Black Forest 2.0: Warm Kirsch Cherries with Dark Chocolate Air
A hyper-modern deconstruction of the classic Black Forest cake. Warm cherries macerated in Kirsch and palm sugar, topped with an ice-cold, velvety cloud of dark chocolate.
15m
Prep Time
5m
Cook Time
2h
Wait Time
2h 20m
Total Time
Ingredientsparts
- 200-250 g fresh cherries
- 3 tbsp Kirsch
- 2 tbsp palm sugar
- 75 g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa)
- 100 ml heavy cream (unwhipped)
- 100 ml whole milk
- 1 N2O cartridge (for the siphon)
Instructionsparts
Pit the fresh cherries. You can lightly bruise them with the flat side of a knife to help release their juices.
Place the cherries, Kirsch, and palm sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring gently until the palm sugar has completely dissolved and the cherries just begin to release their juices (about 2-3 minutes).
Remove from the heat immediately, cover the pan with a lid, and let it steep for the rest of the day.
Break the dark chocolate into small pieces and melt it using a double boiler (au bain-marie) or very carefully in the microwave.
Heat the heavy cream and milk in a saucepan until it just begins to simmer. Pour this hot mixture in parts over the melted chocolate, stirring gently with a whisk until you have a smooth and glossy ganache.
Pour the chocolate mixture **through a very fine mesh strainer** directly into the siphon to prevent any blockages. Screw the head on tightly.
Charge the siphon with 1 nitrogen cartridge (N2O), shake vigorously 4 to 5 times up and down, and place the siphon in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (preferably lying down).
Just before serving, place the saucepan with the cherries and syrup back over medium-high heat for a very brief moment (1-2 minutes). They only need to be lukewarm; do not let them boil.
Spoon the warm cherries into the center of a beautiful dessert glass or shallow bowl. Drizzle a little bit of the warm Kirsch syrup over them.
Remove the siphon from the refrigerator and give it one more vigorous shake. Hold the nozzle completely upside down and dispense a generous, airy cloud of the ice-cold chocolate espuma directly on top of the warm cherries.
💡Tips & Notes
- •Serving tip: Serve this dessert with a small glass of Ginjinha (Krinja) on the side. The authentic, sweet and sour taste of this Portuguese cherry liqueur beautifully enhances the macerated cherries on the plate and cuts right through the rich, dark chocolate.
- •Always strain the ganache before filling the siphon to avoid clogging the nozzle.
- •The cherries can be macerated several hours ahead; the longer they steep, the deeper the flavour.
- •Pitting trick: remove the stem, sit the cherry on the neck of an empty beer bottle (or similar), then push a satay skewer through the top to pop the pit out the bottom.