Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (38 page)

1 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons strained all-purpose whole-wheat flour (see Notes)

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon allspice

4 ounces (1 stick) sweet butter

Scant ½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup light or dark brown sugar (see Notes), firmly packed

2 eggs (graded large or extra-large)

4 ounces (generous 1 cup) walnuts, cut or broken into medium-size pieces

½ cup raisins

Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8-inch square cake pan as follows: Place the pan upside down. Cut a 12-inch square of aluminum foil and center over the inverted pan. Fold down the sides and corners, and then remove the foil and turn the pan right side up. Place the shaped foil in the pan and press it smoothly and firmly into place. In order not to tear the
foil, place a pot holder in the pan and press against the pot holder. Then butter the bottom and sides of the foil, using soft or melted butter and a pastry brush or crumpled wax paper. Set the prepared pan aside.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat, and then remove it from the hot water and set aside to cool.

Sift the flour with the cinnamon, ginger, and allspice, and set aside.

In the small bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the salt, and vanilla and almond extracts. Then add the sugar and beat until well mixed. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until smooth after each addition. Add the chocolate and beat only until smooth. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat on low speed, continuing to scrape the bowl with the spatula, and beating only until incorporated. Stir in the walnuts and raisins.

Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it to make an even layer.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick gently inserted in the center of the cake comes out barely clean and dry—there may be a few specks of chocolate clinging to the toothpick. Do not overbake.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it stand until it reaches room temperature (this might take up to an hour).

Cover the pan with a rack and invert pan and rack. Remove the pan and the aluminum foil. Cover with another rack and invert again, leaving the cake right side up.

It will be easier to cut neat squares if you place the cake in the freezer until it is quite firm. Then transfer it to a cutting board. Use a long, sharp knife or, preferably, a long, finely serrated one, and cut the cake into 16 squares.

These may be arranged on a tray and covered with plastic wrap. Or they may be wrapped individually in clear cellophane or wax paper. They may be frozen and may be served either at room temperature or straight from the freezer.

NOTES
:
1. There is a slight difference in the taste of light and dark brown sugar. However, since chocolate is the strong taste in these I doubt if you will notice any difference between the light and dark. But just for the record, I have been using dark in this recipe.

2. All-purpose whole-wheat flour is too coarse to be sifted—it is better to strain it. Shake it through a large, fine strainer set over a large bowl. Any pieces that are too coarse to go through the strainer should be stirred into the strained flour.

3. These will be very thick Brownies—about 1¼ inches thick.

Chocolate Honey Bars

32
B
ARS

These are a cross between Brownies and honey cake. They get better if you freeze them for a few days or longer before serving.

4 ounces (4 squares) unsweetened chocolate

2 ounces (½ stick) sweet butter

4 eggs (graded large or extra-large)

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup honey

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour

3 ounces (generous ½ cup) raisins

8 ounces (2 generous cups) walnut halves or large pieces

Optional: 4 ounces (½ cup) diced candied orange or lemon peel

Adjust rack to the center of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch square cake pan as follows: Invert the pan and center a 12-inch square of aluminum foil over the pan. Fold down the sides and the corners of the foil to shape it like the pan. Remove the foil, turn the pan right side up, and place the foil in the pan. In order not to tear the foil with your fingernails, place a pot holder or folded towel in the pan and press it gently to press the foil into place in the pan. With a pastry brush coat the foil with soft or melted butter. Set the pan aside.

Place the chocolate and the butter in the top of an uncovered small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat, or in a heavy saucepan over low heat, and stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In the small bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs with the vanilla and sugar at high speed for about 5 minutes until very pale and thick. On low speed gradually add the honey, then the chocolate and butter, and then the salt and flour, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until each addition is incorporated. Stir in the raisins, nuts, and the optional peel.

Turn into the prepared pan. Smooth the top.

Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a toothpick gently inserted into the middle of the cake just barely comes out clean and dry.

Let the cake cool in the pan until it reaches room temperature.

Cover with a rack, invert pan and rack, remove the pan and the foil, cover with another rack leaving the cake right side up. Let stand for a few hours or refrigerate briefly before cutting.

Transfer the cake to a cutting board. With a finely serrated knife or a long, thin, sharp knife, cut the cake into quarters. Cut each quarter in half and then cut each piece into four narrow bars.

