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Coussin de Lyon (green almond-paste cushions with chocolate ganache)
Pale green almond paste wrapped around an orange-scented chocolate ganache
Lyon's sweet emblem recalls the city's plague vow of 1643, when the aldermen carried a candle and gold coins on a silk cushion to the chapel of Fourvière. Chocolatiers turned that cushion into a confection in the 1960s and it is now the gift Lyonnais bring at Christmas and New Year, or for a host on a Sunday visit. A soft, almond-sweet shell of pale green paste, marked with a darker green stripe, hides a melting dark chocolate ganache scented with orange. Serve two or three with coffee after dinner. The classic ganache is laced with orange liqueur; here fresh orange juice and zest give the flavour without alcohol. Shop marzipan is not always egg-free, so this almond paste is bound with sugar syrup cooked to the soft-ball stage, which coats the ground almonds and sets them firm as it cools. Chef's tip: chill the ganache until it holds a line before shaping; the common mistake is using it soft, so it squeezes out of the seams.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the ganache
- 4 oz dark chocolate60-70% cocoa, finely chopped
- ¼ cup double cream
- 2 tbsp orange juicefreshly squeezed
- 1 tsp orange zestfinely grated
For the egg-free almond paste
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 ⅛ oz icing sugarplus extra for dusting
- natural green food colouringa few drops
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: Heat ¼ cup double cream until steaming, pour it over 4 oz dark chocolate and leave for 1 minute. Stir from the centre until smooth and glossy, then stir in 2 tbsp orange juice and 1 tsp orange zest.
3 minStep 2: Chill the ganache for 30-40 minutes, stirring once, until thick enough to pipe and hold a line.
35 minStep 3: For the paste, boil 5 ½ oz caster sugar and ¼ cup water in a small pan over a medium heat, without stirring, until it reaches 116-250°F (soft-ball stage).
6 minStep 4: Take off the heat and stir in 7 oz ground blanched almonds with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture turns sandy and then clumps together.
3 minStep 5: Turn the paste onto a surface dusted with 1 oz icing sugar. When it is cool enough to handle, knead in the rest of 1 oz icing sugar until smooth and pliable.
Step 6: Cut off an eighth of the paste. Knead 2-3 drops of natural green food colouring into the large piece for pale green, and a little more into the small piece for a darker green.
Step 7: Roll the pale paste between sheets of baking paper to a 10 x 30 cm strip, 4 mm thick. Roll the dark piece into a thin rope 30 cm long.
Step 8: Spoon the ganache into a piping bag and pipe a 1.5 cm line down the length of the strip, just off centre.
Step 9: Fold the paste over the ganache, press the edges together and roll it so the seam sits underneath. Press the dark green rope along the top.
Step 10: Cut the log on the diagonal into 3 cm lozenges with a sharp knife, pressing the ends gently so each one looks like a little plump cushion.
Step 11: Leave on a rack in a cool room for 30 minutes to firm. Keep in an airtight box in a cool place for up to 1 week.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 245 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does coussin de Lyon (green almond-paste cushions with chocolate ganache) take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 70 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of double cream?
- Whipping cream, same amount (less rich; whips softer).
- What can I use instead of orange juice?
- Mandarin or pineapple juice, same amount.
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