Swan Puff Chocolate Sauce Food

SWAN CREAM PUFFS ON A CHOCOLATE POND

Steps:

• 1. In a saucepan, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until a smooth ball forms. Remove the sauce pan from the heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition until incorporated. Beat until smooth and shiny.
• 2. Cut a small hole in the corner of a heavy-duty freezer resealable plastic bag (like ziplock.) Fill bag with about ½ cup of batter. On a greased baking sheet, pipe 10-12 three inch long "S" shapes for the swan necks. Make a small dollop at one end of each S for the head. Bake at 425° for about 5-8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven to cool. Don't over bake and get overbrowned.
• 3. For swan bodies, put large spoonfuls of batter onto greased baking sheets. With a spoon spread each out to form an oval about 3 ½ inches long and 2 ½ inches wide. (There should be 10-12 using all the batter). Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Do NOT UNDERBAKE. NOTE: Don't overbrown. The tops of the puffs should be hard to the touch when ready. If they are too soft they will collapse. If necessary at this point turn off oven and let sit in oven for a half hour. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. NOTE: This can be done a day in advance.
• 4. Meanwhile put pudding mixes into a medium to large bowl. Add the milk and mix well. Set aside to 'set' about 5 minutes. Whip the cream adding the sugar and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold in the whipped cream into the pudding. Chill.
• 5. Carefully slice off top third of swan bodies; set tops aside. Remove any soft dough inside. Spoon or pipe pudding mixture into bottoms of puffs dividing mixture evenly. Cut reserved tops in half lengthwise to form wings; set wings at an angle in filling. Dust with powdered sugar. Meanwhile tie a ribbon around the neck of each swan underneath the head making a bow with small streamer. With a small dab of white corn syrup or frosting, 'glue' the green candy holly leaves and red candy berries on the knot of the red bows. Carefully put a neck in each swans body at the top of the angled wings into the filling. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar again.
• 6. Pour the chocolate sauce or warmed hot fudge onto a round or oval platter. Carefully set seven of the Swans in a circle facing out on the outward edge of the chocolate 'pond.' Arrange strawberries in center of the 'pond.' Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
• 7. Makes 10-12 Christmas Swans on a chocolate pond. Expect raves. These are delicious and make a 'Wow' presentation. Both kids and adults love them.

SWAN PROFITEROLES

Steps:

• Pate a Choux: Place an 11-by-17-inch piece of parchment lengthwise on work surface. Using a pencil and ruler, draw sets of parallel lines to make a grid that will be the guide for piping out the swans: Starting 3/4 inch up from the bottom edge, draw a line across the paper. Draw a second parallel line, 2 1/2 inches above the first. Draw a third parallel line, 1 inch above the second line, and a fourth line 2 1/2 inches above the third. Draw another line 1 inch above the fourth line, and a sixth line 2 1/2 inches above that. This should leave a 3/4-inch border at the top. Place parchment, pencil-side down on an 11-by-17-inch unrimmed baking sheet. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat butter, granulated sugar, salt, and 1 cup water over medium; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, quickly stir in flour. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and a film forms on bottom, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed until slightly cooled, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating until each is fully incorporated and a soft peak forms when you touch dough with your finger.
• Fit a large 18-inch pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip (such as Ateco #806). Fill with a generous three-quarters of the dough. Fit a small pastry bag with an 1/8-inch round tip (such as Ateco #11). Fill with remaining dough. Using the large pastry bag, squeeze out 18 large teardrops of dough onto prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart and staying between the lines. Form the heads: On a separate parchment-lined unrimmed baking sheet, using the small pastry bag, squeeze out 18 small S shapes, like question marks but with the second end slightly curved as well. Make a pointed beak by pulling up the tip at the edge of the head.
• Brush beaten egg over swan bodies and heads. Bake bodies 10 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and add heads. Continue baking until golden and airy, about 25 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Assembly: Gently slice off top of bodies with a sharp serrated knife. Cut tops in half. Working quickly, fill each body with a small scoop of ice cream. Place both pieces of the top back on ice cream to simulate wings; place a head into the ice cream at the point where the two wings meet. Transfer swans to a baking sheet and freeze until ready to serve.
• Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream over medium; pour over chocolate. Let stand 5 minutes; stir until smooth. Let cool at room temperature until ready to use. Spoon a pool of chocolate sauce on each plate and top with a swan. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

CREAM PUFF SWANS

Steps:

