Chocolate chantilly with raspberry-poached rhubarb

Restaurant: Marque (NSW)
Recipe from Chef Mark Best (Appeared on Gourmet Traveller Website and September 2009 issue)
2010 Rating: 2nd, 3 Stars

What do you do when you have a craving for chocolate but you know you shouldn't eat any? I look at chocolate recipes. I know its a form of torture, but if I close my eyes and concentrate really hard I can almost taste it. And there's no calories involved! Yesterday, on a particularly bad chocolate craving day I went looking for chocolate creation ideas and happened to come across this recipe for chocolate chantilly by Mark Best from Marque. The recipe quickly drew my attention, whisked chocolate with water?? I've never done that before, I have to give it a go myself. The recipe isnt strictly a restaurant creation, but its intriguing enough to give it a go!

So here is the recipe, results will be following soon!

Chocolate chantilly with raspberry-poached rhubarb

Serves 6

Cooking Time Prep time 20 mins, cook 1 hr (plus chilling)

INGREDIENTS

270 gm dark couverture chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
100 gm (about 1 punnet) raspberries, to serve (see note)

Raspberry-poached rhubarb

1 bunch rhubarb with thick stalks (about 450gm)
200 gm (about 2 punnets) raspberries (see note)
250 gm caster sugar

METHOD

1. Combine chocolate and 230ml water in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until melted and well combined (3-4 minutes). Place bowl over a bowl of iced water and whisk steadily until chocolate thickens and increases in volume (4-5 minutes). Refrigerate, covered, until required.

2. Meanwhile, for raspberry-poached rhubarb, trim leaves and white ends from rhubarb (discard). Wash well, dry, then peel each stalk with a vegetable peeler. Place peelings in a large heatproof bowl with raspberries and sugar (reserve stalks). Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place over a saucepan of simmering water until a red juice forms (40-45 minutes).

3. Strain juice through a fine sieve into a 2 litre-capacity wide saucepan. Do not press solids through (discard solids). Cut reserved rhubarb into 9cm lengths, add to pan and simmer over low heat until just tender (6-8 minutes). Do not boil. Transfer rhubarb and juice to a container and refrigerate until chilled (30-40 minutes). Before serving, gently toss with raspberries to combine.

4. Form six quenelles of chocolate with a large, hot spoon and place each in a serving bowl. Divide a little rhubarb and raspberry mixture among bowls, drizzle with rhubarb juice to taste and serve with extra rhubarb and raspberries to the side.

Note If fresh raspberries are unavailable, use frozen ones. Use Valrhona chocolate if available.