All Info About Chocolate Recipes

posted by Carol on Nov 19

Makes about 18 stars, depending on size. These cookies are ideal when you fancy a change from rich Christmas food.

Ingredients
275g/10oz butter
450g/16oz plain (all purpose) flour
250g/9oz castor (fine grained) sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1 level tsp cocoa powder

Method
1. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, then mix in the beaten egg to bind it together.

2. Divide the dough in half and work the cocoa powder into one half until it is well mixed.

3. Roll out the plain dough first between sheets of non-stick paper to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Use a star shaped cutter, 3 inches in diameter, to cut out 9 shapes. With a smaller star cutter, less than 2 inches in diameter, cut out a star from the centre of each cookie.

4. Repeat the last step with the chocolate dough.

5. Place the larger hollow stars on greased baking sheets then use the small stars to fill in the holes in the large ones. Use small chocolate stars in the large plain ones, and small plain stars in the large chocolate ones.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 190 deg C or 375 deg F for about 10 to 15 minutes.

posted by Carol on Nov 19

Makes about 25-30. These just walk straight off the plate, so don’t worry how they keep!

Ingredients
65g/2-1/4oz butter
60g/2oz castor (fine grained) sugar
60g/2oz plain (all purpose) flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
2 tbs milk
150g/5oz plain (semi-sweet) chocolate, melted, for coating

Peppermint filling
220g/8oz icing (confectioners) sugar
1-2 tsp peppermint essence or oil

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg C, 350 deg F and line 2 baking sheets with non-stick paper.

2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and frothy, sift the flour and cocoa together then mix into the butter and sugar mixture, adding the milk gradually.

3. When the mixture forms a soft dough, knead it then cut in half. Roll out the first half between sheets of non-stick paper to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Using a plain cutter, 1-1/2 inch in diameter, cut out cookies from the dough and place on a baking tray.

4. Repeat the last step with the other half of the dough. Bake all the cookies for about 10 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.

5. Peppermint Filling - Beat egg white and about half the sifted icing sugar together. Add the peppermint essence - you need to taste this to get the right amount of peppermint to suit your own taste. Beat in the remaining sifted icing sugar. You might need more icing sugar than shown above. You need a soft dough. If you do need more icing sugar to achieve this, add it gradually. If you overdo it, you can always add a drop or two of water.

6. Now you need to break a piece of peppermint filling and use them to sandwich two cookies together. The filling should come right to the edges of the cookies. Continue doing this until all the cookies are sandwiched together.

7. Dip half each sandwich cookie into the melted chocolate and then leave to set on non-stick paper.

posted by Carol on Nov 19

Serves 6 - 8 The mixture of chocolate and meringue works surprisingly well and it makes a glamorous looking dessert especially for the festive season.

Meringues on Cake Rack Photographic Print
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Ingredients
100g/4oz butter, melted
225g/8oz digestive biscuits (graham crackers)

50g/2oz castor (fine grained) sugar
3 egg yolks
4 tbs cornflour (cornstarch)
600ml/20 fl oz milk
100g/4oz plain (semi-sweet) chocolate

Meringue
2 egg whites
100g/4oz castor (fine grained) sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C/350 deg F. Line the outside of a 20cm/8 inch cake pan with a removable bottom (Springform are best) with two layers of foil to make it waterproof.

2. To make the base: crush the biscuits into crumbs then mix with the melted butter. A quick way to do both, is to put the biscuits in a food processor, then, when the biscuits have been reduced to crumbs, pour in the butter. Press the mixture evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the cake pan. Refrigerate.

3. Beat the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour to a smooth paste. Add a little of the milk if the mixture is too stiff.

4. Heat the remaining milk almost to boiling then slowly pour it on to the beaten egg mixture, whisking well as you do so.

5. When it is well mixed, put it in the pan again over a slow heat, whisking continuously. Do not leave it! If you do, it will thicken into lumps. Keep whisking until it does thicken then remove from the heat and whisk in the melted chocolate. Pour the mixture into the cake pan.

6. Put the cake pan in a larger roasting pan and pour boiling water into the roasting pan to a depth of about 1 to 2 inches.

7. Make the meringue by beating the egg whites into soft peaks. Beat in about 2/3 of the sugar then fold in the remainder together with the vanilla extract.

8. Spread the meringue evenly over the mixture in the cake pan, then bake for about 30 minutes or until the meringue is a lovely golden brown. This is a delicious dessert whether hot from the oven or eaten cold later.

posted by Carol on Nov 19

Serves 6 - This is a special, luxurious cold dessert and worthy of serving at a celebration meal like Christmas.

