Chocolate Raspberry Marquess Food

CHOCOLATE MARQUISE

Steps:

• Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Then assemble a bain-marie - do this by pouring a little water into a saucepan and placing the bowl over the water (making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl). Set the pan over a gentle heat and warm the water until the chocolate has melted. Take off the heat and leave to cool a little.
• Meanwhile, place the butter and half the sugar into another large bowl. Using a tabletop mixer or electric hand whisk, beat until the mixture is really light and creamy, then beat in the cocoa powder.
• Separate the eggs (the whites can be frozen for another time) and put the yolks in a third bowl. Tip in the remaining sugar, then beat together until pale and creamy. To check if it's ready, make a figure-of-eight shape in the mixture with the beater - it should hold its shape for a moment. In a fourth bowl, whip the cream until thickened with soft peaks.
• Pour the melted chocolate into the butter mixture, and carefully stir through until it is well combined. Gently fold in the egg mixture. When this is amalgamated, stir in the whipped cream. Now line a 6.5 x 22cm tin with 3 layers of cling film, leaving a 10cm overhang.
• Spoon the mixture into a large piping bag with a large nozzle attached (see Gordon's steps, far right). Pipe a layer over the bottom of the tin, then cover this with a layer of After Eights (cut some in half to ensure they fit). Pipe over another layer of chocolate cream, followed by a layer of After Eights. Continue until you have 4 layers of chocolate mints and the tin is full, finishing with a chocolate cream layer. Fold over the cling film, then chill overnight or up to 2 days.
• Just before serving, place the marquise in the freezer for 10 mins to make it easier to slice. Place the tin, bottomside up, on a serving plate, slide off the tin, then peel away the cling film. If you have a blowtorch, quickly run the flame over the surface of the marquise to give it a glossy sheen. Alternatively, dip a palette knife in boiling water and smooth the surface that way. Use a serrated knife dipped in boiling water to cut the marquise into slices.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY MARQUESS

Steps:

• Place 12 (2 3/4-inch round by 1 1/2-inches tall) steel individual cake rings on a parchment lined sheet pan. (Alternately, you can use 1 large 9-inch round by 2 1/2-inch tall metal dessert ring). Cut 12 circles from the Chocolate Butter Sheet Cake and put 1 in the bottom of each metal ring. Using a pastry brush, moisten each cake with Raspberry Simple Syrup. Arrange 3 or 4 fresh raspberries inside the rings on top of the cake circles.
• Melt the chocolate and 7-ounces of the butter in the top of a double boiler, over gently boiling water; upper pan should not touch water. Remove from the double boiler but keep the mixture warm and liquid.
• Whip the cream until it comes to soft peaks that hold their shape. Refrigerate until needed.
• Whisk the remaining 2 ounces of butter with the eggs, sugar, and raspberry liqueur in a medium bowl. Place over gently boiling water; the bowl should not touch water. Cook, whisking constantly, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees on a thermometer. Immediately remove from the heat and with an electric mixer, whip at high speed for about 5 minutes, until cool to touch.
• Whisk the egg mixture into the melted chocolate and butter. Fold in the whipped cream, mixing until no streaks of white remain.
• Using a pastry bag or a large spoon, fill the prepared metal rings with the chocolate mousse, covering the raspberries. With a flat knife, scrape the mousse to make it level with tops of the rings. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours, until firm.
• To remove from mold, warm the sides of the rings by wrapping briefly with a hot towel, or use propane torch to heat sides so they release. Wrap a chocolate band around each torte, if desired. You can also decorate by arranging fresh raspberries, chocolate truffles, chocolate shards or chocolate leaves on top.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Brush the sides of a 12 by 16-inch sheet pan with melted butter or cooking spray, and dust lightly with flour with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a rectangle of parchment or waxed paper.
• Cream the butter in a bowl, using an electric mixer until it is very light and aerated. Add the egg yolks, a few at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl in between additions. Add the melted chocolate, scraping the bowl again, beating until the chocolate is incorporated.
• Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean bowl, using an electric mixer. When they are frothy, gradually add the sugar, whipping until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture.
• Sift the flour onto the batter and gently fold it in. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the cake is just set and a light crust has formed on the top. Cool.
• Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan, gently swirling the pan until the sugar dissolves. Cook just until the syrup is clear: do not boil. Stir in raspberry sauce and the liqueur, if using.
• In a blender or a food processor, puree the raspberries with the sugar, lemon juice, and liqueur. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Refrigerate. .

CHOCOLATE-RASPBERRY MASCARPONE BARS

Steps:

• For the crust: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Spray the pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Lay a 6-by-18-inch piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to overhang the sides. Spray the parchment paper lightly with vegetable oil cooking spray.
• Blend the biscotti, butter, cocoa powder and brown sugar in a food processor until the mixture forms moist crumbs. Firmly press the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool the crust completely, about 25 minutes.
• Spread the jam in an even layer over the crust using a spatula.
• For the filling: Place the chocolate in a small bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth.
• Beat the cheese, sour cream, eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla until smooth, using a whisk, in a medium bowl. Pour the batter over the cooled crust. Randomly spoon the melted chocolate over the batter. Swirl the chocolate into the batter, using the tip of a knife. Bake until light golden and the center of the filling jiggles slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 40 minutes. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack and cool for 1 hour. Cover the pan with plastic and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight until firm.
• Run a thin spatula around the sedges of the pan to loosen the filling. Cut the bars into 1 1/2-by-2-inch bars using a damp knife. Serve at room temperature.

CHARLOTTE RUSSE WITH RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• Sprinkle the gelatin over 3 tablespoons water in a bowl and let stand, 5 minutes. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water), stirring occasionally. Remove the bowl from the pot and slowly whisk in the milk; keep warm.
• Whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon vanilla in a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over the pot of hot water and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until smooth and slightly custardlike, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly stir in the warm chocolate mixture and cook until it coats a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pot and whisk in the gelatin mixture until smooth. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate until the custard just begins to set, about 1 hour.
• Line the walls of an 8-inch springform pan with ladyfingers, standing them up (trim the bottoms, if desired). Beat the heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer until it holds soft peaks; sift 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar on top, add the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla and stir. Gently fold 1 1/2 cups whipped cream into the chocolate custard until smooth. Carefully fill the pan with the chocolate cream. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.
• Remove the sides of the pan and transfer the dessert to a platter. Gently toss the raspberries with the liqueur and the remaining 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar in a bowl, then arrange on top of the cake.

CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY BEER

Steps:

• Combine the raspberry liqueur, stout and raspberry beer in a pitcher. Stir gently to blend. Divide among 6 chilled beer glasses and serve.

BEST EVER CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BROWNIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20 x 30cm baking tray tin with baking parchment. Put the chocolate, butter and sugar in a pan and gently melt, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.
• Stir the eggs, one by one, into the melted chocolate mixture. Sieve over the flour and cocoa, and stir in. Stir in half the raspberries, scrape into the tray, then scatter over the remaining raspberries. Bake on the middle shelf for 30 mins or, if you prefer a firmer texture, for 5 mins more. Cool before slicing into squares. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.