...by Renee Cade
Yields: 45 bars
Pate Sucrée
295g unsalted butter
340g granulated sugar
2 large eggs
10ml vanilla extract
970g bread flour, sifted
Pistachio Bar
190g unsalted butter
82g granulated sugar
190g whole eggs
190g almond or pistachio flour
32g all-purpose flour
250g pistachio paste
81% Extra Dark Chocolate Mousse
400g TCHO Pro 81% Extra Dark Chocolate
285g egg yolks
197g granulated sugar
900g heavy cream
Garnish
Pistachio nuts, shelled
Sea salt
TCHO Pro 81% Extra Dark Chocolate
Assembly
Powdered snow sugar
100g TCHO Drinking Chocolate Crumbles
Directions
Pate Sucrée
- Cream the butter and granulated sugar together.
- Add eggs slowly.
- Add vanilla extract.
- Add sifted bread flour in thirds.
- Chill the dough and let rest for at least 2 hours.
- When ready, roll dough to 1/4" thick or 3 on a dough sheeter. Try to keep a rectangular shape. Line a half sheet pan with dough, including the sides.
- Lightly dock dough and par-bake in a 350˚F oven, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Pistachio Bar
- Cream the butter and granulated sugar together.
- Add a little of the eggs first, then alternate adding the eggs and the dry ingredients (almond flour and all-purpose flour) to the creamed butter and granulated sugar.
- Add the pistachio paste last.
- Pour mixture into the par-baked sweet dough tart shell in the sheet pan and smooth with an offset spatula to level the pistachio bar mixture.
- Bake at 350˚F for approximately 25 minutes. Cool and freeze until ready to use.
81% Extra Dark Chocolate Mousse
- Melt 81% TCHO chocolate hexagons in a double boiler.
- Begin beating egg yolks with a whip attachment in the electric mixer. Make a sugar syrup with the sugar and some water and cook to 250˚F. Immediately pour over the egg yolks in a steady stream, beating continuously until the egg mixture doubles in volume and cools.
- In a mixing bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Set aside until ready to use.
- Fold in chocolate into the egg mixture.
- Gently fold whipped cream into the egg and chocolate mixture. (Mousse should be creamy.) Set in the cooler until ready to pipe.
Garnish
- Toast pistachios with sea salt and chop.
- Temper 81% TCHO chocolate and, using a piping bag, create a delicate, lattice-like pattern on a large acetate sheet or parchment paper. Sprinkle with the chopped roasted sea salt pistachio before the chocolate sets.
Assembly
- Cut the pistachio bar into 2.5 cm x 5 cm rectangles.
- Use a straight edge and dust a quarter of the bar with powdered snow.
- Pipe the chocolate mousse with a flat (round) tip on top of the pistachio bar. Break a piece of the chocolate lattice and place on the chocolate mousse at an angle. Finish with sprinkling TCHO drinking chocolate crumbles on the chocolate mousse.