Wrap each piece individually in cellophane or wax paper, or place them in an airtight box with wax paper between the layers.

VARIATIONS
:
A mildly spiced version of these Honey Bars calls for ½ teaspoon of each, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, sifted together with the flour. I have also made this spiced version with about ½ cup diced candied ginger.

A Brownie Sundae

A Brownie Sundae has long been a popular all-American dessert (just watch them fly to the tables and counters at Howard Johnson’s).

Cut the Brownies (any Brownies) into squares larger than you would if you were going to serve them as cookies, top each one with a scoop of ice cream, then a generous amount of the World’s Best Hot Fudge Sauce (see page 258) or any other chocolate sauce and a large spoonful of whipped cream.

PASTRIES

Individual Pastries

Pies

Individual Pastries

CHOCOLATE SERENDIPITY

CHOCOLATE PASTICCIOS

VIENNESE CHOCOLATE SQUARES

CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS

PROFITEROLES

CHOCOLATE PROFITEROLES

FRENCH FUDGE SQUARES

CHOCOLATE MADELEINES

Chocolate Serendipity

20
P
ORTIONS

(See Note)

This is a most unusual dessert—chic, simple, elegant, and absolutely delicious. If they serve chocolate and whipped cream in heaven this has to be on the menu.

It takes time and patience to put together but is great fun and can all be done a day ahead.

Plan it for a dinner party or a luncheon and once you have made it you won’t be able to wait to make it again.

It consists of a thin, thin layer of almost flourless chocolate cake, covered with a thick, thick layer of whipped cream, covered with a paper-thin coating of bittersweet chocolate glaze. It is then cut into squares before serving. And is refrigerated until it is served.

You will need a long, narrow metal spatula—mine has an 8-inch blade.

CAKE

5 ounces semisweet chocolate

7 tablespoons (1 stick less 1 tablespoon) sweet butter

½ cup granulated sugar

4 eggs (graded large), separated

1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons sifted all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

Adjust rack to the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10½ × 15½ × 1-inch jelly-roll pan. Dust it with flour, invert and tap to shake out excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Place the chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted. Uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside, uncovered, to cool slightly.

In the small bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter. Add the sugar and beat to mix well. Beat in the egg yolks all at once, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating well. On low speed add the melted chocolate and beat until smooth. Add the flour and beat only to mix. Remove from the mixer.

Add the salt to the egg whites in a small, clean bowl and beat until they hold a definite shape but are not dry.

Fold about one-quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture. Then fold in half of the remaining whites, and finally the balance of the whites, being careful not to handle any more than necessary.

Turn into the prepared pan. Very gently and carefully spread the mixture to make a smooth and even layer—it will be very thin.

Bake for 18 minutes. If the cake puffs up in a few places during baking don’t worry about it—it will settle down.

Let the cake cool completely in the pan. It will be only ⅓ inch thick (thin). If you want to do this ahead of time, the cake can be covered in the pan and frozen or refrigerated. It is best if the cake is really cold or even frozen when the whipped cream is put on.

WHIPPED CREAM

1½ teaspoons unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons cold water

½ cup strained confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional: 1 tablespoon rum or brandy

3 cups heavy cream

Chill the large bowl of an electric mixer and the beaters in the freezer or refrigerator before whipping the cream.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small glass custard cup. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then
place the cup in shallow hot water in a small pan over low heat. Let stand until the gelatin is dissolved. Remove from the hot water and set aside.

While the gelatin is melting, add the sugar, vanilla, and optional rum or brandy to about 2¾ cups of the cream (reserve about ¼ cup) in the chilled large bowl of the electric mixer. With the chilled beaters, beat until the cream barely starts to thicken.

Stir the reserved ¼ cup cream into the dissolved gelatin and, with the mixer going, add it all at once to the partially whipped cream and continue to beat until the cream holds a firm and definite shape. (In order to beat it enough and still avoid overbeating, which would turn it to butter, I suggest that you finish the beating at the end with a large balloon-type wire whisk.)

Place the stiffly whipped cream over the top of the cold cake and spread it evenly. With a long, narrow metal spatula spread it very smooth—it will just reach the top of the cake pan, and must be smooth.

Refrigerate the cake now for at least 1 hour, but it may be several hours if you wish.

About half an hour before glazing the cake, prepare the glaze.