The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (360 page)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Homemade chocolate pudding often suffers either from lackluster chocolate flavor, caused by a dearth of chocolate, or a grainy texture, caused by too much cocoa butter. We were after chocolate pudding that tasted deeply of chocolate, and was thickened to a perfectly silky, creamy texture. We found that using a moderate amount of bittersweet chocolate in combination with unsweetened cocoa and espresso powder helped us achieve maximum chocolate flavor. Cornstarch proved the right thickener for our pudding; using mostly milk and just half a cup of heavy cream, along with three egg yolks, ensured that our pudding had a silky smooth texture. Salt and vanilla enhanced the chocolate flavor even more.

SERVES 6

We prefer this recipe made with 60 percent bittersweet chocolate (our favorite brands are Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar and Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate). Using a chocolate with a higher cacao percentage will result in a thicker pudding. Low-fat milk (1 percent or 2 percent) may be substituted for the whole milk with a small sacrifice in richness. Do not use skim milk as a substitute.

1.
Stir together vanilla and espresso in bowl; set aside. Whisk sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt together in large saucepan. Whisk in egg yolks and cream until fully incorporated, making sure to scrape corners of saucepan. Whisk in milk until incorporated.

2.
Place saucepan over medium heat; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbling over entire surface, 5 to 8 minutes. Cook for 30 seconds longer, remove from heat, add butter and chocolate and whisk until melted and fully incorporated. Whisk in vanilla mixture.

3.
Strain pudding through fine-mesh strainer into bowl. Place lightly greased parchment paper against surface of pudding and place in refrigerator to cool, at least 4 hours. Serve. (Pudding can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

Add ¹⁄
₂
teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon chipotle chile powder, and pinch cayenne pepper to saucepan along with cocoa.

Increase instant espresso powder to 1 teaspoon. Add 1 tablespoon Kahlúa to vanilla mixture. Substitute ¹⁄
₄
cup brewed coffee for ¹⁄
₄
cup milk.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Rich, creamy, and dense, chocolate mousse can be delicious but too filling after a few mouthfuls. On the other hand, light and airy mousse usually lacks deep chocolate flavor. We wanted chocolate mousse that had both a light, meltingly smooth texture and a substantial chocolate flavor. To start, we addressed the mousse’s dense, heavy texture. Most recipes for chocolate mousse contain butter. Could we do without it? We eliminated the butter and found that our mousse tasted less heavy. We further lightened the mousse’s texture by reducing the number of egg whites and yolks. To make up for the lost volume of the eggs, we whipped the cream to soft peaks before adding it to the chocolate. Next we tackled the mousse’s flavor. We maximized the chocolate flavor with a combination of bittersweet chocolate and cocoa powder. And to further deepen the chocolate flavor, we found that a small amount of instant espresso powder, salt, and brandy did the trick.

SERVES 6 TO 8

When developing this recipe, we used Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate and Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar, which each contain about 60 percent cacao. If you want to use a chocolate with a higher percentage of cacao, see our variation, Premium Dark Chocolate Mousse. If you choose to make the mousse a day in advance, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with
WHIPPED CREAM
and chocolate shavings, if desired.

1.
Melt chocolate, water, cocoa, brandy, and espresso in medium heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch barely simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

2.
Whisk egg yolks, 1¹⁄
₂
teaspoons sugar, and salt in medium bowl until mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly, about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into egg yolk mixture and whisk until combined. Let cool until just warmer than room temperature, 3 to 5 minutes.

3.
Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip egg whites at medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Add remaining 1¹⁄
₂
teaspoons sugar, increase speed to medium-high, and whip until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using whisk, stir about one-quarter of whipped egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula until few white streaks remain.

4.
In now-empty bowl, whip cream on medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, about 15 seconds more. Using rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into mousse until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into 6 to 8 individual serving dishes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set and firm, at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve.

This recipe is designed to work with a boutique chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cacao than our master recipe.

Replace bittersweet chocolate (containing about 60 percent cacao) with equal amount of bittersweet chocolate containing 62 to 70 percent cacao. Increase water to 7 tablespoons, increase eggs to 3, and increase sugar to 3 tablespoons, adding extra 2 tablespoons to chocolate mixture in step 1.

For best flavor, the orange zest needs to steep in the heavy cream overnight, so plan accordingly. Garnish each serving of mousse with a thin strip of orange zest, if desired.

Bring cream to simmer in medium saucepan. Off heat, transfer to 2-cup liquid measuring cup and add three 2-inch strips orange zest. Let cool until just warm, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Remove and discard zest; add more cream, if necessary, to equal 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons. Proceed with step 1, reducing water to 4 tablespoons and omitting brandy. Once chocolate is melted, stir in 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier and proceed as directed.

Chambord is our preferred brand of raspberry-flavored liqueur for this recipe. Serve the mousse with fresh raspberries, if desired.

Reduce water to 4 tablespoons, omit brandy, and add 2 tablespoons raspberry-flavored liqueur to melted chocolate mixture in step 1.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Classic pots de crème can be finicky and laborious, requiring a hot water bath that threatens to splash the custards every time the pan is moved. We wanted a user-friendly recipe that delivered a decadent dessert with a satiny texture and intense chocolate flavor. First we moved the dish out of the oven, concentrating on an unconventional approach in which the custard is cooked on the stovetop in a saucepan, then poured into ramekins. Our next challenge was developing the right amount of richness and body, which we did by choosing a combination of heavy cream and half-and-half, along with egg yolks only, for maximum richness. For intense chocolate flavor, we focused on bittersweet chocolate—and a lot of it. Our chocolate content was at least 50 percent more than in any other recipe we had encountered.

SERVES 8

We prefer pots de crème made with 60 percent bittersweet chocolate (our favorite brands are Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar and Callebaut Intense Dark Chocolate), but 70 percent bittersweet chocolate can also be used. If using a 70 percent bittersweet chocolate, reduce the amount of chocolate to 8 ounces.

POTS DE CRÈME

WHIPPED CREAM AND GARNISH

1. FOR THE POTS DE CRÈME:
Place chocolate in medium bowl; set fine-mesh strainer over bowl and set aside.

2.
Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt together in bowl until combined. Whisk in cream and half-and-half. Transfer mixture to medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon, until thickened and silky and registers 175 to 180 degrees, 8 to 12 minutes. (Do not let custard overcook or simmer.)

3.
Immediately pour custard through fine-mesh strainer over chocolate. Let mixture stand to melt chocolate, about 5 minutes; whisk gently until smooth. Combine water and espresso and stir to dissolve, then whisk dissolved espresso and vanilla into chocolate mixture. Divide mixture evenly among eight 5-ounce ramekins. Gently tap ramekins against counter to remove air bubbles.

4.
Let pots de crème cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. Before serving, let pots de crème stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. (Pots de crème can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

5. FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM AND GARNISH:
Using stand mixer fitted with whisk, whip cream, sugar, and vanilla on medium-low speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until stiff peaks form, 1 to 3 minutes. Dollop each pot de crème with about 2 tablespoons whipped cream and garnish with cocoa and/or chocolate shavings, if using. Serve.

Milk chocolate behaves differently in this recipe than bittersweet chocolate, and more of it must be used to ensure that the custard sets. And because of the increased amount of chocolate, it’s necessary to cut back on the amount of sugar so that the custard is not overly sweet.

Substitute 12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped fine, for bittersweet chocolate and reduce sugar in pots de crème to 2 tablespoons.