Time to wrap up my first menu of the year with a dessert I’ve been looking forward to for months: chili-cinnamon chocolate bonbons with horchata caramel filling, inspired by MY FINE FELLOW! When I first read the book, the descriptions of elegant gourmet food floored me, and this was one of my favorites. The idea of chili-cinnamon chocolate sounds amazing all on its own, but throw in caramel flavored with horchata and you’ve got something downright decadent.

To make these bonbons, I added ground cinnamon and chili powder in a pot with some chocolate and melted it down, letting the chili and cinnamon infuse into the chocolate. I used this chocolate to line some candy molds (I decided to use a crown mold since, in the story, these are made for the Royal Culinary Exhibition). For the filling, I started with an horchata recipe I found on AllRecipes and subbed out the milk for heavy cream (this helps cut down on the water being added to the caramel later, which helps control consistency). I caramelized some sugar in a pan, then added in some butter, a bit of the horchata cream, and a touch of chili powder.

These. Bonbons. Are. INREDIBLE! I can’t get enough of them. The chili lends a savory warmth that is accentuated by the horchata, and it helps cut the intense sweetness of the caramel. Interestingly, the individual flavors of the chili, cinnamon, and horchata aren’t easy to isolate. Instead, they come together to make a new, warm, rich flavor, which is balanced by just a touch of bitterness from the chocolate. My four-year-old tried one, and when I asked her if she liked it, she sighed and pretended to faint on the floor. I’d say that’s high praise!

 A

Chili and Cinnamon Infused Chocolate Bonbons with Horchata Caramel Filling

“. . . for dessert, a chili and cinnamon-infused chocolate bonbon filled with a horchata liquid caramel. He knew the flavors were what he’d wanted, but he’d worried they wouldn’t be elevated enough for the competition. Luckily, Penelope had backed the menu and even defended it to Helena. . .”

— My Fine Fellow

 

INGREDIENTS:

• FOR THE HORCHATA CREAM
  • 1/3 cup long grain white rice
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE SHELLS
  • 5 oz high quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
    • I recommend 60% dark.
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • silicone candy mold with 1-inch wells
    • This is the one I used.
  • gold luster dust, optional
• FOR THE HORCHATA CARAMEL SAUCEE
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp water
  • 3 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp horchata cream, room temp
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder

 

Makes 15 bonbons

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. FOR THE HORCHATA CREAM. Add rice, water, and cinnamon to a medium bowl. Cover and soak at least 2 hours or up to overnight (I soaked mine for about 5 hours). Transfer mix to blender and puree until mostly smooth. Place a wire mesh strainer over a medium bowl and line the strainer with a cheese cloth. Pour the rice mix into the strainer. Gather up the ends of the cheese cloth, twist, and squeeze to get all the liquid out. Discard contents of cheese cloth. Stir in heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until sugar dissolves. This makes a little under 2 cups of horchata cream. You’ll only need 2 1/2 tablespoons, but you can refrigerate the rest to use in coffee (or you can thin out the cream with a little milk and drink it over ice).
   
2. FOR THE CHOCOLATE SHELLS. In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate, cinnamon, and chili powder. Melt chocolate over medium-low heat, stirring continuously. Working quickly so the chocolate does not cool, pour as much as needed to fill 15 1-inch wells in a candy mold. Tilt and rotate the mold over a sheet of wax paper to catch any drips. Continue to tilt and rotate until the chocolate evenly coats the insides of the wells. Scrape excess chocolate from top of mold with a bench scraper. Rotate and scrape again if needed. Place mold on a baking sheet and freeze until ready to fill.
3. Place the wax paper with the leftover chocolate on a baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator until set. Peel the chocolate off the paper and transfer it back to the chocolate pan (you will reheat this later when it’s time to add the bottom layer to the bonbons).
4. FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE. Add sugar and water to a small saucepan. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Place over medium heat, swirling the pan occasionally (don’t stir). Heat until mixture begins to turn a warm amber color (around 240-260°F on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat and whisk in butter until dissolved. Take care, as the sugar is hot and will foam up considerably when the butter is added. Whisk in the horchata cream. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
5. TO ASSEMBLE. Remove the baking sheet and candy mold from the freezer. Place wax paper under the candy mold. Fill each chocolate shell with approx. 1/2 tsp horchata caramel sauce, depending on the size of the well. You don’t want to fill it to the very top, because you want enough room left for a layer of chocolate on the bottom of the bonbon.
6. Remelt remaining chocolate. Pour over the caramel centers to cover, then scrape off excess with a bench scraper. Remove the wax paper from under the candy mold and set aside (you can chill this leftover chocolate for snacking later). Place the candy mold back on the baking sheet and refrigerate for about 10 minutes until the bottoms are set.
7. Gently remove the bonbons from the molds. Since mine are shaped liked crowns, I decided to brush them with a bit of gold luster dust.
8. Serve to the princess to impress her at the Royal Culinary Exhibition!

A

A

Check out my Jane Eyre bonbon recipe!