Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (61 page)

Prepare a tray that will hold the stuffed figs by lining it with wax paper or aluminum foil, and make room for it in the refrigerator or freezer.

CHOCOLATE STUFFING

¼ cup heavy cream

4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (see Note)

1 tablespoon butter

1 egg yolk

Place the cream in a small saucepan over moderate heat until it just barely comes to a boil.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop or break up the chocolate.

Add the chocolate to the hot cream and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat. Add the butter and stir until the butter is melted. Let stand to cool slightly—about 2 or 3 minutes. Stir in the egg yolk until smooth.

Transfer to a small bowl for easy handling. Place in the freezer, stirring occasionally until the stuffing is about as stiff as chilled whipped butter.

With a small metal spatula or a table knife, fill the figs with the chocolate mixture. It is best to fill each half and then press the cut bottom together to close and reform the fig—each fig will hold about a teaspoon or a bit more of the stuffing.

Place the filled figs stem up on the prepared tray and refrigerate or freeze while you make the glaze—the figs must be cold when they are glazed.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (see Note)

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Coarsely chop or break the chocolate and place it in the top of a small double boiler over warm water on low heat. Add the vegetable shortening. Cover until partially melted. Then uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler, dry the underside of the pot (a drop of
water would spoil the chocolate), and transfer the chocolate to a small custard cup for easy handling.

Line another tray or a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or wax paper to hold the glazed figs.

Hold a chilled stuffed fig by the stem and dip it in the chocolate almost but not quite up to the stem. Hold it briefly over the custard cup for the excess chocolate to run off, wipe the bottom of the fig against the side of the cup to remove excess chocolate, and place it stem up on the prepared tray. (There should not be so much chocolate on any fig that it runs down and forms a heavy layer on the bottom.) Continue to glaze all of the figs.

Refrigerate until the glaze is completely firm. Then carefully remove the figs from the aluminum foil or wax paper.

Place them on a serving dish and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for at least a few hours or several days if you wish. Or freeze them (thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for an hour or so at room temperature before unwrapping).

Although these may be served either cold or at room temperature, I like them better cold.

NOTE
:
Use any semisweet or bittersweet chocolate. I have made these with many different chocolates—I especially like them with extra-bittersweet.

Chocolate Fondue

6 TO 8
S
ERVINGS

Fondue is French for melted; a fondue is a melted food. Originally it was a melted cheese dish served with chunks of bread. It is probably the most popular dish from Switzerland. The recipe has come a long way to this chocolate version—a fun dessert. It is especially good for a casual party.

To serve it properly you need a fondue pot or some other way of keeping the chocolate warm. And it must be within comfortable reach of all the guests; on a very long table you need more than one fondue pot. (It is most cozy to serve this on a round table with a lazy Susan in the middle.)

You will serve the warm chocolate mixture and an assortment (few or many—it’s up to you) of dunkable foods. The dunkables may be on one large platter, or many small ones, or each guest can be served a plate with an assortment. Most commonly they are well-drained pineapple chunks which may be fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed. (Some fonduers rave about the delicious quality of frozen pineapple chunks dipped in the warm chocolate. If you want to try that, the pineapple, which may be fresh, canned, or frozen and thawed, should be well drained. Each chunk should have a toothpick stuck in it to lift it with. The pieces should be frozen—not touching each other—on a foil-covered tray.) Fresh strawberries are wonderful. So are orange sections, apple wedges, banana chunks, lady fingers, graham crackers, chunks of angel food or pound cake. And marshmallows, candied orange and grapefruit peel. Dried figs, dried apricots, pitted dried prunes and dates. And most especially (seriously, these are divine), saltines, pretzels, and plain salted but unflavored matzohs.

Long-handled fondue forks might or might not be necessary depending on the dippers you serve. Some of them (saltines, pretzels, graham crackers) are finger-food. But some fresh fruits, some dried fruits, marshmallows, or squares of pound cake will require a fondue fork for each person.

I think it is best to make the chocolate mixture in the kitchen and transfer it to the fondue pot just before serving. Fondue recipes are very flexible. You can vary the chocolates and the liquors. Just remember to keep the mixture thick; it should coat the dunkable items heavily. Here are three different popular recipes.

