Dubai chocolate

Viral Dubai chocolate has finally made its way to Moje Wypieki! This is my favourite recipe for homemade Dubai chocolate. I started with a Dubai-style chocolate tart, then made a Dubai-style pistachio cheesecake, and finally bought a chocolate mould so I could make the original treat :). It tastes just like the delicious Dubai chocolate I buy from the shop for £10, but now at least I know I’ve used the best ingredients I could find. A pistachio filling with tahini and crispy kataifi pastry, encased in dark chocolate. You can use any chocolate you like – dark, milk or white. I’ve also included a simple method for tempering the chocolate, because in this recipe simply melting the chocolate isn’t enough and there are no shortcuts. Highly recommended!

 

Note: There will be more filling and chocolate than needed for one chocolate bar. You can use the leftover filling to make a few Dubai-style truffles, and pour the remaining chocolate onto baking paper and leave it to set, then use it in other desserts or bakes. I used approximately 200 g of chocolate for one bar.

I used a deep silicone chocolate mould to make the chocolate bar.

 

 

Ingredients for 1 Dubai chocolate bar.

Ingredients for the pistachio and kataifi filling:

• 30 g butter
• 125 g kataifi pastry
• 160 g pistachio cream (you can also use pistachio paste sweetened with sugar, or simply sweeten 100% pistachio paste to taste) + an additional 30–40 g pistachio cream
• 25 g tahini
• a pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Cut the kataifi pastry into smaller pieces, add to the butter and fry, separating the strands as you go, until crisp and golden. Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely.

Place the toasted kataifi in a bowl. Add the pistachio cream (if it is too firm, warm the jar briefly by placing it in hot water, then stir), tahini and salt. Gently mix until combined.

For the filling inside the chocolate bar, I often add a little more pistachio cream – approximately 40 g extra – to make the filling looser and more spreadable than in my Dubai-style tart or cheesecake.

 

Why temper chocolate?

Tempered chocolate is crisp and snappy, perfectly smooth and glossy. It remains shiny after setting, does not develop a dull appearance or melt on contact with your hands, and sets quickly.

 

Ingredients:

• 250 g dark, milk or white chocolate

Finely chop the chocolate. Place it in a small, thin plastic or silicone bowl with a capacity of 750–1000 ml. Microwave on the highest power for 30 seconds, then remove and stir thoroughly. Return to the microwave for another 30 seconds and stir thoroughly again. Microwave for a further 15 seconds and stir thoroughly, followed by a final 10 seconds in the microwave and another thorough stir. The stirring after each heating stage should be long and thorough, to melt as much of the chocolate as possible using the residual heat. If there are still unmelted pieces, microwave for another 5 seconds, then stir again.

A digital food thermometer is very useful when melting chocolate. At no stage should the temperature exceed:

• 32°C for dark chocolate
• 30°C for milk chocolate
• 28°C for white chocolate

This is why it is so important to stir the chocolate thoroughly as soon as it comes out of the microwave, so that the temperature is evenly distributed throughout the chocolate.

To assemble:

Pour some of the chocolate into the mould, coating the base and sides completely. Pour the excess chocolate back into the bowl. Leave for a few minutes until the chocolate begins to set – you can place it in the refrigerator if needed. Tempered chocolate sets very quickly. Fill the centre of the mould with the pistachio and kataifi filling and smooth the surface. Cover with the remaining melted chocolate and smooth the top, removing any excess chocolate. Leave to set completely.

Decorate as desired. I used edible gold leaf and edible gold dust.

Enjoy!

 

Chocolate tempering method adapted from sugargeekshow.com.