Ryan Gosling, the candy bar
MAKES ABOUT 14 BARS // PREP TIME 40 MINS // COOK 35 MINS (PLUS COOLING)
“Think of this as an inverted Polly Waffle with the marshmallow
on the outside and the chocolate filling on the inside,” says Wise.
“During Dark Mofo in collaboration with Franca Zingler and Asher
Gilding from Port Cygnet Catering Co and Sabine Spindler, the
question was posed: would Ryan Gosling eat this bar, or refuse
to, like he does cereal. It’s a weird joke, but the name stuck.”
100 ml milk
80 gm softened butter
2 tsp caster sugar
120 gm plain flour
3 eggs
SHORTBREAD SLICE
125 gm caster sugar
100 gm (2⁄3 cup) plain flour,
plus extra for dusting
25 gm (¼ cup) cocoa
100 gm butter, diced, plus
extra for greasing
WHIPPED GANACHE
150 gm dark chocolate
(62%-65% cocoa solids),
chopped
150 ml pouring cream
SWISS MERINGUE
120 gm eggwhite (about 4 eggs)
240 gm caster sugar
1 For shortbread slice, combine
sugar, flour and cocoa in a bowl.
Add butter and rub in with your
fingers to make a smooth paste.
Pat dough into a 1.5cm-thick,
12cm-long slab. Wrap in plastic
wrap and refrigerate until firm,
then slice lengthways into
2mm-thick slices and refrigerate
until required.
2 Preheat oven to 180°C and
grease and lightly flour two oven
trays. To make a choux pastry,
bring milk, butter, sugar, 100ml
water and 1⁄2 tsp salt to the boil
in a saucepan. Add flour and
stir vigorously until the mixture
comes away from the sides.
Transfer to an electric mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment
and beat on low speed until
steam stops rising. Add eggs
one at a time, beating well after
each addition, until glossy.
3 Spoon choux pastry into a
piping bag fitted with a 12mm
plain nozzle and pipe 12cm
lengths on a baking tray. Top
each with a chilled shortbread
slice (you may have some slices
remaining; they can be baked as
biscuits) and bake until crisp and
golden brown (25-30 minutes).
Cool on a wire rack.
4 For whipped ganache, place
chocolate in a heatproof bowl
and bring cream to the boil in a
saucepan. Pour hot cream over
chocolate, stir occasionally to
melt, cool briefly, then transfer
to an electric mixer and beat
until light and fluffy. If it doesn’t
whip, then refrigerate for a few
minutes to cool (do not chill as
it will set) and try whipping again.
Spoon ganache into a piping
bag with a 5mm plain nozzle,
pierce a hole in the base of
each éclair with a paring knife
and fill with ganache.
5 For Swiss meringue, add
eggwhite and sugar to a
heatproof bowl and place over
a saucepan of simmering water.
Warm, stirring occasionally, until
sugar has dissolved and the
mixture is hot to the touch. Pour
into an electric mixer and whisk
at high speed until stiff and
shiny (10-15 minutes). Transfer
to a disposable piping bag and
cut off the tip on an angle
(2cm from the tip on one side,
5cm from the tip on the other).
6 To serve, pipe meringue
from side to side on each éclair
to create a wave shape (the
larger opening of the piping
bag should be facing upwards),
then toast meringue with a
blowtorch (or secure on sticks
and toast over a campfire).➤