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Monday, September 5, 2011

Chocolate Meringue Kisses with Mousse: A Simplified Concorde


For those who dream of mastering the intricate Concorde Cake but crave a simpler alternative, chocolate meringue kisses filled with mousse are the perfect solution. Inspired by Gaston Lenôtre's legendary dessert, these mini treats retain the decadence of the original without the complexity.

The real deal consists of layers of chocolate meringue and chocolate pudding with sticks of chocolate meringue to decorate the outside. It was created by the famous French pastry chef Gaston Lenôtre to celebrate the first flight of the Concorde. Or is it named after the Place de la Concorde in Paris?


The recipe for Lenôtre’s Concorde appears in Lenôtre's Desserts and Pastries (affiliate link). At age 14, Pierre Hermé started apprenticing with Lenôtre and a recipe for Concorde can also be found in Chocolate Desserts by Pierre Hermé.

The Pastry Chef's Companion: A Comprehensive Resource Guide for the Baking
by Glenn Rinsky, Laura Halpin Rinsky


Someday, I’ll make this supersonic Concorde cake, but these little chocolate kisses were simple yet decadent.

Recipe: Chocolate Meringue Kisses with Mousse

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Chocolate Meringue:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
5 egg whites
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Mousse:
3½ ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
4 egg whites

Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting

[You can find the recipe for Concorde (Chocolate Meringue Cake Filled with Chocolate Mousse) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) or here.]

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Meringue:
  • Preheat the oven to 250°F (120°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form.
  • Fold in the sifted cocoa powder gently to maintain the airy texture.
  • Pipe or spoon small mounds onto the baking sheet.
  • Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues cool completely inside.
2. Make the Chocolate Mousse:
  • Melt the dark chocolate and let it cool slightly.
  • Gently fold the whipped cream and vanilla extract into the chocolate until smooth.
3. Assemble the Kisses:
  • Pipe or spoon chocolate mousse onto the flat side of a meringue.
  • Top with another meringue to create a sandwich.
4. Chill and Serve:
  • Refrigerate the assembled kisses for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Tasting Notes
“I like the chewiness.”
“This is good; this is real good.”
“Can I have another?”
These were quotes from my three young taste testers.

Next Time
Croissants in Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cook Home Collection page 429

Links
Video: Chocolate Concorde cake recipe
Food & Wine: Concorde Cake
No Special Effects’ Concorde
Carnival’s Concorde Cake

::Whisk::
I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.

More to Explore:

13 comments:

  1. I adore your version so so much! Im sure they taste utterly fabulous and im much more likely to try these lovely little things than the original recipe as it were, gorgeous!

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  2. these look adorable! what kind of piping tip do you recommend to make the kiss shape?

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  3. These are lovely meringues. The mousse seems to work well as a filling.

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  4. Looks so sweet. I miss that "melt in your mouth" thing from meringue. For the benefit of that, I will prepare my own version of this wonderful stuff.

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  5. They look perfect! I'm sure they are amazing.

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  6. Yum, they look lovely!

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  7. WOW - These look delicious! I've never made meringues but if this is the result, I guess I should start. They look addicting!

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  8. Yummy, yummy my stomach says! Thanks for sharing this divine recipe! I will impress my mother tomorrow!

    Cheap Holidays

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  9. These are beautiful, they would be nice on my Holiday Dessert Platter.

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  10. Oh they are so cute! And I am all for anything chocolate!!!

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  11. I shall try to make this!! Reminds me of macaroons...yummy :) Thank you. ^^

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Shari