These cute snowmen are sure to be a real winner this Christmas. Deliciously filled with mulled cider and apple filling and apple flavoured chocolate ganache, they make a fabulous Christmas gift or as a sweet treat.
Mulled cider and apple filling
Ingredients500g apple cider 2 star anise 8 cloves 2 cinnamon sticks 50g caster sugar Zest of orange 100g diced Pink Lady apples |
MethodIn a saucepan add the cider, caster sugar and all the spices and orange zest and bring to the boil. Reduce the mixture to 150g. Once reduced, strain the spices from the cider. Add the diced Pink Lady apple and cook the apple very gentle in the reduction. Allow this mixture to cool. |
Apple ganache
Ingredients150g double cream 20g Sosa Home Gourmet liquid glucose |
MethodHeat together the cream, glucose and bring to the boil. Pour over the chocolate and let it sit for a few minutes. Blend the mixture together to create an emulsion. Add the apple paste and blend again to ensure fully incorporated. Let the mixture cool to 30ºC before placing in a piping bag. |
Shells
IngredientsBelcolade 100% pure cocoa butter buttons Sosa powdered natural food colouring - black (with activating charcoal) Sosa powdered food colouring - white |
MethodMake up white, black and orange cocoa butter colours (for more information please visit our video section on our website), Temper the cocoa butter colours. Always start with a clean and polished mould. Starting with the black cocoa butter and using the end of the paintbrush, dot in your snowmens eyes, smile and buttons. Leave the black cocoa butter to set before moving on to the next colour. Next take the orange cocoa butter and using a small paintbrush, paint in his carrot nose. Leave this to set before moving on. Next mix a little of the black and white cocoa butter to make grey and with a small paintbrush, paint on the scarf. Again, letting this set before moving on. Finally, take the white cocoa butter and a sponge and completely cover the mould ensuring that everywhere is covered. Leave this to set before moving on. Temper 1kg of the white chocolate and pipe to fill each cavity completely, tap to remove any air bubbles, then turn over and tap again to remove all excess chocolate. Scrape to clean off the surface of the mould. Place the mould face down on greaseproof paper to get an even set (5 minutes) before placing into the chocolate fridge to crystallise (1 hour). |
AssemblySpoon the cider and apple mixture in to each cavity filling to about half way and smooth down as much as possible. Pipe the apple ganache on top of the apple and cider mixture filling to the top of the mould leaving 2mm from the top of the mould. Allow this to then sit overnight between 14 and 16°C to allow the ganache to fully crystallise. |
To cap the chocolatesUsing a heat gun to very gently heat the edges of each cavity. Then we can take more tempered chocolate and pipe enough chocolate on top of each cavity to fill the space. Tap to remove any air bubbles. Using a scraper, pull across the mould to flatten the chocolate and achieve a flat finish. Turn the mould around and pipe a strip of chocolate across the last row of cavities and pull the scraper across again, this will ensure a completely flat finish. Place the mould into the chocolate fridge and allow the chocolate to crystallise completely from the mould. Turn the chocolates out of the mould and enjoy! |
Recipe courtesy of Samantha Rain, Development Chef, Henley Bridge
