As you may know, Thursday, July 7th, is International Chocolate Day. For the occasion, head pastry chef of the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem, Claude BenSimon, unveiled two new chocolate dishes (Louie’s Mousse and Waldorf 28), which have been added to the menu of the King’s Court Restaurant in the hotel’s famed lobby. The hotel, which opened in 2014, has been named the Top Hotel in the Middle East and #7 in the world by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine and has already been praised by the international community for its kosher innovative cuisine.

A second generation pastry chef, Bensimon was trained in the bakeshops and pastry kitchens of Paris including time at the Michelin-rated Taillevent restaurant as well as working underneath famed pastry designer Jacques Genin. In 2001, he fulfilled his long-time dream of moving to Israel and in 2013 with the opening of the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem he joined the hotel as head Pastry Chef.

YWN-ISRAEL brings you the recipe:

“Louie’s Mousse”—Chef Claude Ben-Simon

Yields up to 5 medium cups

Part 1—Milk Chocolate Chantilly Cream

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup (10 fl oz) Heavy Cream

1 ¼ cup (1/2 lb) Milk Chocolate

Preparation:

Bring the cream to a boil and then add, in 3 parts, the boiling cream into the chocolate while stirring during every addition

Allow the cream to cool down for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator

After it has cooled, place the cream in a pastry bag with a st. honore nozzle

Part 2—Vanilla Crumble

Ingredients:

5 ½ oz (11 Tbsp) cold butter cut into cubes

2 ¾ oz (6 ½ Tbsp) sugar

1 ¼ Tbsp salt

1 ¼ cups flour

2 ½ cups crumbled almonds

3 oz light brown sugar

Preparation:

Mixt the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl

Add the butter and mix gently until you get the dough becomes pea size crumble

Move the mixture into a baking pan with parchment paper and bake at 320 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and crispy

Take the pan out and put on the side to cool.

Part 3—Exotic Coulis

Ingredients:

3 ½ oz (7 Tbsp) banana puree

2 ¾ oz mango puree

1 ½ oz apricot puree

2 ¼ oz passion fruit puree

1 stick of vanilla bean, scraped

¼ cup white sugar

Preparation

In a medium sized pan, add the fruit purees. Scrape the vanilla pod into the pan, and mix with the sugar over a low flame.

While the pan is on a medium flame, bring the mixture to a boil for about 7 minutes until the mixture becomes thick to nappe consistency.

Remove from the flame and set aside in the refrigerator before using.

Assembly:

In a medium sized cup, first place a spoonful of exotic coulis. Over this place 2 spoons of vanilla crumble. Pipe out the cream to the rim of the cup. Decorate with crushed nuts and serve.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)