Delightful Chocolate

This chocolate dessert is fun to make and simple to do. It is made of layers of goodness: a crust made of pecans butter and flour, a filling of cream cheese and whip cream, a layer of chocolate milk pudding, and another layer of whipped cream for an unforgettable treat. You can use premade chocolate pudding bought from the store or grocery or make one from scratch at home. There are many ways to enjoy this delectable treat. On its own, indulge in it during afternoon tea or serve it with coffee and enjoy with friends. Of course, this is an irresistible gourmet snack recipe for kids of all ages.

While this is not a healthy gourmet recipe, it is one of the most luscious and delightful. You can top this chocolate dessert with fresh fruits for a more colorful and elegant treat. Slice fresh strawberries, kiwis, bananas, peaches, currants, raspberries, or mandarin oranges and decorate this chocolate dessert. You can use one fruit two, three or more to make a medley that is a pleasure to the eyes as much as it is a pleasure to the palate and the tummy.

Another way of enjoying this rapturous dessert is to serve it with vanilla or peppermint ice cream and garnish it with mint leaves for a fancy touch. You can also decorate the top with nuts. Since the crust contains pecans, you can decorate the dessert with whole pecans or with almonds, cashews, or walnuts for a crunchy contrast. Fruit and nut also makes a wonderful combination and go excellently with chocolate.

If you want to go totally out on this, drizzle this gourmet snack recipe with some cherry or strawberry syrup. Whisky or rum sauce also goes well with this for strictly adult guests. Serves as many as sixteen to twenty, or as few as three if you guests or family have a big appetite for chocolate.

Ingredients

Combine

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 stick butter, at room temperature

Press evenly in a 9- by 13-inch glass baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until light brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Combine

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup Cool Whip

Spread onto cooled crust.

Mix:

2 small boxes instant (can substitute any flavor)

3 cups milk

Beat 2 minutes. Spread on top of cheese mixture. Spread 1 cup of Cool Whip over top. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

1. In a bowl, mix flour, pecans, and butter. Press evenly in a 9- by 13-inch glass baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until light brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. In another bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and Cool Whip. Spread onto cooled crust.

3. In a saucepan mix chocolate pudding and milk. Beat 2 minutes. Spread on top of cheese mixture. Spread 1 cup of Cool Whip over top. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

4. Cut into squares and serve.

Special Chocolate Ganache

A black-and-white dessert made with rich chocolate and vanilla cream, chocolate ganache with vanilla cream is simple yet undeniably elegant. Topped with a mint leaf, it can be served at even the most fancy dinner party. Chocolate ganache is a French technique that consists of dark chocolate, often used as a topping or decoration. It is very versatile and has many uses. It can be whipped as an icing or a filling and can be poured over cakes, cupcakes, and pastries. It is especially delicious with moist sponge cakes. Chocolate ganache makes a gorgeous glaze or decorative piping.

In this simple recipe, vanilla cream is poured in tiny bowls and simply topped with chocolate ganache and garnished with mint leaves. You can serve this decadent dessert chilled or warm. It is a more stylish version of the more common chocolate mousse.

The French counterpart of the American fudge frosting, chocolate ganache is a bit more luxurious and indulgent with a rich dark chocolate texture. It is made with pure chocolate and heavy cream. If you wish to whip your chocolate ganache for a fluff and light texture, simply whip it with a whisk the same way that you would whip heavy cream. The mixing bowl and beater should be nice and cold. It is also a good idea to chill the ganache for a bit before whipping. For the best food recipes in the world you visit them here.

Do not freeze the ganache, however, since it will curdle and will not whip at all. If you want a truffle like texture, or a thick frosting for a decorative piping, the chocolate ganache should be cool before it is whipped. The longer that you let the ganache cool, the thicker it will set. You know that the ganache is ready for piping if you spoon it and it holds its structure and texture well without falling.

Ingredients

½ lb. dark bitter chocolate
1/4 lbs. fleurette cream (heavy cream)
1.8 oz. butter
4 mint leaves
English cream:
8 egg yolks
½ lb. sugar
2 pints milk
1 vanilla pod

1. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl using a bain-marie. Over medium heat, gently bring cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it stand for 2 minutes. Add the melted butter and blend with a whisk until smooth.

2. To make the English cream, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until the eggs are almost white. Gradually add the hot milk stirring constantly. Add the vanilla grains and place on a very low heat, stirring until the mixture thickens. Take off the heat.

3. Pour English cream on each serving dish or bowl and place a scoop of the chocolate ganache on top.

4. Decorate with a mint leaf.

Facing Up with a Choco Mountain

This is a gourmet chocolate dessert with layers of cream, custard and chocolates. Chocolate mountains is an unforgettable and decadent dish ideal for special events or romantic occasions. While this is a simple dish to make at home, it requires delicateness and care since you will be handling delicate ingredients like eggs, cream and chocolate. For best results, use a bain-marie for melting and heating the ingredients.

Also known as a water bath, a bain-marie is a special cooking equipment that consists of two sections of chambers: the bottom and the upper section. The bottom section is for the boiling water, which touches the heat directly and the upper section is where the delicate ingredients are placed so that they only get indirect heat. You can also use an improvised version of a bain-marie if you don’t have it at home. Use a small saucepan for boiling the water and another saucepan or heatproof saucer for melting and heating the ingredients. Take care that the bottom of the saucer does not touch the boiling water, which should only be about an inch or two in height.

This delicious dessert is great for adults as well as for children of all ages. You can be very creative with the presentation so that it is all the more appealing and irresistible. For superior results, use only the best quality chocolate you can find. Pure dark chocolate is ideal for making this recipe for chocolate mountains. You also need white chocolate in this recipe.

For a memorable evening, serve chocolate mountains with Banyuls grand cru, brandy, rum or Cognac. This dessert also goes well with coffee or afternoon tea. Top the chocolate mountains with fresh fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, mangoes, currants, or peaches. Mint leaves make a fine garnish and a refreshing contrast to this chocolate dessert.

Ingredients

1 egg
1.8 oz. white chocolate
1.8 oz. pralines
rum, cognac or Grand Marnier
1 gelatin leaf
1.4 oz. grilled almonds
1/2 lb. Chantilly (sweetened whipped cream)
1/4 lbs. sugar
½ lb. topping chocolate
1/2 lb. cream
Genovese waffles (sponge cake dough) or pate sable
1 mint leaf
1.8 oz. sour cream
1 mango, English cream
currant sauce, mango sauce

1. To make the cream, beat the eggs over a bain-marie pan taking care that it does not curdle. Soak the gelatin in cold water and add it to the beaten egg. Add the white chocolate and praline. Add some rum and Cognac. Mix slowly with the Chantilly. Add the crushed almonds. Fill small bowls with the cream.

2. Cover the “mountains” with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. Mix chocolate, sour cream, and sugar. Remove the “mountains” from the refrigerator and place each on a round Genovese waffle. Allow the chocolate topping to flow over each.

3. Place these “chocolate mountains” on a cold serving dish and decorate with white chocolate. Add the 3 different sauces in a visually creative manner. You can also add some mango slices, chocolate crisps, mint leaves, and chocolate sauce.