Chocolate Royal

I was planning on posting my recipes much more often, but I was slowed down by my husband. Believe it or not, he started cooking, always complaining about the results, but with enthusiasm in discovering new flavors and serving new dishes. So I have to share my already small kitchen with him, who in the last few weeks has been cooking homemade sausages almost non-stop. He also started reading La Cucina Italiana. Who does actually read La Cucina Italiana??? I mean, we, food-lovers, look at the pictures, read the recipes… he actually reads all the articles! And then comes to me with all this prescriptions regarding how to place food in the fridge and entertains me for hours with the story of Tabasco. Despite this annoying new obsession (but at least he abandoned a few others to cultivate this one) it’s been great to share this great passion with him and it’s going to be fun to try new dishes together, at least as long as he recognizes who’s the boss!

This recipe of a traditional French cake comes straight from a great, beautiful book on chocolate techniques and recipes. I made just a couple of minor changes and the result was delicious. The book is Cooking with Chocolate – Essential Recipes and Techniques, edited by Frederic Bau.

INGREDIENTS FOR 10-12 PEOPLE:

ALMOND DACQUOISE

1/3 cup (1 ¼ oz / 35gr) all-purpose unbleached flour

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (3 ½ / 100gr) ground almonds

1 cup (4 ¼ oz / 120gr) confectioners’ sugar

6 (6 oz / 170gr) egg whites

1/3 cup (2 oz / 60gr) sugar

CRISP PRALINE

3.5 oz (100gr) milk chocolate, 40% cocoa
1 ½ oz (80gr) crushed crepes dentelles
(wafer-like biscuits also sold on Amazon.com)
7oz (200gr) homemade praline
(a paste of nuts and sugar – see below for recipe)

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

7 ½ oz (220gr) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa

2 egg yolks

5 teaspoons (2/3 oz / 20gr) sugar
½ cup (100ml) whole milk
Heavy cream, divided as follows:
1 ¼ cup (300ml) and
1 ½ cup (400ml)

Prepare your homemade praline. Preheat the oven to 300 ºF (150ºC). Roast 5 oz (140gr) of hazelnuts or blanched almonds for about 10 minutes. Leave them to cool for a few minutes and peel the hazelnuts (for this recipe I used only hazelnuts). Keep in a warm place.
Prepare a caramel with 3 ½ oz (100gr) of sugar, preheating a saucepan and pouring in one third of the sugar. Stir constantly until it reaches a uniform caramel color. Add the next third of the sugar, stirring constantly. Then pour in the remaining third, still stirring constantly, until the sugar caramelizes completely. 

Incorporate the roasted nuts, stirring quickly until thoroughly combined, and immediately smooth out over a silicone sheet or sheet of parchment paper. Leave to cool at room temperature. Then break up the praline into medium chunks and place them into the bowl of a food processor and process until you have a smooth paste.

Prepare the almond dacquoise, which is a light soft meringue that has nuts folded into it and is baked in a thin layer. Preheat the oven to 350ºF – 375ºF (180ºC - 190ºC). Sift the flour with the ground almonds and the confectioners’ sugar into a mixing bowl.

Whisk the egg whites with the sugar, until soft peaks are formed. When whisking the whites, make sure that the bowl is perfectly clean and dry and that the whites are at room temperature. Always add a pinch of salt, use medium speed and stop when you obtain soft peaks (like shaving foam or styling mousse), not stiff peaks.

Carefully fold in the sifted dry ingredients with a flexible spatula. Spread it out evenly over the silicone mat or a parchment paper sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a nice golden color.

Now it’s time to prepare the crisp praline. Chop the milk chocolate and melt it slowly in a bain-marie. Crush the wafer biscuits. Incorporate the praline into the melted chocolate, and then carefully stir in the crushed crepes dentelles.

Prepare a 9.5-10 in. (24-26cm) springform pan (a hinged pan) putting a parchment paper sheet at the bottom. Cut the dacquoise base out into a circle slightly smaller than the pan, put it at the bottom of the pan and cover it with the crisp praline. Place in the refrigerator.

