Hawksmoor’s Ambassador's Reception

Method

• step 1

  To make the ice cream, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until light and frothy. Then heat the milk and double cream but don’t let it boil. Pour this over the egg mix slowly, continually whisking. Pour the mix back into the pan and heat gently until it’s slightly thickened into a thin custard. Pour over the hazelnut paste, whisk thoroughly, then pass through a sieve. Leave to cool before churning in an ice-cream maker. Alternatively, you can use a good quality bought hazelnut ice cream.

• step 2

  For the praline, stir the caster sugar, toasted hazelnuts and 2 tbsp water in a pan, mixing with a wooden spoon all the time until the sugar caramelises and goes dark brown; this should take around 10 minutes. Tip onto a lined baking tray and allow to cool. Bash into tiny pieces using a rolling pin.

• step 3

  Make the chocolate shells by melting the chocolate in a glass bowl over simmering water, take off the heat and mix in the feuilletine. Allow to cool a little, then brush 6 half sphere silicone moulds, approx 8cm in diameter with a thin layer of the mix and chill for 10 minutes. Brush another layer into the moulds and chill again for 20 minutes. Pop the shells from the moulds. Brush the outside of the shells really quickly with more of the cooled feuilletine chocolate mix, and sprinkle over some of the hazelnut praline. Chill for a further 20 minutes.

• step 4

  To make the Nutella® cream, mix the clotted cream with the Nutella® and add the double cream. Whip slowly so that the mix doesn’t split. Cover and chill until needed.

• step 5

  For the ganache, bring the cream and milk to the boil and pour it onto the chopped dark chocolate. Stir until all the chocolate has dissolved, then add the Nutella®. Leave to cool.

• step 6

  When you’re ready to serve, spoon 1 tsp of Nutella® cream in the middle of the plate (just enough to stick the chocolate shell on). Drizzle the plate with chocolate ganache and a bit of hazelnut praline. Stick the shell onto the blob of Nutella® cream. Inside the shell add 1 scoop ice cream, 1 tbsp Nutella® cream and 1 tbsp hazelnut ganache, then add a sprinkling of hazelnut praline and a bit of gold leaf, if using.
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