• PASTRY
• Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Place templates on baking sheets; line with parchment paper. Measure flour and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, bring butter, water, salt, and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Stir quickly until all the flour is incorporated, about a minute. Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute or two.
• Transfer dough to the bowl of an electric mixer, and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; beat until the dough loses its "slimy" look, and each egg is incorporated. (You may only need 3 eggs, depending on your climate.) The dough should be thick, but should fall slowly and steadily from the beaters when you lift them out of the bowl.
• Spoon dough into a pastry bag fitted with a coupler. Attach a #10 tip (1/2-inch) to coupler. Pipe dough to make 12 swan necks on a baking sheet, using template as a guide. Smooth out peaks and round tops with a moistened finger; remove template. (You're aiming for something between a numeral 2 and a question mark, with a little beak if you're skilled and/or lucky.)
• Remove the tip from the bag and pipe out 12 swan bodies on a second baking sheet, using template as a guide. These will be about 3" long, and about 2" wide. One end should be a bit narrower than the other. Smooth out peaks and round tops with a moistened finger; remove template.
• Egg wash: Whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon water. Brush tops of dough with egg mixture. Place swan necks on baking sheet in the freezer.
• Bake swan bodies at 425° for 5 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 375°, and bake 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to a wire rack, and cool completely.
• Bake swan necks at 375° for 15 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet to a wire rack, and cool completely.
• PASTRY CREAM
• In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture starts to boil. Cook for 2 minutes until thickened.
• Remove from the stove. Slowly whisk 1/4 cup of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add the egg yolk mixture to the hot mixture in the saucepan. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour or overnight.
• When pudding is chilled, whip cream to form soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pudding until evenly mixed. Cover and chill until ready to use.
• ASSEMBLY
• Cut swan bodies in half horizontally. Cut the top halves in half to create two wings.
• Dollop or pipe a small amount of pastry cream onto the widest part of the bottom halves. Fix the swan necks in the cream. After you've put the neck in place, fill the bottom halves with additional pastry cream. Place wings on each side.
• Chill until ready to serve. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving if desired.

CHOCOLATE SWAN, TREASURE CHEST, PICTURE FRAME, CHOCOLATE SLEIGH, AND DRESSY CHOCOLATE BOX

Steps:

• To mold the swan: Use a ladle to fill a mold with white chocolate. When it is full, empty it into the bowl of chocolate. The inside of the mold should be evenly coated with chocolate. Wipe the edge of the mold clean on the side of the bowl and place it upside down on a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Once the chocolate starts to harden, about 5 minutes, scrape the edge clean with a paring knife. When the chocolate sets, it shrinks or retracts from the sides of the mold. A clean edge will keep it from sticking and cracking as it shrinks. You can place the mold in the refrigerator for several minutes to help the chocolate to harden. Depending on the thickness of the chocolate, you may want to repeat this step to make the swan thicker. Unmold the chocolate swan. When the chocolate has completely set, the swans are ready to fill with candy. To mold the treasure chest: Use a clean paintbrush or pastry brush to apply dark chocolate to the inside details of the mold. I painted the hinges and fasteners dark chocolate. Use a ladle to fill a mold with milk chocolate. Use the same molding technique as used in the swan. You can fill the chest with candy or any special treat. Tie it closed with a ribbon. To make the picture and frame: This technique can be used to make any painted design. I downloaded a clipart image from the internet. A simple design with a lot of color makes the best result. Place your design underneath a piece of acetate. Mix together a few tablespoons of the cocoa butter with a small amount of powdered food color. It will be easier if you use a yogurt machine to store and warm your paints. Use a fine-tipped paintbrush to trace the outline of the painting with a dark-colored paint. Use other paint colors to fill in the design. This will certainly remind you of paint-by-number. Use and airbrush if you want to give it an antique finish. Allow the paint to dry. Pour some white chocolate at the edge of the painted acetate. Pull the raplette through the chocolate pulling the chocolate over the painted drawing. This will spread an even 1/8-inch thick layer of chocolate over the painting. When the chocolate begins to set, use a sharp paring knife to cut the paint canvas to the finished size of the painting. Let this cool until the chocolate sets. When the chocolate has set completely, simply peel off the acetate. Use a brush dipped in dark chocolate to brush a very light layer of dark chocolate over the relief of the picture frame mold. Use a ladle or cornet filled with white chocolate to fill the mold with white chocolate. When the chocolate sets, unmold the picture frame. The dark chocolate will leave an antique effect. Use tempered white chocolate to glue the chocolate canvas into the frame. It is ready for display. Make the sleigh: Make a template for the sleigh skis and the sleigh bottom. You can make this any size that you like. The bottom of my sleigh measured 11 inches wide by 17 inches long. I used a wood grain tool normally used in house painting to give the sleigh the texture of wood. To make the wood grain chocolate, pour a little dark chocolate at the edge of a piece of parchment paper that measures at least 11 inches wide by 17 inches long. Use a back and forth rocking motion as you pull the wood grain tool through dark chocolate. Be sure to spread this chocolate all the way to the edge of the paper. Repeat the process until the paper is completely filled with the pattern. Repeat on more parchment to create enough wood grain pattern for all of the pieces in your sleigh.
• Use an offset spatula to spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of tempered milk chocolate over all of the pieces that have the dark chocolate wood grain pattern. When cutting out the skis, use a paring knife to cut through the chocolate while tracing around the template. When the chocolate has set completely, remove the excess chocolate. When the chocolate is set, peel off the parchment. Make the sleigh handle: Roll parchment paper into a tight roll that is about 1/2-inch in diameter. Use a cornet filled with milk chocolate to fill the roll. Be sure to pinch the bottom to keep the chocolate from escaping. Set aside until the roll has set. When the chocolate is hard, remove the parchment paper. Use a hot knife to cut the sleigh handle to the size that will fit onto your sleigh. Assemble: Lay a ski pattern-side down on the work surface. Place tempered milk chocolate in a large cornet and trim the tip. Draw a line of chocolate along the edge of the sleigh bottom. Position the sleigh bottom onto the ski. Draw a line of chocolate on the other edge of the sleigh and position the other ski on top. When the chocolate sets, stand the sleigh upright. Use tempered milk chocolate to glue the sleigh handle into place. The sleigh is ready for any display. Make the Dressy Gift box: To make the strips on the top, you can use a tiling spatula with square teeth cut from it. My box measured 7 inches wide by 10 inches long. Use an offset spatula to spread a 1/8-inch-thick layer of tempered milk chocolate over a sheet of acetate. Pull the slotted spatula through the chocolate along the longest side. This will leave long straight lines. When the chocolate begins to set, use an offset spatula to spread a 1/8-inch-thick layer of tempered white chocolate over strips, being careful not to press into the milk chocolate strips. Let the chocolate set completely. To make the base, use an offset spatula to spread a 1/4-inch-thick layer of tempered dark chocolate over a sheet of parchment paper. Use a paring knife to cut a rectangle that measures 7 inches wide by 10 inches. Then cut 2 strips that measure 61/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Cut 2 more strips that measure 91/2 inches long and 11/2 inches wide. When the chocolate has set completely, remove the base and strips. Use tempered chocolate to glue the strips onto the base to form a box. Place the strips just inside the edge of the base. Make the box decorations: Use white modeling chocolate to make the tie, collar, pocket and pocket square. I colored some modeling chocolate red for the pocket square. Get creative and have fun. Dust the work surface with cornstarch. Use a rolling pin to roll out the white modeling chocolate until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Use a paring knife to cut out the details of the shirt or blouse. Place the pieces on top of the striped chocolate box top. If you are inspired to do so, paint some patterns on the tie. When the chocolate has set completely on all of the pieces, the box is ready to be filled with any treat. Simply fill the box and cover with the top piece. SOURCES: Chocolate Melter: Demarle New Jersey, Demarle.com Chocolate Cold Spray: PCB in France 011 33 0388 587333 Swan mold: Tomric Plastics Treasure chest mold: Tomric Plastics Wood grain tool: hardware/paint store Grout spatula for tiling: hardware Modeling chocolate: Beryls

