Lake trout with potato risotto
After spectacular culinary journeys across the world’s oceans, Lukas Nagl has found his home port...
Chocolate Cake with Poached Pears and Caramel fudge
Pears and chocolate are a match made in heaven. No wonder this cake is simply irresistible.
Cake
| Ingredients | ||
|---|---|---|
| 330 | g | brown sugar |
| 1 | tablespoon(s) | Instant coffee powder |
| 250 | g | Butter, chopped into pieces (+ a little to grease the mold) |
| 200 | g | Dark chocolate, chopped |
| 2 | Eggs | |
| 250 | g | Wheat flour, smooth |
| 1 | teaspoon(s) | Baking powder |
| 30 | g | Cocoa powder |
| 50 | g | Hazelnuts, roasted and roughly chopped |
| Dark chocolate, roughly chopped | ||
| Whipped cream for serving | ||
Caramel pears with cream
| Ingredients | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Small, firm, peeled pears | |
| 200 | g | brown sugar |
| 2 | Cinnamon sticks | |
| 2 | Star anise | |
| 2 | packets | Vanilla sugar |
| 200 | ml | Whipped cream |
| 1 | pinch | Salt |
- Preheat the oven to 150 °C. Grease a round cake tin (17 centimeters in diameter) with butter.
- Mix the sugar, coffee powder, butter, chocolate and 370 milliliters of hot water in a large saucepan over low heat. Melt the chocolate while stirring for 5 to 7 minutes or until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and leave to cool slightly. Add the eggs and stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir in the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Pour into the prepared mold. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, cover the pears, sugar and spices with cold water in a medium saucepan and simmer until the pears are soft, about 40 to 60 minutes. Remove the pears. Increase the heat and bring the syrup to a boil. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes until the syrup has reduced by a quarter. Add the cream. Continue to boil for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in the salt. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a heatproof bowl and leave to thicken in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Place the whipped cream in a bowl, drizzle with a little caramel sauce and stir carefully to create a marble effect. Place the cake on a serving plate. Pour the cream over the cake and arrange the pears on top. Sprinkle with roasted hazelnuts and the extra chocolate. Drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce and serve.
