Is there a more romantic dessert than chocolate mousse?  Simple, yet elegant.  The quintessence of velvety richness.  Topped perhaps with a dollop of freshly whipped cream and a few chocolate shavings.  However, it can certainly stand on its own.  Many identify Julia Child’s chocolate mousse as the classic version and true, it has a unique mouthfeel that is airy, almost foamy.  However, it uses eggs that are never cooked and, even though there is only a tiny chance of salmonella, I prefer a safer version that is rich and velvety.

There are just a few ingredients so the quality of the chocolate plays an important role in the outcome. Also, I suggest a bittersweet or semisweet chocolate containing between 50 and 60% cacao.  A higher percentage will produce a drier result.  Be sure to serve the mousse in pretty dessert goblets. And ladies, if you have ever doubted that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, you’ve never served him chocolate mousse.

Ingredients (8 servings)

2 cups heavy cream

4 yolks from large eggs

3 T superfine sugar

1 t pure vanilla extract

7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted

Directions

1. In a small saucepan heat 2/3 cup cream just until it starts to steam.

2. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl.

3. Slowly add half of the hot cream to the egg yolk mixture until thoroughly combined.

4. Add the warm egg-cream back into the hot cream in the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 165 on a digital thermometer.

5. Off heat, stir in the vanilla and melted chocolate.

6.  Chill thoroughly.

7. Whip remaining 1 1/3 cups cream in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.

8. Stir about 1/3 of the whipped cream into the chocolate custard and then gently fold in the remainder until no streaks appear.  Serve chilled.

(Adapted from a recipe by Rebecca Franklin)

Chocolate Reveries

by Victor Ribaudo

Some of my fondest gastronomic memories involve chocolate.  I’d venture to guess that I’m not alone here.  What is it about chocolate that causes our hearts to skip a beat when it’s presented to us in its many sumptuous forms?  Nay . . . even the thought of chocolate for some can trigger and inner longing that may lead to heady, euphoric ecstasy – causing faintness of breath!  OK, maybe I exaggerate, as I am wont to do.  (After all, I am Italian.  It’s genetic.)  The point is chocolate to most of us is a luxury we cannot do without.  I’m in that league.

When I was a child, my grandmother often made me chocolate sandwiches.  Yes, you read correctly.  She’d take crusty Italian bread, toast it in the oven, and then sandwich a chocolate bar in between the slices.  She’d press it with her hands, and the heat from the toasted bread sufficiently softened the chocolate bar to a silky consistency.  I was in heaven.  And I wanted more of it.  She also prepared something called cuccia for me on St. Lucy’s Day (December 13th).  This was a pudding made from cooked wheat berries, milk, candied fruit and chocolate.  Oh yes, it was as good as it sounds.  There were usually lots of wheat berries left over.  These were served to me the rest of the week for breakfast, swimming in warm chocolate milk.  Beats cold cereal any day.  Of course, I was often treated to the chocolate candies, cakes and brownies every kid begs for at the supermarket.  What can I say . . . they spoiled me!

At Easter . . . well, is there anything more heartwarming than a chocolate bunny?  My Mom procured the best, of course, from a chocolatier shoppe on 86th Street in Brooklyn.  The ears were solid, and so they were my preference.  And let’s not forget the chocolate drives at school.  My aunts and uncles would buy boxes of those bars from me, only to hand them right back for my sister and me to enjoy.  I especially loved the smell that wafted from the boxes as I opened them.  Those bars of chocolate were ridiculously delicious – melt-in-your-mouth velvetiness and studded with tons of roasted almonds to boot.  Amazing!

So you see, I was predestined to love chocolate.  Naturally, as my culinary tastes grew more sophisticated, I searched for even more heightened chocolate experiences.  Not hard to find.  Every fine restaurant has at least two chocolate creations on the dessert menu.  My first foray into that world began with chocolate mousse.  (Please check out Phyllis’ recipe above (it’s outstanding.)  Then I was enamored by the molten chocolate cake.  Who could resist that hot chocolate lava oozing from a petite cake.  Looks innocent until your fork breaks the crust. Then watch out!  Black Forest Cake also became an uncontrollable passion for me.  After all, chocolate and cherries were destined to fall in love.

