10/12/2021
Christmas desserts to surprise your guests
Another year and Christmas is just around the corner… how quickly this year has passed and how much we have enjoyed it! December is the month to take stock, gather strength for the new cycle that is about to begin and celebrate with our own, these special holidays that are based on gatherings and sharing happiness. That is Christmas for us.
And what better way is there to celebrate it than all together around a good table? Today we want to propose a selection of the best desserts designed by the Servigroup gastronomic team that reflect the essence of the Hotel Montiboli and that will turn your menu into a haute cuisine offering. In just a few easy steps!
It is very easy to conquer by the palate, shall we begin?
Walnut and biscuit truffles
Preparation time: 30min
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 10
Truffles are one of the most delicate morsels that we can imagine when thinking of sweets. A pleasure for chocolate lovers (from Villajoyosa, of course) characterized by the intensity of its flavour in a subtle bite. Well, wait until you try our trompe l'oeil!
Ingredients
· 370 grams of condensed milk
· 10 speculum type biscuits
· 20 grams of peeled walnuts
· 40 grams of cocoa powder
· Peanuts, chocolate or any topping to your liking
Elaboration
1. First of all, you must cut the biscuits into very small pieces that will be the base of our truffles. We are looking for the texture of a coarse powder. We repeat the same process with the walnuts, this time leaving slightly larger pieces to experience the bite.
2. In a bowl, add the condensed milk and cocoa powder to the two previous ingredients and mix until you get a mixture that does not adhere to the walls of the container with a smooth and dark colour.
3. Now you have prepared the dough, it only remains to shape and decorate it. To do this, you will need to let it rest in the fridge for at least two hours. This will harden it and makes is perfect and easier to shape. For this we can use our hands directly or a couple of dessert spoons.
4. Once the truffles are formed, you just need to decorate them, for this you can use crushed peanuts, grated chocolate, cocoa powder or whatever you like the most. They will be very colourful and delicious!
Orange textures
Preparation time: 1h
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 10
The orange is one of the essential fruits in the Mediterranean diet and one of the star products of our land. The best citrus fruits from all over the world are grown on the Costa Blanca and so how not to take advantage of them for one of our Christmas desserts. We will use the orange in four different preparations that will make up a plate of ten. Attention to the touch of haute cuisine!
Ingredients
· The segments of 2 large oranges
Cake base:
· A large orange
· 50 grams of sugar
· 50 grams of peeled almonds
· 35 grams of butter
· 1 egg
Ice cream:
· 400 millilitres of orange juice
· Peel of an orange
· 120 grams of sugar
· The juice of half a lemon
· 360 millilitres of whipping cream
Jelly:
· 400 millilitres of orange juice
· A pinch of saffron threads
· 50 grams of sugar
· 3 sheets of gelatine
Elaboration
1. The main element of the dish is a soft orange sponge cake. To do this, you have to mix the orange rind (avoiding the white part) with the almond and sugar and then add the butter and the egg. Everything must be at room temperature. Finally, you will have to incorporate the orange juice until everything is integrated and bake the mixture at 175ºC for about 20 minutes. Until the fork comes out clean when pierced.
2. Under the cake we will put an orange jelly (gel) that will give it the characteristic haute cuisine touch of Montiboli. We have adapted the recipe so that you can make it at home and for this you will need a saucepan in which to reduce the orange juice mixed with the sugar and infused with the saffron threads. Once you have a kind of not too thick syrup, remove it from the heat, add the gelatine and dissolve it. To finish the gel, we spread the mixture on a metal tray and put it in the refrigerator to solidify.
3. The cake will be topped with an orange ice cream quenelle. It is perhaps the most demanding preparation, but it requires more patience than technique. The first step is to boil the juices together with the sugar in a saucepan for only 3 minutes. At that time, remove the mixture from the heat, add the grated peel and let it cool down to room temperature.
4. Once cold, it is placed in the fridge until it reaches the same temperature as the cream. Then whip the cold cream and little by little, mix it with the juice making enveloping movements so that we do not lose the firmness of the cream. Once both preparations are integrated, it is put in the freezer and after 50 minutes it is extracted to crush it with the blender and eliminate the formation of crystals. We repeat this process two more times to achieve the desired texture.
5. All that remains is to assemble the plate and add a final texture. Perhaps the most important. We peel the orange segments by removing the membrane that surrounds them and place them on the ice cream and sponge cake as the final touch of a delicious dish that reflects like no other the essence of the Mediterranean.
Chocolate mousse ingots
Preparation time: 1h
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 10
A sweet ending to the menu. Our chocolate mousse ingots combine the lightness of the mousse with the intensity of the chocolate, offering a delicious experience on the palate. Don't miss out on this recipe and get ready to succeed.
Ingredients
Chocolate mousse
· 200 millilitres of milk
· 3 egg yolks
· 80 grams of sugar
· 200 grams of cream
· 75 grams of dark chocolate
· 50 grams of corn starch
Toffee topping
· 175 grams of sugar
· 175 millilitres of water
· 150 grams of cream
· 12 grams of corn starch
· 4 sheets of gelatine
Elaboration
1. To prepare the mousse, dissolve the corn starch in a little milk over a very low heat and then add the rest of the milk, the beaten egg yolks and the sugar gently, little by little.
2. Once all the ingredients have been incorporated, and stirring constantly while cooking for about two minutes. Let the mixture cool and add the chocolate, once melted in a bain-marie, and the whipped cream making enveloping movements to achieve a perfect mousse texture.
3. The moulds are then filled with the mixture and placed in the freezer. Once the ingots are completely solidified, all you need to do is cover them with the toffee. To make this topping, it is necessary to prepare a caramel in a saucepan over a very low heat and then add the cream and corn starch to get the toffee sauce. Finally, we add the gelatine sheets and achieve the necessary texture for the topping.
4. To cover the mousse ingots with the toffee sauce you can use a rack and then decorate them with chocolate shapes. Let your creativity fly!
We are sure that with these recipes you will surprise your guests by bringing them a little piece of the Hotel Montiboli Cuisine to your table. And how about taking a step further? If you still don't know what to give to someone special and you are looking for something memorable, we suggest you surprise these holidays with a getaway to our Pearl of the Mediterranean. Start the year with enthusiasm, because there is nothing better than sharing memorable moments. Happy Holidays!
