Chocolate Souffle Hotel Cipriani Venice Food

CHOCOLATE GELATO HOTEL CIPRIANI

Steps:

• In a dry 3-quart heavy saucepan cook 1/4 cup sugar, undisturbed, over moderate heat until it begins to melt and cook, stirring with a fork, until melted completely and deep golden brown. Remove pan from heat and dip pan briefly into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. (Caramel will harden.) Cool pan about 5 minutes and return to heat. Add milk and cook over moderate heat, whisking, until caramel is melted. Whisk in cocoa until combined well and keep mixture warm.
• In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (or a double boiler), melt chocolate, stirring, and remove from heat.
• In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat egg yolks with remaining 3/4 cup sugar until thick and pale. Whisk in caramel mixture and chocolate in streams, whisking until combined. Pour custard into another 3-quart heavy saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 140° F. Cook custard, stirring (do not let it boil) 4 minutes more and remove pan from heat. Cool custard completely and freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturers instructions.
• Gelato will keep in the freezer for one week.

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring the milk to a boil. Meanwhile, use a wooden spoon to combine the butter and flour to form a smooth paste. When the milk boils, whisk in the butter and flour mixture. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thick and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Remove the thickened milk from the heat, transfer to a large bowl and cool. When the mixture is tepid, beat in the egg yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the cocoa powder.
• In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites by hand or with an electric mixer until they are stiff but not dry. Fold them gently into the cocoa mixture. Butter a 2-quart souffle mold, dust it with sugar and scrape the batter into the dish. The dish should be no more than 2/3 full.
• Bake until the souffle has risen above the top of the dish, is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately with bitter chocolate ice cream (recipe below).

BITTER CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, cook 5 tablespoons of the sugar, undisturbed, over moderate heat, until it begins to melt. Cook, stirring with a fork, until the sugar is melted and a deep golden brown.
• Remove the pan from the heat and dip it briefly into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Cool the pan for about 5 minutes, add the milk and return the pan to medium heat. Cook, whisking, until the caramel is melted. Whisk in the cocoa and keep the mixture warm. Meanwhile, in the top of a double boiler, melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until thick and light-colored. Very slowly whisk in the hot milk and then the chocolate. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until a candy thermometer registers 140 degrees.
• Remove from the heat and refrigerate until chilled. Proceed according to directions for your ice-cream maker. Serve with the chocolate souffle.