Muscadines by William Curley

William Curley began his career with an apprenticeship at Gleneagles Hotel, which lead him to train with some of the country’s finest chefs; including Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc.

His ambitions then took him to The Savoy Hotel, where he became the youngest Chef Patissier in its history. William has achieved numerous accolades including the Master of Culinary Arts awarded by the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts - the highest accolade awarded to chefs in the UK.

William Curley will be debuting at ScotHot in Glasgow’s SECC on Thursday 16th March. ScotHot is Scotland’s leading trade show for food, drink, tourism and hospitality industries.

To find out more, visit www.scothot.co.uk

Ingredients: Makes 80 chocolates

500g neige decor (see Tip)

500g tempered dark chocolate

For the Drambuie Ganache:

160ml crème fraÎche

160ml whipping cream  

50g invert sugar

225g dark chocolate (65% cocoa solids), finely chopped

100g milk couverture chocolate, finely chopped

200g praline paste

50g sea-salted butter, softened

75ml Drambuie Drambuie

Ganache:

Put the crème fraÎche, cream and invert sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Put the chopped chocolate in a mixing bowl. Pour the boiled crème fraîche mixture over the chocolate. Mix until emulsified and a ganache consistency has formed.

Add the praline paste and softened butter and mix until fully emulsified. When the butter is fully incorporated, add the Drambuie and mix well. Leave the ganache to firm, uncovered, in a cool, dry area for about 1–2 hours.

To assemble:

Line a baking tray (sheet) with silicone (baking) paper or a non-stick baking mat.

Spoon the ganache into a piping (pastry) bag fitted with a 12mm (½ inch) nozzle (tip). Pipe oblongs onto the lined baking tray (sheet) and leave to set for 2 hours in a cool, dry area.

Put the neige décor in a shallow tray or bowl and temper the chocolate. Use a dipping fork to dip each chocolate into the tempered chocolate, then roll in the neige decor until evenly coated. Gently shake each chocolate in a sieve to remove any excess powder, then leave to set in a cool, dry area for 1–2 hours.

These chocolates will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry area.

Tip: Neige decor is a type of icing sugar derived from cornflour that does not dissolve in humid conditions.

In association with Taste Communications.

www.tastecommunications.co.uk