Chocolate FOR THE LOVE OF
Three ways to indulge your desires any time
The heart-shaped boxes have been bestowed. The rosy nosegays conveyed. But chocolate deserves a place in your heart — and on your dessert plate — all year round.
Why do we love it so? Years ago, I asked Carole Bloom, cookbook author, teacher and chocolate authority, about chocolate's allure. It contains a chemical, she said, that 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. And we have three delicious suggestions.
Is there anything more Parisian than profiteroles? The thick, decadent sauce covering these ice cream-filled choux puffs is made with six ounces of fine bittersweet chocolate — and you'll want to drizzle it on just about everything. The recipe hails from Kate Laidlaw's “Emily in Paris: The Official Cookbook” (Weldon Owen, $32.50), and we think the Netflix series' fictional Chef Gabriel would approve.
We certainly do, because the recipe can be broken up and assembled in stages, Laidlaw says. Make and bake the puffs ahead of time and freeze them for up to two weeks. Then warm them in a 375-degree oven until just thawed and crisp. Let cool, then fill with ice cream and drizzle that sauce. Laidlaw suggests vanilla, salted caramel or pistachio ice cream, but we won't fault you for choosing a chocolate flavor.
Chocolate pots de crème remain a favorite at our house. These indulgent little “pots of cream” are traditionally made in little cups with specially designed lids, so when the pots de crème cups are placed in a bain-marie, a hot water bath, inside the oven, the lids prevent splashes from spoiling the luscious contents. But who has such a specialty item at home? Instead, try the user-friendly approach thought up by the chefs at America's Test Kitchen, who cook the chocolate custard on the stovetop, then pour it into individual 5-ounce cups or ramekins to serve. Easy.
If you're looking for something with a serious nostalgia factor, chef Michael Owens, director of food services at Southern California's Bracken's Kitchen, offers up moon pie cookies. Dark chocolate cakelike discs are sandwiched around a buttery marshmallow fluff-style filling. 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.
RECIPE Profiteroles au Chocolat
Serves 10to 12 Choux puffs:
½ cup whole milk
½ cup water 6tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs, beaten
Chocolate sauce:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1⁄3 cup light corn syrup
1⁄3 cup whole milk 1tablespoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1quart ice cream, such as vanilla, salted caramel or pistachio
DIRECTIONS
To make the puffs, position two racks in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
In a heavy saucepan over mediumhigh heat, combine the milk, water, butter and salt and bring to a boil. When the butter melts, remove the pan from the heat, add the flour all at once and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until blended. Return the pan to medium heat and continue stirring until the mixture forms a ball and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the pan, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool for 3 to 4 minutes. Using an electric mixer on mediumhigh speed, add the beaten eggs, a quarter at a time, to the dough, beating well after each addition until thoroughly incorporated, and the dough is smooth and shiny. Let the dough cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a 3⁄16-inch round tip. Pipe mounds about 1 inch in diameter (about 1 teaspoon dough) onto the prepared sheet pans, spacing them about 2inches apart. You should have about 40puffs. Bake the puffs for 15minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until well puffed and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately prick the bottom of each puff with a thin wooden skewer or toothpick. Return to the oven, leave the oven door open and allow the puffs to dry out for about 15minutes. Then remove from the oven and let the pastries cool completely on the pans on wire racks.
To make the chocolate sauce, combine the chocolate and corn syrup in a heatproof bowl and set over (but not touching) barely simmering water in a saucepan. Heat, stirring often, until the chocolate melts. Add the milk, butter and vanilla and stir until blended. Remove from heat.
Slice each puff in half horizontally, stopping just short of the opposite side. (The puff should open like a clam shell.) Place a small scoop of ice cream in the bottom half of each puff and replace the top. Arrange the filled puffs on individual plates. Top with the chocolate sauce and serve.