Chocolate From Around the World!

Hello all! Surprised to see me on a Thursday? I had a killer workout last night, which was awesome, but it also meant I was too tired to move for the rest of the evening. I'm sorry! To make it up to you, I'm posting this morning! I've got a few recipes of the chocolatey variety to keep you cheerful on this beautiful Thursday. These recipes are inspired from chocolate around the world. I encourage you to seek out brands that hail from the lovely countries from which they originate. It's not as hard to find quality chocolate anymore, either. Fairway has a variety of bars, chips, and chunks from high-end chocolatiers and Whole Foods offers more than just organic bars. Also check out your local chefy shop (like Chef Central or NY Cake).

Mexican...

Mexican Chocolate Pots de Creme
Stephanie Prida for Food & Wine

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 6 large egg yolks
• 6 ounces Mexican chocolate, preferably Ibarra, finely chopped
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, plus shavings for garnish
• Unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk with the heavy cream and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until combined. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk, then transfer the mixture to the saucepan. Cook the custard over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Immediately add the finely chopped Mexican and bittersweet chocolate and remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large glass measuring cup or bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture into 6 small bowls and refrigerate until the pots de crème are chilled, at least 6 hours or overnight. Serve the pots de crème with unsweetened whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

MAKE AHEAD The pots de crème can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.


French...

Truffles
Valrhona
Makes about 30 truffles.

Ingredients

• 5 1/3 oz (2/3 cup) Heavy Cream 
• 6.75 oz Valrhona Le Noir 61% or Le Noir 68% or Caraibe 66%
• 1 oz Butter, room temperature 
• 1 oz Honey 
• Valrhona Cocoa Powder for dusting

Directions
Dark Chocolate Ganache

1. Boil the cream and the honey. Pour 1/3 of this mixture over the chocolate.
2. With a spatula, mix rapidly to obtain a smooth and glossy texture. Gradually add the remaining cream, making sure to keep the smooth and glossy emulsion.
3. Mix until the chocolate is completely emulsified.
4. Stir in softened butter and mix thoroughly. Leave to chill until set.

Assembly

1. Put in piping bag.
2. Pipe small balls on the greaseproof paper chill. Roll ball between your hands to make a regular shape.
3. Roll in cocoa powder.

Chef’s tips: 

1. If the truffles are not for children, you can add 1 oz of your preferred alcohol after the addition of butter.
2. If you can not find a piping bag at the store, use a large zipper bag and cut a small hole in one of the corner of the bottom of the bag.

Italian...

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Nigella Lawson

You need a good scale for this recipe in order to convert to g.

Ingredients

• 150 ml regular olive oil (plus more for greasing)
• 50 grams good-quality cocoa powder (sifted)
• 125 ml boiling water
• 2 teaspoons best vanilla extract
• 150 grams ground almonds (or 125g plain flour)
• ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 3 large eggs

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 170°C/gas mark 3/325ºF. Grease a 22 or 23 cm/ 9inch springform tin with a little oil and line the base with baking parchment.
2. Measure and sift the cocoa powder into a bowl or jug and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
3. In another smallish bowl, combine the ground almonds (or flour) with the bicarbonate of sodaand pinch of salt.
4. Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale-primrose, aerated and thickened cream.
5. Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or flour) mixture.
6. Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.
7. Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm with some ice cream, as a pudding.

Turkish...

Chocolate Turkish Coffee Cake

Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Cake

• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ½ cup canola or grapeseed oil
• ¼ cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground espresso
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup granulated sugar

Ganache

• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup heavy cream, warmed
• 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

Directions

1. Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick pan spray. Set the pan on top of a sheet of parchment paper. Trace a circle around the pan, cut out the circle, and place it inside the cake pan. Turn the circle over so both sides are lightly greased. To a microwave-safe medium-size bowl, add the chocolate and microwave until the chocolate is melted, stirring every 20 seconds, for 1 to 1½ minutes total (take care not to overheat the chocolate or it will turn grainy). To the chocolate, whisk in the oil, dark brown sugar, espresso, pomegranate molasses and salt.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, cardamom, baking powder and baking soda together through a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With the mixer running, slowly add the granulated sugar. Once it is added, increase the mixer speed to high and continue to whip until the mixture is very thick and creamy and drips from the whisk in thick ribbons, about 3 minutes. Add the chocolate-espresso mixture and beat until well combined. Remove the mixer bowl from the stand and fold in the flour mixture. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until the cake springs back when pressed lightly, about 30 to 35 minutes.
4. While the cake bakes, make the ganache: To a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate and microwave until the chocolate is melted, stirring every 20 seconds, for about 1 to 1½ minutes total. To the melted chocolate, add the warm cream and the pomegranate molasses and gently stir until smooth. Set the ganache aside at room temperature to cool and thicken.
5. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 15 minutes, then invert it onto a wire rack and let it cool completely. Peel the parchment circle from the cake, then invert it onto a cake plate and spoon the ganache over the cake, using the back of a spoon to create soft peaks and to push the ganache over the edges (if the ganache is still too soft to hold peaks, refrigerate it for 10 minutes, then gently stir). Slice the cake into wedges and serve immediately, or refrigerate until completely chilled, then slice and serve cold (or let the cake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing and serving).

Happy baking!