Institute of ¹ú²ú¸£Àû Education chefs have been experimenting with Italy's prized Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Here's how Creative Director Michael Laiskonis incorporates the authentic ingredient into one of his sweetest specialties: chocolate bonbons.
I love the way in which the depth of balsamic vinegar marries with the bitter complexity of caramel and dark chocolate. The tartness of balsamic combined with the raisin-y sweetness of the aged balsamic creates an effect greater than the sum of the parts.
When possible, I like to amplify the flavors of this caramel by using a fruity chocolate (the red fruit and citrus profile of single-origin Madagascar chocolates work especially well). When cooking the sugar, the level of complexity is proportionate to the degree of caramelization — but cooked too dark, and the result may be too bitter. The vinegars are added at the end of the cooking process to avoid over-reducing. The end result is perfect encapsulation of sweet, salty, bitter and acid!
Ingredients
- 225 grams granulated sugar
- 50 grams water
- 20 grams glucose syrup
- 180 grams heavy cream (36% fat)
- 2 grams salt
- 30 grams butter, unsalted
- 5 grams cocoa butter
- 20 grams Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
- 5 grams Aged Balsamic Vinegar of Modena
Directions
- In a heavy sauce pan, combine the sugar, water and glucose. Cover and cook to a medium amber color. Meanwhile, heat the cream and salt until warm and reserve.
- Remove the caramel from heat and deglaze with the cream. Return to low heat to completely dissolve sugar and continue to cook to 225°F/107°C.
- Remove from heat and emulsify butter, cocoa butter and balsamic vinegars into the caramel base with an immersion blender.
- Allow the caramel to cool to 30˚C/86˚F and deposit the caramel directly into the pre-cast bonbon molds — roughly three-quarters full. Allow a small gap to provide a sealing base and allow the centers to crystallize at room temperature.
- When the centers have fully crystallized, seal the mold with additional tempered chocolate: fill the remaining space of each cavity and scrape away the excess to produce a clean, smooth base and allow to crystallize undisturbed.
- Using a lined half-sheet pan, carefully invert the mold to release the finished bonbons; this may require a slight tap or in some cases, the molds may require a brief chill in order achieve full contraction and release.
Learn more about Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and take a class with Chef Michael in ICE's bean-to-bar chocolate lab.
