VALENTINE’S DAY: THE FINALE

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Three days, three posts! In my series of collaborative articles with Jamie, from Cooking in Red Socks, it is now time to share the dessert course of our romantic meal for two. But, before I do that, let me urge you to visit her site and check out her choice for the last course of her V-day extravaganza! She pulled all the stops and made some seriously gorgeous Strawberry Napoleons, heart shaped and all. I am in complete awe! Wish I was one of the guests in her party… 😉

Now, to the finale of my dinner for two. It was hard for me not to think about chocolate when choosing a dessert for Valentine’s Day. Having settled on that, I needed something red and sexy to pair it with. Red and sexy like raspberries. All lightly dusted with a very light sprinkle of powdered sugar. For good measure.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH RASPBERRIES
(from Good Food Magazine, May 2010)

85g dark chocolate, 70% (I used Trader Joe’s)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp espresso powder (I used Spice House)
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 egg whites
boiling water (enough to use 2 tablespoons)
1 tbsp sugar
50g full-fat Greek yogurt
raspberries, to decorate
powdered sugar

Chop the chocolate very finely and put it into a large bowl that will fit over a pan of simmering water. Mix the cocoa, coffee and vanilla with 2 tbsp cold water, and pour over the chocolate. Place the bowl over simmering water, give it all a stir, then remove from the heat. Leave the bowl still over the hot water, stirring occasionally until fully melted. If necessary, place the water back on the stove for a minute or so.

Stir the melted chocolate, it will be quite thick. Stir in 2 tbsp boiling water and the chocolate will immediately thin down and become silky smooth. Leave to cool slightly.

Beat the egg whites to fairly soft peaks, then whisk in the sugar until thick and glossy. Beat the yogurt into the cooled chocolate. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the chocolate mix using a large metal spoon, then very gently fold in the rest of the whites until they are evenly mixed in.

Spoon into 4 small cups or ramekins and chill for a couple of hours, or overnight. Top with a few raspberries, then dust with a little powdered sugar.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Comments: As far as chocolate mousse goes, this is one of the lightest options you will find. Because our cups were a bit large, the recipe made only two portions, each one perfect to be shared. As a result, we enjoyed this dessert two days in a row. Naughty naughty naughty…

The yogurt gives the mousse a little bit of a tang, cutting the richness of the chocolate. If you are fond of that super rich feeling of a regular mousse, this could be too light for you. But, if you rather play conservative with your sweets, this is a perfect way to end a romantic dinner.

Make sure to stop by Jamie’s site to see what she is sharing with her friends.

Jamie, it was great to collaborate with you on this joint virtual project!
Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day celebration!

ONE YEAR AGO: Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

TWO YEARS AGO: Dan Dan Noodles

THREE YEARS AGO: Sophie Grigson’s Parmesan Cake

FOUR YEARS AGO: Antibiotics and Food

23May2013

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE “LEGERE COMME UNE PLUMME”

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Paris will always be a home away from home for Phil and I. If we could, we’d fly back there more often, but unfortunately we go through several years of (switching briefly to Portuguese) “saudades de Paris”. Saudade is a word from my native language that has no exact match is English. From Wikipedia: “Saudade describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic or deeply melancholic longing for an absent something or someone who one loves”. The word originated in Portugal to describe the feelings of family members of sailors who would see them leave shore on the glorious days of Portuguese expeditions, uncertain of their return. And the exact same feeling hit the sailors themselves, as the distance between them and their beloved country would get bigger and bigger. It’s been 3 years since we’ve last been to Paris, so the “saudade” is intensifying quite a bit. How do I deal with it? I indulge in reading some wonderful French food blogs, like Du Miel et Du Sel, where I found this post about a chocolate mousse. It was described as “légère comme une plumme“, or “light as a feather”. It delivered exactly what it promised, a mousse without the cloying nature that often sends it over the top for my taste. The secret? No egg yolks and no butter! Just pure chocolate deliciousness

MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT
(from Marie Claire, Du Miel et du Sel)

* 8 servings*

200 g dark chocolate (I used 72% cocoa)
200 g heavy cream
200 g egg whites (6 egg whites)
pinch of salt
60 g sugar

Cut the chocolate in small pieces and place inside a large bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a gentle boil, then pour it over the chocolate, one-third of the volume at a time, mixing well after each addition. After all the cream is added, the chocolate emulsion should be very smooth, without any lumps.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt for a few minutes until they start to get some body. At this point, add the sugar slowly, a little at a time, always whipping the eggs. Beat until they form firm peaks.

