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Emeril's Romantic Valentine's Desserts
All recipes in this feature courtesy of
Emeril Lagasse
and Good Morning America, February 2002
Last
week Good Morning America asked its viewers to vote for
the most romantic
Valentine's Day dessert, offering the following
five Emeril Lagasse
recipes:
Chocolate
Meringue Pie
Chocolate Marquise with Orange Crème Anglaise
and Candied Almond Slivers
Chocolate Bundt Cakes with Peanut Butter Filling
Coconut Cream Cake
Lemon Pudding Cakes with Strawberry Sauce
And
the winner is...
Chocolate Marquise with Orange Crème
Anglaise
and Candied Almond Slivers
Chocolate Marquis Ingredients
1 1/2 pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 cup roughly chopped, toasted pistachios
1 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
Directions:
1. Line a lightly oiled 6-cup loaf pan with plastic wrap and
set aside.
2. In the top of a double boiler or in a metal bowl set over a pan of
simmering water, combine the chocolate and butter and melt until
smooth,
stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and fold in the
pistachios. Let
cool.
3. In a bowl fitted with an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream until
stiff
peaks form. Whisk about one-third of the cream into the cooled
chocolate,
then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour
the chocolate mixture
into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with
a rubber spatula. Cover with
plastic wrap and chill it overnight.
4. Unwrap the pan, invert onto a serving platter, and shake gently to
release. Remove the plastic wrap from the top and let sit at room
temperature about 15 minutes to soften. Slice into 1/2-inch to
3/4-inch slices and serve with the Orange Crème Anglaise (recipe
below) on the side,
and garnish with the candied almond slivers
(recipe below).
Orange Crème Anglaise Ingredients:
2 cups half and half
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar (you'll divide in half into two 1/4 cups)
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, or other
orange-flavored liqueur
Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the half-and-half, vanilla
bean and vanilla seeds, 1/4 cup of sugar and orange zest to a simmer over
medium-high
heat. Remove from the heat and discard the vanilla bean.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 1/4 cup
sugar until thick and ribbons form, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in
about 3/4 cup of the hot half-and-half, and whisk until well incorporated.
Add the egg mixture to the saucepan with the remaining half-and-half.
Cook
stirring, over medium heat, until it forms a thick custard, about 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and strain into a clean bowl set in an
ice bath to
chill quickly. Add the Grand Marnier, and stir to combine.
3. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing down on the surface to prevent a skin
from forming, and refrigerate until cool, about 2 hours, or overnight.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Candied Almond Slivers Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond slivers
1/2 cup sugar
Directions:
1. Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the
almonds and lightly
toast, stirring.
2. Add the sugar, and cook, stirring until the sugar melts and the almonds
are evenly coated. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet, stirring to
separate the nuts. Let cool. Makes 1/2 cup.
The
runner-up...
Chocolate Meringue Pie
Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter,
cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ice water, or more as needed
Chocolate Filling
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut
into bits and softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Meringue Topping
4 egg whites
1//4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
Finely grated bittersweet chocolate, as garnish
1. In a medium bowl using a pastry blender or fork, mix
together the
flour, butter, shortening, and salt until the mixture resembles
coarse
crumbs. Add 2 tablespoons ice water and mix just until the water is
incorporated. Add more water as needed to make a smooth dough.
Form the
dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and let rest
in the
refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Remove from the oven and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll
the
pastry to a large round, about 12-inches in diameter. Transfer
to a deep dish 9-inch pie pan, trim to within 1/2-inch of the pan,
and crimp
decoratively. Prick with a fork, cover, and refrigerate
for 20 to 30
minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line the shell with parchment
paper and fill
with pie weights. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the
paper and bake until
golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Re-
move from the oven and cool on a
wire rack.
Filling Directions
In the top of a double-boiler, or in a metal bowl set over a
pot of barely simmering water, melt the bittersweet and unsweetened
chocolates,
stirring, until smooth. Remove from the heat.
In a bowl, beat the egg yolks. In a medium, heavy saucepan, whisk to-
gether
the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the milk in a stream, whisking
constantly. Bring the mixture to a boil, whisking constantly to keep lumps
from forming. Remove from the heat.
Add 1 cup of the hot milk mixture to the yolks and whisk until smooth.
Add
the beaten yolk mixture to the saucepan with the hot milk and bring
to a
simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, whisking constantly, until
thick and
smooth, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in
the melted
chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing
down on
the surface to prevent a skin from forming, and cool completely.
Pour the
filling into the crust and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or
overnight.
Meringue Directions
In a large non-reactive bowl using an electric mixer, beat
the egg whites
with the cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks start to
form. Slowly add
the sugar while beating and continue to beat until glossy
and stiff peaks
form. (Be careful not to overbeat, as will be difficult to
spread.)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Spread the meringue over the chocolate
pie, smoothing out to the pastry
edges (so the meringue won't draw up during
baking). With a dull knife,
make decorative peaks in the meringue. Bake
until meringue is golden,
about 14 to 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 2 hours in refrigerator.
Sprinkle with grated chocolate, and serve. Makes one 9-inch pie.
Third
place...
Lemon Pudding Cakes with
Strawberry Sauce
5 teaspoons unsalted butter,
at room temperature
3 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Confectioners' sugar, for garnish
1 recipe Strawberry Sauce (see recipe below)
6 large mint leaves, cut into chiffonade
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease six 3/4-cup
custard cups with 1/2 teaspoon of the butter and place in a large roasting
pan.
2. Combine the egg yolks, milk, lemon juice, and zest in a large bowl.
Using
an electric mixer, beat until frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the
remaining 4
1/2 teaspoons of butter, the granulated sugar, the flour,
and salt, and beat
until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently
fold into the yolk mixture, being very careful not to over mix.
4. Divide the batter among the prepared dishes. Pour enough warm water
into
the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake
until
puffed and lightly firm to the touch, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove
from oven
and transfer the ramekins to 6 dessert plates to cool slightly.
5. Sift confectioners' sugar over each pudding cake and top with 1/2 cup
of
the strawberry sauce. Garnish with the mint and serve warm.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients & Directions for Strawberry Sauce
Summer
is, of course, the best time of year to make this, as berries
are
at their
ripest and sweetest. Depending upon when you make
this
sauce, you might want
to add more honey to taste.
6 cups fresh strawberries, stemmed and hulled
1/3 cup honey
1. In a food processor or blender, puree 2 cups of
strawberries on
high
speed and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Quarter the remaining strawberries and add to the puree. Add the
honey
and mix to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at
least 30 minutes.
(Alternately, mix in advance and refrigerate
for up to 6 hours until needed.
Let come to room temperature
before serving.) Makes 3 cups
Emeril's Romantic Valentine's Desserts, continued...
More Valentine's Day indulgences:
Black Forest Cherry Cake
(Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte)
Chocolate Bananas Foster Cake with
Orange Foster Caramel Sauce
Chocolate Chocolate Pudding Cake
with Chocolate Ganache (Emeril)
Chocolate Espresso Torte
Chocolate-Glazed White Chocolate Cheesecake
with Orange Kumquat Sauce
Chocolate Grand Marnier Éclairs
Red Velvet Cake
Mocha Rum Cake
Molten Chocolate Cake (Chocolatier)
Tiramisu (Chocolatier)
Index - Chocolate Recipe Archives
Index - Favorite Recipe Archives
Index - Miscellaneous Desserts
More Valentine's Day Recipes
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