down your freezer and let it freeze overnight.

The elderflower mousse

2 leaves or 3.3 grams	gelatin
200 grams	cream 35%
80 grams	elderflower cheong
50 grams	lemon juice

First soak the gelatin in cold water. Then pour the cream into a bowl and start beating it. The consistency needs to be a bit thinner than yoghurt. Now pour the elderflower syrup or cheong into a pan and heat it up till it starts to steam. Then turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Mix it well. Also add the lemon juice. This will lower the temperature and your gelatin will start to work instantly. Now while mixing add it to the whipped cream. Fold this together and then fill your Krug mold halfway. When that’s done take the frozen almond and lemon interior and press it in the mousse. Level the top with a pallet knife and then freeze this till solid.

The elderflower and honey gel

100 grams	elderflower cheong
150 grams	lemon juice
25 grams	ginger syrup
30 grams	honey
4 grams	agar powder
3 grams	gellan powder

Mix the elderflower cheong with the lemon juice, the ginger syrup, the honey, the agar powder and the gellan powder. Mix this well and then bring it to a boil for at least 30 seconds. Then pour it into a bowl and let it cool down in your fridge. After that transfer it into a blender and blend it till smooth. Once smooth pour it into a bowl and vacuum the gel a 100% to remove any air bubbles. This will result in a clear gel with a more intense flavor. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and fill a small circle mold with the gel. Level it and freeze till solid.

The lemon chiboust

2	lemons
0.5	vanilla pod
190 grams	cream
25 grams	corn starch
60 grams	egg yolk

First zest the lemons. Then cut both the zested lemons in half and juice them for 60 grams of juice. Now cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the pan together with the cream, the corn starch and the egg yolk. Mix it well and then while stirring heat it up to thicken it. Then turn off the heat and dissolve the gelatin. Now pass it through a fine sieve and press it through using a ladle of spatula. Keep this covered for later.

60 grams	sugar
20 grams	water
50 grams	egg white
10 grams	sugar

Mix the 60 grams of sugar with the water and heat this up till it’s 118 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile mix the egg white with the 10 grams of sugar and start beating it with a whisk. Once stiff fluffy peaks have formed add the hot sugar syrup and keep on mixing for another 3 to 4 minutes to cool down the meringue. Then add the meringue to the lemon cream and fold it together. Don’t overmix it, otherwise you will lose too much air. Now transfer it into a piping bag and fill your cork mold halfway. Press the frozen elderflower gel on top and then add another layer of chiboust. Level it and let it freeze till solid. Once frozen stick some skewers in the corks and open up the mold. Keep them in your freezer for later. Now on the day of serving you can cover them with a layer of gold. For this gently place a gold leaf on a bowl of cold water and submerge the cork in there. For each cork I needed 3 leaves. Then keep them covered in your fridge for later.

The elderflower broth

50 grams	elderflower cheong
50 grams	lemon juice
20 grams	honey
150 grams	apple juice
	Xanthan gum
	Gold leaf

Mix the elderflower cheong with the lemon juice, the honey and the apple juice. Then while mixing add a knife tip of xanthan gum. This will thicken the broth and that will result in a more intense flavor experience. Now add a gold leaf and mix it to create a super cool effect. All the gold leaves I use are off course edible. Keep the broth in your fridge for later.

The chocolate galette

Spread some tempered white chocolate on a plastic sheet and level it with a pallet knife. Then let it set for a minute before cutting it with a big round cutter. Clean the cutter every now and then. Now add another layer of plastic and cover the chocolate with a heavy tray of cutting board. This will prevent the circles from bending while the chocolate sets. After an hour remove the chocolate from the sheet and then keep them covered for later. To really bring it to the next level I placed a stencil on the galette and dusted some cacao powder on there. This will create a super nice pattern or logo. Gently remove the stencil and keep the galettes at room temperature for later.

The elderflower interior

100 grams	apple juice
150 grams	cream 35%
30 grams	sugar
20 grams	elderflower
50 grams	egg yolk
20 grams	corn starch
20 grams	lemon juice

Mix the apple juice with the cream and the sugar. Bring this to a simmer. Once it’s simmering add the elderflower. Again only the flowers and not the stems. Mix it well, cover it with a lid and let it cool down out of the fridge. After that pass the cream through a fine sieve and use a spoon so you don’t waste a single drop. Now add the egg yolk with the corn starch and the lemon juice. While stirring heat this up to thicken the cream. This is the consistency we’re looking for. Then pour it into a bowl, cover it and let it cool down in your fridge. Once cold mix it once more till you have a smooth and thick cream. Now fill a mold with the cream and level it. Let this freeze till solid. Later on we press this cream in the soufflé before baking it.

The soufflé base

2	lemons
120 grams	champagne
10 grams	corn starch
10 grams	potato starch
50 grams	sugar

Zest the lemons with a fine grater or microplane. Cut those lemons in half and juice them for 80 grams of juice. Also add the champagne, the corn starch, the potato starch and the sugar. Mix it well and then while stirring bring this to a boil. Then once thickened pour it into a bowl and keep it in your fridge for later. For the final prep we only need to make the soufflé glasses. I thought it would be a super cool gimmick to bake the soufflés in champagne bottles. For this I used a bottle cutter and cut the Krug bottles in half. Be careful so you don’t cut yourself. Now take a soldering iron and heat the cutting line all around till the bottle breaks open. Again, be careful! Then take some sanding paper and with a drizzle of water sand down the sharp edges. It took some time and multiple levels of sanding paper, but the result was so worth it! Once it’s completely level and all the edges are smooth wash it well. Now take some soft butter and brush the inside with a thin layer. Start at the bottom and brush to the top. Then add a tablespoon of fine sugar and turn the glass to cover the inside. Remove any excess sugar and set it aside for later.

How to finish the dessert

First place the Krug logo on a plate and let it defrost completely. Do this as well with the champagne corks.

50 grams	soufflé base
75 grams	egg white
40 grams	sugar

Then the soufflé. Transfer the soufflé base into a bowl and mix it well. Now pour the egg white into a mixing bowl and start beating it. Once a white foam starts to form add the sugar and beat it for a couple more minutes till the meringue has stiff fluffy peaks. Add a third of the meringue to the base and fold this together. Then add the remaining meringue and fold this together as well. Try to mix it as little as possible to keep all the air in the mixture. Now fill a piping bag and fill the glass just under the rim. Press the elderflower interior in the middle and fill the glass with the remaining soufflé mixture. Level it and then use your thumb to clean the side. Bake the soufflé at 175 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes. Once it’s baked gently place it on small plate and put the white chocolate galette on top. Then the dessert is ready to be served! On the table I serve it with the delicious broth.