One of the things I love most in the world is Chocolate. Yes I am a confirmed Chocoholic and I get my fix by having the excuse of sharing it with others. What do I mean? I make glorious chocolate desserts, and my cheesecakes are famous (even if I do say so myself). So here I share my favourite recipes with you so you can indulge extravagantly too :-)
Note: after I have followed a recipe a couple of times I then do it by feel from then on. That allows to me make experiments and has been the cause of some wonders and some disasters!
Note 2: all measurements are in metric (sorry its how I was bought up :)
First some tips when using chocolate:
1. Always buy good quality chocolate, it should always have cocoa mass and milk fat in it and never have vegetable fat. Vegetable fat melts at a different temperature to milk fat and not often as smoothly. I use dark or energy chocolate as it has a stronger taste and less sugar. You can always add sugar later if desired.
2. Never dilute chocolate with water, it seizes (turns it to concrete) and is inedible. Always dilute with cream (milk contains too much water but you can add milk later if needed).
3. Melt chocolate over a double boiler (I use a stainless steel bowl and a small pot). You can use a microwave if you want to. I find a pot is easier to control temperature and consistency.
CHOCOLATE DESSERT RECIPES
Chocolate Mousse
Cheesecake
Chocolate Fondue Sauce
OTHER DESSERT RECIPES
Double Layer Cheesecake (to come)
Yoghurt Marshmellow Delight
500ml Cream
1 big size block of Chocolate
Double Boiler
Large Plastic Bowl (2-3L size)
Electric Mixer (Hand held or proper one)
rubber scraper/wooden spoon
1. Break chocolate into lumps while still in packet by
bashing it on the edge of a bench
2. Put into melting bowl and put over simmering water in
bottom section of double boiler
3. Check often but stir only a little
4. Pour cream into a large bowl and whip till soft peaks form
5. When chocolate appears melted stir gently to check there
are no lumps, if so continue heating until gone, otherwise add to cream.
Note that the cream is cool and the chocolate is hot so you have to mix it in
quickly and well to stop the chocolate going grainy.
I mix it in initially with a wooden spoon in the middle and then use the mixer on a low speed to mix the outside unmixed cream with the inside cream/chocolate mix. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl when mixing, the chocolate is heavy and goes straight to the bottom of the bowl. I like to use a rubber scraper to do that.
Once mixed you can refrigerate in the plastice bowl or put into serving bowls and serve or chill. Should be eaten withing 24hours.
300ml Cream
100g Chocolate
Stainless Steel bowl (med sized)
Small Pot
Plastic wrap (Gladwrap or Saran Wrap)
Couple of tea towels
1. Break chocolate into small pieces and put in SS bowl.
2. Pour cream into pot and bring to nearly boiling point
(don't boil it gets a skin on it) and pour over chocolate pieces
3. Seal bowl with plastic wrap and place teatowels over bowl
to keep heat in.
4. Leave for 10-15 min
5. Remove towels and wrap, stir sauce and voila!
Chocolate sauce :)
Tips: Prepare a range of fruits for dipping and serve on a platter with small individual sauce bowls. Fruits like apples, peeled oranges, banana, pineapple, kiwifruit, melon and marshmellows.
Sauce can be thickened by using more chocolate or less cream (or both)
1 bowl of chocolate mousse freshly made
gelatine and hot water
1 packet wine biscuits (or any sweel biscuit) or equivalent in biscuit crumbs
melted butter
chocolate hail
20cm springform round tin
1. Make biscuit crumbs and mix with sufficient melted butter
that they hold together if pressed firmly together. Put into bottom of round tin
and press firmly using a flat bottomed glass. Chill to firm.
2. Make chocolate mousse mix while chilling.
3. Remove base from chilling
4. Melt a large teaspoon of gelatine in a small amout of hot
water (I nuke it for about 20 sec on HI in microwave) and add to chocolate
mousse. Mix in well but gently
5. Pour mousse into tin and smooth off the top nicely.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set. Will take a few hourse,
so I always make a cheesecake the day before needed.
6. Prior to serving you need to remove cheesecake from tin.
This is tricky to do first time but heres a tip. Put down some newspaper
on a bench, and put cheesecake tin on top of the newspaper. Using a firm
sharp knife, go around the edge of the tin, making sure to press down far enough
to go thru the base. Wash blade often to stop smearing cheesecake
everywhere. Once gone round all the way ease the spring open and open the
tin carefully. If it isnt set properly it will make a real mess about
know, but if you are quick you can do it up again and refrigerate some more.
Otherwise carefully lift tin up and away from cheesecake. Put to the side
on the newspaper. If you havent used enough butter in your base it will
become evident now, as there will be biscuit crumbs everywhere,
hence the use of the newspaper :)
7. Decorating your cheesecake is lots of fun, heres how.
Put down some fresh newspaper and place an upsidedown bowl in the middle (one
with a large flat bottom). Put the cheesecake on top of the bowl and fill
one hand up with chocolate hail. Hold that hand to the side of the
cheesecake and smear your chocolate hail over the side, as evenly as possible.
Use the other hand to turn the cheesecake around so all the side is covered (you
spill a lot so you can collect it from the newspaper and use later).
I like to decorate with white and dark chocolate buttons (flat or poked in on an edge) or Nestle have little miniature Hershey kiss shaped chocolate bits which look good around the edge as well. Nicely shaped strawberries are also good (even better if dipped in choccy first) Use your imagination!
Cheesecake Variations
- add some brandy when making the mousse
- place some chopped up strawberries in the base BEFORE you pour the mousse in
- tinned black cherries (drain the fluid off and add to the mousse - you will
need to add more gelatine to cope) and put the cherries on the base before you
pour in the mousse
- Ultimate indulgence - soak the cherries in brandy after removing juice and
before you place in the tin
OTHER DESSERT RECIPES
1 L Sweetened Natural Yoghurt
Marshmellows
fruit (grapes, melon, pineapple etc)
Large glass bowl
1. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Refrigerate 2-3 hours
before serving (long enough for the marshmellows to soften but not go soggy)
2. Sprinkle top with extra marshmellows or sprinkled Flake.