Make chocolate the heart of your Valentine’s desire
I can think of no better way to say “Happy Valentine’s Day,” “I love you” or “You’re special to me” than with chocolate. And since we’re celebrating Valentine’s Day just next week, you’ve got some hard decisions to make — including just which special dessert you’ll choose to make to celebrate with your special someone.
With a deep winter chill, I recommend the Warm Molten Lava Cakes. I can think of nothing better. And with only five ingredients (OK, six if you’re counting the garnishing) you’re sure to be pull this one off in a snap. It takes less than 30 minutes start to finish. This may even become your signature dessert. Suitable for company but easy enough for an any-day dessert.
First you melt together European butter and the best chocolate you can comfortably afford. Why European butter? Well, the cows are (normally) grass fed, so it tastes like butter used to taste — fresher. And its higher in butterfat. The difference is astounding really, the way European butters taste. We had an impromptu butter taste test in cooking class recently, as a cooking class student of mine, Kathy Roche brought in six different butters, several European butters and a couple brand name American butters. Without question we all liked the European butters better. Several students and I liked the Kerry Gold butter the best. A close second was the Finlandia. But buy the salted butter for this recipe.
Get the best dark chocolate you can afford. You can make this dessert using just semisweet chocolate chips but if you can afford the bit extra splurge on using bittersweet chocolate bars or chips.
If you’re in the mood for a cool dessert, try Chocolate Pots de Creme. It’s reverse engineered — getting its cooking done in a blender. The end result is like eating a truffle — just a bit less rich.
Want another option? Try the Fallen Chocolate Marquis. Marquis is my mother’s maiden name and this flourless chocolate cake is named for her.
As for consuming chocolate — be patient when eating it and you will be rewarded. Let it “bloom” in your mouth. Experience chocolate. Close your eyes…
Chocolate Pots de Creme
Yield: 8 servings
4 cups heavy whipping cream, divided
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
12 large egg yolks, room temperature
Bring heavy whipping cream just to a boil. Place one cup in the container of a blender. Add chocolate morsels, instant coffee, vanilla and salt. Blend briefly just to combine. Add egg yolks. With the machine running slowly pour in the remaining three cups hot whipping cream through the top of the blender. Continue to blend on high speed for one minute. Divide mixture evenly among eight ramekins. Place ramekins on a tray or baking pan of suitable size. Cover with plastic food storage wrap and refrigerate for at least four hours and up to two days before serving. Garnish each serving with whipped cream.
Fallen Chocolate Marquis
(flourless chocolate cake)
Yield: 12 servings
Cake:
1 (12 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate morsels
3/4 cup butter, cut into small pieces
6 large eggs, separated
12 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 (12 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-inch springform pan. Line bottom with parchment or wax paper. Wrap entire outside of pan with heavy-duty foil. Melt butter and bring to a boil. Place chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl. Pour hot butter over chocolate and let stand five minutes. Stir until smooth. Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks and six tablespoons of sugar in a large bowl until mixture is thick and pale, about three minutes. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla to yolk mixture. Stir until smooth. Using clean, dry beaters, beat egg whites in large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining six tablespoons of sugar, beating until stiff. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in three additions. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake one hour. Cake top will be puffed and cracked. Cool cake in pan on cooling rack 15 minutes. Cake will fall. Using a spatula or the back of a large spoon, press edges of cake to be level with the center. Leave cake in pan until thoroughly cooled. Run thin knife around inside edge to loosen cake. Remove wall of springform pan. Invert cake onto a 9-inch cardboard round. Peel off parchment.
Glaze: Bring cream and corn syrup to boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate. Let rest five minutes. Gently stir until smooth — you do NOT want to create any air bubbles in the glaze. Cover a work surface with parchment or foil. In the center of your prepared work surface, elevate the cake (on the cardboard round) by placing it on top of a bowl smaller than the cardboard round. Spread 1 cup glaze over cake top. Pour glaze over cake sides. Using an icing spatula, scrape up glaze that has dripped onto parchment to reuse. Repeat glazing the cake top and sides until almost all of glaze is used. Wipe clean bottom rim of cardboard round. Place cake on a platter and chill at least 1 hour or until glaze is firm. Can be made up to three days ahead. Serve with lightly sweetened freshly whipped cream or fresh berries. Add garnish if desired.
Optional Garnish: Pour a few ounces of melted chocolate into a freezer-strength zip-top bag. Snip a tiny hole in corner of bag. On parchment or waxed paper drizzle chocolate into desired shapes. (I think a heart shape is romantic.) Let chocolate harden. Carefully peel away from parchment.
Warm Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
Yield: 6 servings
3/4 cup European butter, lightly salted (such as Kerry Gold), cut into cubes
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chips or broken into pieces
4 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for garnish
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small glass bowl, place cubed butter and chocolate. Cook in the microwave on high heat at 30 second intervals just until melted. Whisk together the butter and chocolate until smooth, set aside. Using an electric mixer beat together the eggs and sugar for several minutes. Vigorously whisk the flour into the egg/sugar mixture. Whisk in the melted chocolate/butter mixture into the batter until smooth. Divide among six custard cups or ramekins. Place cups on a baking pan and bake in the center of oven for exactly 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for five minutes before enjoying. Garnish tops lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 5:49 PM with the headline "Make chocolate the heart of your Valentine’s desire."