Mint Chocolate Bombe Food

MINT-CHOCOLATE BOMBE

Steps:

• Line a 1-1/2-qt. bowl with plastic wrap. Place in freezer 30 minutes. In a large bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add milk and creme de menthe; beat until soft peaks form. Quickly spread onto bottom and up sides of bowl to within 1/2 in. of top. Freeze 2 hours or until firm. Spread chocolate ice cream over mint layer. Freeze 1 hour or until firm., Spoon vanilla ice cream into ice cream shell, spreading to completely cover the top of the shell. Cover and freeze overnight., Invert bombe onto a serving plate. Remove bowl and plastic wrap. Top with wafers. Cut into wedges. If desired, top with chocolate syrup and candies.

MINT CHOCOLATE BONBONS

Steps:

• Spray a 24-count mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place an approximately 20-inch-long piece of plastic wrap over the muffin pan, leaving about 4 inches of excess plastic hanging over the ends of the pan. Press the plastic into each cup of the pan, making sure the cups are completely lined with the plastic wrap.
• Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons ice cream into each muffin cup so they are filled to the top. Place a chocolate cookie on top of each ice cream-filled muffin cup and gently press down. Freeze until the ice cream hardens, about 3 hours.
• Place a wire rack over a baking sheet. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the muffin pan to release the bonbons from the muffin cups. Place the bonbons cookie-side down on the baking sheet lined with the wire rack. Slowly pour some of the chocolate shell ice cream sauce over about 1 to 2 bonbons at a time to cover completely. Before the sauce hardens, sprinkle the top of the bonbon with the chopped mint candies. The sauce will harden in about 30 seconds, so continue to coat 1 to 2 bonbons at a time before topping them with the chopped candies, until all 24 are coated and topped.
• Transfer the bonbons from the rack to the parchment-lined baking sheet with an offset spatula or butter knife. If needed, dip the offset spatula in hot water, then use it to remove the bonbons from rack. (The hot spatula will help prevent the chocolate shell from cracking when you remove them.) Store in a resealable container in the freezer until ready to serve, for up to one week.

RIPPLED CHOCOLATE BOMBE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3/fan oven 140C. Grease a 1.7 litre/3 pint stainless steel mixing bowl and line the base (approx 9cm/31⁄2in) with a circle of greaseproof paper.
• Break the chocolate into pieces in a heatproof bowl. Add 25g/1oz of the butter and stand the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water until the chocolate has melted (or melt it in the microwave). Stir until smooth.
• Put the remaining butter in a separate bowl with the sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and 85g/3oz of the almonds. Beat together for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Spoon 350g/12oz of this mixture into another bowl and stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Stir the remaining almonds and the vanilla extract into the remaining plain cake mixture.
• Spread a little of the vanilla mixture in the base of the bowl. Top with a spoonful of the cocoa mixture, then a little of the chocolate sauce, taking care not to let the chocolate sauce get near the edge of the bowl or it will burn during baking. Continue to alternate the three mixtures in the bowl, placing large spoonfuls in at random and spreading them slightly to mix up the colours. Level the surface, then swirl a skewer or the end of a teaspoon through the mixture, two or three times, to ripple the colours together. Don't overmix or the colours will lose their definition.
• Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes until the cake is risen and the surface feels firm to the touch. To check that the cake is done, pierce the light part of the cake with a skewer - it should come out clean. Leave to cool in the bowl, then loosen the edges and invert the cake on to a flat serving plate.
• Make the chocolate cream. Heat the cream in a small heavybased saucepan until hot and beginning to bubble round the edges. Add the chocolate pieces and remove from the heat, stirring gently. Pour into a bowl and leave until the chocolate has melted. Chill for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture just holds its shape when beaten.
• Using a palette knife, swirl the chocolate cream over the top and sides of the cake. Slice the candied fruits and use to decorate the top of the cake. Keep in a cool place (not the fridge) until ready to serve. This is a luxurious dessert, so serve thin slivers with a dollop of crème fraîche to cut through the richness.

HOT CHOCOLATE BOMBS

Steps:

• Put 12 silicone semi sphere moulds (ours were 7cm) flat on a baking tray. Using a pastry brush, brush the chocolate over the inside of the moulds until they're all covered - don't worry about being too precise.
• Tip the moulds upside down and shake the excess chocolate onto some baking parchment, and scrape the top using a palette knife. Place back on the baking tray, and in the fridge for 10 mins to set completely. If your remaining melted chocolate has hardened, give it a quick burst in the microwave to melt.
• Brush the second layer of chocolate in the moulds so they're evenly covered. Place flat on the baking tray again and leave to set in the fridge for 1 hr or overnight. Once set, carefully remove from the mould by peeling back one side and get ready to assemble by getting your hot chocolate and marshmallows.
• Place a frying pan over a high heat for 1 min until hot. Remove from the hob and place one of the chocolate spheres down on it for a second. Fill with 1 tsp of the hot chocolate powder and 1 tbsp of the marshmallows. Briefly place another one of the chocolate spheres down on the warm frying pan, and press both spheres together to form a filled ball. Repeat until you have six filled hot chocolate bombs.
• To decorate, dust them all over with edible gold lustre. Heat up a mug of milk and stir in the hot chocolate bomb to serve.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Steps:

• Bring cream to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour cream over chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add butter, then whisk mixture until smooth. Let cool, stirring often. Use immediately.