Chef-style chocolate, coffee and orange dessert

Method

1. Melt the dark and milk chocolates in separate bowls, either over pans of simmering water (don’t let the water touch the bowls) or in short blasts in the microwave. Line a large tray (that will fit in your fridge) with baking paper, then pour out each chocolate on opposite sides. Use a silicone spatula to spread them out until they’re 1-2mm thin, then sprinkle over a tiny pinch of salt flakes, crushing them between your thumb and finger. The chocolate needs to be very thin, as it’s important that you can easily break it with a spoon onceset. Put the tray in the fridge.
2. To get the ice cream firm enough to balance everything on top of it, scoop out 6 balls, as neat and round as you can manage, using an ice cream scoop (see tips), put them on a small tray or a large plate, then return them to the freezer to firm up again. Put your serving bowls in the freezer too (or the fridge if you don’t have room).
3. To make the lace tuiles, whisk the olive oil, flour, water and a pinch of icing sugar in a bowl. Put a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, then pour in a small amount of the batter and swirl the pan to cover the base (like making a very thin crepe). The oil and water will split from the mixture, creating the lovely lacy pattern, then the water will evaporate, leaving you with a delicate tuile. Carefully tip the oil into a little bowl, then slide the tuile onto a piece of kitchen paper to drain, using an offset or cranked spatula to help. It’s okay if the tuile breaks a little, as you’ll snap it into the right size later in any case. Return the oil to the pan, then repeat the process. The mixture makes more than you need, so you’ll get plenty of practice.
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4. Whip the 1 tsp icing sugar, cream and coffee powder together until stiff – take care not to over-whip – then return to the fridge. I always stop whipping cream just before I think it’s ready, as it continues to thicken as it chills.
5. Segment 2 of the oranges by topping and tailing with a small sharp knife, then put a flat end on a chopping board and carefully carve down in strips to remove the skin all the way around. Use a small knife to carefully cut the segments from their pithy skins (you can usually cut down one side of the segment, then flip it out gently). Put the segments on a tray lined with kitchen paper to soak up the juices – you need 3 per person (18 in total), so you might not need both of the oranges.
6. When you’re ready to serve: start with a ball of chocolate ice cream in the centre of the bowl. Break off a piece of the dark chocolate bark and push it gently on top of the ice cream to flatten it slightly and provide a level base. Top with 3 evenly sized orange segments, trimming if needed so that together they create a flat, even top. Break off a milk chocolate shard to place on top, then dip an ice cream scoop in hot water and use it to scoop a ball of the coffee cream. Finish with a shard of the lace tuile, then grate over some more dark chocolate and a bit of zest from the remaining orange. Serve immediately and tell your guests to eat with a spoon, cracking through all the layers so they try all the tastes and textures in one go.