Salted Chicory mousse, Vanilla cheesecake, Chocolate sorbet
by David Everett Matthias

Ingredients  serves 6

This ‘adult’ combination of flavours, balancing bitterness and sweetness with a touch of salt, is a favourite of mine. The chicory could be omitted from both mousse and glaze, leaving just a salted caramel mousse, and coffee could be your base cheesecake mix. Roasted burdock or dandelion root could be made into an essence and served as well. 
For the bitter chocolate sorbet 
 









For the vanilla cheesecake 











For the salted chicory mousse 








For the chicory glaze






For the chocolate sauce







For the walnut crumble 









for the chocolate sticks 
 
 

750g water

240g milk

60g caster sugar

60g trimoline

100g cocoa powder

7g bronze gelatine leaves

200g bitter dark chocolate (64% cocoa solids), finely chopped

40g bitter dark chocolate (71% cocoa solids), finely chopped

150g Hobnobs

100g unsalted butter, melted 
125g cream cheese

15g plain flour

380g mascarpone

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

125g double cream

100g white chocolate, 
melted seeds from 2 vanilla pods 
50g caster sugar 
 
155g double cream

50g water

150g caster sugar

8.75g bronze gelatine leaves 
3 eggs 
18g chicory essence

7–10g salt (this is a rough guide as the degree of bitterness of the caramel can alter the saltiness)

50g water

125g caster sugar

3.5g bronze gelatine leaves 
135g double cream

17g chicory essence
20g vegetable oil

200g caster sugar
500g water

150g cocoa powder 
50g port 
300g red wine

150g bitter dark chocolate (64% cocoa solids), finely chopped 

60g icing sugar

120g white bread rolls, diced 
120g chopped walnuts

160g demerara sugar

40g cornflour

6g salt
seeds from 2 vanilla pods 
150g unsalted butter, melted 
40g walnut oil

2 eggs 

100g liquid glucose

100g fondant

100g isomalt

70g bitter dark chocolate (71% cocoa solids), finely chopped 


Chefs Tips 

If you have any leftover pieces of chocolate from making the sticks, you can grind to a powder in a food processor, then keep in an airtight container or small jar. When you want some sticks, sprinkle the powder thinly and evenly on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and place in an oven preheated to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 to melt. Then make strands, as above. Or lay a piece of baking parchment on top of the melted mixture and roll out as thinly as possible, then cut into neat shapes (or leave to cool and break into uneven shapes). Making the Crust
Line the tart ring with the dough and freeze it for about 20 minutes to prevent the sides collapsing when the crust is baked. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C/Gas mark 3). Blind bake the crust for 15–20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool and then, using the zester, file down the edges of the pastry so the rim is perfectly smooth.

Method

Bitter chocolate sorbet 
Combine the water, milk, caster sugar and trimoline in a heavy-based pan and bring to the boil. Whisk in the cocoa powder and cook for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally. Remove from the heat. Soak the gelatine in a little cold water for about 5 minutes, until soft and pliable. Squeeze excess water from the gelatine, then whisk it into the cocoa syrup. Leave to cool for 2–3 minutes. Put all the chocolate in a bowl and pour on the cocoa syrup, whisking until thoroughly incorporated and smooth. Strain through a fine sieve, then place in an ice cream machine and churn. Transfer to a container and keep in the freezer until needed. Remove to the fridge about
10 minutes before serving, to soften slightly. 

Vanilla cheesecake 
Carefully wrap foil around the bottom and sides of a metal cooking frame that measures about 36 x 12cm and 4cm deep: the cheesecake is going to be cooked in a water bath so the frame needs to be watertight. Set aside. Put the biscuits in a food processor and grind coarsely. With the machine running, slowly pour in the melted butter. Spoon the mixture over the bottom of the prepared frame to a depth of 5mm. Press down well. Leave to set in the fridge. 
Mix the cream cheese with the flour.
Add the mascarpone, eggs and egg yolks and mix well. Heat the cream until just below boiling, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for 1 minute. Pour the cream on to the melted white chocolate, stirring to mix. Add to the mascarpone mixture. 
Add the vanilla seeds and the sugar to the cheese mixture and stir well. Pour into the prepared frame. Set it in a roasting tin and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the frame. Place in an oven preheated to 95°C and bake for 25–30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven, cover with cling film and leave to cool in the water bath for 1 hour. Then uncover and remove from the roasting tin. Keep in the fridge while you make the mousse. 

Salted chicory mousse 
Whip 125g of the double cream to the ribbon stage, then cover and place in the fridge. Put the water and 125g of the caster sugar in a small, heavy-based saucepan and heat slowly to dissolve the sugar, then raise the heat and boil to a rich brown caramel. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in a little cold water for about 5 minutes, until soft and pliable. Whisk the eggs with the remaining 25g caster sugar until thick and white. Whisk the remaining cream into the caramel, then pour on to the eggs in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Squeeze excess water from the gelatine, then add it to the egg mixture and continue whisking until cold. When cold, fold in the chicory essence, whipped cream and salt to taste. 
Remove the vanilla cheesecake from the fridge and pour the mousse on top. Replace in the fridge and chill while you make the glaze. 

Chicory glaze 
Put the water and caster sugar in a small, heavy-based saucepan and dissolve the sugar slowly, then raise the heat and boil to a deep, dark caramel. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in a little cold water for about 5 minutes, until soft and pliable. Remove the caramel from the heat and whisk in the cream and chicory essence, being careful as the mixture will splutter. Squeeze excess water from the gelatine, then whisk it into the caramel mixture. Whisk in the vegetable oil. Bring back to the boil, then pass through a fine chinois. Leave to cool. 
When cold, pour over the top of the cheesecake to finish. Leave to set in the fridge. 

Chocolate sauce 
Dissolve the sugar in 100g of the water in a heavy-based pan, then boil to a deep golden caramel. Add the remaining 400g water and the cocoa powder, being careful as the mixture will splutter, and stir to dissolve the caramel. Bring to the boil. Add the port and red wine and return to the boil, then cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until it has all melted. Pass through a fine chinois and leave to cool. Store in a jar until needed. 

Walnut crumble 
Mix together all the dry ingredients, then mix in the vanilla seeds, melted butter and walnut oil. Whisk the eggs, then add to the walnut mixture and mix well. Scatter on to a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Place in an oven preheated to 160°C/Gas Mark 3 and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden and dry, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent burning or lumps from forming. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then break into more even pieces and return to the oven to bake for a further 3 minutes. Leave to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container until needed. 

Chocolate sticks 
Put the glucose, fondant and isomalt in a heavy-based saucepan. Stir well and bring up to the boil, then cook until the sugar is just starting to turn colour, about 160°C. Remove from the heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Pour on to an oiled tray and leave to cool a little. Then, using your fingers, slowly and carefully pull off little pieces of the chocolate mixture, which should form strands (be careful as the mixture is still very warm). When the strands are 100mm long, snip with scissors and gently lay them on a tray – they will be very brittle. You will need 10–12 of these chocolate sticks. If you are keeping them for any length of time, store in an airtight container. 

Serving 
Remove the cheesecake from the frame and cut into 10 or 12 portions with a warm knife. Place one on each plate. Using a pastry brush, draw a line of chocolate sauce on the plate, parallel to the cheesecake. Place a line of walnut crumble on top of the sauce, followed by a scoop of sorbet and a chocolate stick at an angle. 
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