Mix 1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the chocolate, no need to be gentle at this point, just mix it all well to lighten up the chocolate mixture. Add the rest of the egg whites very gently, folding with a spatula, making sure not to deflate the egg whites too much. Divide the mousse into 8 serving cups, refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

We make desserts exclusively when we have guests over for dinner. For this particular occasion, we had three very special guests at home, a Brazilian scientists who came over to give a talk, and two friends from KSU. Our Brazilian guest not only is a great scientist and a dear friend, but once suffered through a tricky situation in our home in Oklahoma. He came to give a talk in our former department (just like he did now at KSU), and on that evening we hosted a lab party that ended with a strawberry genoise cake. By far the worst concoction I’ve ever made, one that my guests ate in silence, but not the “good” type of silence. The bottom layer of my “masterpiece” had somehow turned into a solid rock, hard to cut even with a serrated knife! I know, I know, how could anyone achieve that? It was very embarrassing. I wanted to disappear from the face of the planet. Of course, once the initial shock was over, we laughed about it, and everyone salvaged the top layer of the cake and left the concrete part untouched. I’ve never attempted a genoise again, although my friend Gary, patissier extraordinaire, keeps telling me to go for it. I will, once I get over that trauma (sigh). Anyway, I wanted to exorcise the demons of my past, and make a dessert that our guests would enjoy. A chocolate mousse light as a feather could not possibly turn into a rock, right? Right. This was the happy ending I was hoping for our pizza party. You can make them big, you can make them small, you can top with strawberries, you can add shaved chocolate, or go for the kill and top with some whipped cream. Whatever route you choose, Marie Claire said it all in her post:

Vous allez vous lécher les doigts. (It’s finger-licking good!)

ONE YEAR AGO: Black Olive Sourdough Bread

TWO YEARS AGO: Buttermilk Cluster

THREE YEARS AGO: Farfalle, Farfalle

26Nov2012

THE SECRET RECIPE CLUB: CHOCOLATE ORANGE DRIZZLE CAKE

Posted in Desserts, Sweets, Secret Recipe Club by sallybr

Last Monday of the month, and it’s Secret Recipe Reveal Day for my group. For those not familiar with it, the SRC is a monthly event in which food bloggers are paired in secret, and after stalking the assigned blog for a couple of weeks, they cook and blog on a chosen recipe. I was paired with royalty this month: Lavender and Lovage is a great food blog that I’ve known long before I joined the group. Karen, the host, has lived in many different places, teaches cooking classes in the Southwest of France, and does a lot of research on British cooking. In fact, she is writing a cookbook about it! Her About Me page is a must read. I had four recipes high on my list of possible choices, but finally decided to bake a cake. And one that takes creaming the butter with sugar, which proves I am a very daring person. 😉

CHOCOLATE ORANGE DRIZZLE CAKE
(from Lavender and Lovage)

for the cake:
6 oz (150 g) softened butter
6 oz (150 g) superfine sugar
6 oz (150 g) self-raising flour
3 large eggs, beaten
grated rind from 2 oranges
2 tablespoons milk
(7″ to 8″ round cake pan ~ greased and lined)

for the drizzle:
Juice from 2 oranges
2 oz (50 g) sugar
2 oz (50 g) 85% chocolate

Heat oven to 170C/350F. Beat the butter and sugar together until
light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs and flour,
alternately, mixing well in between. Add the grated orange rind and
mix well before adding the milk to make a soft dropping consistency.

Pour the cake mixture into a greased and lined pan and bake for 35 to
40 minutes, until risen and light golden brown; test the center of the
cake with a skewer, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready. Cool in the pan.

Make the orange drizzle by gently heating the orange juice and sugar
together in a pan until the sugar has dissolved. When the cake has
cooled, pour the orange drizzle over the cake in the tin. When the
cake is completely cold, take it out of the tin and place it on a
serving plate.

Heat the chocolate in a saucepan over a low heat, do not allow to
boil, and as soon as it has melted, drizzle the chocolate over the
cake, using a fork to make patterns.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This cake was delicious, and Karen’s description of it was spot on: some cakes that are drizzled with syrup after baking will end up soggy and overly sweet. Not this one. She coated it with a full layer of chocolate and decorated it with chocolate swirls, I stayed with a humble drizzle, as my chocolate reserves in the pantry were unexpectedly low. One wonders why. 😉

To see what my fellow bloggers from group D cooked up this month, click on the smily frog below. To see who got my blog and the recipe chosen (it’s delicious!) click here for Avril’s site. The Secret Recipe Club will take a break in the month of December, but we’ll be back in full swing next year!

Karen, it was great to spend time stalking your blog!
I hope you are having fun on your Reveal Day…

ONE YEAR AGO: Turkey Day, Tryptophan, and Fluorescence

TWO YEARS AGO: The Ultimate Apple Cake

THREE YEARS AGO: Trouble-Free Pizza Dough

7Jul2012

JACQUES TORRES CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

Disclaimer: I am not a food snob. A person who is not ashamed of confessing her love for Velveeta, and a weakness for R amen instant noodles, cannot possibly qualify as a food snob. However, I must say that unless you get a bag of Jacques’ chocolate disks (or, for added charm call them “fèves” like the French do), don’t bother making these cookies. Regular chocolate chips, or even the best possible quality chocolate cut in pieces simply won’t do the job. Food snob? Who, moi? 😉

JACQUES TORRES CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(by Jacques Torres, published at The New York Times)

Heads up:
Dough must be prepared 24 to 72 hours before baking the cookies!

