Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (57 page)

In a bowl, mix the crumbs thoroughly with the melted butter.

Turn the mixture into the lined pie plate. With your fingertips distribute the crumbs evenly and loosely over the sides first and then over the bottom. Then press the crumbs firmly against the sides—be careful that the top edge of the crust is not too thin—and then press it firmly against the bottom. It must all be very firm—no loose crumbs.

Place in the freezer for at least several hours or overnight; it must be frozen firm.

FILLING

2 pints coffee ice cream (of course you can use any other flavor you prefer)

The ice cream should be softened slightly so you can transfer it to the pie plate. Place it in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes or so, depending on the firmness of the ice cream and the temperature of the refrigerator.

Meanwhile, to remove the foil from the pie plate, raise the edges of the foil and carefully lift the foil (with the frozen crust) from the plate. Gently
peel away the foil (it will come away easily in one piece) by supporting the bottom of the crust with your left hand and peeling the foil slowly—a bit at a time—with your right. As you peel, rotate the crust gently on your left hand.

Support the bottom of the crust with a small metal spatula or a knife and ease it back into the plate very gently so as not to crack it—it will not crack if it has been frozen sufficiently.

Now turn the slightly softened ice cream into the crust. Spread it smoothly, mounding it a bit higher in the middle.

Return to the freezer until the ice cream is very firm.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze.

CHOCOLATE GLAZE

1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 tablespoon plus 1½ teaspoons water

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1½ tablespoons sweet butter, cut into small bits

Chop both chocolates into small pieces and set aside.

Place the water, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Stir occasionally until the mixture comes to a boil.

Add the chopped chocolate and remove from the heat immediately. Stir with a small wire whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Pour the cooled glaze carefully over the frozen ice cream to cover the top completely—be careful not to let any run over the sides of the crust. If it is necessary to spread the glaze, do it quickly before it hardens. It will be a very thin layer of glaze.

Return the pie to the freezer for at least a few hours or more.

When the glaze is frozen firm, the pie may be wrapped airtight with plastic wrap and may be frozen for any reasonable time.

This may be served as is, or with whipped cream (sweetened and flavored with vanilla extract or rum, bourbon, Kahlua, etc.) and toasted, sliced almonds or other nuts. And/or with the World’s Best Hot Fudge Sauce (see page 258).

NOTE:
Mississippi Mud (a cold drink) was originally a mixture of vanilla ice cream, strong, cold prepared coffee, and a lot of bourbon, with a sprinkling of nutmeg on top. In honor of the original Mud, and because it tastes so good, I pass a bottle of bourbon to be sprinkled or poured over individual portions.

Frozen Chocolate Pie

8
TO 12
P
ORTIONS

This is extremely rich and dense. WARNING: It should be served only to avowed chocolate lovers. It may be made early in the day for that night, or days or weeks ahead. It is served frozen.

1 9-inch baked and cooled pie shell (see page 176)

2 ounces (2 squares) unsweetened chocolate

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

¼ pound (1 stick) sweet butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional: 1 tablespoon rum, Cognac, or strong prepared coffee

¾ cup strained confectioners sugar

4 eggs (graded extra-large or jumbo)

Place both chocolates in the top of a small double boiler over hot water on moderate heat. Cover until partially melted. Uncover and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove the top of the double boiler and set aside to cool to room temperature.

In the small bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter until it is soft. Add the vanilla, optional rum, Cognac, or coffee, and the confectioners sugar and beat until very smooth and creamy. Add the cooled melted chocolate and beat at moderate speed, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula, until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl with the spatula and beating until thoroughly incorporated after each addition. After the last egg has been added, beat for 1 minute more.

Turn the mixture into a prepared pie shell. Spread it to make an even layer, or swirl it with the back of a spoon, and place in the freezer.

After about 15 minutes or so, when the top is firm, wrap it in plastic wrap and return it to the freezer. Freeze for about 4 hours, or much longer if you wish.

Remove from freezer and let stand at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

TOPPING

About ½ ounce semisweet or milk chocolate

1 cup heavy cream

Scant 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons strained confectioners sugar

Make shaved chocolate curls (they can be made as much ahead of time as you wish and stored in the refrigerator or freezer if the kitchen is warm). Working over wax paper, with a vegetable peeler scrape the side of the chocolate, forming curls and letting them fall on the wax paper. Set aside until you are ready to serve the pie.

The whipped cream may be made just before serving or a few hours before. (If it has to stand, refrigerate it; it will separate slightly and should be stirred with a wire whisk just before using.)

Place the cream, vanilla, and sugar in a chilled small bowl. With chilled beaters whip until the cream is stiff enough to hold a shape.

Immediately before serving spread the cream over the top of the pie and, with a large spoon, sprinkle the chocolate curls over the top.

Use a sharp, heavy knife and serve in small portions.

Ice Cream en Robe

This is a fascinating company or family dessert. The ingredients are simply ice cream and chocolate. But the handling of them is unusual, creative, and great fun.