And so it goes.  Double, triple, quadruple chocolate cakes and pastries…love them all.  Hot or cold chocolate puddings…bring them on.  Chocolate covered donuts…hot fudge sundaes…chocolate chip cookies…chocolate dipped strawberries…chocolate liqueurs.  Can’t get enough of them.  Extravagant?  By all means.  I mean, we must live to eat.  That’s my motto.

Want someone to fall in love with you?  Bake something chocolaty for them.  If the recipe calls for hard baker’s chocolate, be sure to melt it in a double boiler. Easy.  Just place a mixing bowl over simmering water, and stir continuously until the desired consistency is achieved.  Then you’re good to go with whatever recipe you have on hand.  Watch out though;  it’s intoxicating.  The person you serve it to might take this as a proposal of marriage.  The rest is up to you.

Photographer Bill Brady
Written by Victor Ribaudo
Recipe by Phyllis Kirigin
Food Stylist BrianPreston Campbell
Blog syndicated at the datingsymbol.com

1. therunninggarlic says:

   February 23, 2011 at 6:26 pm

   Chocolate … in all it’s glory! Fantastic photos and lovely memories!
   Debbie

   Reply
2. Charlie Bakes says:

   February 24, 2011 at 1:30 am

   I love your pictures with all of the light. And I also love your chocolate mousse recipe, keep up the great work!!
   Charlie, 12 year old food blogger

   Reply
3. carine says:

   February 24, 2011 at 11:58 am

   Oh…chocolate…Glorious chocolate….You made my day…thanks~

   Reply
4. TheyCallMeAmber says:

   February 24, 2011 at 12:33 pm

   Beautiful photos. I have a hankering for some chocolate now.

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Puff Pastry with Grilled Onions

Puff Pastry with Ham and Gruyere

Palmiers

Can anything compare to the crackly thousand (yes, thousand) layered buttery puff pastry?  Hot, melt-in-your-mouth goodness?  I can’t think of anything.  Have you tried making it yourself?  Sure, it takes a while, but it’s fun, therapeutic (Beating the block of butter is a great stress reliever) and very much worth the effort.  Most of the time is inactive.  You just have to be hanging around the house that day.  There’s a quick method and a regular method.  The quick method involves cutting up the butter and working it into the dough, but honestly, I find the regular method not much more work and you get a higher rise from more layers.

 Ingredients

3 ½ cups pastry flour

1 ½ t salt

1 ¼ cup water

1 lb. butter

Procedure

Mix flour, salt and water in a food processor until a dough forms.  Take it out and form it into a ball.  Pat it down and score the top in a crisscross fashion.  Wrap it in a damp towel and set aside.

Place 1 lb. butter (four quarters pressed side by side) between 2 sheets of Saran wrap. The butter should be cold but not frozen. Pound into a square ½ inches thick. Set aside while you roll out the dough into a square thicker in the middle and slightly larger than the size as the butter.  Place the butter in the center of the dough with the corners of the dough pointing away from the sides of the butter (see diagram). Fold the dough over the butter to encase it completely.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle making sure that no butter is exposed.  Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter.  Roll out again into a rectangle and fold into thirds again.  Place in a damp towel and refrigerate for a half hour.  Take it out, roll out and fold again, repeat and place back in refrigerator for another half hour.  That was its  4th “turn.”  Each turn can be marked by a slight finger indentation in the dough.  Continue in this fashion for a total of 6 turns.

The last time you roll it out, you can cut it in half and you will have two 1-lb. pieces of beautiful puff pastry with which you can make a wide variety of sweet and savory masterpieces such as sweet tarts. vols au vent, palmiers, savory tarts, mustard batons, savory tarts and chicken pot pie

They can be used immediately, refrigerated for a couple of days or frozen.  Defrost by placing in refrigerator overnight.

Puff Pastry with Grilled Onions Photo by Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm

Other Photos by Michael Kirigin

Ingredients

1 lb. puff pastry (See recipe in previous post.)

