Friday 30 November 2012

I'm in love with an exotic sensual creature......







Well the verdict is in, I am officially in love, with Green and Black's Chocolates.  All the varieties that I have tried and used in my cooking have been amazing.  The taste perfection, the yummy smell and when you melt it, it is downright sensual.

My first attempt to use it was in one of the recipes from their website called "Marquise Au Chocolate".  A beautiful cake, very nice recipe, but I say attempt, because, well, I'm a clutz.  I made it, it was going well and looked downright decadent, then I went to move it to a cooler area.
That is when it happened, as I was carrying it down the thirteen stairs to our lower level fridge, disaster struck.  I went from having a beautiful "Marquise Au Chocolate" to "The Leaning and Rapidly Sliding Tower Au Chocolate".  Not quite the regal dessert I had envisioned.  Now what?  Company is here in 45 minutes.  No time to make another dessert, think, think, think, Linda!!!  Back to the kitchen.

Sliding the mousse off the cake base trying to preserve its and the cake's integrity, I now had two rather messy looking pieces to my dessert.   What am I going to do?  Looking around, I saw that I could make a quick butterscotch sauce and perhaps place it between the layers?  Drizzle it over the top?  I have whipping cream, whip that up.  Okay, how am I going to serve this?  Can't make the dramatic entrance and cut it at the table like I thought I would, cut it in the kitchen, plate it and then serve.  Okay, disaster averted, but still heartbroken I couldn't pull it off.

Here is a picture of what I thought it would be like, and what it did look like, until the stair mishap.


Green & Black's Marquise Au Chocolat


What I believe happened was that I cooked the cake in a pan that was too small, making the cake proportionately taller in the pan, and leaving less room for the mousse, hence, the top-heavy slipping action.


Even with the disaster, it was a hit.  Our friends were unaware of what had happened and thought it was wonderful, so much so, that our friend Greg, who is quite the talker, was silently enjoying every mouthful with a look of pure contentment.
Normally, it is hard to get a word in edgewise when he is excited or telling a story, but this dessert just stopped him cold.  He could not have paid me, or the chocolate, a greater compliment.

The following is the original recipe, minus the disaster, and butterscotch sauce.


Preparation time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Chilling time: overnight
Use: 9-inch springform pan with high sides and removable bottom.
Makes: 15 small, rich, slices
2 cups whole milk
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
7 ounces dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa content, finely chopped
¼ cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup granulated sugar

CHOCOLATE TO COAT

Melted butter for greasing
1 tablespoon ground almonds, plus extra for dusting the pan
three 3.5-ounce bars dark chocolate, minimum 60%cocoa content (or two 3.5 ounce bars dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa content,and one 3.5-ounce bar Maya Gold or good-quality dark orange-flavored chocolate), broken into pieces
1 ¼ cups sugar
2/3 cup (1 ¼ sticks) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
pinch sea salt or kosher salt
5 large eggs

MOUSSE

9 ounces dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa content,broken into pieces
¾ cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup whipping cream
cocoa powder for dusting


Preheat the over to 350°F. Brush the pan with melted butter and dust with the ground almonds, shaking off any excess.

To make the cake, melt the chocolate, sugar, butter,and salt in a large, heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, then remove bowl from the pan.

Whisk the eggs with the ground almonds and fold into the chocolate mixture. Continue to fold until the mixture thickens. Pour into the cake pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about two hours before starting the mousse.

To make the mousse, melt the chocolate in a large,heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Remove from the heat and add half the confectioners' sugar, stir, then whisk in the butter. Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Set the mixture aside.

Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks start to form. Add the remaining confectioners' sugar and continue whisk until glossy. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.

Add one-third of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture and carefully fold to blend. Gently fold in the remaining whites, alternating with the whipped cream. Do not over mix, but ensure that the mixture is well blended. Pour the mousse over the cooled cake in the cake pan and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the pan from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving. Dip a metal spatula into boiling water, dry it, and slide it around the sides of the cake to loosen it from the pan, then remove the ring. Re-heat the metal spatula in boiling water, dry it, and gently smooth the sides of the mousse.

Place the cake, still on the pan's bottom, onto a large round serving plate. Dust generously with cocoa powder just before serving. Serve with crème fraiche or a custard sauce.

Here is a face the exemplifies the face we all had when eating this yummy dessert .  Take a look a "Green & Black's Organic Chocolates" web site Here is a link to their Facebook page as well lots of interesting information and recipes available here.


The face of contentment.
Purrfection and contentment

 Keep smiling and try this recipe you'll agree it is very very good.
Have a great day.



****Please note I did receive the chocolate to test at no cost, but the opinions about the product are my own, with no incentive to give a good review other than it met my standards of a quality product and worth of high praise. 




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