A French term that means "paving stone," pavé describes the brick shape of this elegant dessert. Whisky often has notes of vanilla, caramel and chocolate, making it a lovely complement to desserts featuring those same flavours.
- Prep time 20 minutes
- Total time 4 hours & 15 minutes
- Portion size 12 servings
Ingredients
Chocolate Whisky Pavé:
Sponge Toffee:
Method
Chocolate Whisky Pavé: Line 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving 4-inch (10 cm) overhang. Set aside.
In heatproof bowl set over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt butter with chocolate, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in whisky. Let cool for 15 minutes.
Beat cream until stiff peaks form; whisk one-quarter into chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whipped cream. Scrape into prepared pan, smoothing top; fold overhang over top. Refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.) Unwrap and let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes; using hot knife, slice pavé crosswise.
Sponge Toffee: While pavé is chilling, in 6-cup (1.5 L) saucepan, bring sugar, corn syrup and 3 tbsp water to boil over medium heat, stirring just until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring but brushing down side of pan with pastry brush dipped in cold water, until candy thermometer reads 300°F (149°C) or 1 tsp mixture dropped in cold water forms hard brittle threads, about 12 minutes.
Remove from heat; standing back and averting face, pour in vanilla. Add baking soda, whisking just until combined, about 2 or 3 times. (Mixture will bubble, sputter and increase in volume.)
Pour into parchment paper–lined 9- x 5-inch (2 L) loaf pan (do not scrape bottom of saucepan). Let cool in pan, undisturbed, for about 2 hours. Using serrated knife, cut toffee into bite-size pieces. (Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container; store for up to 1 month.) Serve with pavé.
Tip from The Test Kitchen: For puffed, airy sponge toffee, resist the urge to scrape the bottom of the saucepan when pouring the syrup into the loaf pan. Otherwise, the denser syrup that collects at the bottom will deflate the lighter syrup as it settles in the loaf pan.
Nutritional facts per serving: about
- Fibre 4 g
- Sodium 292 mg
- Sugars 42 g
- Protein 4 g
- Calories 584.0
- Total fat 38 g
- Potassium 323 mg
- Cholesterol 62 mg
- Saturated fat 23 g
- Total carbohydrate 56 g
%RDI
- Iron 24.0
- Calcium 5.0
- Vitamin A 18.0
