Make these chocolate treats to give for Valentine’s Day
Imagine a homemade Valentine gift brimming with chocolate — each morsel made with loving attention. Sweet indulgences made with affection. What better way to say “Be My Valentine?“
Years ago, I asked Carole Bloom, cookbook author, teacher, and chocolate authority, about chocolate’s allure. She told me that it contains a chemical which creates the same chemistry in the brain as occurs when people are in love, a feeling of euphoria.
We all might benefit from some chocolate- induced cranial jubilation. Also factor in that the ghost of Christmas past may have stacked up holiday bills yet to be reckoned with. An expensive gift might well be out of the question. A scrumptious chocolate treat sounds like the ticket.
Chocolate pots de crème remain a favorite at our house. These indulgent little “pots of cream” are traditionally made in little cups that have lids specifically designed for the custards; with the lids intact the pots de crème cups sit in a hot water bath inside the oven. The lids prevent splashes from spoiling the luscious contents. But if you don’t have the little lidded cups, try a userfriendly approach thought up by the chefs at America’s Test Kitchen. This alternate technique cooks the chocolate custard on the stovetop, then pours it into individual 5- ounce cups or ramekins. Easy.
Or if you prefer, try a Chocolate Éclair Cake, a revised, from- scratch version of an old- fashioned icebox cake. A 9-by-13-inch baking pan is lined with graham crackers, then half of a pudding-and-whipped cream mixture is spooned on top. Then another layer of graham crackers is added, then a second layer of the pudding mixture. A final layer of graham crackers is topped with a chocolate glaze made with semisweet chocolate chips, light corn syrup and heavy cream. Oh boy, it tastes downright decadent. A nostalgic spoonful of lusciousness.
Chef Michael Owens, director of food services at the nonprofit Bracken’s Kitchen in Garden Grove., Calif., and chef at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, Calif., creates luscious Moon Pie Cookies, buttery marshmallow fluffstyle filling sandwiched between dark chocolate cakelike discs. Some might argue that these rich cookies should be dubbed Whoopie Pies, but whatever you choose to call them, few could argue about their delectability.
Happy Valentine’s Day. Enjoy this annual hall pass for a little chocolate binge.
Michael Owens’ Moon Pies
Yield: About 9 to 11 sandwich cookies. Adjusted for high altitude.
INGREDIENTS For the cake:
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup evaporated milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the filling:
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup marshmallow crème
DIRECTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl of electric mixer cream butter and sugar on medium speed using the paddle attachment; beat until light in color, scraping down sides with a rubber spatula (or silicone spatula) as needed. Add egg, evaporated milk, and the vanilla slowly to incorporate; beat on medium speed and scrape the bowl as needed.
3. Sift together flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. With a pastry bag fitted with a medium sized plain piping tip, pipe the batter into circles the size of
a silver dollar on prepared baking sheet. Bake until the .cookies feel set or firm to the touch, about 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool to room temperature on wire rack. Meanwhile prepare the filling.
4. In large bowl of electric mixer, use paddle attachment to cream together the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy and no lumps of butter are present. Add marshmallow crème and mix to blend. Put filling in pastry bag equipped with a large, plain tip.
5. Match the cookies together by size. Make sure they are as consistent as possible in diameter. Pipe the filling on the flat side of one cookie. Take the other cookie and sandwich them together. Repeat this until all the cookies are filled. Store cookies, airtight, in refrigerator.
Cook’s notes: If desired, add 1/2 cup peanut butter to the filling.
Chocolate Eclair Cake
Yield: 15 servings. Source: “America’s Test Kitchen Everything Chocolate” (America’s Test Kitchen).
INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon salt
5 cups whole milk 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces 5 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons water
2 3/4 cups heavy cream, chilled, divided use 14 ounces graham crackers 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips 5 tablespoons light corn syrup
DIRECTIONS
1. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in large saucepan. Whisk milk into sugar mixture until smooth, and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping bottom of pan with
Chocolate Eclair Cake features pudding-and-whippedcream filling sandwiched between layers of graham crackers topped with chocolate glaze. heatproof rubber spatula. about 1 minute.
Immediately reduce heat 3. Whisk one-third of to medium-low and cook, whipped cream into chilled continuing to scrape botpudding, then gently fold in tom, until thickened and remaining whipped cream, large bubbles appear on 1 scoop at a time, until surface, 4 to 6 minutes. Off combined. Cover bottom heat, whisk in butter and of 13-by-9-inch baking vanilla. Transfer pudding to dish with a layer of graham large bowl and place plastic crackers, breaking crackwrap directly on surface of ers as necessary to line pudding. Refrigerate until bottom of pan. Top with cool, about 2 hours. half of pudding-whipped 2. Sprinkle gelatin over cream mixture (about 5 1/2 water in bowl and let sit cups) and another layer of until gelatin softens about graham crackers. Repeat 5 minutes. Microwave until with remaining puddingmixture is bubbling around whipped cream mixture and edges and gelatin dissolves, remaining graham crackers 15 to 30 seconds. Using to cover top. stand mixer fitted with 4. Combine chocolate whisk attachment, whip 2 chips, corn syrup, and cups cream on medium-low remaining 3/4 cup cream speed until foamy, about in bowl and microwave at 1 minute. Increase speed 50 percent power, stirring to high and whip until soft occasionally, until melted peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. and smooth, about 1 to 2 Add gelatin mixture and minutes. Let glaze cool whip until stiff peaks form, completely, about 10 minutes. Spread glaze evenly over graham crackers and refrigerate cake for at least 6 hours or up to 2 days before serving.
Chocolate Pots de Crème
In step number two of this recipe for pots de creme, use an instant-read thermometer to judge when the custard has reached the proper temperature. Of, to judge the thickness, dip a wooden spoon into it and run your finger across the back of the spoon. The custard is ready when it coats the spoon and a line drawn with your finger maintains neat edges.
Yield: 8 servings. Source: “America’s Test Kitchen’s Modern Bistro” (America’s Test Kitchen)
INGREDIENTS
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 5 large egg yolks 5 tablespoons (2 1/4 ounces) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup half-and-half 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder mixed with 1 tablespoon water
For serving: sweetened whipped cream, optional cocoa powder for dusting, optional chocolate shavings for sprinkling
DIRECTIONS
1. Place chocolate in medium heatproof bowl; set a fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside.
2. Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt in medium bowl until combined, then whisk in heavy cream and halfand-half. Transfer mixture to medium saucepan. Cook mixture over medium low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until thickened and silky and registers 175 to 180 degrees, 8 to 12 minutes. (Do not let custard overcook or simmer.) 3. Immediately pour custard through strainer over chocolate. Let mixture stand about 5 minutes. Whisk gently until smooth, then whisk in vanilla and dissolved espresso. Divide mixture evenly among eight 5-ounce ramekins. Gently tap ramekins against counter to remove any air bubbles.
4. Cool pots de crème to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. Before serving, let pots de crème stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
5. Dollop each pot de crème with about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream, and if desired, dust with cocoa powder and/or chocolate shavings. Serve,