Chocolate Pudding Towers Food

FANCY MOUSSE TOWERS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat the cream, milk and pudding mix until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small resealable plastic bag; cut a small hole in the corner of the bag. , Drizzle two serving plates with chocolate syrup. Place a chocolate wafer in the center of each plate; pipe with some of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers twice. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate and mint if desired.

CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Steps:

• Make the pudding: Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl.
• Combine the milk, chocolate and salt in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the chocolate melts. Gradually pour the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour back into the saucepan and stir until thick, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, then divide among 6 to 8 dessert cups or dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the cinnamon cream: Whip the cream with the sugar in a bowl until it just holds soft peaks; fold in the cinnamon. Serve with the pudding.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon into individual serving dishes. Chill until serving. If desired, garnish with whipped cream and M&M's.

EIFFEL TOWER

Steps:

• Before you begin, keep 2 things in mind: First, you can make your Eiffel Tower any size you like, however there is a template is provided with this recipe that you should base your design on, and second, when using chocolate, be sure to work slowly and carefully. The first part of the tower you should make is the base. Spread the white chocolate on a parchment paper-lined work surface. When the chocolate is partially set, use an X-acto knife to cut a base that is large enough to accommodate the bottom of your tower. Using the template provided, cut the aluminum flashing into the shape of a side of the Eiffel Tower, being sure to make all of the cutouts. If you start with a small tower, you will have more success. Lay a parchment paper-lined sheet pan that is as large as your template on the work surface. Spread the bittersweet chocolate over the baking sheet. Make it thicker at 1 end (where you will place the bottom of the template) to create support for the height of the tower. When the chocolate is partially set, place the aluminum template on the chocolate and use an X-acto knife to trace it. Remove the template. Pick up the chocolate panel by the corners of the parchment paper and move onto a new sheet pan. Place a couple of rulers under the bottom of the chocolate panel, creating a curve at the bottom of your tower. Allow chocolate to set. When set, peel up the tower panel from the parchment paper, freeing it from the excess chocolate surrounding it. Cut 3 more tower panels using the same process. Make sure the curves in each piece are the same or your tower will not work. The next step is to assemble the tower, however assembly will be easier if you enlist the help of a friend. Place the base on your work surface. Use bittersweet chocolate to "glue" the bottom half of two sides together creating a 90-degree angle, or one corner of the tower. "Glue" them onto the base. When the chocolate sets, "glue" the other two sides together and attach them to the base. Using a coronet, apply more chocolate on the bottom half of all of the seams to reinforce the tower. When that chocolate sets, go back and gently seal the tops of the tower sides with more bittersweet chocolate. Decorate the outside of the tower with a cornet filled with white chocolate.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper. One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer. Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk. The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess. A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

HEAVENLY CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Steps:

• Butter the inside of a 1.2 litre pudding bowl and line the base with a disc of buttered greaseproof paper.
• Melt the butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk and egg. Add the cocoa to the flour, then tip this mixture into the pan with the cinnamon and soda.
• Pour the mixture into the pudding bowl, cover tightly with foil and steam for 11⁄4 hours. Just before the end, heat the sauce ingredients until melted, stirring all the time.
• Turn the pudding out (run a knife around the inside of the bowl if necessary) and discard the paper disc. Pour the sauce over the top and serve immediately.

EASY CREAM PUFF TOWER

Steps:

• Beat pudding mix and milk with whisk 2 min.; spoon into pastry bag fitted with medium writing tip. Press excess air from bag. Refrigerate bag 1 hour.
• Insert tip of pastry bag into each donut hole, then squeeze small amount of pudding into hole.
• Melt chocolate as directed on package; stir in oil.
• Cover side of 12-inch-tall foam cone with foil. Spread bottom of cone with 1 tsp. melted chocolate; stand on plate, pressing cone gently onto plate to secure.
• Insert toothpicks, 3/4 inch apart, in horizontal rows around cone, starting about 1/2 inch from bottom of cone and leaving about 1/2 inch of each toothpick extending beyond surface of cone. Lightly press 1 donut hole, filling side up, onto end of each toothpick, placing roundest side of donut hole away from cone.
• Drizzle remaining chocolate over dessert. Insert peanuts into spaces between donuts as shown in photo.

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE PUDDING

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt with whisk. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until pudding boils and is thickened. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 2 minutes longer.
• Remove from heat; gently stir in butter and vanilla until butter is melted. Pour into large bowl; cover surface directly with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming. Cool 10 minutes. Serve warm, or refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with whipped cream.