Chocolate Chestnut Truffle Torte Food

THE FAMOUS CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TORTE

Steps:

• Start off by sprinkling the crushed biscuits all over the base of the tin. Next break the chocolate into sections and put them in a heat proof bowl together with the liquid glucose and the rum. Sit over a saucepan containing 5cm of barely simmering water, without the bowl touching the water - it will take 5-10 minutes to become melted, smooth and glossy. Stir, then take off the heat and leave the mixture to cool for 5 minutes or so, until it feels just warm. Now, in a separate bowl, beat the cream to the floppy stage. Fold half into the chocolate mixture and then fold that mixture into the rest of the cream. When it is smoothly blended, spoon it into the prepared tin. Tap the tin gently to even the mixture out, cover with clingfilm and chill overnight. Just before serving, run a palette knife round the edge to loosen the torte, then give it a good shake and turn the whole thing out on to a serving plate (don' t be nervous about this - it's very well behaved). To serve, dust the surface with sifted cocoa powder and a few amaretti biscuits and, if you like, mark the top into serving sections . Have some chilled pouring cream to go with it; if you have any, a couple of tablespoons of amaretti liqueur will make a wonderful addition to the cream. NOTE: The torte does freeze well, but since you can also make it a couple of days in advance, this doesn't really seem necessary.

TRUFFLE TORTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan with parchment; grease paper., In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, mix pecans and flour., In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy; gradually add sugar, beating 4-5 minutes or until mixture triples in volume. Gradually beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Fold in pecan mixture. Transfer to prepared pan., Bake 30-35 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Run a knife around sides of pan; remove rim from pan. Invert cake onto a wire rack; carefully remove pan bottom and parchment. Cool completely., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Stir in butter. Refrigerate until mixture thickens slightly, about 15 minutes., Place cake on a serving plate. Pour ganache over cake and quickly spread to edges., Fill a food-safe plastic bag with melted white chocolate; cut a small hole in one corner of bag. Pipe thin horizontal lines 1 in. apart over ganache. Use a sharp knife to draw right angles across the piped lines. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.

CHOCOLATE, CHESTNUT AND ORANGE TRIFLE

Steps:

• For the trifle: Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. Put the bowl over a barely simmering saucepan of water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• In another medium bowl, using a fork, gently mash the chestnut puree into 1/2-inch chunks.
• In a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream until thick. With the machine running, gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the cream holds stiff peaks. Add half of the whipped cream to the chestnut puree and, using a spatula, fold it in until incorporated. Set aside.
• Stir the orange zest and 1/3 of the remaining whipped cream into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Set aside.
• To assemble the trifle: In the bottom of a 4-quart trifle bowl, arrange a single layer of pound cake slices, trimming the cake slices, if necessary, to fit. Drizzle the pound cake with about 1/4 cup of the orange liqueur or orange syrup. Spread 1/2 of the chestnut cream on top. Arrange another layer of pound cake slices on top and drizzle with 1/4 cup orange liqueur. Spread 1/2 of the chocolate cream on top. Repeat the layers using the remaining cream and liqueur, finishing with a chocolate cream layer.
• For the garnish: Using a vegetable peeler, shave the chocolate bar on top of the trifle and sprinkle with orange zest. Cover the trifle with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Allow the trifle to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving.
• In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT TORTE

Steps:

