Chocolate Lovers Custards Food

CHOCOLATE LOVER'S ECLAIRS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine butter and water. Bring to a rapid boil, stirring until the butter melts. Reduce heat to low; add flour and salt. Stir vigorously until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a stiff ball. Remove from the heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. , With a tablespoon or a pastry tube fitting with a no. 10 or larger tip, spoon or pipe dough into 4-in.-long x 1-1/2-in.-wide strips on a greased baking sheet. , Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° bake 20 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. , For filling, in a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. In another large bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla; fold into pudding. Fill cooled shells. (Chill remaining pudding mixture for another use.) , For icing, melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in sugar. Add hot water until icing is smooth and reaches desired consistency. Cool slightly. Spread over eclairs. Chill until serving.

CHOCOLATE SPONGE CUSTARDS

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 350°F Place six 6-oz. greased custard cups in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.
• BEAT egg whites with cream of tartar in mixer bowl with whisk attachment on high speed until stiff but not dry, just until whites no longer slip when bowl is tilted; remove to large bowl.
• BEAT egg yolks, milk, syrup, flour and vanilla in clean mixer bowl on high speed until smooth. Gently but thoroughly fold into beaten whites. Pour into custard cups, dividing evenly.
• PLACE pan on a rack in the center of a 350°F oven; pour very hot water into pan (Hot-Water Bath) to within 1/2 inch of top of cups. Bake until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove cups from water bath at once; cool on wire rack at least 10 minutes.

CHOCOLATE CUSTARD

Steps:

• Beat the eggs with the salt, half the sugar, the vanilla, and the almond extract.
• Heat together the milk, cream, chocolate, and the remaining sugar on medium-low heat until the chocolate has completely melted. Stir with a whisk to blend.
• Combine the two mixtures and pour into a well buttered baking dish. Place the dish in a pan of hot water and bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour: a knife inserted in the center should come out clean.
• Cool in the baking dish, then unmold and chill in the refrigerator. Serve this amazing concentration of chocolate with great quantities of sweetened whipped cream.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Rinse heavy saucepan with cold water and shake out excess moisture.
• Set pan over medium low heat and stir in cream and sugar.
• Heat until bubbles form around edge.
• Add chopped white chocolate, stirring until smooth.
• Remove from heat.
• In a bowl, whisk egg yolks with vanilla.
• Whisk in cream mixture.
• Pour into eight 1/2 half cup ramekins or custard cups.
• Place ramekins in baking pan, pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up sides of dishes.
• Bake in 300 degree oven for 35 minutes or until set around edges but still soft in centre.
• Remove ramekins, refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until chilled.
• Place bittersweet chocolate in microwavable bowl, microwave on medium for about 1 minute, stir until melted and smooth.
• Spoon onto top of custards, spread to edges using back of spoon.
• Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 15 minutes.
• If desired, drizzle tops with melted white chocolate.

CUSTARD CREAMS

Steps:

• Make the biscuits:
• Sift the flour, custard powder, powdered sugar, and baking soda into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Slowly add the butter, one cube at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl from time to time and continue to mix until a smooth dough is formed.
• Remove the dough from the fridge 15 minutes before rolling it out, and preheat the oven to 325°F/170°C/150°C fan/Gas Mark 3. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to roughly ⅛-inch/3mm thick. Use a 6cm pastry cutter to cut 20 rounds from the dough, and transfer the rounds to two baking sheets lined with baking parchment, leaving 1cm between the rounds. Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes. They will look slightly golden, but it's important that they don't take on much colour. Allow the biscuits to cool on the sheets for a couple of minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the filling and assemble:
• Meanwhile, put the butter and powdered sugar for the filling into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat until smooth, then add the vanilla paste and beat again. Scrape down the sides and continue to mix until the vanilla is incorporated. Use a spatula to transfer the mixture to a disposable piping bag. Cut a ½ cm hole in the pointed end of the piping bag and pipe spirals of the icing on 10 of the biscuits, leaving ½cm between the filling and the outside edge of the biscuit. Carefully place an un-iced biscuit on top of an iced one and repeat with the remaining iced and un-iced biscuits - there will be 10 filled custard creams in total.
• Store in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to 5 days.

CHOCOLATE LOVERS BUNDT CAKE

Steps:

• In large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one.
• Stir in extracts.
• Combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda in a small bowl, add to creamed mixture alternately with sour cream.
• Beat just until combined, do not over mix.
• Stir in chocolate chips.
• Pour into a well greased and floured 10 inch tube pan.
• Bake at 325 for 75-90 minutes or until cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean.
• Cool for ten minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Run a metal spatula or butter knife around sides of pan to loosen cake first.
• Combine the chocolate chips, cream and butter in a saucepan.
• Cook; stir constantly over low heat until smooth.
• Cool slightly.
• Gradually whisk in confectioners sugar.
• Stir in extract.
• Drizzle over cake and sprinkle with almonds.

HONEY-CARDAMOM CUSTARDS WITH STRAWBERRY-ORANGE COMPOTE

Steps:

• For Custard:
• Combine 2 cups milk, whipping cream, vanilla bean, orange peel strips, ground cardamom and salt in heavy small saucepan. Cook milk mixture over medium heat until tiny bubbles appear around edge of saucepan. Remove from heat and let steep 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove softened vanilla bean from milk mixture. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into milk mixture; add bean. Heat milk mixture again until tiny bubbles appear around edge of saucepan. Remove saucepan from heat, add honey and stir until honey melts. Using fork, beat egg yolks and whole egg in medium bowl just until blended. Gradually mix hot milk mixture into egg mixture. Strain custard into large measuring cup with spout.
• Pour custard into four 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Set dishes in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of dishes. Cover baking pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake custards until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Transfer dishes to rack and cool completely. Cover custards and refrigerate until well chilled, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead.
• For Compote:
• Place sliced strawberries in medium bowl. Using small sharp knife, hold oranges over same bowl and cut between membranes to release segments, allowing juice and segments to fall into bowl. Squeeze orange membranes over same bowl to release any juice. Mix in 1 tablespoon honey and ground cardamom. (Compote can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Place custards in dishes on plates. Top with compote and serve.

MOCHA CUSTARDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Using wooden spoon, stir sugar, yolks, liqueur and vanilla extract in medium bowl to blend well. Stir half and half, chocolate and coffee powder in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until chocolate melts and mixture just comes to simmer. Very gradually stir hot mixture into yolk mixture. Strain custard into spouted measuring cup; pour custard into dishes.
• Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of dishes. Bake custards until just set in center when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes. Transfer custards to rack; cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 4 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Top custards with whipped cream and coffee bean candies and serve.