Smashed Entremet with Smoked Espresso and Salted Caramel Shards

Combine white-sugar with 60ml water in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir only until the sugar dissolves, then stop stirring and let the mixture cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until it reaches a deep amber color at 170°C (hard-crack stage), about 12-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully whisk in butter (the caramel will bubble violently). Add salt and stir until fully incorporated. Pour onto a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking sheet in a thin, uneven layer.

Transfer to the freezer for 25-30 minutes until completely hardened and brittle. Remove and shatter into irregular shards of varying sizes. Store in the freezer until plating.

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Line a 20cm square baking tin with parchment.

Mix almond-flour, cocoa-powder (25g), and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat butter and white-sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg one at a time until smooth.

Fold the almond-cocoa mixture into the butter mixture until a soft dough forms. Press evenly into the prepared tin, about 1cm thick.

Bake 18-20 minutes until set and the surface looks dry. Cool completely in the tin on a wire rack — it must be firm before assembly.

Melt dark-chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water. Stir in cocoa-powder (10g), vanilla-extract, and smoked-paprika. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Separate 4 eggs. Whisk yolks with the remaining white-sugar in a bowl. Heat 80ml of heavy-cream to just below a simmer and pour it in a thin stream over the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over very gentle heat, stirring with a spatula, until it coats the back of a spoon at 82°C (no thermometer? cook until thick enough to leave a trail when you drag a spoon through it). Remove from heat immediately.

Strain the custard through a fine sieve into the melted chocolate. Stir gently until combined. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.

Whip the remaining 320ml heavy-cream to soft peaks. In a clean bowl, whisk the 4 egg-whites with a pinch of salt to firm, glossy peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate custard first, then fold in the meringue in two additions with a large spoon, preserving as much air as possible. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firmly set.

Cut the cooled chocolate almond base into rough rectangles or irregular shards — intentionally imperfect, matching the deconstructed aesthetic.

Spoon or pipe the smoked mousse onto each plate in a dramatic mound. Lean pieces of the chocolate almond base against and around the mousse at sharp angles.

Arrange 3-4 salted caramel shards so they appear to have crashed onto the plate — some upright, some lying flat. Dust cocoa-powder (5g) through a fine sieve over the entire composition for a moody, dark finish. Finish with a few fresh mint leaves tucked at the base of the mousse for a flash of green.