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11/21/2018 07:00 AMCHOCOLATE MOUSSE
One of my favorite "wow!" desserts is chocolate mousse. The recipe is straightforward, easy to make in advance, and with the garnishes of shaved chocolate, freshly whipped cream, and toasted sliced almonds, it is decadent and delicious. Serve it in the country French style—in a large bowl—allowing folks to serve themselves with the toppings on the side. Or, you can put the mousse in adorable little pots de crème cups for individual servings. Make this dessert the morning of your meal and forget about it until serving time!
-Laura Grimmer, chef and owner of The Perfect Pear, Chester
Recipe courtesy of Laura Grimmer, The Perfect Pear
¾ cup (4.6 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ teaspoon real vanilla or almond extract (optional)
1¾ cups (14 oz.) cold heavy cream
3 large egg whites at room temperature
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) granulated sugar
Garnishes: Freshly whipped cream, shaved bittersweet chocolate, toasted sliced almonds
1. Using a double boiler (also known as a bainmarie), bring 1 inch of water in the bottom pan to a low simmer. Place chocolate in a large bowl set over but not touching the water to melt the chocolate. Stir frequently until the chocolate is smooth. Stir in extract, if using. Turn off heat and let stand.
2. In a cold, medium bowl, beat the chilled cream until it forms stiff peaks. Set aside at room temperature.
3. In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add in sugar and continue whipping until firm.
4. Remove the bowl of chocolate from the bainmarie and fold in the egg whites all at once, incorporating gently using a silicone spatula or large balloon whisk. When the whites are almost completely blended in, gently fold in the whipped cream with a spatula. Try not to deflate the whipped cream as you combine until there are no white streaks remaining.
5. Place the mousse into a large serving bowl or individual serving containers, cover with plastic wrap (do not allow the wrap to touch the surface of the mousse), and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 24 hours.
6. Serve garnishes in individual dishes on the side, or garnish the mousse.
CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHAI-TEA BARS
The warm flavors of chai tea, at once exotic and familiar, are the perfect base for these slim bars. There's no standard for which spices are included in chai or in what proportions, but you usually look forward to pepper, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. I mix the chai with melted butter to distribute its linchpin flavors evenly throughout the dough, and I add extra ginger and cinnamon as well as honey, which you'd want with your chai, and orange zest, which is so right with the tea. The bars can be left plain—they've got enough flavor to stand happily on their own—or slicked with a little melted milk chocolate. I always go for the chocolate.
-Dorie Greenspan, author of Everyday Dorie
Recipe courtesy of Dorie Greenspan
Makes 16 bars
1 cup (100 grams) almond flour
1/3 cup (45 grams) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Finely grated zest of 2 clementines, 1 tangerine, or 1 orange
3 large egg whites, at room temperature, lightly beaten with a fork
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon chai tea (from 3 teabags)
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and still warm
3 ounces (85 grams) milk chocolate, for the glaze (optional)
WORKING AHEAD
You can wrap the unglazed cake (or bars) in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.
1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Put both flours, the sugar, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and whisk (or stir with a fork) to blend and work out any clumps of almond flour. Stir in the zest. Pour the whites over the dry ingredients and mix them in with a flexible spatula. It takes a minute or so to blend in the whites; when they're in, you'll have a thick batter. Stir in the honey and vanilla. Stir the tea into the warm melted butter and pour the butter over the batter. Working patiently (you'll think there's too much butter, but there isn't), stir and fold the batter until the butter is fully incorporated. You'll have a beautiful, smooth batter with a silky sheen. Scrape it into the pan—it will be a thin layer—and use the spatula to even the top.
3. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until the cake is a deep golden brown and just starting to pull away from the sides of the pan. Poke the top, and it will feel firm and just a bit springy; a tester inserted into the center of the cake will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and wait for 3 minutes, then run a table knife between the cake and the sides of the pan. Invert the cake onto the rack, peel away the paper, invert onto another rack, and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. If you'd like to glaze the bars, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water or in the microwave. However you do it, melt it slowly and carefully—milk chocolate has an unpleasant way of going from smooth to grainy and then burnt; baby it. Pour the chocolate over the top of the cake and spread it evenly over the surface. Slide the glazed cake, on the rack, into the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set the chocolate.
5. Cut the cake into 16 bars or, if you're not using the entire cake, into only as many bars as you need; the rest of the cake will keep better if it's in a larger piece. If the cake was glazed and refrigerated and the bars are still cold, let them sit until they come to room temperature.
STORING
Kept in a covered container, glazed bars will hold for about 2 days at room temperature; unglazed bars will be good for up to 4 days. Glazed or not, the bars can be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months. It's easiest to put the glazed bars in the freezer uncovered and then wrap them when they're frozen.
HOLIDAY BAKING TIPS FROM DORIE GREENSPAN
The holidays are the best time to bake and the perfect time to share what you've baked. Here are a few ideas for getting a jump on the sweet season:
Find recipes that you can make ahead and freeze. Butter cakes freeze well, as do most Bundt cakes. There are even frosted cakes that you freeze—it's like having a ready-to-go party in your freezer.
You can freeze the Chocolate-Covered Chai-Tea Bars: freeze the uncut, fully glazed cake on a baking sheet lined with parchment, plastic, or foil and then, when it's solid, wrap it airtight. If, when the cake is defrosted, the glaze is a little dull, you can bring back its gloss by giving it a few puffs of heat from a hairdryer. Cut into bars just before serving.
Make big batches of chocolate-chip and other drop-cookie dough, put the balls of dough on a lined baking sheet, and freeze. When the balls are solid, pop them into plastic bags and pack them airtight. Dip into your stash any time you want freshly baked cookies. Leave the balls of dough on your counter while you pre-heat the oven, and then bake away.
Make a double-batch of slice-and-bake cookies (or make lots more—the logs of dough can stay in the freezer for 2 months). When you're headed off to a friend's house, bake one log and bring the cookies along with the other unbaked log to stow in their freezer—it's a double gift: cookies for now and more for later.
-Dorie Greenspan