Seen on our television screens in the new Dessert Masters show, with amazing dessert challenges in Masterchef Australia and as the star of The Chocolate Queen which airs around the world, Tibballs says it is no secret that she has a passion for chocolate.
"In fact a lifelong love affair might be a more accurate description. I love the joy it brings, the infinite wonders it can create and, of course, the incomparable taste."
For her, chocolate is the ultimate ingredient and she believes there is no wrong time to enjoy it, so her book Chocolate All Day is testament to that.
Her journey to all things chocolate began when she was 12 years old and loved to cook — a by-product of an eating disorder she struggled with.
"Before I’d turned 13 I was taking orders, making a dozen birthday cakes every weekend. School fell away, and baking became my world."
Once she had developed a better relationship with food, she began a patisserie apprenticeship and never looked back.
"Using compound chocolate will give you an inferior eating experience."
She uses buttons, but blocks of chocolate can be used but need to be cut up, she says. It is also important the room temperature is no more than 25°C and not to store chocolate in the fridge for longer than 20 minutes as it will get condensation on the surface which dissolves the sugar in the chocolate and it will set in larger particles, which you can see as well as feel on the palate.
Tibballs also advises storing chocolate in sealed opaque packaging at all times as it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere very quickly.
The recipes range from treats and cakes to desserts and slices.
With each recipe she advises the skill level needed and often includes tips on how to take it to the next level or fix a potential problem.
THE BOOK
Images and text from Chocolate All Day by Kirsten Tibballs, photography by Armelle Habib. Murdoch Books RRP $55.
Rocky road chocolate cake
Simply irresistible. This beauty is covered in luscious chocolate ganache and crowned with a halo of fresh raspberries, peanuts, marshmallows and milk chocolate.
The inside of the cake is also studded with rocky road surprises.
It’s so much more than just another chocolate cake.
Serves 10
Ingredients
Cake
200g whole eggs
115g caster (superfine) sugar
2 vanilla beans, split lengthways and seeds scraped
95g plain (all-purpose) flour
20g Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
20g unsalted butter, melted
30g marshmallows, chopped
45g good-quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped
35g roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
60g fresh raspberries
Chocolate ganache
200ml thickened (whipping) cream
250g good-quality milk chocolate
To finish
45g good-quality milk chocolate, roughly chopped
30g marshmallows, chopped
25g roasted salted peanuts, roughly chopped
60g fresh raspberries
Method
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced.
Grease an 18cm round cake tin.
Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
To check whether the mixture is ready, lift the whisk and drizzle the mixture back on to itself. If it sits on top without immediately sinking back into the rest of the mixture, it is ready.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then gradually add to the whisked egg mixture.
Mix a small amount of the batter into the melted butter, then fold all the butter into the batter to incorporate.
Add the marshmallows, chocolate, peanuts and raspberries and gently fold them through until evenly distributed.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared cake tin and bake for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Leave to cool completely at room temperature.
For the chocolate ganache, heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
Put the chocolate in a bowl.
Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted and incorporated.
Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache and leave to cool at room temperature for 2 hours, until it thickens to a spreadable consistency.
Spread the chocolate ganache on top of the cake.
Arrange the chopped chocolate, marshmallows, peanuts and raspberries to form a halo around the top of the ganache.
The cake is best eaten within a few days of baking and served at room temperature. Store the undecorated cake in the fridge for up to 4 days. The cake can be made up to 4 weeks in advance and frozen. After the ganache and decorations are added, the cake can be stored for up to 3 days.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Place the eggs in a bowl of body temperature water and leave for 10 minutes to warm them before making the cake. Gently move the eggs around as they warm. This will create better volume when whisking.
NEXT LEVEL
For added glamour, replace the marshmallows on top with edible flowers.
Chocolate tuile tacos with berries and coconut cream
This sweet taco look-alike is spot on for summer entertaining. There’s nothing quite like the crisp snap of the tuile taco shell.
Let the invigorating taste of summer wash over you with every bite.
Fill the tacos with fresh berries and velvety coconut cream, or whatever flavours take your fancy.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Tuile
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
80g pure icing sugar
75g plain (all-purpose) flour
15g Dutch-process cocoa powder
50g egg whites
Coconut cream
250g coconut cream
25g liquid glucose
150g good-quality white chocolate
375ml thickened (whipping) cream, chilled
50g desiccated coconut
To finish
300g fresh raspberries
300g fresh blueberries
250g fresh strawberries, chopped
mint leaves, for garnishing
pure icing sugar, for dusting
Method
To make the tuile, preheat the oven to 170°C fan-forced.
