Chocolate Crémeux

What is chocolate crémeux?

Chocolate crémeux is very popular for its melting texture and creamy flavor (hence its name: Crémeux means “creamy” in French). Crémeux is crème anglaise emulsified with dark, milk, blond or white chocolate.

Here are the ingredients you need for this crémeux:

• Egg yolks
• Valrhona chocolate
• UHT cream
• Sugar
• Whole milk

Chocolate crémeux recipe

1. Beat the yolks and sugar in a bowl.
2. Heat the milk and liquid whipping cream and pour a small amount over the egg yolk and sugar mixture.
3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan, then cook over a low heat while stirring with a spatula until it reaches 185°F (84°C).
   By cooking with a thermometer, you get precise control over the process.
4. Remove the crème anglaise from the heat and strain it into a bowl.
5. Blend for a few seconds to give it a smooth, creamy texture, then use straightaway, or cool quickly and set aside.

To make the crème anglaise less likely to separate, we use a technique whose technical name is “flocculation”. If you are making large quantities, we recommend mixing the egg yolks and sugar thoroughly (without incorporating any air). A smooth mixture will make it easier to cook the crème anglaise and give the crémeux a flawlessly creamy texture.

For the final stage, you need to weigh out 1 liter of hot crème anglaise and 380g of partially melted Valrhona chocolate. We recommend that you master the emulsion technique before you make a chocolate crémeux.

1. Add the first portion of cream and mix it in. Start emulsifying it using a spatula. 
   Make sure the mixture is above 95°F (35°C), at which the cocoa butter will have mostly melted. You will have an unstable, saturated mixture of fat. 
2. Add a second portion of cream. Stir vigorously so that the texture becomes elastic. This is a sign than an emulsion has started to form and, eventually, it will look elastic and shiny in its center.
3. Add the remaining cream, mix, then blend to complete the emulsion, taking care not to incorporate any air and keeping the temperature above 95°F (35°C).
4. Pour it into a container and seal the surface with plastic wrap. Set aside overnight in the refrigerator.

This will help the cocoa butter to set so that the crémeux has the right texture (particularly for dessert inserts).

It is advisable to leave the crémeux to set in the refrigerator, pour it out into disk shape, and then freeze it. This way you will avoid making it tear or crack by cooling it too quickly.

How should you use chocolate crémeux?

A crémeux can be poured or piped out to make inserts for sweets, mini gateaux or plated desserts. If you are piping it, fill the bag with crystallized crémeux. You can use it to garnish a sponge base that will serve as an insert for a dessert.

You can also use a spoon to make quenelles for a plated dessert or tart decoration. Drizzle a dash of chocolate sauce on a plate and create a quenelle, then add a few chocolate decorations.