1 + 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 + 1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 + 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 + 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 + 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups (minus 2 Tablespoons) cake flour
1 + 2/3 cup bread flour
1 pound bittersweet chocolate discs ( fèves)

Cream the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer until they are light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Add the vanilla and mix well.

Sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, and salt across the mixture, distributing them as evenly as possible, and them into the dough. Add the flours and mix gently until just combined. Carefully stir in the chocolate disks, avoid breaking them into pieces, they must stay as intact as possible. Scrape down the dough neatly down into the mixing bowl and press a plastic wrap directly onto it. Refrigerate the dough for 24 to 72 hours.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scoop the dough into balls just between the size of golf and tennis balls, adjusting any protruding chocolate discs so that they are horizontal in orientation. Bake them until they are pale golden brown, about 20 minutes. You can also make smaller balls of dough and bake them for a shorter time.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I had so much fun making these cookies! First, they gave me the perfect opportunity to put to use a special gift from one of our graduate students (as I mentioned here). Second, the fact that the dough must be prepared in advance makes it a lot easier to bake them and bring them still warm to the lab, which was my main intention. I made them smaller than the recipe calls for, so they baked a little faster.
I also saved two cookie balls in the freezer, and surprised Phil on a Sunday morning with freshly baked cookies to go along with his cappuccino. I got some brownie points that weekend. Or, maybe they were cookie points? 😉
These are now my favorite choc chip cookies! They are deliciously messy to eat, as each disk melts in your mouth, giving off an intense chocolate flavor, absolutely decadent! I would not add nuts to these cookies, by the way. No distractions from the path to bliss. Only chocolate.

If you are in New York, visit Jacques Torres store and grab a bag or two of these disks. If you are not in the Big Apple, order them online by clicking here. They are perfect for baking, but also great for that late night chocolate craving. A couple of “feves”, and you are all set!

ONE YEAR AGO: Ina Garten’s Banana Bran Muffins

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16Feb2012

CARAMELIZED BANANAS

Posted in Desserts, Sweets by sallybr

First, let me to introduce the world’s expert on caramelized bananas, my Mom!
If I had to select one recipe to always associate with her, I’d pick caramelized bananas. When I was a child she’d make a batch almost every week, using different types of bananas from the street markets of Sao Paulo. Sometimes, depending on the variety she found at the market, the “doce de banana” turned almost purple when she cooked it, which was quite interesting. For my Brazilian readers, “banana prata” was the one that acquired the reddish-purple color. But, the regular Brazilian banana, which is the one on the shelves here in the US, was her top choice, because both me and my Dad loved it the most. It gets dark brown, with an intense, sweet flavor and a splash of freshness from the lemon juice squeezed at the end. So, when I saw this recipe in the February issue of Food and Wine I immediately went to work, making a batch of caramelized bananas, and using some for this delicious frozen yogurt treat.

CHOCOLATE FROZEN YOGURT WITH CARAMELIZED BANANAS
(adapted from Food and Wine magazine)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large ripe bananas, cut into 1-inch rounds
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
squeeze of lemon juice
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons 2 percent milk (divided)
2 + 1/2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 + 1/3 cups nonfat Greek yogurt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter. Add the bananas in a single layer and sprinkle with the brown sugar. Cook over moderate heat, turning once, until caramelized, about 8 minutes. Squeeze a little lemon juice all over. Remove the pan from the heat, add the rum and swirl the pan to completely dissolve the sugar. Scrape three-quarters of the bananas into a food processor and add 3 tablespoons of the milk. Puree until smooth. Transfer the puree to a small bowl and freeze until chilled, 15 minutes. Chop the remaining bananas and freeze until chilled.

In another bowl, whisk the cocoa with the granulated sugar, salt, vanilla and the remaining 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk in the yogurt until smooth, then the banana puree.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and churn until nearly frozen. Mix in the chopped bananas and pieces of chocolate. Scrape the frozen yogurt into an airtight container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Food memories are so powerful! As the bananas cooked down in the skillet, their aroma whisked me back to my parents’ home. Suddenly I was 17 again and rushing home from school, dashing to the kitchen, all tantalized by the smell of Mom’s caramelized bananas. Back home people like to pair them with farmer’s cheese or some vanilla ice cream, but I’m a purist: just a small bowl of “doce de banana,” and a tiny spoon to make sure the pleasure lasts longer… 😉

I never imagined using them as part of a frozen dessert, but it is sublime! The yogurt reduces the sweetness, but the bits of banana and the chunks of chocolate bring it back, just enough to make you happy. It is still a light dessert, much lighter than ice cream, and perfect for someone who’s not wild about sugary concoctions. Come to think of it, the other day I found a recipe online for burnt orange ice cream, and my antennas immediately went up. But I found that it called for a cup and a half of heavy cream, a cup of whole milk, a ton of sugar, and 5 egg yolks. It’s easy to make a decadent dessert with such a surplus of fat, but as David Lebovitz points out in his book “The Perfect Scoop,” it’s really not necessary, and this frozen yogurt proves his point. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

TWO YEARS AGO: Whole Wheat Bread