Brownie and orange crème brûlée checkerboard recipe

Prepare the brownie (the day before): Line the baking tray with parchment paper, place your baking rectangle inside, securing it to the specified dimensions (25 x 18 cm), and cut a strip of parchment paper to line the inside edges to facilitate future removal. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Weigh all the ingredients and set aside. Melt the butter over low heat in a saucepan and stop cooking when it stops foaming and takes on a nutty color, then pour it into a mixing bowl. Add and mix thoroughly with a whisk after each addition: sugar + cocoa powder, salt, water. Then add the eggs one at a time; the mixture may be a bit grainy but will become smooth a few seconds later after adding the last egg by continuing to whisk vigorously. Add the flour and whisk one last time. Pour in the pecans and diced candied orange, then mix well with a spatula. Pour the obtained mixture into your baking ring, ensuring to fill it evenly, especially in the corners, and smooth the top with the spatula. Bake for 25 minutes at 170°C and let cool.

Prepare the orange crème brûlée (the day before): Unmold the brownie and remove the parchment paper from underneath. Place the brownie on a new piece of parchment paper and wrap it with a new strip of parchment paper before putting the baking rectangle around it, tightening it as much as possible (I even secure everything with pieces of tape to ensure it is airtight so that the cream we will pour later cannot leak between the brownie and the rectangle). Grate the zest of an untreated orange. In a bowl, mix the sugar and egg yolks and whisk well. In a saucepan, combine the milk, cream, agar-agar, and orange zest. When the mixture reaches 70°C, pour it into the bowl and whisk everything together before pouring it back into the saucepan to heat it to 84°C this time. The mixture will have thickened; continue whisking off the heat to cool it down a bit before pouring this cream over the brownie. Let it cool and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare the vanilla whipped cream (the day before): In a mixing bowl, chop the white chocolate. In a saucepan, pour in the milk, cream, and the seeds from the vanilla pod, and bring to a boil before pouring over the white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted and blend with an immersion blender. Let cool, then cover directly with plastic wrap (the wrap should be in contact with the mixture) before refrigerating everything overnight.

Prepare the creamy chocolate mixture (the day before): In a deep dish filled with cold water, let the gelatin soak. In a first bowl, chop the dark chocolate. In a second bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture lightens in color. In a saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a boil, then pour it over the egg yolk-sugar mixture. Whisk everything together and return it to the saucepan to heat to 85°C, continuing to whisk. Once the temperature reaches 85°C, turn off the heat, add the squeezed gelatin, and whisk to combine well. Pour the resulting cream over the chopped chocolate and mix until completely melted. Use an immersion blender to blend the mixture, pour it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface, and let it rest overnight in the fridge.

Plating: Remove the cake from the refrigerator. Take off the pastry frame and then the parchment paper, and place the cake on the serving platter.

To finish, using a mixer, whip the vanilla-white chocolate cream and add the stabilizer as soon as it begins to thicken. Pour the firm whipped cream into a piping bag (fitted with a plain or star tip) and decorate the top of the cake according to your inspiration. Wash and thoroughly dry the piping bag and tip, then fill it with the smooth chocolate cream and finish decorating. Finally, sprinkle with some diced candied oranges and chocolate shavings. {Tip: Store this cake in the refrigerator, remembering to take it out 15 minutes before serving so that the brownie has time to reach room temperature and become more melty.}