They may be prepared an hour or so before serving or they may wait in the freezer for as long as you would store ice cream. If this dessert is going to be frozen for a long time you will need roomy, shallow boxes—these shells are fragile and must be stored without crowding.

You will need a round ice-cream scoop that measures 2½ inches in diameter to form balls like those used in ice-cream cones.

You will need 1 pint of ice cream for 3 portions. Use any flavor you like, but this is especially fine made with pistachio or coffee ice cream, or you can use a variety of flavors. And you will need 1 ounce of semisweet chocolate for each portion. Any semisweet chocolate may be used.

Before you start, make some room in the freezer where things can rest on a flat surface. And line a shallow pan (for holding scoops of ice cream) with wax paper or aluminum foil.

With the ice-cream scoop, form large, round balls of ice cream mounded high (as though you were scooping it for cones). Place the balls in the lined pan and immediately place the pan in the freezer—the ice cream must be frozen hard before you proceed.

While the balls are freezing, cut a round of wax paper for each ball (it must be wax paper—not foil or plastic wrap). Do it as follows: Tear off as many pieces of wax paper as you will need (each piece should be at least 7½ inches wide). Place them in a pile on a counter or table top. Find something round that measures 7½ inches in diameter—a small plate, or use a compass. Trace around the plate to mark a circle on the top piece of paper. Place your left hand flat on the pile of papers to keep them in place and, with scissors, cut through six to eight papers at once. (If you are making more, cut one pile and then another.) The edges do not have to be cut exactly or evenly.

Now coarsely chop the semisweet chocolate (1 ounce for each portion). Place it in the top of a small double boiler over warm water on low heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth—do not let it become warmer than tepid. Remove the top of the double boiler and let stand, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate reaches room temperature.

Place one round of wax paper on a work surface close to the freezer. Place a generous tablespoonful (about 1 ounce) of the chocolate in the center of the wax paper. Now work quickly. With the back of a large spoon or with a rubber spatula spread the chocolate out over the paper into a thin round, leaving an uncovered border of wax paper about 1 inch wide all around. The chocolate layer should be thin and the edges should be neat and even, but don’t worry about the surface being perfectly smooth.

Quickly, with a wide metal spatula, transfer a ball of ice cream to the center of the soft chocolate layer. Place it rounded side up. With your fingers bring up two opposite sides of the wax paper and the chocolate. The cold ice cream will quickly harden the chocolate and keep it in place. Immediately bring up the other two opposite sides, forming a four-sided cup (or robe) around the ice cream, with four folded corners pointing out.

Don’t fuss with it. Don’t try to make the corners all exactly alike. Just make sure that the four sides of the chocolate are up and that they meet in the corners. (The top of the ice cream will remain uncovered.)

Immediately place the En Robes, still in the wax paper, in the freezer.

If the chocolate starts to thicken too much while you are working with it, replace it over warm water and stir briefly only to soften it.

Continue to prepare as many as you want. When they are firm, carefully place them in a box or on a tray and cover with plastic wrap.

Now, this is the fun part. Sometime before serving (a day before if you wish—or right before), when it is quiet and you are not rushed, peel off the wax paper. Do this carefully and slowly but don’t keep the ice cream out of the freezer so long it starts to melt. It is best to begin on a side instead of at a corner, and gently peel the paper away. The corners are the most fragile part—handle them with care. If it seems difficult to remove the wax paper all in one piece, tear it anywhere that seems to make it safer—or give you less chance of breaking the chocolate—and then remove the paper in pieces.

Return the desserts to the freezer until serving time. Serve these on flat plates with a fork and a spoon.

NOTE:
With practice and experience you will be able to make the chocolate thinner. The thinner it is, the more delicate and elegant.

Chocolate Chip-Cognac-Coffee Ice Cream

1
Q
UART

I got this recipe from Rita Leinwand, food editor of
Bon Appétit
Magazine, when she came to our home for lunch. She told me that she got it from Sam Aaron, wine connoisseur, writer, and owner of the Sherry-Lehmann Wine and Liquor store in New York City. Now you’ve got it. It is FAN-TAS-TIC!!! Thank you, Rita. Thank you, Sam.

2 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 quart coffee ice cream (see Note)

2 teaspoons dry powdered (not granular) instant espresso

4 ounces (½ cup) Cognac

On a board, with a large, heavy knife, chop the chocolate into fine pieces. The pieces do not all have to be the same size, some may be a little larger or smaller.

The rest of the instructions for this recipe are simply mix all the ingredients.

It is necessary to soften the ice cream slightly, but no more than necessary—do not allow it to melt! (When ice cream is churned it absorbs a certain amount of air which makes it light and creamy. If you allow it to melt it will lose that air.)

Place the ice cream in the refrigerator for 15 or 20 minutes, just until it can be stirred. Or cut the firm ice cream into pieces and, very briefly, mix it in an electric mixer or process it in a food processor. Quickly stir in the chocolate, espresso, and Cognac and refreeze immediately.

NOTE:
Rita said that Sam said the ice cream must be Haagen-Dazs®. I can buy that brand easily here so that is what I have been using. If you have trouble buying it, please use whatever good coffee ice cream you can get.