Two croissants drizzled with chocolate are placed on a wooden surface beside a bowl of melted chocolate, cocoa beans, chocolate squares, and a spoon with chocolate on it.

Dive into this chocolate extravaganza


By Paula Dream (AKA Kale Haygood)

Hello, guys and gals. I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day with the sweetie of your choice, and you got to try the “Better Than Sex Desserts†from last issue. As Paula once said, “I’ll never move again.â€Â Famous last words!

Speaking of moving, it’s that time again. I’ve been sorting through 14 years of junk I forgot I had, but walking up three stories puts a strain on my support hose and the old orthopedic shoes.

But my mind is still on dessert. Looking through my new Food Network magazine, I ran across this bread pudding recipe that I thought was lost from my old Aunt Von who used to make it for old Mr. John. It was wonderful. But you can’t tell me there wasn’t some fornicating going on there.

As I continued to thumb through the magazine’s pages, low and behold, I ran across other recipes that similarly brought back memories, so I’m share them with you (with kind assistance from our friends at FoodNetwork.com).

Enjoy! And please don’t forget to support our advertisers who help bring this publication to you and pay my salary.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING

Bread pudding:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus more for dish

8 (about 12 cups) croissants, sliced into 1-inch thick pieces

3 large eggs, plus 3 egg yolks

1-1/2 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

6 ounces milk chocolate, cut into ¾-inch pieces

Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Bread pudding: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a shallow two-quart baking dish. Toss the croissants with the melted butter on a baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Arrange about half of the croissants in the prepared baking dish. Top with about two-thirds of the milk chocolate, then add the remaining croissants. Pour the egg mixture over the croissants, pressing gently so the croissants are submerged. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, top with the remaining milk chocolate and bake until the bread pudding is puffed, golden brown and set, 15 to 20 more minutes. Let sit 15 minutes.

Sauce: Bring heavy cream, butter, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bittersweet chocolate and whisk until smooth. Serve with the bread pudding.

MEXICAN CHOCOLATE BROWNIE SUNDAES

Brownies:

Cooking spray

2 sticks unsalted butter

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus a pinch

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

3/4 cup cold heavy cream

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Dulce de leche ice cream, shaved chocolate, toasted almonds for topping

Brownies: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line an eight-inch square baking dish with foil, leaving a two-inch overhang on two sides; coat with cooking spray. Melt the butter and semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in brown sugar and granulated sugar until combined. Whisk in eggs, vanilla and almond extract. Add the flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt and stir until the batter looks like hot fudge. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan.

Topping: Beat the heavy cream, cayenne and a pinch of cinnamon in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about two minutes. Lift the brownies out of the pan using the foil and cut into pieces. Serve topped with ice cream, the spiced whipped cream, shaved chocolate, almonds and/or dulce de leche.

MINI CHOCOLATE GANACHE CUPCAKES

Cupcakes:

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/4 cup Dutch-process unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup hot brewed coffee

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Pinch of salt

8 ounces chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 24-cup mini-muffin pan with paper liners. Combine chocolate, cocoa powder and brown sugar in a large bowl, then add the hot coffee and whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk egg, egg yolk, vegetable oil, buttermilk and vanilla into the melted chocolate mixture. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Spoon a scant tablespoon of batter into each mini-muffin cup. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

Frosting: Combine heavy cream, corn syrup, butter and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat; add the chocolate and whisk until smooth, then let cool to room temperature. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Transfer chocolate mixture to a medium bowl, then carefully place it in ice water and let sit, stirring every few minutes until the frosting is thick enough to spread, about 15 minutes. Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe onto the cupcakes.

Paula Dream, AKA Kale Haygood, owns Beyond Service, a Montrose-based home-cooking catering company. For more information, call 713-805-4106 or email barrykale@yahoo.com.

Related Posts

About author

Related Posts

Comments are closed.

Do not miss