Chocolate Crémeux, what exactly is it? Well if you haven’t had the pleasure of tasting crémeux before, you are in for a real treat! Crémeux is basically an enriched custard based ganache, it is made up of 2 components, crème anglaise (english custard) and chocolate. Hot crème anglaise is poured over chocolate, the chocolate doubles up as a setting agent resulting in a rich, silk smooth, melt in your mouth crémeux.
This was one of the first recipes I learnt to make when I first started my pastry career and still does not disappoint.
How and where to use Chocolate Crémeux!
There’s is a multitude of ways to use crémeux, here are some of my favourites:
- Use it as a filling in a classic crisp choux pastry
- Fill it into a tart shell
- Sandwich it between a rich chocolate fudge cake
- Top some of your favourite desserts with a lovely rocher of crémeux
- Even as a stand alone dessert set into a glass topped with fresh tart raspberries or dark sweet cherries
Ingredients
- Whipping Cream 35% Fat – This is the backbone of your crèmeux’s luxurious texture. The high fat content (35% is ideal) contributes to an incredibly rich mouthfeel and provides the necessary body and smoothness. It helps create the creamy consistency that sets crèmeux apart from a standard custard.
- Whole Milk – Providing additional liquid and milk solids, whole milk complements the cream by adding a subtle richness without making the crèmeux overly heavy. It helps achieve the perfect consistency when combined with the other ingredients, ensuring a balanced flavour and smooth emulsion.
- Caster Sugar – This finely granulated sugar dissolves quickly and seamlessly into the liquid ingredients, ensuring a smooth texture without any grittiness. It provides the essential sweetness that balances the bitterness of the dark chocolate, enhancing its flavour notes without overwhelming them.
- Dark Chocolate – I use a 55% dark chocolate made by Callebaut but you can use any dark chocolate. Pick a good quality dark, a high quality dark chocolate will have great flavour notes which we want to shine through in the final product
- Vanilla Paste – Vanilla is a classic pairing with chocolate, acting as a powerful flavour enhancer. Vanilla paste, with its concentrated flavour and visible vanilla bean specks, adds a warm, aromatic depth that rounds out the chocolate’s intensity and adds a touch of sophistication to the crèmeux.
- Sea Salt – A small pinch of sea salt is a secret weapon in chocolate desserts. It doesn’t make the crèmeux salty, but rather acts as a flavour amplifier. It sharpens the chocolate notes, balances the sweetness, and makes the entire flavour profile pop, creating a more complex and satisfying experience on the palate.
All the equipment you need to make Crémeux
- Heavy Bottom Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- Digital scale
- Temperature Probe
- Spatula
- Fine Mesh Strainer
- Tall Jug
How to store Crémeux
Crémeux will store for up to 3 day in the fridge.
Crémeux will also freeze well for up to 3 months. In both cases be sure to store crémeux surface wrapped with cling film in an air tight container, chocolate will absorb the smells of other strong foods like garlic and onions compromising the flavour of the crémeux.
Defrost the crémeux in the fridge.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a bowl mix together egg yolk, sugar and salt till combined1
- Add chocolate to a tall jug2
- Add milk, cream and vanilla paste to a pan and bring to a simmer3
- Once the liquid has come to a simmer pour over yolks and sugar a little at a time, stirring continuously until about half the liquid has been incorporated. This is called tempering.
- Pour the tempered egg yolk mixture back into the pan with the remaining liquid on a low/medium heat. Keep stirring, scraping the bottom and the sides of the pan until the mix has reached 83℃ (181℉)4
- Immediately strain through a fine mesh sieve onto the chocolate and let it sit for 30 seconds
- Using a stick blender, blitz the chocolate through the anglaise until the chocolate has completely emulsified5
- Pour into an air tight container and surface wrap with cling film to avoid a skin forming. Let it chill and set in the fridge for 3-4 hours before using6
Notes
- When mixing egg yolks and sugar you only want to combine it together. Do not mix vigorously, you don't want to incorporate any air.
- Use a high quality chocolate, if it is in bar form, chop in to small pieces.
- You don't want to boil the liquid. When it comes to tempering the yolks pouring boiling liquid over room temperature yolks will cause the temperature to rise quickly and scramble the eggs.
- You want to keep the custard moving otherwise you'll end up with scrambled egg through your mix and the custard will take on an eggy flavour.
- You want a tall jug so that the head of the stick blender stays submerged to avoid too many air bubbles forming. Avoid moving the stick blender around to much, move up and down slowly without breaking the surface. You can do this by hand if you don't have a stick blender, a stick blender allows the fats to emulsify thoroughly so the mix does not split out.
- Only chill the mix if you are going to use crémeux as a filling or garnish, if you intend to fill a tart shell with crémeux fill straight after blending while still liquid. Once the crèmeux is set you should refrain from heating up crémeux, the egg in the mix could overheat bringing out a really eggy flavour or the chocolate could burn.
- Chocolate crémeux is very dense and rich, you can whip it after it has chilled to make it a little lighter