Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Chocolate genoise
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
75g caster sugar
10g melted butter
40g plain flour
10g unsweetened cocoa powder
Crème patissière
1 medium egg yolk
25g caster sugar
15g plain flour
125ml milk
15g butter
Ginger ganache
50ml single cream
12g ginger, peeled and very finely chopped
50g dark chocolate (64–68 per cent cocoa solids), finely chopped
40g crystallised ginger, finely chopped
Cocoa syrup
50g sugar
100ml water
25g cocoa powder
Red beetroot confit with orange
1–2 large beetroot
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice (around 3 oranges), strained zest of 3 oranges, cut in slivers
90 caster sugar
3g pectin NH
Lemon juice, to taste
Beetroot custard
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
150ml milk
100ml whipping cream
1 gelatine leaf, soaked in cold water until soft
Method
Chocolate genoise
Preheat oven to 180C. Whisk the eggs, egg yolk and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water, making sure the base doesn’t touch the water, until the mixture reaches a temperature of around 70C. At this point the mixture will have doubled in size and be thick and moussey. Move the bowl on to the stand mixer and continue to whisk on a medium to high speed for a further 5 minutes to cool and stabilise the mixture.Take around a quarter of the egg mixture and add to it the melted butter. Sift together the flour and cocoa powder, and then gently fold them into the eggs. Very gently fold in the melted butter mixture. Use a spatula to spread the sponge mixture on to a piece of parchment paper to a thickness of 2–3mm. Bake on a baking sheet for 8 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Crème patissière
Whisk the egg yolk and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Stir in the flour until combined. Pour the milk into a small pan and bring to the boil. Slowly pour the milk on to the egg mixture and mix well. Put the pan back on a medium heat, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a mixing bowl, and place small cubes of butter on its surface to prevent a skin from forming. Leave to cool.
Ginger ganache
Pour the cream into a small pan and add the grated ginger. Bring to the boil and then set aside to infuse for 15 minutes.Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream mixture back to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Stir well until the mixture is smooth, then leave to cool.Make the cocoa syrup by putting all the ingredients into a pan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar then bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Rolled biscuit
Stir 100g of the crème patissiere and 100g ginger ganache together. Add the crystallised ginger.Cut out a 24 x 30cm rectangle of the genoise and place it on a board lined with cling film. Pour over the cocoa syrup to soak the sponge. Use a spatula to spread the chocolate cream over the whole surface, spreading it out to a thickness of 5mm. Roll up the genoise, wrap in cling film and refrigerate.
Beetroot confit
Peel the beetroot and cut into 2mm thick slices. Cut out 10 x 4cm discs out of the slices and reserve any beetroot trimmings, as these will be used later. Place the beetroot discs in a pan and add the orange juice and zest and 75g of the sugar. Put a piece of greaseproof paper on top and cover with a lid. Place over a low to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 20–30 minutes until the beetroot is tender and the syrup has reduced by a third.
Lift the beetroot slices out of the syrup using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate, then chill. Discard the orange peel and strain the remaining liquid through a chinois or fine sieve. Mix the remaining 15g sugar with the NH pectin in a small pan, then whisk in 100g of the syrup used to poach the beetroot. Bring to the boil, then take the pan off the heat. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to taste, taking care to check the acidity.
Beetroot custard
Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until pale. Pour the milk and cream into a pan and bring to the boil, then add 100g of the reserved beetroot trimmings. Drain the gelatine leaf and squeeze out any excess water, then stir into the cream. Slowly pour this mixture over the egg yolk mixture, stirring all the time with the whisk.
Cook over a gentle heat until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain, then transfer to a sealable container and store in the fridge, covered with cling film to stop a skin from forming.
To serve
Place 2 tablespoons of beetroot custard on each plate. Slice the rolled biscuit into six or eight 2–3cm slices and press each piece into the custard. Fan slices of the confit beetroot over the biscuit. Drizzle the outside of the plate with syrup and serve.
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