I combined smoked almonds and ancho Chile with dark chocolate to mimic the heat of the roasting process. The ancho Chile adds a subtle heat to the ganache, turning your mouth into a miniature cocoa bean roaster.

Level:: Medium
Makes:: 144 chocolates

90 g

Water
216 g

Sucrose
29 g

Powdered glucose
14 g

Sorbitol

Caramelise.

324 g

Mesquite smoked almonds

Add to caramel. Pour onto Silpat baking sheet and leave to cool.

11 g

Skimmed milk powder

Add to caramel-nut mixture in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Melt together at 40°C.

516 g

Homemade smoked almond praline
20 g

M-7pail

Mix into previous mixture.

Leave on marble to crystallise to 23°C and cast into 5-mm-thick frame.
Allow to crystallise at 16°C for 1 hour.

272 g

36% cream
4 g

Dried and ground ancho chile

Mix and boil. Infuse for 2 minutes. Strain and rescale heavy cream.
Add whole milk if needed to return to original weight.

43 g

Glucose syrup de 60
29 g

Sorbitol powder
31 g

Invert sugar

Dissolve in previous mixture. Leave to cool to 35°C.

21 g

Clarified butter
221 g

Callebaut Dark Chocolate - 70-30-38 - 5kg Block
94 g

Callebaut Milk Chocolate - 845 - 5kg Block
40 g

Callebaut Cocoa - Cocoa Butter - 4kg Callets

Melt together at 40°C. Pour previous mixture over melted chocolate mixture and emulsify with food processor or immersion blender. Leave to cool to 32-34°C.

Pour ancho chile ganache in 5-mm-thick frame on top of smoked almond praline base. Allow to crystallise at 16°C for 12 hours. Cut to 25 x 30 mm and enrobe with dark chocolate Callebaut® 811. Decorate with ground ancho chile powder.