CLASSIC CREAM PUFFS WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the pastry cream: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk in the egg yolks until combined, then whisk in the milk. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it starts to thicken, 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat.
• Whisk in the butter and vanilla bean paste. Transfer to a bowl, then press a sheet of plastic wrap on the surface of the pastry cream. Let cool, then refrigerate until chilled through, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Start the cream puff dough: In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, butter and salt to a simmer over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together. Cook until the mixture starts to pull away from the sides of the pan into a ball and looks dry, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Finish the cream puff dough: Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs, one at a time, waiting until they are fully incorporated before adding the next. Mix until the batter is shiny and stiff. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-low speed to incorporate the eggs. Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round pastry tip.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Form and bake: On the prepared baking sheet, pipe rounds of dough that are 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide and about 1 inch high, allowing 1 inch between each. Alternatively, measure out a scant 1/4-cup dough for each puff. Wet your finger and press down any pointed tops on the cream puffs. Bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F and bake until firm to the touch, another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Finish baking: Shut the oven off. Let the puffs dry inside the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Assemble: Using a paring knife, hollow out a hole in the bottom of each of the puffs. Pipe the pastry cream into the hole. Alternatively, you can cut the top off each puff and remove any undercooked dough in the center, then fill with the pastry cream and top with the top again. Hold in the refrigerator until ready to garnish and serve.
• Make the chocolate sauce: In a small pot, heat the cream. In a small bowl that fits over the pot of cream (without the bottom of the bowl touching the cream), combine the chocolate with the cinnamon. Use the pot of cream as the bottom of the double boiler and melt the chocolate over the cream. When the chocolate is melted, add the heated cream to the bowl with the chocolate and whisk to combine. Keep warm.
• Top the cream puffs with a sprinkle of confectioners' sugar and some of the chocolate sauce.

SIMPLE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until completely smooth (see step-by-step).
• Heat all of the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan until evenly combined. Remove from the heat and stir through the melted chocolate. Serve warm over chocolate pudding, vanilla ice cream or both!