Chocolate-Covered Coconut Macaroons

Bon Appétit, September 2002

Ingredients

3 cups (lightly packed) sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup egg whites (about 6 large)
1 3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
9 ounces semisweet chocolate bits
6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Preparation

Mix first 3 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until mixture appears somewhat pasty, stirring constantly, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Spread out coconut mixture on large baking sheet. Refrigerate until cold, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Line another baking sheet with parchment. Press 1/4 cup coconut mixture into pyramid shape (about 1 1/2 inches high). Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining coconut mixture. Bake cookies until golden, about 30 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool.

Set cookies on rack over rimmed baking sheet. Stir chocolate and cream in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Mix in remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spoon glaze over cookies, covering almost completely and allowing chocolate to drip down sides. Refrigerate until glaze sets, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer cookies to airtight container and keep refrigerated.)

Grandma's Pralines (Kay Slaugh)

Ingredients

1 lb light brown sugar

1/8 t salt

3/4 c evaporated milk

1 T butter

2 C pecan halves

Instructions

Mix sugar, salt, milk, butter in 2Q saucepan

Cook and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves

Add pecans

Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage (234 degrees) stirring constantly

Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes

Stir rapidly until mixture begins to thicken

Drop rapidly onto aluminum foil or parchment paper

Too stiff? add 2 drops of hot water


Pumpkin Spice Mousse Gourmet | November 1998

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin (less than 1 envelope)
1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (slightly less than a 15-ounce can)
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups well-chilled heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
18 gingersnaps

Preparation

In a medium metal bowl sprinkle gelatin over cold water to soften 1 minute. Whisk in yolks and sugar and set bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cook egg mixture, whisking constantly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into mixture registers 160°F. (Tilt bowl to facilitate measuring temperature.) Remove bowl from pan and with an electric mixer beat egg mixture until cool and thickened, about 5 minutes (mixture will be very sticky). Beat in pumpkin and spices. Chill pumpkin mixture, covered, until thickened and cool but not set, about 1 hour.

In a bowl with cleaned beaters beat cream with vanilla until it just holds stiff peaks and fold into pumpkin mixture gently but thoroughly. Coarsely crumble 2 gingersnaps into each of 6 Martini glasses (or other 6- to 8-ounce stemmed glasses). Transfer mousse to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe decoratively over cookies in glasses (or simply spoon mousse into glasses). Chill mousses, uncovered, until firm, about 3 hours, and up to 1 day (loosely cover after 3 hours).

Just before serving, garnish mousses with remaining 6 whole gingersnaps.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

Makes 3 1/2 cups (6 to 8 servings).   Published January 1, 2006.

When developing this recipe, we used our winning supermarket brand of dark chocolate, Ghirardelli bittersweet, which contains about 60 percent cacao. If you choose to make the mousse a day in advance, leave it out at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with very lightly sweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings. A hand-held mixer can do the job of a standing mixer in this recipe, though mixing times may vary slightly.

Ingredients

8

ounces bittersweet chocolate , chopped fine

2

tablespoons cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-processed)

1

teaspoon instant espresso powder

5

tablespoons water

1

tablespoon brandy

2

large eggs , separated

1

tablespoon sugar

1/8

teaspoon table salt

1

cup heavy cream , plus 2 additional tablespoons (chilled)

Instructions

1. Melt chocolate, cocoa powder, espresso powder, water, and brandy in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Whisk egg yolks, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and salt in medium bowl until mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into egg mixture and whisk until combined. Let cool until just warmer than room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. In clean bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute. Detach whisk and bowl from mixer and whisk last few strokes by hand, making sure to scrape any unbeaten whites from bottom of bowl. Using whisk, stir about one-quarter of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula until a few white streaks remain.

4. In now-empty bowl, whip heavy cream at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 15 seconds more. Using rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into mousse until no white streaks remain. Spoon into 6 to 8 individual serving dishes or goblets. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set and firm, at least 2 hours. (The mousse may be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Perfect Chocolate Truffles

Makes 2 dozen 1-inch truffles.   Published November 1, 1997.

