Daring Bakers February 2009 Recipes

Chocolate Valentino

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

• One pound of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped (I used half 61%, half milk chocolate)
• ½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 5 large eggs, separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60F.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will
look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.



Chocolate Heart Lid—no tempering was done here!

3 oz dark chocolate, melted
3 oz white ‘chocolate,’ melted

Dollop random spoonfuls of melted chocolate in a wax-paper lined 8” bottomless heart-shaped ring mold placed on a baking sheet. Holding ring and pan firmly together, rap on countertop to level chocolate, and then swirl dark and light chocolates together by dragging a knife through alternating colors. Place in freezer to set (appx. 20 minutes). Lift off ring and keep chocolate lid cool until assembling final dessert.

Note: I used Reynolds nonstick foil to wrap around my form. Alternately, you could butter the outside edges of your form to help the waxed paper liner to stick, wrap it, and then cover the waxed paper within regular foil to help secure it.



Passion Fruit and Honey Sorbet

2 cans passion fruit nectar
2 Tbs. Honey
Swig of whole milk

Whisk honey with a few spoonfuls of passion fruit nectar until honey is loose. Pour in remaining nectar, add a swig of milk and whisk thoroughly before freezing in your ice cream maker.