The Weekend #2: Saturday

“…and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.”

The day after Jesus died was the day He lay in the tomb. What a day it must have been for the many who believed in Him to be the Son of God. This second dish is built upon this idea, with bitter and sour tastes representing the feelings of the disciples on Easter Saturday.

This is Part 2 of The Weekend Series. Check out the previous part here: The Weekend #1: Friday  and the next one here: The Weekend #3: Sunday

The centrepiece of this dish is the filled chocolate log. It subtly symbolises the tomb in which He lay (tempered log), the body (cherry coulis), as well as the stones (chocolate mousse at the ends of the log) that were put at the entrance to the grave to protect it from being robbed. Beneath the log is the dark chocolate soil, giving the dish a slightly bitter taste as well as an earthy finish to this dish.

Ingredients

Tempered Chocolate Log

• 70g dark chocolate, chopped

Chocolate Mousse

• 175g dark chocolate, 70% minimum cocoa solids, finely chopped
• 135ml hot water

Dark Chocolate Soil (2 serves)

• 10g flour
• 8g cocoa powder
• 20g almond meal
• 10g butter
• 20g sugar
• 1/3 egg yolk

Sour Cherry Coulis (1 cup)

• 2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
• ¼ cup water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Meringues

• 1 large egg white
• 50g sugar

Method

Chocolate Log

1. Melt half the chocolate over a water bath
2. Remove from heat, and stir in other half of chocolate until smooth.
3. Spread approximately 10x10cm over a plastic sheet or baking paper
4. When almost hardened, roll the sheet and secure it at the ends, ensuring that they join.
5. Refrigerate until hardened and remove from plastic sheet.

Cherry Coulis

1. Combine ingredients and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.  Cook until cherries are soft.
2. Remove from heat, and puree in food processor. Strain through a fine meshed strainer and transfer to small piping bag.

Dark Chocolate Soil

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until combined. Spread over a paper lined baking tray and bake at 170°C for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Chocolate Mousse

1. Begin chocolate mousse only when log and coulis is ready to use.
2. Place chocolate in a bowl and add 270ml of hot water. Whisk until the chocolate has dissolved.
3. Place bowl over an iced water bath and whisk until the mixture thickens.
4. Remove bowl from the iced water bath and whisk until the becomes soft set and transfer to piping bag.

Meringues

1. Whisk egg till frothy then add in sugar and whisk till stiff peaks form.
2. Pipe small droplets on baking paper then bake at 100°C for 60-90 minutes, till it hardens on the outside and removes easily from tray.

Assembly

1. Pipe some mousse into one end of the log, then a layer of coulis into the middle and cover the other end of log with more mousse
2. Refrigerate 1hr till mousse sets.
3. Spoon chocolate soil in a line, place chocolate log on top, at an angle.
4. Arrange meringues and pitted cherries on chocolate soil.