Chocolate!

The world's most delectable substance...better than all the known delicacies of the world, better than sex. As confirmed, bona fide, genuine chocoholics, we have been collecting suggestions for savory, sinful substances for most of our lives. But we're so generous that we'll share some with you, our 20 million closest friends.


Chocolate Mousse (the World’s Best!)

Ingredients:
  • 3 eggs, 2 separated and 1 whole
  • 1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
  • 1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Procedure:
Melt chocolate in the top of a double boiler, cool slightly, and mix with 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg, which have been previously beaten. (If chocolate is too hot, the eggs will cook, and the whole thing will become hideous.) Fold into whipped cream and fold this mixture into beaten egg whites. Chill. (Try not to get into an extended phone conversation while this is going on.)

Note: It isn't cheating to cool the chocolate down with a bit of the unwhipped cream or with 1 to 2 tbs. dark rum. We recommend the latter course.

Note #2: This recipe doubles beautifully, and there isn't much point in making a single batch.

Chocolate Mont Blanc

Ingredients:
  • 1 can (1 lb.) chestnut puree or chestnut spread
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbs. sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 square semi-sweet chocolate
Procedure:
Force chestnut puree through a ricer or vegetable mill so it falls loosely in spaghetti-like strings in a mound on a dessert platter. Make a slight well in the center; chill.

Whip cream with sugar and vanilla; pile in the center of the puree, forming it into a pyramid to resemble a snow-capped mountain. Sprinkle with the chocolate, which has been grated or shaved with a vegetable parer.

Yield: 6 servings.

Chocolate Cream Truffle Cake

Ingredients:
  • 8 oz. bitter chocolate
  • 8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 lb. sweet butter, softened with 2 cups heavy cream, softly whipped
  • 1 tbs. vanilla extract
Procedure:
Heat the chocolate in a heavy-bottomed pan over very low heat until melted, stirring often and being careful not to burn it. Pour it into a mixing bowl and add sugar and butter. Beat until very light and creamy. Reserve 3/4 cup of the whipped cream; fold the remaining whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Stir in vanilla.

Spoon into a nine-inch springform pan, cover snugly with foil, and chill in the refrigerator or freezer until set. Spread the remaining whipped cream thinly over the top. Unmold and slice into very small wedges, dipping the knife into warm water from time to time for clean slicing.

Serves 20.

Chocolate Cream Pound Cake

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
Procedure:
In a mixing bowl, beat cream until stiff; beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift remaining ingredients together into cream mixture; stir to blend thoroughly.

Pour batter into a buttered and sugared 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) for 55 minutes, or until cake just begins to pull away from the edge of the pan. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then turn out on rack to cool. Or slice and serve warm.

Note: To keep cake fresh and moist for as long as a week, cool thoroughly, then wrap air-tight

Bea Calo’s Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 tbs. sugar
  • 1 tsp. cocoa
  • 5 tbs. butter
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
  • 1/2 cup strong coffee
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese
Procedure:
Mix first four ingredients and press into 10-1/2 inch buttered springform pan.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate with the coffee and vanilla. Whip egg whites with 1/2 cup sugar until stiff. Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth and lemon colored. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in egg yolk mixture and beat. Add cooled chocolate mixture. Fold in egg whites. Spoon into pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cool one hour with oven door open. Chill at least one hour before serving.



A rose....

Lucienne Sanchez-Resnik’s La Maxine

Ingredients:
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1-1/2 tsp. instant espresso coffee powder
  • 1-1/2 cups (9 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
  • 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 9 tbs. softened sweet butter (1 cube plus 1 tbs.)
  • 12 egg yolks (from large eggs)
  • 1-1/2 cups finely-ground walnuts
  • 3 tbs. fine dry bread crumbs or matzo crumbs
  • 12 egg whites (from large eggs)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • Coffee-chocolate icing (recipe follows)
  • Chocolate triangles (recipe follows)
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
Procedure:
Butter bottoms and sides of two nine-inch cake pans; line bottoms with waxed paper; butter paper. Dust lightly with flour. Heat sugar, water, and coffee powder in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until warm—about five minutes. Stir in chocolate and vanilla; heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts. Cool five minutes.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, heating well after each addition. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture, 1-1/2 cups ground nuts, and the bread crumbs. Beat three minutes. Beat egg whites and salt in large mixing bowl until stiff, but not dry. Fold 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remaining egg white mixture.

Pour batter into prepared pans (no more than 3/4 full!), place on rack in the middle of a 350-degree oven. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry—50 to 60 minutes. Cool in pans on wire rack for 15 minutes; remove from pans; carefully remove waxed paper. Cool completely, about two hours. The cake will settle as it cools.

Make coffee-chocolate icing and chocolate triangles (recipes below). Place one cake layer on serving platter. Note: Cake is very moist and delicate; handle gently while assembling. Spread 1/2 cup of the icing over the cake layer. Top with remaining layer. Spread top and side of cake with 1-1/2 cups of the icing. Press 1-1/2 cups chopped nuts onto side of cake. Fit pastry bag with star tip. Spoon remaining icing into pastry bag; pipe in ring on top of cake. Place chocolate triangles, alternating between light and dark, in a circle on top of cake. Press remaining triangles, alternating between light and dark, into side of cake.

La Maxine Coffee-Chocolate Icing

Ingredients:
  • 1-1/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 4 tsp. instant espresso coffee powder
  • 1 cup + 2 tbs. softened sweet butter
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
Procedure:
Heat chocolate, water, and coffee powder in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate melts, about five minutes. Refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes. Cream butter in large mixing bowl; beat in egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in chocolate mixture.

Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

Chocolate Triangles

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels
  • 2 tsp. vegetable shortening
  • 2 tsp. instant espresso coffee powder
  • 1 cup milk chocolate morsels
Procedure:
Melt semi-sweet chocolate, 1 tsp. shortening, and 1 tsp. coffee powder in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir until smooth. Pour onto baking sheet lined with foil. Spread smooth with metal spatula to make a 6x5x1/8-inch rectangle. Refrigerate until firm. Repeat with milk chocolate, remaining shortening, and remaining coffee powder. Remove chocolate from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature about two minutes. With a sharp, thin-bladed knife, cut chocolate in half crosswise, then lengthwise in quarters to make eight rectangles. Cut each in half diagonally to make triangles. Refrigerate if needed to re-firm.

Yield: 32 triangles.

Celebration Chocolate Chip Pie

(improved)

Ingredients:
  • 1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 3 to 4 tbs. bourbon or dark rum or 1 tsp. vanilla (bourbon is best)
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 cup (6-oz. pkg.) chocolate mini-chips
  • grated rind of one orange (optional, but highly recommended)
Procedure:
Prepare pastry shell; set aside. Beat eggs slightly in small mixer bowl; gradually add sugar. Add melted butter and bourbon, rum, or vanilla; mix well. Blend in cornstarch. Stir in pecans, chocolate chips, and orange rind. Pour into unbaked pastry shell.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool one hour and serve warm with a generous dollop of whipped cream.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Note: This pie freezes well. To serve, remove from freezer and warm at 300 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.


Revised January 18, 2004.


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