Ingredients
12oz/350g plain chocolate cake
1oz/30g toasted slivered almonds
2 cans/14oz of fruit (or equivalent fresh fruit, peeled, stoned and chopped into bite sized pieces)
1 cup/8 fl ozof fruit juice from the canned fruit or other appropriate juice if using fresh fruit
1/4 cup/2fl oz brandy, Cointreau, Kirsh or other suitable spirit, depending on the fruit you use
2 egg yolks
1 tbs cornflour
2 tbs sugar
1 cup/8 fl oz milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups/12 fl oz whipped cream

Method
1. Slice the cake into pieces about 1 inch thick. Put about 1/3 of the slices in the base of your dish.

2. Make a custard by whisking the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until pale and thick. Bring the milk almost to the boil and then gradually beat it into the egg mixture. Put the mixture into a pan over a moderate heat and stir constantly until the custard boils and thickens. Do not leave the custard even for a second, nor should you stop stirring. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Cover the surface with clingfilm (Saranwrap) to stop a skin forming and leave to cool.

3. If using, drain the canned fruit, saving the juice.

4. Mix the fruit juice with the alchoholic spirit, e.g. brandy then sprinkle a little over the cake in the dish.

5. When the custard is cold, remove the clingfilm (Saranwrap) and stir in half (3/4 cup) of the whipped cream.

6. Now continue to assemble the trifle by putting about 1/3 of the fruit and then 1/3 of the custard over the cake in the bowl.

7. Continue the layers starting with the chocolate cake sprinkled with the juice and brandy mixture, then fruit, then custard.

8. Your final layer should be custard. Again cover it with clingfilm (Saranwrap) and refrigerate for about 4 hours or even overnight if more convenient.

9. Decorate with the remaining whipped cream and toasted almonds and with a little fruit.

posted by Carol on Nov 19

Makes about 24. This is another chocolate nibble that makes an excellent gift for Christmas, if you can persuade you family not to eat them first!

Ingredients
Pieces of fruit, e.g. strawberries, cherries, prunes, grapes, oranges, nectarines, dried peaches, apricots, etc
115g/4oz white chocolate
115g/4oz plain (semi-sweet) chocolate

Method
1. Clean, peel and cut the fruit into small pieces or segments, as appropriate.

2. Line a baking sheet with non-stick paper.

3. Keeping it separate, break the two kinds of chocolate into small pieces.

4. First melt the white chocolate (see techniques) then allow it to cool, stirring frequently. Take each piece of fruit and dip about halfway into the white chocolate. Let the excess chocolate drip off, then place on the covered baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

5. Melt the plain (semi-sweet) chocolate, allow to cool as before. Take the dipped fruit and dip again in the plain chocolate but angling the pieces so part of the white chocolate is covered with the dark chocolate. The finished fruit will then have three different colours - white, dark brown and the natural colour of the fruit. Again chill to allow the chocolate to set. Serve the fruit at room temperature.

posted by Carol on Nov 19

Serves 10 - Many people make a chestnut stuffing for the Christmas turkey, but did you know that chestnuts beautifully complement the taste of chocolate making this a good dessert for Christmas?

Ingredients
Sponge
1 egg
90g/3oz sugar
15g/1/2oz plain (all purpose) flour
15g/1/2 oz cocoa powder
3 tbs water

Mousse
30ml/1 fl oz water
3 egg yolks
90g/3oz caster sugar
120g/4oz plain (semi-sweet) chocolate
300g/10oz can of chestnut purée
3 leaves of gelatine (or 1-1/2 gelatine powder)
1 tbs rum
375ml/12 fl oz double (heavy) cream

Decoration
200ml/6-1/2 fl oz double (heavy) cream
3 marrons glacés
a little cocoa powder

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C/350 deg F. Grease and flour a 7 inch diameter cake tin (pan) with a removable bottom (Springform are best).

2. To make the sponge: put about 1/3 of the caster sugar and the egg in a bowl and whisk until they double in volume. Sieve the flour and cocoa together then fold in to the sugar and egg. Put into the cake tin and cook for about 12 minutes or until firm. When cooked, cool on a wire rack then clean and line the cake tin with a double layer of non-stick paper. When the cake is cool, replace it in the cake tin.

3. Put the remaining sugar, rum and water into a saucepan and dissolve the sugar slowly, stirring continuously. Once the sugar has dissolved, bring the mixture to the boil for one minute without stirring. Pour the mixture evenly over the sponge in the cake tin.

