Stilton and honey stuffed chocolate-crusted grape
Submitted by Lorenzo Popotorri on 18 October 2006 - 9:22pm.
tags: dessert
Voila! Finally a soupcon of a dessert that will adorn the most worthy of dinner tables. It is elegant, sophisticated and a worthy addition to your repertoire.
Preparation and patience is key. Source your ingredients from only the finest vendors and devote the entire day to making this perfect. Nothing less will do.
Bon chance, my friends (though luck has nothing to do with it of course).
Ready
- 3 grapes per person from Provence (deep plum in color)
- 1 tsp 21 year-old Stilton from Pea’s Take Farm (available from Harrods)
- ½ tsp Lavender infused honey available at The Bee’s Ness, Scotland
- ½ tbsp Mexican chocolate with exactly 86% cocoa-solid
- Icing sugar
Set
For serving
- 1 large black plate, 16” in diameter
- Silver-plated desert fork
For preparation
- A porcelain Wedgewood bowl with lid
- Bain marie
- Syringe
- White, cotton gloves
- Skewer 2mm wide
- Lint-free, sterile cloth
- Sterling-silver tea-strainer
- Sterling-silver tweezers
Go
- Into the Wedgewood, release the honey and stilton. Cover and keep in a darkened space at a temperature of 75°F for 82 hours. At the precise start of the 83rd hour, remove the lid and allow to stand for a further 12 hours.
- At this point, heat a small, steel-clad pan of water to 12 degrees below boiling point. Into this, place a bowl 6½” in diameter. Place the chocolate into the bowl with a pair of tweezers, making sure you do not bruise it. When it runs the consistency of pure maple extracted from a 100 year-old Canadian maple, remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, with gloved hands so as not to contaminate the nectar-infused cheese, place the mixture into the syringe.
- Pierce a hole in the top of the grape with the skewer. Insert the syringe and inject the glorious filling into the fruit. Wipe any excess away with a lint-free cloth.
- Repeat for the remaining 2 grapes. Set aside.
- With the attitude of the Queen’s own chef, deftly sprinkle the plate with the icing sugar with the assistance of the tea-strainer. It must be perfect. Any imperfections requires the plate to be cleaned and this process repeated.
- Using your tweezers and extraordianary care, dip the grapes into the melted chocolate and place (on their end) in the center of the plate.
- Serve with humility. You are merely the beneficiary of fine ingredients and my creative genius.
What you should know
This dish should be served on the morning of 1 April only.