Baked Chocolate Ganache with Spicy Hazelnuts and Orange Oil

This recipe suggests starting a day ahead but first thing in the morning is close enough, right? SO I melted the dark chocolate together with the butter and set aside to cool. Then I separated the eggs and beat the yolks together with caster sugar until light and creamy then waited, waited , waited until the chocolate mixture was cool enough to add the egg mixture.

chocolate ganache mixed and ready for the oven

Into the lined loaf tin and then into the oven it went until "opaque in the centre". A bit vague and it seemed a bit too "wobbly in the middle" but I took it out anyway and bunged it in the fridge.

 The spices were then toasted and blitzed in the trusty coffee grinder, which is now earning its keep, although not much coffee is getting ground these days.

In the interests of authenticity, I sourced hazelnuts, even though I don't usually like hazelnuts. In my wisdom, I bought organic whole hazelnuts from a fancy healthfood shop. So, then I had to get the skins off. Folks, this was the difficult, tedious and time consuming part of the whole recipe. 

 Then, the toasting and chopping of said walnuts and adding to the spice mixture. All that for what is basically a side component. Ottolenghi suggests popping candy as a "playful alternative" and I'll certainly consider that next time. Although it has to be said, these little twists are what makes the dish memorable and not just a rich chocolate pudding.

The final steps were a snap. Add some icing sugar to the creme fraiche. Add some orange zest to some olive oil. here I made my own cheffy little adjustment and used some "Sunrise Lime" oil made from Australian wild limes which I bought somewhere in the Swan Valley. I'm sure Yotam would jump at the chance to use it if he could. It certainly added a really zesty orangy zing to the dish.

These, assemble eat and enjoy. Amazing. The chocolate ganache is incredibky rich so a little goes a long way and it really does need all the additions to cut the richness and enhance the flavours. another keeper. Yum yum and yum again.