Café con leche choux with chocolate and vanilla whipped cream by Stefan Riemer

Art and pastry go hand in hand in this piece by Stefan Riemer. The chef, Executive Pastry Chef of the Flavor Lab at Walt Disney World, assures that the inspiration for this choux Café con Leche, which is served in Toledo−Tapas, Steak, & Seafood at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort, “ is driven by the Rhino Hat, Savador Dali’s favorite and a friend of Walt Disney”.

Like all the desserts he designs, this one arises from a creation process in which “we work with the Walt Disney Imagineering Department. They scoop the projects and they know exactly, for example, how much square footage there is in a restaurant, and what original concept it is based on by creating storytelling. We create concept menus, which are basically many ideas, then we go back to create the kitchen. ”

If you want to know more about this chef, check out the in-depth interview carried out by our correspondent, Santiago Corral.

Café con leche choux with chocolate and vanilla whipped cream

12 serves

Coffee custard

1 u (silver) gelatin sheets
50 g brewed espresso
50 g whole milk
20 g pasteurized egg yolks
10 g sugar
175 g milk chocolate, melted
137,5 g heavy cream
1 pinch coarse salt

Bloom gelatin sheets in ice water. Heat espresso and milk in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until warm. Remove from heat. Whisk together egg yolk and sugar in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in half of the warm heavy cream and coffee mixture to temper the eggs. Strain egg and sugar mixture into saucepan with heavy cream and stir until combined. Add bloomed gelatin sheets, melted milk chocolate, and coarse salt to custard. Stir until smooth. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold into custard. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Chocolate mousse

1 u (silver) gelatin sheets
157 g bittersweet chocolate
337 g heavy cream, divided
56 g pasteurized egg yolk
10 ml orange liqueur

Bloom gelatin in ice water. Heat 138 grams of heavy cream in a medium saucepan until warm. Add dark chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Heat bloomed gelatin and orange liqueur in microwave for 15 seconds, until 45°C. Stir in egg yolk, then pour into chocolate and cream mixture. Whip remaining 275 grams of heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold into chocolate mousse. Pour into 4-centimeter molds and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Chocolate craquelin

115 g sugar
105 g all-purpose flour
7 g cocoa powder
115 g butter
2 g coarse salt

Place sugar, flour, cocoa powder, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for 45 minutes. Roll dough to 1/8” thickness and cut into 3-centimeter circles. Set aside until ready to serve.

Chocolate pâte à choux

125 g water
125 g milk
100 g butter
5 g sugar
5 g salt
142 g all-purpose flour
7,5 g cocoa powder
225 g eggs

Preheat oven to 150°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine water, milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Quickly stir in flour and cocoa powder using a spatula. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute, until mixture pulls away from sides of the pan. Transfer to electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed for 2 minutes, until slightly cooled. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until soft peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe into 3-centimeter circles onto prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until they are puffy and bottoms begin to brown.

Vanilla chantilly

1/2 u (silver) gelatin sheet
250 g heavy cream, divided
50 g confectioners’ sugar
1/2 u vanilla bean, scraped
1 pinch coarse salt

Bloom gelatin sheet in ice water. Combine 187.5 grams of the heavy cream with the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla bean. Whisk by hand to soft peaks. Place remaining 62.5 grams of heavy cream and bloomed gelatin sheet in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is melted. Add to whipped cream mixture and beat until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Dark chocolate glaçage

4 sheets (silver) gelatin
60 g water
50 g sugar
70 g glucose syrup
40 g condensed milk
80 g dark chocolate

Bloom gelatin sheets in ice water. Combine water, sugar, and glucose syrup in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add bloomed gelatin and condensed milk. Place dark chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour warm gelatin and sugar mixture over chocolate and mix with a hand blender. Keep at 35°C (95°F) until ready to serve.

Topping

- 12 u chocolate decorations
- Fleur de sel

Montage

Whip vanilla Chantilly and coffee custard by hand to soft peaks. Place coffee custard in piping bag filled with a round tip. Fill chocolate pâte à choux with coffee custard. Set aside. Spoon Chantilly onto a plate. Top with filled chocolate pâte à choux and chocolate craquelin. Remove chocolate mousse from freezer and glaze with chocolate glaçage. Add to top of chocolate craquelin. Garnish with fleur de sel and chocolate decoration.