Gelato Siciliano

from Saveur

serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 3 cups milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (I sift the cocoa to remove any lumps)

Instructions:

Bring 2 cups of milk to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat; remove from heat. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup milk with sugar, cornstarch and cocoa in a bowl and stir into hot milk. Cook until sugar and cocoa dissolve. Allow to cool, then cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.  Process mixture in an ice cream maker.  You don't need to churn it as long as you do ice cream - you want it to just be a custard sort of consistency, not completely frozen.Store in the freezer in a container with plastic wrap pressed right on top. It's best the day you make it.  If it freezes hard, just remove it 10 minutes before you plan of serving it.

Classic Hot Chocolate

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 quart (1 liter) milk
• 1 Madagascar vanilla bean, split
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• ¾ teaspoon (3.5 grams) black peppercorns (whole)
• 2 bars (3.5 ounces/100 grams each) Lindt Excellence 70% Cocoa, hopped

METHOD:

1. Heat the milk with the spices in a saucepan over medium heat until it reaches boiling point, but do not let the milk boil.
2. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
3. Remove from heat and let rest for 25 minutes to release the spices’ aroma.
4. Strain the liquid and reheat before serving.

YIELD:

4 - 6 servings

Chocolate Chip Meringue Drops

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment paper, and set aside.
2. In large metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat until they hold stiff peaks. Mix in the vanilla and cocoa on low speed, then fold in chocolate chips by hand. Drop small mounds of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.
3. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Turn off oven, and leave the cookies in the oven for 2 more hours, or until centers are dry. Remove from pan and store in an airtight container.

Mocha Meringues

Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions

1. Beat egg white and cream of tartar with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, vanilla, cocoa, and coffee powder.
2. Drop mixture onto foil lined baking sheet in 12 mounds. They should be about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 40 minutes at 250 degrees F (120 degrees C), or until firm. Turn off oven, and let meringues cool in oven for 1 hour. Do not open oven door while the cookies are cooling.

Meringue Teasers

Ingredients

• 2 egg whites
• 2/3 cup super fine sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Cover cookie sheets with foil.
2. Beat egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Gradually beat in sugar until meringue forms stiff peaks. Add food coloring, if using. Add vanilla and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop meringue by teaspoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets. Place in preheated oven. Turn oven off. Do not open door for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip Cookies

Total Prep and Baking Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus 24 hours to chill the dough
Yield: 18-20 large cookies (I used a #40 ice cream scoop, which is a bit more than 2 tablespoons, and got about 40 cookies)

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (now, I did not have these, so I used Guittard 60% cocoa bittersweet chocolate chips, as well as about 1/2 pound of semi-sweet Guittard chocolate pieces, which I chopped – I loved the look and texture of this combination)
sea salt or fleur de sel, for sprinkling

1. Sift together the cake flour, bread flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a medium sized bowl and set aside.

2. In the bowl of your mixer, cream together your butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add in the vanilla and mix. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, until just moistened. Fold in your chocolate until evenly added throughout the dough. Press plastic wrap against the dough, making sure it is completely covered, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or as long as 72 hours (I left mine for 36 hours).

3. When you are ready to bake, bring the dough to room temperature so that you can scoop it out, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line and/or grease your baking sheets. Scoop your dough out onto the sheets. I used a #40 ice cream scoop, which is about the size of 2 tablespoons, but you can make them even larger, if you like. Do not press the dough down – let it stay the way it is. Sprinkle the cookies lightly with a bit of fleur de sel or sea salt. Bake 10-12 minutes for smaller cookies (mine took about 11 minutes), or 18-20 minutes for larger cookies.

4. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on your baking sheet, then move them to another surface to cool completely. You can enjoy these warm, room temperature, or cold. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients

1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 3/4 cups milk
2 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

In a saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Place over medium heat, and stir in milk. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from heat, and stir in margarine and vanilla. Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.

Brownies

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup confectioner's sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Melt 1/2 cup butter.  Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla.  Mix well.
3.  Add in 1/3 cup cocoa. 1/2 cup flour, salt and baking powder.  Mix well.  Spread batter into one 8x8 square baking pan.
4.  Bake for 25 - 33 minutes.  Do NOT overcook.  These are better the next day.
5.  To make frosting:  Combine 3 Tbsp butter, 3 Tbsp cocoa, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp vanilla nd 1 cup confectioner's sugar.  Frost brownies while they are still warm.