During his career as a pastry chef, Kaushik Chowdhury has worked in five countries. His cooking style, he says, is always influenced by local cuisine and local ingredients, but chocolate has always been the best and most reliable ingredient.

He created this extravagant dark chocolate napoleon layered with nougatine cake and Earl Grey tea mousse complimented with milk chocolate lime ice cream for the  Ristorante Tuscany and Meritage Steakhouse at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix.  (Read about Chef Chowdhury).

Visit  www.jwdesertridgeresort.com.

Desert Delicacy
by Chef Kaushik Chowdhury
Serves 6

Earl Grey Tea Mousse
1/4 cup                 Cream
1/4 cup                 Milk
1/2 teaspoon        Earl Grey tea leaves
1/8 cup                 Sugar
1/8 teaspoon        Vanilla extract
1/8 cup                 Egg yolk
1/8 cup                 Dark chocolate
1/8 cup                 Milk chocolate
3/4 cup                 Whipped heavy cream

Boil the tea with cream and milk. Remove and strain the tea leaves. Whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and sugar into the milk and cream. Return to heat; cook the mixture just until it coats the back of the spoon (170 to 175 degrees). Pour mixture over the chocolate and mix until it melts. After the mixture has reached room temperature, fold in the heavy cream. Refrigerate mousse for at least one hour.

White Chocolate Mousse
1/4 cup                 Cream
1/4 cup                 Milk
1/8 cup                 Sugar
1/8 teaspoon         Vanilla extract
1/8 cup                 Egg yolk
1/4 cup                 White chocolate
1/2 teaspoon         Gelatin
3/4 cup                 Whipped heavy cream

Bring the milk and cream to a boil then remove from heat. Whisk the egg yolks, vanilla and sugar into the milk and cream. Return to heat, cook the mixture just until it coats the back of the spoon (170 to 175 degrees). Pour mixture over the chocolate and mix until it melts. After the mixture has reached room temperature, fold in the heavy cream. Refrigerate mousse for at least one hour.

Nougatine Almonds
1/2 cup                Sugar
1/2 cup                Almonds
1 teaspoon           Butter

Caramelize sugar over low heat. Add the almonds and butter and mix until the caramel coats the almonds completely. Pour onto a well greased surface and let cool. Crush into small pieces.

Sponge Cake
5                       Eggs
2                       Egg yolks
3/4 cup              Sugar
3/4 cup              Cake flour
1/4 teaspoon      Vanilla
1/8 teaspoon      Corn starch

Whisk the eggs, yolks and vanilla with sugar until the mixture doubles in volume. Fold in the flour and corn starch. Pour onto a sheet pan and spread into uniform thickness, about 1/4 inch. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.

Sugar Syrup
1/2 cup                 Sugar
1/2 cup                 Water

Bring the sugar and water to a boil and let it cool.

Milk Chocolate Lime Ice Cream
1/2 cup                 Milk
1/4 cup                 Sugar
1/2 cup                 Cream
1/8 cup                 Egg yolks
1/8 cup                 Milk chocolate
Zest from one-half of a lime 

Heat the cream and milk to a boil then remove from heat. Add the egg yolks, lime zest and sugar. Return to heat and cook while continuously whisking until mixture begins to thicken (170 degrees). Pour over chocolate and mix until chocolate is melted. Refrigerate for one day and then freeze/churn it in an ice cream maker.

Assembly
Melt and temper dark chocolate and spread it over a parchment sheet very thin
(one millimeter). As the chocolate sets, cut out discs 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

Sandwich the sponge cake soaked in sugar syrup with white chocolate mousse and crushed nougatine almond pieces. Refrigerate for one hour, then cut out one inch diameter discs.

Layer a sponge disc over a chocolate disc and pipe Earl Grey tea mousse around the sponge. Repeat the process one more time and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Serve the dessert topped with a scoop of milk chocolate lime ice cream and fresh orange segments (optional).