Combine the butter and icing sugar in a bowl and mix by hand until smooth.
Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and lastly add the egg whites. Mix until the ingredients just come together as a smooth paste.
Create a stencil from an ice-cream lid or similar piece of plastic, by cutting and discarding a disc, 10cm in diameter, out of the centre. You will be left with a ring of plastic with a hole in the middle.
Place the stencil on a baking tray lined with baking paper and spread a heaped tablespoon of the tuile mixture over the exposed baking paper in the middle of the stencil.
Remove the stencil and repeat the process so that you have two discs on the tray.
Bake for 8–10 minutes.
Working quickly, lift the tuile while it’s still hot and form it into a taco shape by folding it over a narrow rolling pin, then place a piece of scrunched foil in the centre to hold the shape while storing.
Repeat with the remaining tuile batter until you have created six taco shells.
Once cooled, store in an airtight container.
For the coconut cream, combine the coconut cream and glucose in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
Put the chocolate in a bowl.
Pour the hot liquid over the white chocolate and whisk until completely melted and combined.
Add the chilled cream and the coconut and mix to combine.
Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours.
Whip the chilled coconut cream until it reaches piping consistency, about 2–3 minutes.
To assemble, transfer the whipped coconut cream to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm plain piping nozzle and pipe it into the base of the tuile shells, filling them about one-third of the way. Alternatively, you can spoon the coconut cream into the shells.
Scatter the berries on top, followed by another few dollops of coconut cream.
Garnish with some additional berries and mint leaves, then dust with icing sugar.
Assemble just before serving like a traditional taco.
The coconut cream can be made up to 3 days in advance and whipped when you are ready to assemble.
The taco shells are best made the same day and stored in an airtight container until you are ready to assemble.
For best results
Do a test taco to determine the correct baking time for your tuiles. It can be difficult to tell whether chocolate products are baked enough as you can’t rely on colour as an indicator. The baking time may vary depending on whether you’ve spread your tuile thicker or thinner than mine.
Tiramisu with white chocolate ice-cream and coffee soak
Prepare yourself for classic tiramisu vibes in ice cream form.
Utterly creamy white chocolate ice cream with a traditional hint of mascarpone, sponge fingers soaked in fragrant Marsala-spiked coffee, dusted with rich cocoa powder. Layer upon layer of mouthwatering bliss.
For perfect dinner party portions, prepare the recipe as eight individual serves.
Serves 12
Ingredients
White chocolate no-churn ice cream
500ml thickened (whipping) cream
50g mascarpone
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
150g good-quality white chocolate
395ml sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp sea salt
Coffee soak
300ml water
390g caster (superfine) sugar
30g Dutch-process cocoa powder
90ml espresso coffee
120ml Marsala wine (you can omit the alcohol, if you prefer)
To assemble
200g sponge fingers (savoiardi biscuits/lady fingers)
Dutch-process cocoa powder, for dusting
Method
To make the ice cream, combine 150ml of the cream, the mascarpone and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
Put the white chocolate in a bowl.
Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and whisk until it is completely melted and incorporated.
Add the remaining cream and whisk to combine.
Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the mixture and place in the fridge for a minimum of 5 hours.
Add the condensed milk and salt to the chilled white chocolate mixture and whisk until it forms soft peaks. This can be done in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or with hand-held electric beaters. Ensure the cream mixture doesn’t sit out of the fridge before whipping as it needs to be very cold to prevent the mixture from splitting.
Place in the freezer for up to 1 hour while you prepare the coffee soak.
Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring to the boil.
Once the sugar has completely dissolved, remove from the heat and add the cocoa powder, coffee and Marsala. Mix to combine. Leave to cool at room temperature.
Dip half the sponge fingers in the coffee soak until they feel well soaked. You can test one by breaking it in half to see how far the coffee mixture goes in. You are aiming for it to soak the sponge finger almost to the centre.
Arrange the sponge fingers over the base of a 23cm square dish or baking tin.
Spread half of the ice cream mixture over the sponge fingers to create an even layer.
Repeat with another layer of coffee-soaked sponge fingers and ice cream mixture.
Generously dust the surface with cocoa powder, then place in the freezer for a minimum of 4 hours.
Store in the freezer for up to 4 weeks and serve frozen.
Take the tiramisu out of the freezer and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving, to soften it slightly.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Ensure that the sponge fingers are well soaked when assembling.
FIX IT
If you over whip the ice cream base, simply fold through a small amount of chilled cream.
