Tag Archives: chocolate

GINGER AND CHOCOLATE CANTUCCINI

by carlina

Ingredients:

500g flour
400g sugar
100g butter
6 eggs (6 egg yolks and 3 egg whites)
lemon zest
1tbs baking powder
125g candied ginger
125g chocolate chips
pinch of salt

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400F.

In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar and a pinch of salt, trying to get a frothy mixture.

Add the butter, flour, lemon zest and baking powder.

Add the ginger and chocolate chips to the mixture.

Divide the dough into three parts and form loaves of about 3 cm thick, brush them with the egg whites and bake for 20 minutes.

Take the loaves out of the oven and cut them into 1 cm slices. Cook the biscuits for ten more minutes. Enjoy!

GIANDUIA BROWNIES

by carlina

GIANDUIA BROWNIES

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups hazelnuts (about 6 1/4 ounces)
4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
3 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup Nutella
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350° F. and butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.
Toast and skin hazelnuts (procedure this page). In a food processor pulse hazelnuts until coarsely ground (bits should be about 1/8 inch).
Chop chocolates into small pieces and in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water melt chocolates with butter and Nutella, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat.
While chocolates are melting, into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and a pinch salt. Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture until combined well. Add eggs, whisking until mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in flour mixture and hazelnuts until just combined.
Pour batter into baking pan and bake in middle of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out with moist crumbs adhering to it. Cool brownies completely in pan on a rack and cut into 16 squares. Brownies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper in an airtight container at cool room temperature, 5 days.
Makes 16 brownies.
From Gourmet Magazine

___________

Photography by Stuart Spivack

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

by carlina

chocolate-chip-cookies.jpg

Ingredients:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content
Sea salt

Preparation:

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.

Makes 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Adapted from Jacques Torres

___________

Photography by Stuart Spivack

ZUPPA INGLESE

by carlina

zuppe-inglese.jpg

Ingredients:

For the Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk
zest of 1 lemon
2 egg yolks
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Sauce

2.5 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 1/2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

To Layer and Serve

24 lady fingers
1/2 cup vin santo
1 pint raspberries

Preparation:

Cream: Bring the milk and lemon zest to a boiling point. Remove from the heat. Beat the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until creamy. Add the flour and vanilla as you beat and slowly beat in the hot milk. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes or until thick. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for two hours.

Chocolate Sauce: Melt the chocolate, cocoa and a ¼ cup of water. Remove from the heat and add the sugar while stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add the cream and stir more until smooth. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.

To Layer: Apply 12 lady fingers in a dish, drizzle with a quarter vin santo. Apply 1/4 of the pastry cream followed by a layer of the chocolate sauce and top with another layer of the pastry cream. Make another layer in the same manner.

Refrigerate for 3 hours and garnish with raspberries.

___________

Photography by Frabattista

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

by carlina

chocolate-pecan-pie.jpg

Ingredients:

  • 1 (3 1/2- to 4-ounces) fine-quality 60%- to 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate bar, finely chopped
  • Pastry dough
  • 2 cups pecan halves (7 ounces), toasted and cooled
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup

For Pastry Dough

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Equipment: a pastry or bench scraper

Preparation:

Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.

Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.

Turn out dough onto a work surface. Divide dough into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather all dough together with pastry scraper. Press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring. Remove from heat.

Spread chocolate in bottom of pie shell with back of spoon and let it set, then cover with pecans. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl, then whisk in corn syrup and pour over pecans.

Bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden, 50 to 60 minutes. (If pie is browning too fast after 30 minutes, loosely cover with foil.) Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature. Serve with whipped cream.

Cooks’ note: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then covered. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, about 10 minutes.

Makes 8 servings.

From Gourmet | November 2007

___________

Photography by Stuart Spivak

GINGER SCONES

by carlina

ginger-chocolate-scone.jpg

Ingredients:
  • 4 Cups flour
  • 1/2 Cup sugar
  • 1/2 Cup brown sugar — firmly packed
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 2 Teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 Teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 Cup unsalted butter — chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1 Cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs — lightly beaten
  • 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 Teaspoon orange zest — grated
  • 10 Ounces semisweet chocolate — chopped
  • 1/2 Cup crystallized ginger — finely chopped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375. Combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor or bowl. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Combine next 4 ingredients in a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add liquid ingredients to flour mixture. Very gently stir until dough is just moistened and begins to cling together. Stir in chocolate and ginger. The less this dough is handled the better the results will be.

Drop dough onto an ungreased baking sheet in 1/3 cup amounts. Leave at least 1 inch between scones. Bake 15-17 minutes or until scones are golden. Cool on wire rack at least 5 minutes before removing from baking sheet.

Serves 12.

NOTE – If you don’t have buttermilk handy, you can substitute as follows:
– take 1 cup of milk (or milk substitute like soy milk);
– add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar;
– allow the soured milk to stand for 10 minutes before adding to recipe.

___________

Photography by sirbrillig