4. To make the mousse: Slowly dissolve the sugar in the water in a saucepan, stirring continuously. Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and boil until a little of the mixture (about 1/4 tsp) holds its shape when dropped into iced water but is still soft to the touch.

5. Whisk the egg yolks, preferably using an electric mixer. Pour the boiling syrup into the mixer boil while continuing to whisk. Keep whisking until the mixture is completely cold.

6. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt (see techniques).

7. Stir the canned chestnut purée into the melted chocolate.

8. If you are using gelatine leaves, put them into a bowl of of cold water, just covering them. If you are using gelatine powder, dissolve it in 1-1/2 tbs of water.

9. Warm the rum in a saucepan, squeeze out the gelatine leaves and place them, or the dissolved gelatine powder, in the rum. Make sure the heat is very low. Shake the saucepan to dissolve and mix the gelatine. Cool the mixture then strain it into the chocolate and chestnut and fold it in.

10. Whip the double (heavy) cream until the whisk leaves a trail then fold it and the chocolate mixture alternately into the egg yolks and syrup. Mix well so that all three mixtures are well combined and there are no pale streaks through the chocolate colour.

11. Pour the mixture on top of the rum soaked sponge in the cake tin (pan). Tap the tin on the work surface to disperse any bubbles. Smooth the surface and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

12. Unclamp the Springform tin and remove it. Whip the cream until it holds its shape and decorate the top of the mousse either by spreading it over and lifting it into peaks or by piping on a pattern. Cut up the marrons glacés and use them to decorate the top too. Finish off the decoration with a light sprinkling of cocoa powder.

posted by Carol on Nov 18

Different types of chocolate should be used for different purposes and not all are good for cooking.

Couverture
This is a top of the range type of chocolate. It is very pure with a high percentage of cocoa butter giving it an excellent flavour. It is usually used for handmade chocolates and decoration. Normally it is tempered before use.

Plain Chocolate (Semi Sweet)
This is the best chocolate to use in desserts, cakes, etc but you must check the percentage of cocoa solids which vary in plain chocolate from 30% to 70%. The higher the percentage, the better the flavour.

Milk Chocolate
This popular chocolate is quite low in cocoa solids, only containing about 20%, and it is sweeter than plain chocolate. Generally, it should not be used for cooking.

White Chocolate
This chocolate gets its flavour from cocoa butter because it contains no cocoa solids. If you use it in cooking or for decorating, you must melt it very carefully.

Chocolate Chips
Normally used mixed in cakes, either big ones or individual ones. They can also be used as decoration.

Cocoa
This is an easy and economical product to use for giving a chocolate flavour to your cooking. It is made from cocoa mass after the cocoa butter has been removed.

Drinking Chocolate
This is much sweeter than cocoa and is generally not as good to use for cooking. It makes a lovely comforting drink, though, on a cold miserable day!

Other Chocolate Products
Chocolate cake covering: this usually has quite a poor chocolate flavouring and you can make a better covering using ‘real’ chocolate or cocoa.

posted by Carol on Nov 18

The golden rule for melting chocolate is don’t rush. The traditional way to do it is in a pan over a bowl of simmering water as described above for tempering.

The easy way to do it, with no danger of it boiling and spoiling, is in the microwave. For about 4ozs (or 100gm) of chocolate, leave in the microwave on full power for about one minute. Take it out and stir it well but not vigorously. If it isn’t quite melted, put it back for maybe 20 or 30 seconds, then stir again.

Even with a larger amount of chocolate, I would only leave it in the microwave initially for about one or one and a half minutes before stirring.

If you do burn the chocolate (the phone rings, your baby cries and you leave it on the simmering pan), you may be able to save it by stirring in vegetable fat like Trex or butter. The best thing is not to burn it, though.

posted by Carol on Nov 18

Tempering couverture chocolate gives it a glossy finish and a hard crisp consistency. If it is not tempered before use it will be poor streaky colour and it may develop a bloom on the surface, making it look unappetising.

To temper chocolate:
1. Break the couverture in small pieces into a bowl

2. Stand the bowl over simmering, NOT boiling, water and stir the chocolate - do no beat it - until it is melted.

3. Take the bowl away from the heat and stand in cold water whilst continuing to stir.

4. Return the bowl to the pan of simmering water and heat until it reaches a temperature of 88 deg F or 31 deg C then remove it from the pan.

5. Test a spoonful of chocolate by spreading it on a cool surface covered with greaseproof paper or on a marble slab. It should set within 5 minutes. If it does not set, repeat steps 3 and 4, testing the chocolate again at the end of the process.

6. While you are using the chocolate, keep it at a steady 88 deg F or 31 deg C.

posted by Carol on Nov 18