TOBLERONE FONDUE

12 ounces Toblerone milk chocolate (see Note)

½ cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons light rum, kirsch, or Grand Marnier

Break up the chocolate or chop it coarsely. Place it in a small saucepan with the cream over low heat. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. If necessary, stir briskly with a small wire whisk. (This may be done ahead of time and kept warm over warm water on low heat. Or it may be reheated.) Just before serving stir in the liquor or liqueur and transfer to the fondue pot. The mixture should be thick, but if it is too thick add a bit more cream.

NOTE:
To make a semisweet fondue, substitute Toblerone bittersweet chocolate for half of the milk chocolate.

HERSHEY FONDUE

1 pound Hershey’s milk chocolate

4 ounces Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate

¾ cup light cream

3 tablespoons kirsch, or ½ teaspoon almond extract

Follow the directions for the above Toblerone Fondue.

MAILLARD’S FONDUE

2 cups heavy cream

4 ounces cream cheese

6 or 8 ounces Maillard’s Eagle Sweet chocolate or any other semisweet chocolate

Optional: 1 or 2 tablespoons Cognac

In a heavy saucepan over moderate heat bring the cream to a boil. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Break up the chocolate or chop it coarsely, add it to the cream and cream cheese, and stir until melted and smooth. If necessary, stir briskly with a small wire whisk. Just before serving stir in the optional Cognac and transfer to the fondue pot. The mixture should be thick but if it is too thick add a bit of milk.

Sauces

THE WORLD’S BEST HOT FUDGE SAUCE

MILK-CHOCOLATE WITH-ALMONDS-BAR SAUCE

RUM MOCHA CHOCOLATE SAUCE

MICHEL GUÉRARD’S FRENCH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

BASIC CHOCOLATE SAUCE (with 8 variations)

(See Pontchartrain Chocolate Sauce 234 and the Stork Club’s Profiterole Sauce 171)

The World’s Best Hot Fudge Sauce

1
C
UP

This is very thick, coal black, as shiny as wet tar, and not too sweet. It will turn chewy and even thicker when it is served over cold ice cream—great! It may be served hot or warm, but at room temperature or chilled it will be too thick. It may be refrigerated for a week or two before serving.

½ cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons sweet butter, cut into small pieces

⅓ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

Pinch of salt

½ cup strained unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (it must be Dutch process to have the right color and flavor)

Place the cream and butter in a heavy 1-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Stir until the butter is melted and the cream just comes to a low boil. Add both sugars and stir for a few minutes until they are dissolved. (The surest test is to taste; cook and taste until you do not feel any undissolved granules in your mouth.)

Reduce the heat. Add the salt and cocoa and stir briskly with a small wire whisk until smooth. (If the sauce is not smooth—if there are any small lumps of undissolved cocoa—press against them, and stir well, with a rubber spatula.) Remove from the heat.

Serve immediately or reheat slowly, stirring frequently, in the top of a double boiler over hot water, or in a heavy saucepan over the lowest heat.

This should be thick, but if it is reheated it may be too thick. If so, stir in a bit of hot water, adding very little at a time.

NOTE:
If you plan to store the sauce in the refrigerator, use a straight-sided glass jar or any covered container that flares out at the top. The sauce will become too firm when it is chilled to be spooned out of a jar. It is best to place the jar in hot water until the block of sauce melts on the outside and can be poured out of the jar. Then place the sauce in the top of a small double boiler over hot water, or in a small heavy saucepan over the lowest heat. With a wooden spatula cut the sauce into pieces as you stir until completely melted.

Milk-Chocolate-with-Almonds-Bar Sauce

1
C
UP

Everyone loves this—be prepared with enough. One cup should be enough for four portions if it is served over ice cream, but I have seen times when two cups was not too much. Yes, it is as easy as it sounds.

½ pound milk chocolate bar with almonds.

¼ cup boiling water

Break up the chocolate and place it in the top of a small double boiler.

Milk chocolate must be melted very slowly or it may become lumpy, so place the top of the double boiler over warm water on low heat. Cover and let stand until melted. Milk chocolate holds its shape when melted—the only way you will know it is melted is by stirring it; stir with a rubber spatula.

When the chocolate is melted, add the boiling water all at once and continue to stir with a rubber spatula until the chocolate and water are smoothly blended.

Serve right away, or keep warm over warm water, or let cool and serve at room temperature, or reheat slowly over warm water.

If the sauce thickens too much while standing, stir in a few drops of water. (The thought that a chocolate sauce could be too thick reminds me of an old saying that Grandma Heatter used when someone complained about something that was too good: She would say, “The bride was too beautiful.”)

This is especially popular served slightly warm over vanilla and/or coffee ice cream. Or anything.