Delice au Chocolat (recipe)
Jean B.
requested by Rosie. I'm going to try to type in a lighter version
tomorrow. Jean B.
Jean B's Delice au Chocolat
I don't quite know how to categorize this dessert. It's not really a
cake, and thus doesn't belong in the cake category…but if you've never
found a satisfactory chocolate cake, I'd steer you in this direction.
I started making this cake in 1970, when I was a kid, and this
predated all the flourless and sunken chocolate cakes that have now
become pretty well known.
2.66 c chopped semisweet chocolate (I'd now use Scharffen Berger; if
that isn't available, I'd use Valrhona-BUT the former has such nice
nuances…)
5 eggs, separated
1 Tbsp Brandy or…*
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flour
.25 tsp salt
1 stick plus 2 Tbsp sweet butter, softened (5 oz)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over almost-boiling
water on very low heat. Let stand ca 10 minutes, then stir til melted
and smooth.
Grease a parchment circle to fit the bottom of a baking pan (I always
used a pan that was 8" on the top and ca 6.75 inches on the bottom with
very slightly sloped sides. Looking at my pan, I think a 7.5"
springform, ca 3" deep would be fine.) Place parchment greased side
down in pan and then grease both parchment and pan.
Beat the egg yolks til thick. Beat in the brandy, flour, and
butter--the last-mentioned ca 1 Tbsp at a time. Add the chocolate and
mix gently til smooth and homogeneous. (Yes, it will be sort-of melty.
Hence I think it's good to get the chocolate melted and let it cool a
tad while you are proceeding up to this point.) Beat the egg whites til
frothy; add the sugar and proceed to beat til stiff and glossy. Fold
thoroughly into the chocolate mixture. Turn into prepared pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes or til center's firm when touched lightly (you just
don't want it to be liquid). It won't look done. As it cools, the
delice will become firmer; it will also sink and possibly crack. (I
almost threw it away the first time I made it, thinking it was a total
disaster!). Cool thoroughly in pan on rack. Then turn out of pan and
invert back onto serving plate. You will probably need to loosen the
sides to do this--possibly with a long thin knife.. If you are not
using a springform, you can also dip the pan briefly into hot water to
get it out. Chill thoroughly. (You can also freeze this indefinitely
and eat it directly or almost directly from the freezer if you are so
inclined, but try that later.) Believe me, this is VERY rich. If you
serve it with whipped cream, that will seem refreshing by comparison.
*I experimented with various liqueurs and also liked using VERY strong
coffee.
I also made a chocolate-mint version, usually by inserting a toothpick
into very strong peppermint oil and then stirring it around in the
butter mixture a bit…. Jean B. via RFC
Jean B.
>
> On Mon, 23 Aug 1999 19:58:33 -0400, "Jean B." <jb...@ma.ultranet.com>
> wrote:
>
> >Here is my specialty (or the one I thought of, anyway), which was
> >requested by Rosie. I'm going to try to type in a lighter version
> >tomorrow. Jean B.
>
>
> >Jean B's Delice au Chocolat
> >
> > that isn't available, I'd use Valrhona-BUT the former has such nice
>
> I have here "nuances=85)"
>
> >5 eggs, separated
> >1 Tbsp Brandy or=85*
>
> I have here "1 Tbsp Brandy or=85*"
>
> >1 Tbsp granulated sugar
> >2 Tbsp flour
>
> I have here "2E25 tsp salt"
>
> >butter mixture a bit=85. Jean B. via RFC
>
> I have here "butter mixture a bit=85"
>
> Thanks.
>
> Kay
Oops, I'm usually so diligent about removing special characters before I
send these out. The 85s are ellipses. The amount of salt is .25 tsp.
(I have NO idea why THAT was mangled.) I'll repost and send without
ellipses and try redoing that line!
Jean B.
recipe I posted last night. I hope I have ironed them out here. Also,
there were two typos I hadn't caught, so please use this version.
Jean B's Delice au Chocolat
I don't quite know how to categorize this dessert. It's not really a
cake, and thus doesn't belong in the cake category...but if you've never
found a satisfactory chocolate cake, I'd steer you in this direction.
I started making this cake in 1970, when I was a kid, and this
predated all the flourless and sunken chocolate cakes that have now
become pretty well known.
2.66 c chopped semisweet chocolate (I'd now use Scharffen Berger; if
that isn't available, I'd use Valrhona--BUT the former has such nice
nuances...)
5 eggs, separated
1 Tbsp Brandy or...*
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flour
0.25 tsp salt
1 stick plus 2 Tbsp sweet butter, softened (5 oz)
Preheat oven to 400F.
Place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over almost-boiling
water on very low heat. Let stand ca 10 minutes, then stir til melted
and smooth.
Grease a parchment circle to fit the bottom of a baking pan (I always
used a pan that was 8" on the top and ca 6.75 inches on the bottom with
very slightly sloped sides. Looking at my pan, I think a 7.5" or 8"
springform, ca 3" deep would be fine.) Place greased side down in pan
and then grease both parchment and pan.
Beat the egg yolks til thick. Beat in the brandy, flour, and
butter--the last-mentioned ca 1 Tbsp at a time. Add the chocolate and
mix gently til smooth and homogeneous. (Yes, it will be sort-of melty.
Hence I think it's good to get the chocolate melted and let it cool a
tad while you are proceeding up to this point.) Beat the egg whites til
frothy; add the sugar and proceed to beat til stiff and glossy. Fold
thoroughly into the chocolate mixture. Turn into prepared pan.
Bake 20-25 minutes or til center's firm when touched lightly (you just
don't want it to be liquid). It won't look done. As it cools, the
delice will become firmer; it will also sink and possibly crack. (I
almost threw it away the first time I made it, thinking it was a total
disaster!). Cool thoroughly in pan on rack. Then turn out of pan and
invert back onto serving plate. You will probably need to loosen the
sides to do this--possibly with a long thin knife. If you are not using
a springform, you can also dip the pan briefly into hot water to get it
out. Chill thoroughly. (You can also freeze this indefinitely and eat
it directly or almost directly from the freezer if you are so inclined,
but try that later.) Believe me, this is VERY rich. If you serve it
with whipped cream, that will seem refreshing by comparison.
*I experimented with various liqueurs and also liked using VERY strong
coffee.
I also made a chocolate-mint version, usually by inserting a toothpick
into very strong peppermint oil and then stirring it around in the
butter mixture a bit.... Jean B. via RFC