Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (50 page)

Quickly rinse a 5- to 6-cup thin metal mold with ice water, pour out the water but do not dry the mold. Pour the Bavarian into the wet mold—do not fill it all the way to the top or it will be difficult to dip into hot water to unmold. Refrigerate for about 3 hours (a larger mold may take a little longer). When the top is firm, cover it airtight with plastic wrap.

This may be unmolded a few hours before serving. Fill a large bowl or dishpan with hot (not boiling) water. With a small, sharp knife cut about ½ inch deep around the upper edge of the mold to release. Dip the mold for 10 seconds (no longer) into the hot water. Remove it, dry quickly, cover with a chilled dessert platter, and invert. If the Bavarian does not slip out easily, dip it again as necessary but for only a few seconds at a time—a heavy mold will take longer to release than a thin one.

Refrigerate.

This beautiful unmolded dessert does not need any decoration—but it lends itself to whatever you want. Try a border of small whipped cream rosettes, each one topped with a chocolate coffee bean candy. Or surround it with any brandied fruit and serve soft whipped cream on the side.

Cold Chocolate Soufflé

8 P
ORTIONS

This is an incredibly light and airy gelatin dessert made in a soufflé dish and extending generously above the top of the dish. It is especially dramatic in a clear glass dish, but is equally delicious and attractive in a classic white china soufflé dish. It may be made early in the day for that night, or the day before.

⅓ cup cold water

1 tablespoon (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin

I teaspoon dry instant coffee

⅓ cup boiling water

1 cup milk

1 ounce semisweet chocolate

4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate

5 eggs (graded extra-large or Jumbo or 6 eggs graded medium or large), separated

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Generous pinch of salt

Optional: 1 ounce semisweet chocolate (for sprinkling on top)

First, prepare a straight-sided soufflé dish. In order that the soufflé rise 1½ inches over the top, the dish should not have more than a 5-cup capacity. (My glass one measures 6 inches in diameter and 3 inches in depth. The closest white china soufflé dish measures 6½ (across the top) × 3 inches—and it works fine.) Prepare an aluminum foil collar: Tear off a piece of foil large enough to wrap around the dish and overlap a few inches. Fold it in half the long way. With a paper towel, brush tasteless salad oil over half of one of the long sides, brushing it along the half
that has two open sides, not the folded edge. Wrap the foil tightly around the dish, oiled side to the top and inside. Fasten tightly with a string. Set aside.

Place the cold water in a small bowl or a cup with at least 1-cup capacity. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let stand for 5 minutes. Then dissolve the coffee in the boiling water, quickly add it to the gelatin and stir to dissolve. Set aside.

Place the milk and both chocolates in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Stir occasionally with a small wire whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler and set it aside.

In the small bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with ½ cup of the sugar (reserve remaining ½ cup). Beat for a few minutes at high speed until the mixture is creamy and pale-colored. Beat in the vanilla and then, on low speed, gradually add the warm chocolate mixture, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until smooth. Gradually beat in the dissolved gelatin. Transfer to a medium-size mixing bowl (preferably metal) and set aside.

Prepare a large mixing bowl partly filled with ice and cold water and have it ready.

In the large bowl of the electric mixer (with clean beaters) beat the whites and the salt until the mixture increases in volume and starts to thicken. Gradually, while beating on moderate speed, add the reserved ½ cup sugar. Then increase the speed to high and beat only until the mixture holds a soft peak—one that bends over slightly when the mixture is lifted with a rubber spatula. (If the whites are beaten until stiff or dry, it will be impossible to fold the chocolate into them without losing most of the air that has been beaten in.) Remove from the mixer and set aside.

Place the bowl of chocolate mixture in the ice and water and stir frequently until the mixture thickens to the consistency of a medium cream sauce. (This is an important step; if the chocolate mixture is too thin when it is folded into the whites, the chocolate will sink to the bottom—if it is too thick, it will become lumpy and the mixture will not be smooth. So pay close attention to it. Stir constantly after it starts to thicken slightly. It might take about 10 minutes, or a bit more. Actually, the chocolate mixture and the beaten whites should be of the same consistency—or as close as possible—for easy folding.)

Just as soon as the chocolate is ready, remove it from the ice water and fold a few large spoonfuls into the beaten whites. Repeat two or three times, folding in about three-fourths of the chocolate. Then fold the whites into the remaining chocolate. If necessary, pour gently back and forth from one bowl to another to insure thorough blending.

Gently pour the soufflé into the prepared dish and place it in the refrigerator. To keep the air out, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top, letting it rest on the foil collar, not touching the soufflé. Let stand for about 8 to 10 hours or overnight.

OPTIONAL:
Finely grate 1 ounce of semisweet chocolate and sprinkle it over the soufflé before removing the collar.

