BEST CONFECTION
Scotch Bonnet Caramel and Apple Ganache Bonbons

Peter Baldino III, Sous Chef
Bolo Restaurant
23 East 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
(212) 228-2200
www.bolorestaurant.com

About Peter Baldino
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Peter Baldino received a BFA in sculpture from The Pratt Institute. After deciding to take his art background into the culinary world, Peter enrolled in The French Culinary Institute's pastry program. Upon graduating, he worked at both Mesa Grill and Bolo Restaurant and, within a year, was promoted to pastry sous chef at Bolo. In his spare time, Peter continues to sculpt and develops confection recipes. He hopes to one day combine all of his talents when he opens his own shop.

RECIPE
Scotch Bonnet Caramel

500 grams of sugar
200 grams of dark brown molasses sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
2 Scotch bonnet peppers, cored, seeded and chopped
3 cups of heavy cream
2 pinches of salt

• Make a dry caramel with the white sugar. Add the dark brown sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Add vanilla bean and peppers and return to a boil.
   
• Whisk in cream and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 5 minutes. Strain and cool.
   

Ganache

6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored
¼ cup of sugar
2 pinches of salt
1 tablespoon of simple syrup
400 grams of milk chocolate
140 grams of bittersweet chocolate, 60%
2½ cups of heavy cream

• Shred the apples and sauté them with the sugar and salt until their juices are released and they begin to break down. Puree and add the simple syrup. Strain through a china cap. This should yield approximately 275 grams of puree.
   
• Boil the heavy cream. Pour over chopped chocolates. Whisk to emulsify and add 275 grams of puree.

Assembly
Use tempered dark chocolate to make shells in a chocolate mold. Fill the shells a third of the way with the caramel and the rest of the way with the ganache. Top off the chocolates and unmold.