Chocolate Crémeux, miso caramel, hazelnuts, cocoa nibs crisps

Thomas Lemercier

Thomas Lemercier

6th October 2026
Thomas Lemercier

Chocolate Crémeux, miso caramel, hazelnuts, cocoa nibs crisps

360 min

Sweet course based on a sweet & savoury balance, with miso caramel as a seasoning. The textures come from the hazelnut crumb and the compressed pears

Ingredients

Chocolate Crémeux

  • 500g whole milk
  • 500g double cream
  • 120g sugar
  • 500g 70% dark chocolate

Miso Caramel

  • 300g double cream
  • 90g butter
  • 100g dark brown sugar
  • 100g white miso
  • Sea salt (to taste)

Hazelnut Crumb

  • 190g ground hazelnuts
  • 200g plain flour
  • 250g butter
  • 250g sugar
  • 10g salt

Cocoa Nibs Crisps

  • 500g butter
  • 600g sugar
  • 12g pectin NH
  • 200g double cream
  • 100g glucose
  • 500g cocoa nibs

Compressed Pears

  • 1kg conference pears
  • 100g sugar
  • 500g water

Method

Chocolate Crémeux

Whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar, until the sugar dissolves.
Boil the double cream and milk together, then add it on the egg mix, and cook it on medium low heat. Keep stirring until you reach 82 degrees, then pour the custard over the chocolate
Emulsify the mix with a hand blender. Place it in a container, with cling film on top in contact, then leave it to set in the fridge

Miso caramel

Boil the cream, butter and dark brown sugar together for a minute. Then add the miso, and blend it. season with salt if needed, then leave to set in the fridge

Hazelnut Crumb

Combine all the elements together (room temperature butter). Mix it all with your fingers or a robot coupe, until you have a sandy texture.
Cook it on a silpat in the oven , at 160 degrees, for 20 minutes, until golden brown

Cocoa Nibs Crisps

Boil the cream, butter, glucose, and 550g of sugar together. Then mix the pectin and 50g of sugar together, and add to the first mix.
Boil it all for a minute.
Once boiled, leave it to chill for 15 minutes at room temperature, whisking frequently.
Then add the cocoa nibs and mix it with a spatula.
Once it is done, flatten the mix between 2 baking parchment sheets, and leave it in the freezer
Remove the top layer of baking parchment and cook it directly out of the freezer, for 12 minutes at 175 degrees. then leave it to set at room temperature

Compressed Pears

Boil the water and sugar, leave it to cool in the fridge.
Peel and cut the pears in chunky pieces, around 1cm squares.
Once the syrup is cold, place the pears in a vacuum bag with the syrup, and compress it. Or you can also place the pears in a container with the syrup to cover it, and vacuum the container

Built by Chefs. Powered by You.

For 18 years, The Staff Canteen has been the meeting place for chefs and hospitality professionals—your stories, your skills, your space.

Every recipe, every video, every news update exists because this community makes it possible.

We’ll never hide content behind a paywall, but we need your help to keep it free.

If The Staff Canteen has inspired you, informed you, or simply made you smile, chip in £3—less than a coffee—to keep this space thriving.

Together, we keep the industry connected. Together, we move forward.