2 T Dijon mustard

¾ lb. good quality ham, cut into a ½-inch dice

½ lb. Gruyere cheese shredded on large holes of box grater

Egg wash made from I egg and 1 T water, beaten

Procedure

Cut 1 lb. piece of puff pastry in half.  Roll out to fit a 10 X 15 baking sheet. Place parchment paper or a silicone mat on the baking sheet. Transfer pastry sheet to baking sheet.  Spread mustard over sheet leaving a 1-inch border.  Evenly spread ham over mustard, also leaving 1-inch border.  Sprinkle cheese on top of ham.

Roll out the other piece of puff pastry to 10 X 15.  Place on top of cheese layer.  With a small sharp knife cut the edges straight.  Press indentations around the edge with the tines of the back of a fork. Chill for at least 20 minutes.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Take out pastry and brush with egg wash.  Cut a few decorative slits to allow steam to escape.  Place cold pastry in hot oven. This gives the pastry a sudden burst of heat giving it a good start to its rise.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and puffed.  Let cool briefly.  Cut into squares and serve.  Makes 6 servings.

Photo by Michael Kirigin

This lovely golden egg-rich and light-textured bread is prepared much the same as the dough for traditional white bread, but it is a stiffer dough and is baked on a cookie sheet rather than in a loaf tin.

The only trick is in the braiding, but a “trick”, of course, is just knowing how to do something.  Invariably, instructions on braiding bread tell you to lay three ropes of dough on a work surface and braid them horizontally, much as you would braid a pigtail.   This technique is very likely to produce a long skinny loaf as there is a tendency to pull on the ropes as you braid them.

The technique suggested here, which I learned from Chef John Clancy, calls for four ropes rolled out slightly higher in the center and tapered toward the ends.  The braiding is executed in an upward vertical manner and the loaf is then flipped on its side for that picture-perfect plump loaf.

.

Ingredients:

2 packages rapid-rise yeast (about 5 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon sugar

5 cups bread flour

2 teaspoons salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

Procedure:

1. Mix yeast, ½ teaspoon sugar, and 1 cup warm water in a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Mix remaining sugar, flour, and salt in large bowl of electric mixer; add eggs, butter and yeast mixture.  Using dough hook attachment, knead at low speed until smooth and satiny, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Form dough into a ball and let rise in a large, lightly buttered bowl covered with a damp towel until approximately doubled in size, about 1 hour.  Deflate to original size, re-form into a ball, cover, and let rise again until doubled in size.
4. Deflate dough again and turn onto a lightly floured work surface.  Press dough into a rough square and cut into 4 equal pieces, preferable with a blunt object to seal in gases (a wooden spatula works well. Let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Roll each portion of dough into an 18-inch rope that is thicker in the middle than at the ends, stretching dough as you roll.  Place ropes on a large work surface to form an X and pinch in the center to seal.  To finish the braid, follow the illustrated steps.
6. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place braided dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet; cover with damp cloth and let rise until almost doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.  Beat yolk with milk; brush entire loaf with this glaze.  Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake until bread is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers between 190 and 200 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes.  Transfer bread to a wire rack to cool.
7.    Braiding technique:

   

   Drawing #1

   [Drawing #1]  Make four ropes of equal length and lay them out in the shape of a four-pointed star; pinch them together in the center to seal.  Think of the points as numbered one to four.  Starting with point one fold it directly over the center, so that it lies beside point three.  Then fold point three directly over the center, again creating a four-pointed star.

   1. 

      Drawing 2

   [Drawing #2] Now fold point four directly across the center so that it lies parallel to point two; then fold point two over the center, again creating a four-pointed star. Continue this one-side-to-the-other braiding, making sure to keep the bread upright until all the lengths have been folded.  As you work, give the ropes a little slack when you reach the center and braid a little more tightly toward the ends.  This will give the baked loaf the characteristic high in the middle shape.

   1. 

      Drawing #3

   [Drawing #3] Continue this one-side-to-the-other braiding, making sure to keep the bread upright, until all the lengths have been folded.

   1. 

      Drawing #4

   [Drawing #4] Pinch the end pieces firmly together at the top.