These truffles are meant to look like the real thing—small, irregular mounds instead of perfectly spherical balls. If you decide to omit the liquor flavoring, reduce chocolate from 9 to 8 ounces. For microwave-oriented cooks, you can melt the chocolate at 50% power for about 3 minutes. The ganache mixture is quite forgiving. If it cools too much in step 1, place the bowl in a larger pan of warm water and stir the mixture until it has softened and warmed up. If this overwarms the mixture, cool it again as directed. The same flexibility applies if you overwhip the ganache by mistake. Simply warm it over the hot water, cool it, and whip it again. One person alone can dip and coat the truffles, but the process is simpler with a second person to roll coated truffles in cocoa and lift them onto a clean pan.

Ingredients

Ganache

9

ounces semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped coarse

1/2

cup heavy whipping cream

2

tablespoons unsalted butter

1

tablespoon light corn syrup

2

tablespoons Cognac , dark rum, Grand Marnier, Framboise, Kirsch, Frangelico, Amaretto, Kahlua, or port

Chocolate and Cocoa Coating

8

ounces semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate

2

cups Dutch-processed cocoa powder , sifted

Instructions

  1. For the ganache: Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth. Set bowl aside. Bring cream, butter, and corn syrup to strong simmer (about 160 degrees) in non-reactive pan over low heat. Remove pan from heat, cool for 5 minutes, then whisk into chocolate. Whisk in liquor. Refrigerate mixture until it cools to 80 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Either in bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment or with handheld electric mixer, whip mixture at medium speed until slightly lightened and thickened to a texture like store-bought canned chocolate frosting, 25 to 30 seconds. Spoon ganache into large pastry bag fitted with 1/2-inch plain tube. Hold bag perpendicular to pan and with tip about 3/4 inch above work surface, and pipe 3/4 -inch mounds (pulling tube away to the side to avoid leaving points) onto parchment or wax paper-covered baking sheet. Alternatively, scoop mounds with tiny (less than 1 tablespoon) ice cream scoop or melon baller. Refrigerate mounds until hardened, at least an hour.
  3. For coating: Following directions in step 1, melt coating chocolate, then cool to 90 degrees, making certain that no water comes into contact with chocolate. Arrange chilled truffle mounds, bowl of melted chocolate, and cocoa-filled high-sided roasting pan on work surface. Working one mound at a time, dip palm of one hand about 1/4-inch deep into melted chocolate, pass one truffle mound with other hand to chocolate-covered hand and close hand around mound to coat, re-dipping hand into chocolate every third or fourth mound. Drop coated truffle into cocoa; roll to coat using fork held in now empty clean hand, leaving truffles in cocoa until chocolate coating has set, about 1 minute. Repeat process until all mounds are in pan of cocoa. Following illustration 4, gently roll 5 to 6 truffles at a time in medium strainer to remove excess cocoa, then transfer to serving plate or tightly covered container. (Can be refrigerated for up to one week.)

 

 

White Chocolate and Vanilla Mousse Recipe

·         4 ounces white chocolate

·         4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

·         2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

·         3 large eggs, separated

·         3/4 cup sugar

·         3 tablespoons cold water

·         1/2 cup heavy cream

In the top of a double boiler, heat the chocolate and butter over simmering water until melted. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Cool to room temperature and set aside until needed.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until thickened and lemon colored, about 4 minutes.

Heat the vanilla sugar and cold water in a small sauce pan over low heat until the mixture begins to boil. Gradually pour into the egg yolks beating constantly.

Place the egg yolk mixture in the top of a double boiler over almost boiling water. Using a wire whisk beat the mixture for minutes or until double in volume. Remove from the hot water and beat another five minutes. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture and mix gently.

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture and mix gently. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight before serving. Spoon into dessert dishes and serve chilled.

Makes about 4 servings.