The last step of this preparation is the bittersweet chocolate mousse. Chop the chocolate and melt it slowly in a bain-marie. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until thick and pale. Add the milk and 1 ¼ cup (300ml) of heavy cream, pour the mixture into a saucepan and simmer over low heat. The temperature should not rise over 183ºF (84ºC). The only purpose of this step is to melt the sugar and smooth the mixture. Overheating it can cook the eggs and ruin the cream. Remove from the heat and pour the custard through a mesh strainer into a mixing bowl. Process for a few seconds with an immersion blender for a smooth, creamy texture. Gradually and very slowly pour the custard over the melted chocolate, mixing energetically. Process with an immersion blender for a perfect texture. 


Whip the remaining heavy cream with an electric blender until it is lightly whipped. Both the bowl and the heavy cream have to be well-chilled. When the chocolate mixture reaches a temperature of 113ºF – 122ºF (45ºC – 50ºC), fold in the whipped cream, carefully and softly, with a flexible spatula.

Pour this chocolate mousse into the pan and place in the freezer immediately and freeze for at least 12 hours. A few hours before serving remove the cake from the pan and put in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Serve it only when it is completely defrosted. Decorate with praline, cocoa powder and whipped cream.

Cavatelli with Eggplant, Arugula, Olives, Pine Nuts and Pecorino Cheese

Ingredients (4 people):

Cavatelli or other kind of short pasta 1 lb.

1 medium eggplant

Arugula

Pine nuts 1 tbsp.

Black pitted olives 12-15

Grated pecorino cheese 1 tbsp.

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

1 garlic clove

Wash and cut the eggplant lengthwise, in ½ inch thick slices, then cut the slices in small cubes. To do things by the book, before cooking the eggplants you should sprinkle them with abundant salt and put them in a colander with a plate on top to press the eggplant. This way they will release the juice that sometimes give them a bitter taste. To tell the truth, I never do this whole process and I usually cook the eggplant right away. I haven’t had any problem and I like the taste anyway. Fry the eggplant cubes in abundant olive oil. The olive oil is perfect to fry eggplants because it has a high smoke point and also because eggplants absorb a lot of oil and it is important to use oil with a good and delicate taste. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: it’s not exactly a law-fat recipe! It is also important to put the cubes in the pan when the oil is very hot and to use abundant oil. Abundant oil will tend to keep a high temperature when you put the eggplants which will form a nice crust limiting the amount of oil absorbed. If you don’t have much oil, cook the eggplant cubes in two or three rounds. Once brown, drain the cubes and let them rest on kitchen paper, without covering them, to release part of the oil. Add a pinch of salt.

Once you’ve cooked the eggplant you are more or less done with the recipe. Wash and dry the arugula and set it aside. Bring abundant water to a boil in a large pot, add salt and the pasta, stir immediately and then once every 3-4 minutes until cooked. Check the cooking time on the box but also taste it a couple of times. After you add the past to the water, sauté the garlic with the pine nuts and olives in olive oil for a couple of minutes in a large skillet. 

Drain the pasta setting aside about one cup of its boiling water. Transfer the pasta in the skillet and add the arugula and the eggplant cubes. Mix well, adding some of the water that you set aside, and additional olive oil if needed. When all the ingredients are well mixed add the pecorino cheese and some freshly ground pepper.

My Grandma's Apple Cake

I inherited this recipe from my grandmother. She made it for my two sisters and me because it is a delicious low-fat and healthy cake (she didn’t know that we ate it all in a couple of hours – and it was big!). The other thing I inherited from her is the recipe of the crème caramel, that she called “latte alla portoghese”, milk the Portuguese way (to be posted here soon) -- for some reason, she only made that one in a small portion, for my grandfather’s exclusive delight. I remember that when I visited them, almost everyday in the summer when I was a child, I used to look at that special pot, my mouth watering. But I’d soon forget about it when I was offered a sugar cube and a few cookies or a slice of the marvelous apple cake!