   

   Drawing #5

   [Drawing #5] Lay the finished bread down on its side on a lightly oiled baking sheet, cover with a towel and let rise 30 minutes.  After this third rising brush entire loaf with the egg yolk and milk glaze, dip a finger in the glaze, then in the poppy seeds and gently roll your finger over the loaf for an even topping.  I  just learned this technique from Maya of chaitimeblog.wordpress.com.  As you can see from my photos,  just sprinkling on the poppy seeds gives an uneven finish.  Bake in the middle of a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the crust has turned a shiny golden brown.  Place on a rack to cool.  Happy Hanukka!

   Variation:  Add 1/8 teaspoon saffron threads dissolved in one teaspoon hot water in step one for a more golden color.

   My recipe appeared in the March/April issue of Cooks Illustrated, 1994

   Photos by sweetpaprika
   

Chorizo Dressing

I admit that stuffing is my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner.  Well, dressing, if it’s cooked outside the turkey.  I’ve always preferred basic bread dressing, but my blogging teammate, Bill, gave me the great idea of adding chorizo. The result is still those familiar homey bread dressing flavors yet nicely kicked up a bit.

I prefer to bake the dressing separately, so I add a half cup of drippings from the roast turkey to add that “roasted in the turkey” flavor.  What you’re looking for here is a moist, not too compact, interior and a crisp top. Enjoy!

Ingredients

5 T butter, plus 1 for greasing dish

2 medium yellow onions, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 lb. chorizo, diced

1 tart apple, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced

10 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

3 springs fresh thyme pulled from stems and finely chopped

Salt (preferably sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 loaf of quality bread, such as a Pullman loaf, cut into 3/4 –inch cubes and toasted in oven for 25 minutes

2 eggs beaten

1 cup dried cranberries

½ cup chopped parsley

1 to 2 cups turkey or chicken stock or low sodium store-bought broth

½ cup drippings from turkey roasting pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 5 T butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions, celery, chorizo, apple, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook,  stirring often for 5 minutes.

2. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cool. Add bread, eggs, cranberries and parsley. Carefully blend in enough stock (1 to 2 cups) plus 1/2 cup drippings from the turkey roasting pan until the dressing is well moistened. Check for seasoning.

3. Add to a well buttered baking dish.  Bake without a cover for 35 minutes until top is beginning to brown and the interior is moist and cooked through.

Photographer Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm

Jambalaya Dressing

Wild Rice Dressing

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

½ t salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

4 large eggs

3 yolks from large eggs

2 t vanilla extract

½ cup quality dark rum

Whipped cream for topping

Directions

1. Adjust rack to lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees.

2. Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and affix paddle attachment.  Add butter and beat on lowest speed until well mixed.

3.  In another bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and rum, mixing well.

4. Add 1/3 of the wet ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Scrape down bowl.

5. Add another 1/3 to the mixer and beat for 2 minutes, scraping down bowl again.

6. Add final 1/3, beat and scrape as before.

7. Scrape batter into a buttered and floured 12-cup Bundt pan, smooth top and place in oven.

8. Bake for about 60 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted between edge and center of pan comes out clean.  There may be a few dry crumbs attached.

9. Let cool on a rack for about 10 minutes, then invert  and release from pan to continue cooling.  Add a dollop of whipped cream to each serving.  Store by wrapping in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.

Photos by Michael Kirigin

Quick and delicious, stir-fried beef with oyster sauce provides a great introduction to Chinese cooking.  This one “from column A” can be prepared in less than half an hour including rice.  If you don’t have a wok, make it in a stainless steel or cast iron skillet.  Don’t make it in a non-stick skillet as you can’t get it hot enough.

By the way, stir-frying is a misnomer as there is no stirring in stir-frying.  The technique is to lift the ingredients with your spatula and turn them over.  As you continue from different angles, all the food gets seared from contact with the hottest part of the wok.  Make the rice first.