Do not remove the collar until shortly before serving. Peel it off very gently or, if it sticks, cut between the soufflé and the collar with a small, sharp knife. Wipe the sides of the soufflé dish and place it on a folded napkin on a flat plate.

Serve with a side dish of whipped cream.

WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy cream

⅓ cup strained confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the above ingredients to make soft whipped cream and serve a large spoonful over each portion. (If the cream is whipped ahead of time it may separate slightly; if so, first stir it a bit to blend before serving.)

NOTE:
The effect will not be so dramatic, but this may also be prepared in any serving bowl or in individual-wine glasses or dessert bowls.

Molded Chocolate Mousse

8
TO 10
P
ORTIONS

A gelatin-chocolate mousse made in an 8-cup loaf pan. Make it early in the day for that night, or make it the day before. The recipe may be doubled for a larger loaf pan or for two pans, but if you double it you will need a very large bowl for folding the egg whites and chocolate together.

6 ounces (6 squares) unsweetened chocolate

¼ cup cold water

1 tablespoon (1 envelope) unflavored gelatin

6 eggs (graded large, extra-large, or jumbo), separated

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon dry instant coffee

1 cup boiling water

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 tablespoons light rum (see Note)

Pinch of salt

Prepare an 8-cup (9 × 5 × 3-inch) loaf pan as follows (for miraculously easy unmolding): Tear off two long pieces of wax paper, one to cover the length of the pan and the other the width. Fold each one lengthwise as many times as necessary for it to fit the pan exactly—it works best if there is more than one thickness of paper. Put each strip into place in the pan, allowing them to extend slightly above the rim on all sides.

Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover and let stand only until the chocolate is melted. Then uncover, remove the top of the double boiler and let stand until cool.

Pour the cold water into a mixing bowl with about a 2- to 3-cup capacity. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for about 5 minutes. (It does not hurt if it stands longer.)

Meanwhile, in the small bowl of an electric mixer beat the egg yolks with 1 cup (reserve ½ cup) of the sugar at high speed for 5 minutes until very pale.

On the lowest speed add the cooled melted chocolate, scraping the bowl with a spatula and beating only until smooth. Let stand.

Add the dry instant coffee and the boiling water to the gelatin and stir to dissolve. (Stir with a metal spoon so you can see when the gelatin is dissolved.) You may transfer this to a small pitcher for ease in handling if you wish.

The chocolate mixture will be very stiff; on lowest speed, very gradually (just a few drops at a time at first) add the coffee/gelatin mixture. Scrape the bowl almost constantly with a rubber spatula to keep the mixture smooth—it must be smooth.

Mix in the vanilla and the rum.

Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and place it in a larger bowl of ice and cold water. Stir constantly, scraping the bottom and sides, with a rubber spatula for only 2 or 3 minutes until very cold, but not long enough for it to start to thicken. Remove from the ice water temporarily and set aside.

Add the salt to the egg whites in the large bowl of the electric mixer. With clean beaters, beat until the whites increase in volume and barely hold a soft shape. Reduce the speed to moderate and gradually add the reserved ½ cup of sugar. Then increase the speed to high and beat until the whites thicken to a marshmallow-like consistency, or like soft whipped cream. Not stiff.

Replace the bowl of chocolate mixture in the ice water and stir constantly for 2 or 3 minutes until the chocolate barely starts to thicken. Remove the bowl from the ice water.

Fold about half of the chocolate into the beaten whites and then fold the whites into the remaining chocolate. Do not handle any more than necessary. Pour gently from one bowl to another to insure thorough blending.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan.

Refrigerate for 8 to 10 hours or overnight. (After an hour or so the top may be covered with plastic wrap.) Before the 8 hours are up the texture will be sticky and will cling to the knife when you serve—after 8 hours it changes to a drier, spongier texture that does not cling as much.

To remove the mousse from the pan: Since most loaf pans flare at the top, there will probably be a section, depending on how much the pan flares, where the wax paper does not line the corners. With a small, sharp knife cut the corners to release the mousse. Then invert a flat serving platter over the loaf pan and invert pan and platter. Remove the pan and gently peel away the paper.

WHIPPED CREAM

2 cups heavy cream

⅓ cup strained confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters whip the above ingredients until the cream is thick and sauce-like. (The cream may be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. It will probably separate slightly—it’s O.K. Just before serving whip it a bit with a wire whisk.)

Spoon a generous amount of the cream over each slice of the mousse, (Although the mousse may be decorated with the whipped cream and with chocolate decorations, it is elegant and lovely if the mousse is left plain and the cream served separately. However, if you do want to decorate it, whip the cream a bit longer until it is stiff enough and then pipe it through a pastry bag with a large star-shaped tube. This mousse wants a generous amount of cream with it.)