160 gr (0.35 lb) unbleached all-purpose flour

150 gr (0.33 lb) sugar

2 eggs (separate the yolk from the white)

½ pack (one small teaspoon) of yeast

Water

1 pinch of salt 

Grated lemon zest

5 medium to big apples

½ lemon (to be squeezed)

½ cup pine nuts

½ cup raisins

½ cup chopped hazelnuts

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp powdered sugar

Pass the flour through a sieve. In a large bowl combine sugar, flour, the egg yolks (set aside the egg whites), lemon zest and salt with a mixer adding gradually about ½ cup of water. The exact amount of water needed depends on how big the eggs are and how dry is the flour. The mixture is supposed to be quite thick, but well blended. 

Add the cinnamon and the yeast and mix.

Peel and cut the apples in small pieces and add one tablespoon of brown sugar. Pour the lemon juice on the apples and toss in the pine nuts, raisins and hazelnuts.

In a small bowl beat the egg whites until stiff. Egg whites should be beaten when they are at room temperature, adding a pinch of salt. The bowl and beaters should be perfectly clean and dry. If there is a little water or oil residue in the bowl or a little hint of yolk in the whites, it will interfere seriously with the formation of air bubbles.

Slowly incorporate the egg whites into the mixture, folding about ¼ of beaten egg whites into the mixture with a flexible spatula, stirring normally. This will lighten the mixture. Then pour in the remaining beaten egg whites and fold in gently with a vertical movement (instead of round and round), with the bowl tipped on its side.

Add the chopped apples to the mixture and pour into a 10-inch round baking pan. 

Bake in a pre-heated oven to 350ºF (180ºC) for 45-60 minutes. Pull out of the oven and let the cake cool off. Just a few minutes before serving cover with sifted powdered sugar.

Shrimp and Scallop Tartare Risotto!

320 gr (0.7 lb) rice (possibly Carnaroli, or Arborio)
450 gr (1 lb) shrimp with shell
8 whole scallops
100 gr (0.11 lb) butter
a shallot
3 cloves of garlic
parsley
chive
1 glass dry white wine
one bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Wash, pat dry and cut the scallops with a heavy knife into 1/8-inch dice.
















Put the tartare in a bowl and season with pepper, chives, salt and a drizzle of oil, let it marinate in the refrigerator.

Bring to boil a liter of water in a saucepan with the bay leaf, 2 cloves of garlic and a little salt. Add the shrimp, cook for 3 minutes, then drain the shrimp with a slotted spoon and remove the shells. Set aside the shrimp and put the shells back in the boiling water for 10 minutes obtaining a broth that will be used to cook the risotto. Strain the broth and keep it on low heat.

For the risotto I like to use nonstick pans, possibly ceramic-coated. They are a great advance over traditional nonstick pans, and safer because they are made without the toxic chemicals used in the manufacture of teflon nonstick pans. In a large pan heat half of the butter, add the finely chopped shallot and sauté for 4 or 5 minutes or until it starts to brown. Add the rice and stir it with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the melted butter. Sauté for another minute or so, until there is a slightly nutty aroma, but don't let the rice turn brown.










Pour half of the wine and stir.










When the wine is absorbed, cover with the strained hot broth. If you are using a nonstick pan you can stir every 3-4 minutes, otherwise stir continously, and continue adding broth when you see that the rice has absorbed most of it.

When the rice is almost cooked (the grain is soft outside but still hard inside) and the broth almost all absorbed, turn off the heat and stir in 2/3 of the scallop tartare, the shrimp (except two or three for the serving dish), the remaining butter and wine, a finely chopped garlic clove, parsley and salt, if necessary. Set aside the risotto for 3-4 minutes, then stir once more and serve it with the remaining tartare and shrimp, freshly ground pepper and parsley.