COMMENT:
Yes, that's what I said. Chocolate soup! This dish was originally
created at Le Cirque 2000 in New York City by the talented pastry
chef, Jacques Torres. Feel free to enhance this soup with any fresh
fruit in season, pound cake or angel food cake. The addition of
individual heart-shaped poundcakes in each bowl, make this dish
a Valentine's day treat!
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate
- 4 cups half and half
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1/3 cup creme de cacao
- 3 tbsps Frangelico
- 6 individual pound cakes, heart-shaped
- fresh strawberry slices for garnish
- 1/2 cup whipping cream, lightly whipped
METHOD:
In a medium saucepan, combine half and half, chocolate and sugar.
Place over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the chocolate
melts and sugar dissolves. While mixture is heating, whip egg yolks
in a stainless steel mixing bowl. Whisk in 1 cup of the chocolate
mixture. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the chocolate/milk mixture,
stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in the liqueurs.
You may pour the mixture into a container, tightly cover and refrigerate
until chilled, at least 2 hours or as long as 5 days. If serving
warm, place individual pound cakes in the center of 6 soup bowls.
(Note: Heart-shaped cookie cutters are available at your local kitchen
supply store.) Ladle an equal amount of chocolate soup into each
bowl and garnish with fresh strawberry slices. Top with a dollop
of whipped cream. (Note: If you wish to warm the mixture after refrigeration,
simply place the chocolate soup in a bowl over a pot of simmering
water while whisking constantly to desired temperature.) This soup
is also excellent with caramelized bananas.
INGREDIENTS FOR CARAMELIZED BANANAS:
- 4 large bananas, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
METHOD:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl place bananas and rum. Toss to coat
well. Set aside at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Place
sugar in a heavy-bottom cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
Allow to melt until sugar is golden brown. Do not burn. Remove from
heat and immediately add butter, stirring until smooth. Add bananas
and rum and return to medium-high heat. Take caution as rum may
ignite when added to the skillet. Continue to cook until almost
all of the liquid has evaporated and the bananas are soft, but not
mushy. Remove from heat and pour onto a plate. Cover with plastic
wrap and let cool about 20 minutes. Garnish each soup bowl with
an equal portion of bananas and serve. |
