Chocolate Mousse and Salted Caramel Dessert – Purini Tiakarete me Te Karamea Tote.
These little purini (desserts) hit the spot every time. They are perfect for a dinner party, Christmas dessert, or for any reason at all. We start with a super simple crumb made of nati makatāmia (macadamia nuts) and pihikete wīti (wheat biscuits). You can swap out the biscuits for your favourite and delete the nuts if you don’t want to use them. The main layer is a creamy chocolate mousse that melts in the mouth. Make sure you use a good quality tiakarete (chocolate) for the mousse as it really does make a difference to the final product. We top these bad boys off with a deep flavoured, homemade karamea tote (salted caramel). Te mutunga mai o te reka – absolutely delicious. Me mahi purini tiakarete tātou – let’s make some chocolate mousse!
Have you got a simpler caramel recipe?
Āe mārika – sure do! The caramel in this recipe has a delicious, deep flavour but is made by bringing sugar to a deep amber colour, then pouring in the cream into the hot sugar syrup. If this kind of caramel overwhelms you a little and you prefer to use a simpler tohutao (recipe), you can make one quantity of my easy caramel recipe and use that to top the mousse instead. Kei a koe te tikanga – it is up to you!
Chocolate Mousse and Salted Caramel Dessert – Purini Tiakarete me Te Karamea Tote.
Ingredients
The Salted Caramel – Te Karamea Tote
- 1 C huka one (caster sugar)
- 3 tbsp wai (water)
- ¾ C kirīmi (cream)
- 75 g pata (butter, cut in to cubes)
- 1 level tsp tote (salt, try using a good quality sea salt for the best flavour)
- 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
The Crumb Layer – Te Paparanga Kongakonga (optional layer)
- 60 g nati makatāmia kua parahunuhunua (roasted macadamia nuts)
- 100 g pihikete wīti tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate wheat biscuits)
- 35 g pata kua rewaina (melted butter)
The Chocolate Mousse – Te Purini Tiakarete
- 180 g tiakarete tote (dark chocolate) I used Whittakers 62% sea salt and caramel brittle but you can use any good quality dark chocolate.
- 1 C kirīmi (cream)
- 1 ¼ C kirīmi anō (extra cream)
- ¼ C puehu huka (icing sugar)
- 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
The Decoratons – Ngā Whakarākei (Optional)
- ¾ C kirīmi kua wepua (whipped cream)
- ½ C ruireka (sprinkles)
Instructions
The Salted Caramel – Te Karamea Tote
- If this caramel is too difficult, you can make 1 quantity of my easy caramel recipe instead. Before you make the karamea (caramel), prepare all of your ingredients. Prepare a small bowl with cold water (wai mātao) and a pastry brush too.
- Bring the huka one (caster sugar) and wai (water) to a boil over medium-high heat. Only stir the mixture up until the point it boils and then hands off. Swirl the pot only after that. If at any point sugar crystallises up the side of the pot, dip the pastry brush in cold water and rub them with it until they dissolve. This stops the entire mixture from crystallising. If you see the top of the huka (sugar) start to crystallise in the centre, swirl the pot a few times around and around.
- Once all of the sugar mix has changed colour to a a deep amber, pour in the kirīmi (cream) and stir quickly with a whisk. Add in the pata (butter) and tote (salt) and continue to whisk.
- Turn the heat to low and cook for one more minute. Pour in to a heat proof bowl or jar. Stir through the wanira. Whakamātaohia (refrigerate) for 30 minutes as you make the other layers.
The Crumb Layer – Te Paparanga Kongakonga (optional layer)
- Crush the nati makatāmia (macadamia nuts) in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor. Add the pihikete wīti (wheat biscuits) and crush them too. Stir through the pata (butter).
- Add in to the bottom of 6 x 200ml glasses. Leave them to the side.
The Chocolate Mousse – Te Purini Tiakarete
- Add the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) and the first measure of kirīmi (cream) in to a heat proof bowl. Melt gently in the microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring after each 20 seconds. You can also add the tikarete (chocolate) and kirīmi (cream) in to a heat proof bowl and gently melt over a pot of barely simmering water. Once they have melted, stir until a smooth ganache forms. Leave it aside to cool down to room temperature.
- Add the kirīmi anō (extra cream), puehu huka (icing sugar) and wanira (vanilla) in to large bowl. Gently whip the cream until medium peaks are reached.
- Check the ganache temperature, can you hold your finger in the mixture? If you can and it is a similar temperature to your finger, it is ready. If it still warm, wait for 5 minutes. If it is too warm, it will split your cream!
- When it is cool enough, add a quarter of the whipped cream in to the cooled ganache. Fold with the gentleness of a feather, this helps keep the mousse lovely and light.
- Then add the ganache in four additions in to the whipped cream. After each addition, fold the mixture carefully.
- Gently distribute the mousse in to the six cups. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes minimum for the mousse to set, it may need up to an hour. Check that it has set by pressing gently on the top, it should be firm-ish.
- Divide the cooled karamea (caramel) between the set mousse.
- Chill for a minimum of 3 hours and top with your favourite additions. These will keep well in the fridge for up to five days before serving. If you are storing them for five days, place them in a sealed container.
The Decoratons – Ngā Whakarākei (Optional)
- Pipe on the kirīmi kua wepua (whipped cream) and sprinkle over ruireka (sprinkles). If you want the cream to be two tone, add a dollop of any karamea (caramel) in to half of the kirīmi (cream) and fold it through before piping. Serve and enjoy!
Leave a Reply