• Make the torte:
• Line the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan with wax paper, grease the paper, and dust the pan with flour, knocking out the excess. In a food processor purée the chestnuts with the butter and the rum, scraping down the sides, until the mixture is smooth. Add the chocolate and blend the mixture until it is combined well. With the motor running, add the yolks, 1 at a time, and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the whites with the salt until they hold soft peaks, add the sugar, a little at a time, beating, and beat the meringue until it holds stiff peaks. Whisk about one fourth of the meringue into the chocolate mixture to lighten it and fold in the remaining meringue gently but thoroughly. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake the torte in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it and the top is cracked. Let the torte cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, remove the side of the pan, and invert the torte onto another rack. Remove the bottom of the pan, reinvert the torte onto a rack, and let it cool completely. (The torte will fall as it cools.)
• Make the glaze and garnish:
• Put the chocolate in a small bowl, in a saucepan bring the cream to a boil, and pour it over the chocolate. Stir the mixture until the chocolate is melted and the glaze is smooth and stir in the rum. Dip each candied chestnut halfway into the glaze to coat it partially, transfer the chestnuts to a foil-covered tray, and let them set.
• Invert the torte onto a rack set on wax paper, pour the glaze over it, smoothing the glaze with a spatula and letting the excess drip down the side, and let the torte stand for 2 hours, or until the glaze is set. Transfer the torte carefully to a serving plate and garnish it with the coated chestnuts.
• Make the whipped cream just before serving the torte:
• In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters beat the cream until it holds soft peaks, beat in the sugar and the rum, and beat the mixture until it holds stiff peaks. Fold in the chopped candied chestnuts.
• Serve the torte with the whipped cream.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE & TRUFFLE TORTE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 170C/fan 150C/gas 3. Butter and line the base of a 20cm springform tin. For the torte, break the chocolate into a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, and add the butter. Heat until melted, than take off the heat and stir until smooth. Cool for about 5 mins.
• Stir in the egg yolks and ground almonds. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks, then start to add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until stiff peaks form. Stir a spoonful or two of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to slacken it, then carefully fold in the rest.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 mins until risen and just firm. Cool in the tin before turning out - don't worry if it cracks and sinks a bit. Peel off the lining paper.
• For the ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream to just below boiling point, then pour onto the chocolate, stirring. When the chocolate has melted, add the butter and stir until the mixture is glossy and smooth. Cool slightly. Cut the cake in half and sandwich together with a third of the ganache. Use the rest to cover the top and sides of the cake.
• To decorate, melt the milk and white chocolates separately, either in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water or on medium in the microwave in 30 sec bursts. Drizzle alternately on top of the torte. The torte will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter, then whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.

DECADENT CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE TORTE

Steps:

• Get your equipment ready (see tips below). Break the chocolate in small pieces into a large heatproof bowl. Spoon in the syrup and pour in about a quarter of the cream. Stand the bowl over (not in) a pan of hot water over the lowest possible heat and leave until the chocolate has melted, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir to combine. Leave until barely warm - dip your little finger in to check.
• Get your cake tin ready. Do this while you are waiting for the chocolate to melt and cool so you're not hanging around. Cut open the plastic folder along the bottom, then cut out a disc to fit in the bottom of the tin and 3 strips to line the sides. (See step 2).
• Pour the rest of the cream into a very large bowl and tip in the coffee and cinnamon. Whip with a balloon whisk until the cream looks like step 3. When you shake the bowl the cream should wobble like a thick milkshake, and when you dribble some cream from the whisk, the trail it leaves in the cream below should disappear in 1-2 seconds.
• Fold the two together. Pour the cooled chocolate into the bowl containing the cream. With the largest metal spoon you've got, fold the cream and chocolate together in a figure-of-eight motion. Don't be nervous - keep going until they are evenly and smoothly mixed and the mixture has a soft, pillowy, downy texture - you will see and feel it thicken as you fold.
• Set the torte. Pour the chocolatey cream into the tin and level the surface with the back of the spoon. Put the tin in the fridge and leave to firm up. This can happen in under an hour, but you may need to leave it longer, depending on the coldness of your fridge (you can leave it overnight if this is more convenient).
• Unmould and serve. Unclip and remove the side of the tin, then remove the pieces of plastic around the sides. Invert a serving plate over the torte and turn the torte upside down on to it. Lift off the tin base and peel away the plastic. Dust all over with cocoa (including the plate if you wish to be fashionable) and serve in thin slices.