Everybody is talking about “Dubai Chocolate”. So do I…

When my social media and web browser algorithm found out that I was searching for pistachio cream recipes, it thought I might be interested in this new trend and suggested it to me everywhere.

I found the idea interesting as sweets with Kataifi pastry are one of the most popular in Greece – and my favorites. After my first success in making pistachio cream I wanted to try out this new type of chocolate.

Only I had one problem: I did not like the looks of this huge and thick chocolate bar everybody was making. For my personal taste I did not find it very nice looking and it was missing the “finesse” as the French would call it. So I’ve been searching for days all kinds of recipes and videos until I developed my own interpretation of this trendy chocolate.

I never in my life made chocolate before so I started with the ultimate discipline in chocolatier art. It might have been a crazy idea, but I love challenges, so that I also had to search for tips and tricks to this theme.

As mold I used two silicone forms of 15x20cm with a height of appr. 1,5 cm as you can see in the picture. But I believe that two regular molds will be good for the recipe.

In a video I saw someone making Dubai chocolate with two colors of chocolate. So I wanted to make it with three colors: white, milk (35% of cocoa) and dark chocolate (57% of cocoa). If you want it to make it more simple just use the kind of chocolate of your preference. As chocolate I used coating chocolate. To the white chocolate I added some drops of green food color. You can leave it if you like to make it simple.

In this recipe I used my homemade pistachio cream. I recommend to warm it up a bit to be a bit more liquid. I also added some Tahini (traditional Greek sesame paste). This will give your chocolate a more nutty taste.

Before adding the stuffing to the molds let cool when mixed with the Kataifi pastry. Otherwise the chocolate will melt right away.

What you need:
200 gr dark coating chocolate
100 gr coating milk chocolate
100 gr white coating chocolate
1-2 drops of green food color (optional)
250 gr homemade pistachio cream
1 Tbsp Tahini
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
120 gr Kataifi pastry
20 gr butter

How to prepare:
Cut the dark coating chocolate in small pieces and melt ¾ of it in a bowl over a pot filled with a bit of hot water. Use a thermometer to not “burn” the chocolate. As soon as the chocolate reaches a temperature of 45-50°C remove the bowl and add the remaining pieces to bring the melted chocolate to “temperature”. With this method your final chocolate will have a nice texture.

Sprinkle some of the chocolate over the molds and place them for at least 3 minutes in the deep-freezer (use a cutting board for easier moving the molds).

In a second bowl melt ¾ of the chopped white coating chocolate and add 1-2 drops of green food color (or more if you want the color more intense). As soon as the chocolate reached the temperature mentioned above, add the remaining white chocolate.

Repeat with the coating milk chocolate as above.

Remove the molds from the deep-freezer. Cover the molds with the help of a silicone baking brush thinly, one half with the “green” chocolate the other with the coating milk chocolate.

Chill in the deep-freezer for minimum 5-10 minutes.

Chop the Kataifi pastry into small pieces. In a pan heat the butter and fry the Kataifi until golden brown.

In a bowl mix the homemade pistachio cream with the Tahini and the coconut oil. Add the Kataifi pastry and mix well.

Remove the molds from the deep-freezer. Add in each form some of the Kataifi filling until the edge of the forms and smooth out carefully. Cover the top with the melted dark coating chocolate and smooth out with a spatula.

Chill in the deep-freezer for at least 2-3 hours.

Remove the chocolates from the molds carefully. Keep chilled in the fridge.