Ingredients

¾ lb. steak (flank or boneless strip)

1 T soy sauce (preferably tamari)

2 sweet peppers

1 large onion

1 t  cornstarch

2 T oyster sauce

pinch of salt

Peanut oil as needed

Directions

1. Slice steak against the grain into bite-size strips. Place in a bowl and mix with soy sauce.  Set aside.

2. Remove ribs and seeds from peppers and julienne into bite-size strips.

3. Cut onion into thin slices

4. Make a slurry of cornstarch and water.  Mix in oyster sauce.

5. Heat wok to very hot but not smoking.  Add 1 T oil. Stir fry pepper strips until tender and slightly seared. Add a wee pinch of salt to peppers and onions as thy cook.) Dish into serving bowl.

6. Add 1 T oil into hot wok.  Stir fry onions until lightly browned.  Add to serving bowl.

7. Again, add 1 T oil to hot wok.  Stir fry steak until cooked through.

8. Return peppers and onions to wok.  Stir fry with meat for 15 seconds.

9. Make a “well” in center of hot wok and add slurry.  Stir fry until ingredients are coated.

10. Serve alongside a bowl of steaming hot rice.

Chinese rice (makes 3 cups cooked rice)

Ingredients

1 cup long grain white rice

1 ¾ cup cold water

Directions

1. Rinse rice in several changes of cold water until it runs clear.

2. Place water and rice in a 2-quart pan with a tight-fitting cover. (I add a pinch of salt but this is not traditional.)

3. Bring to a boil without cover.  Turn heat to low and cook with cover at a bare simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Let rest until the rest of your meal is ready to serve.  Fluff rice with fork and serve hot. (Resist the temptation to peek at the rice before it is ready to serve.)

Photos by Michael Kirigin

Sweet, fresh corn is at its peak at the farmers markets.  Don’t miss this opportunity to create a creamy and flavorful corn chowder. 4 servings

Ingredients

1 T butter

1 oz. bacon (preferably a thick sliced chunk)

½ cup chopped carrot

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped onion

3 ears of corn

4 cups milk

1 Turkish bay leaf

1 medium Yukon Gold potato cut into a small dice

1 t salt

1/8 t freshly ground black pepper

½ t chopped fresh thyme

1 plum tomato, seeds and pulp removed, cut in a small dice

1/4 cup water mixed with 3 T masa harina or corn meal

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add bacon. Fry about 4  minutes but don’t brown.

2. Add carrots, celery and onions.

3. Cut the kernels off the corn and put aside.  Cut the cobs in half and add to saucepan.

4. Add milk and bay leaf.  Bring to a simmer, cover pot and continue to cook at a bare simmer for 30 minutes.  Be careful not to scald milk in the bottom of the saucepan.

5. Discard cobs, bacon and bay leaf.

7. Add  potatoes, salt and pepper and simmer about 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.

8. Add corn kernels, thyme and tomato.  If chowder needs thickening, stir in a slurry of masa harina and water.

9. Simmer 5 minutes and serve.

Photographer Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm

Since we have access to the finest NYC Jewish deli corned beef, my husband decided to make his own corned beef hash.  He cubed Yukon Gold potatoes by hand, diced the sweet pepper and onions, added the perfect seasonings and cooked everything in the right order and amount of time. And, voila!  The best version I’ve ever tasted.  I mean, if you’re not going to go for the gold, why bother?  Just open up a can.

Ingredients

1 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T sweet butter

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into a small dice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/16 t smoked paprika

1/3 cup chopped onions

1/3 cup sweet red pepper cut into a small dice

¼ t sweet paprika

½ lb. corned beef cut into a ½-inch dice

8 fried eggs with runny yolks

Procedure

1.  Heat oil and butter in a non-stick skillet.  Sauté potatoes turning frequently. You can cover briefly to steam potatoes. Add salt, black pepper and smoked paprika.

2. When potatoes begin to brown and are partially cooked through, add onions, sweet pepper and sweet paprika, again turning frequently, until caramelized.

3. Add corned beef and turn until hash is hot and crispy.

4. While hash is finishing, fry eggs.

5. Divide hash among 4 plates topping each with two fried eggs.

6. Ask if your breakfast partners agree that this is better than the canned stuff.  If they don’t, hash it out.

Photos by Michael Kirigin