Chocolate Tangerine Cutouts Food

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED TANGERINE SLICES

Steps:

• Place the dark chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl and melt the chocolate in the microwave. Set aside while you prepare the fruit.. Peel the tangerines or mandarin oranges and separate into slices. Dip the whole slice in the melted chocolate. Let some of the excess chocolate drip off, then place on a piece of wax or parchment paper until the chocolate has set.. Once set, serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

CHOCOLATE CUTOUTS

Steps:

• Chocolate: I use 60 percent cocoa mass pistols.A variety of percentage contents are on the market today. Usesomething that is 58 percent to 72 percent for a bittersweet.They have a great bittersweet sensation and it's relatively easyto find this percentage of cocoa mass in solid chocolate atgourmet grocery stores. They're also easier to cut-out andhandle. Milk chocolate (34 percent) will work but is alwayssofter and doesn't handle so easily. White chocolate will worktoo but faces the same handling problems as milk chocolate. Besure to chill these in refrigerator.
• All chocolate for these cut outs will have to be tempered by the user. Even if it has been tempered (which it will have been by the manufacturer for packaging), the act of melting the chocolate will require the user to re-temper it. Use a brand of chocolate that is high quality, tastes great, and fits your budget. Oil based food dye: Find these at specialty baking supply stores, or easier, on-line. Try www.chefrubber.com, or www.inidatree.com for oil and acrylic based dyes. Cookie cutters: Use metal cookie butters and quickly heat the cutters over a gas flame to easily cut through the chocolate. DO NOT dip in hot water, as chocolate and water do not mix, even if the chocolate is solid. Melted chocolate should never come in contact with water or else the chocolate will seize. Stencils Parchment paper X-acto or sharp paring knife Sheet pans Digital thermometer Double boiler Measure out the quantity of chocolate desired. Melt 2/3 of total chocolate over a double boiler over low heat and the water just steaming (this will be a slow process). Test the temperature with a digital thermometer (do not go over 110 degrees F). Remove bowl from the heat and, bit by bit, add the remaining 1/3 non-melted chocolate to reduce temperature to 89 to 91 degrees F. Spread chocolate out on parchment paper and smooth it out with an offset spatula. Lift the paper and gently tap it on the counter to even out the chocolate and get rid of any air bubbles. Place the paper with the chocolate on a cookie sheet and refrigerate until the chocolate is solid. Chill or leave on counter until hardened. I recommend leaving it on counter until it sets, then chill to make super hard for cutting with cookie cutter. Cut out shapes in the chocolate with cookie cutters, using shapes without close corners where the chocolate would get stuck easily. To make your own shapes, create a stencil using poster board and trace around it with a sharp knife. For bright colors use white chocolate and tint it with oil based food coloring. After you have cut out the shapes attach them to a frosted cake with a little melted chocolate.

CHOCOLATE TANGERINE CUTOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Melt 1/4 cup butter in a microwave-safe bowl.
• Heat in 30-second intervals until melted.
• Add cocoa powder and tangerine oil; mix until smooth and cool.
• Cream together remaining 1 cup butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
• Add cocoa mixture; mix well.
• Add egg yolks, vanilla and zest until combined.
• Gradually add flour, scraping down sides of bowl, as necessary, until combined.
• Divide dough in two and place each piece on large sheet of plastic wrap.
• Flatten into 1/2-inch thick discs, wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll out, about 30 to 45 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness and cut into desired shapes.
• Place shapes on parchment-lined baking sheets; bake 10 to 12 minutes until firm and edges are beginning to brown.
• Remove to a cooling rack; cool completely.
• Meanwhile, in bowl of electric mixer, on low speed beat together powdered sugar, egg white powder, juices, zest and tangerine oil until moistened.
• Beat 2 to 3 minutes more on high speed.
• Adjust with more juice or powdered sugar to desired consistency; add food coloring, if desired.
• Frost cookies and decorate with sugars, as desired.
• When frosting is set, store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container, separating layers with wax paper for up to 1 week.

CHOCO-DIPPED TANGERINES

Steps:

• Dip half of each tangerine segment in the melted chocolate, then put on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Keep in the fridge for 1 hr to set completely, or overnight if you prefer.

CHOCOLATE TANGERINE CANNOLI CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a mini cupcake pan with 24 mini cupcake liners or a regular-size cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.
• Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Set the bowl aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the water, mayonnaise and cocoa powder together. Add the granulated sugar and flour mixture and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Using a bowl scraper, fold in the chocolate chips.
• Fill the cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter and bake until golden and baked through, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.
• For the filling: In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the ricotta cheese, powdered sugar and tangerine zest on low speed until all components are thoroughly combined.
• For the ganache: Bring the heavy whipping cream to a slight boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Immediately remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips in a glass or heat resistant bowl. Gently stir the mixture until all of the chocolate chips have melted. Set in the refrigerator to expedite the cooling and thickening process.
• For the candied tangerines: Slice the tangerines into 12 medium-thin slices. Sprinkle a thick layer of sugar in a medium saucepan and lay the tangerine slices in the sugar. Sprinkle another thick layer of sugar over the top of the tangerine slices and cook the fruit over medium-high heat until caramel in color. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the tangerine slices onto a heat-resistant plate using tongs.
• To assemble: Core the cupcakes by taking a small knife to the center of each one and cutting in a circle from the top to bottom of the cake. Fill this hole with the tangerine cheese until the filling reaches the top of the cake. Using a knife, place a smattering of chocolate ganache on the top of the cupcake near the filling. Stick a wedge of the Tuile Cookie into the filling and garnish with a slice of candied tangerine.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar. Add the egg whites, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and the flour and mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
• With an offset spatula, spread the tuile cookie dough onto the lined cookie sheet to about 1/8-inch thick. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• Mix the purple food coloring, vodka and cornstarch together until the desired consistency of food-safe paint is acquired. Using a medium round brush, splatter the paint onto the tuile cookie in an abstract fashion. Break the cookie into imperfect shapes (about 3-inch pieces).

TANGERINE CHOCOLATE SEMIFREDDO

Steps:

• In top of a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water, combine egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, tangerine zest, juice and salt. Beat on medium speed until mixture is thick, frothy and holds a ribbon and a thermometer reads 160°. Remove from heat; whisk in melted chocolate and vanilla. Quickly transfer to a bowl; place in ice water and refrigerate 15 minutes or until completely cool, stirring occasionally., In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add remaining sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into six freezer-safe dessert glasses or dishes. Freeze until firm, 4 hours or overnight., Just before serving, top with sweetened whipped cream and dust with cocoa. Serve immediately.