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In Vietnam’s southern dining capital, Ho Chi Minh City, La Villa is one of the few French restaurants listed in the MICHELIN Guide Vietnam 2024 edition. More to the point, it is a beloved fixture in the city’s dining scene, where classic French cuisine is not just served but revered—including, of course, its French patisserie by Chef Thierry Mounon.
“The chocolate and hazelnut entremets with salted caramel ice cream embodies tradition and innovation, comfort and refinement, blending rich chocolate, nutty hazelnut and deep caramel with a hint of salt – making it an excellent dish to impress your significant other or family,” shares the French chef, who honed his culinary skills extensively at Chef Christian Etienne’s restaurant in Avignon, as well as MICHELIN-recognised establishments in London, across France, and in Bora Bora.
“Chocolate and hazelnut have always been a classic pairing, but at La Villa, we’ve taken it to new heights. A hazelnut dacquoise melts in your mouth, followed by a silky praline mousse and a dark chocolate crémeux for depth. Finished with a quenelle of salted caramel ice cream, its smooth texture and subtle saltiness elevate the whole experience—familiar, yet surprisingly complex. In many ways, this dessert represents the essence of La Villa: precision, patience, and the art of crafting flavours that feel both eternal and ever-new,” he shares, explaining what makes this dish the crème de la crème when it comes to dishes designed to impress.
Chef Mounon is sharing his (not-so) secret recipe for you to master at home.
Hazelnut Chocolate Entremets (1-2 servings)
Ingredients for shortcrust pastry (base):
- 500 grams, flour
- 270 grams, butter
- 190 grams, icing sugar
- 4 eggs
- 70 grams, almond powder
Instructions for shortcrust pastry:
- Mix flour, butter, icing sugar, eggs, and almond powder until the dough forms.
- Chill for 30 minutes, roll out, and cut to size.
- Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 15-20 minutes.
- Cool completely.
Ingredients for salted caramel:
- 300 grams, sugar
- 70 grams, glucose
- 60 grams, water
- 30 grams, butter
- 6 grams, salt
- 300 grams, warm cream
Instructions for salted caramel:
- In a pan, cook sugar, glucose, and water until golden.
- Remove from heat.
- Carefully add butter, salt, and warm cream.
- Cool slightly and keep the mixture pourable.
Ingredients for hazelnut cream:
- 2 gelatin sheets
- 200 grams, cream
- 30 grams, sugar
- 50 grams, hazelnut paste
- 45 grams, white chocolate
Instructions for hazelnut cream:
- Soak gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Heat cream and sugar, then add hazelnut paste and white chocolate.
- Stir in gelatin until dissolved.
- Cool slightly.
Ingredients for milk chocolate glaze:
- 7 gelatin sheets
- 420 grams, sugar
- 290 grams, cream
- 80 grams, water
- 150 grams, milk chocolate
Instructions for milk chocolate glaze:
- Soak gelatin sheets in cold water.
- Heat sugar, cream, and water in a pan.
- Remove from heat.
- Add gelatin, and stir in milk chocolate.
- Cool to 35°C (95°F) before glazing.
Ingredients for hazelnut ice cream:
- 500 milliliters, milk
- 100 grams, sugar
- 150 grams, hazelnut paste
- 5 grams, Stab2000
Instructions for hazelnut ice cream:
- Heat milk and sugar.
- Stir in hazelnut paste and Stab2000.
- Cool, churn in an ice cream machine, and freeze.
Ingredients for hazelnut sponge cake (for decoration):
- 120 grams, egg whites
- 80 grams, sugar
- 80 grams, egg yolks
- 80 grams, hazelnut paste
- 25 grams, flour
Instructions for hazelnut sponge cake:
- Whip egg whites with sugar until soft peaks form.
- Mix yolks and hazelnut paste, then fold into the meringue.
- Sift in flour and gently fold.
- Spread in a tray and bake at 170°C (338°F) for 10-12 minutes.
- Cool, then cut into elegant shapes for decoration.
Ingredients for chocolate tuile (for decoration):
- 5 grams, icing sugar
- 50 grams, flour
- 50 grams, cocoa powder
- 50 grams, egg whites
- 50 grams, melted butter
Instructions for chocolate tuile:
- Mix icing sugar, flour, cocoa powder, egg whites, and melted butter.
- Chill the batter, then spread thinly on a silicone mat.
- Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 8-10 minutes.
- Shape while warm for an artistic effect.
Instructions for hazelnut chocolate entremets:
For assembly:
- Place the shortcrust base at the bottom of the mould.
- Spread a thin layer of salted caramel and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Pour hazelnut cream over the caramel layer and freeze overnight.
For glazing:
- Unmould the frozen entremet.
- Place on a wire rack and pour the milk chocolate glaze at 35°C.
For decorating:
- Place a rectangle of hazelnut sponge cake on top.
- Add toasted hazelnuts, almond flakes, and chocolate tuile.
- Sprinkle crumbles for extra texture.
For the final touch:
- Place a quenelle of hazelnut ice cream on a small bed of crumble.
Chef Mounon’s secrets:
- “One of the key elements that make this dessert exceptional is our aged hazelnut praline paste. Unlike most pralines, which are used immediately, ours is left to mature for two weeks, allowing the natural oils to develop and intensify their nutty depth.”
- “Then, there is the salted caramel ice cream that we make in-house, with a touch of fleur de sel to bring out the best in the chocolate and hazelnut while preventing any single element from overwhelming the palate.”
