Chocolate dependence (not decadence)

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
16 ounces Bittersweet chocolate
1 cup Unsalted butter
6 larges Eggs
2 tablespoons Cognac or other favorite
Liqueur

Directions

Preparing the pan: Use an 8 inch springform pan at least 2 and ½ inches high. Butter it, and line the bottom with parchment paper or wax paper. Wrap the outside of the pan with heavy duty foil to prevent leakage. Place this pan in a larger cake pan or roasting pan to serve as a water bath. Place the chocolate and butter in a large metal bowl and set it over a pan of hot (not simmering) water. The bowl should not be touching the water. Stir the butter and chocolate occasionally until they are smooth and melted. Add the liqueur In another large bowl, set over a pan of simmering water (yes, it should simmer this time), heat the eggs, stirring constantly to prevent curdling, until just warm to the touch. Remove from the heat, and beat, using a whisk beater (the recipe says 'whisk beater'--I understand that to mean an electric beater, not a hand whisk) until triple in volume and soft peaks form when the beater is raised, about 5 minutes. Using a large wire whisk or rubber spatula, fold half the eggs into the chocolate mixture until almost completely blended. Fold in the remaining eggs until just blended and no streaks remain.

Finish by using a rubber spatula to ensure that the heavier mixture at the bottom of the bowl is blended in. Scrape into the prepared 8-inch pan and smooth with the spatula. Set the 8-inch pan in the larger pan and surround it with one inch of very hot water. Bake 5 minutes. Cover loosely with a piece of buttered foil and bake 10 minutes. (The cake will look soft, but this is as it should be.) Let the cake cool on a rack 45 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, about 3 hours.

Unmolding: Have ready a serving plate and a flat plate at least 8 inches in diameter, covered with plastic wrap. Wipe the sides of the pan with a hot, damp towel. Run a thin metal spatula around the sides of the cake and release the sides of the springform pan. Place the plastic-wrapped plate on top and invert. Wipe the bottom of the pan with a hot, damp towel. Remove the bottom of the pan and the parchment. Reinvert onto the serving plate. The fancy stuff follows.

The cake I had was frosted with White Ganache and served in a pool of Raspberry Puree.

Raspberry Puree

24 oz Raspberries, frozen with no sugar added 2 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed ⅓ cup sugar, optional In a strainer suspended over a deep bowl thaw the respberries completely. This will take several hours. Press the berries to force out all the juice. There should be 1 Cup. In a saucepan boil the juice until reduced to ¼ Cup. Pour it into a lightly oiled heatproof cup. Puree the raspberries and sieve them with a food mill fitted with the fine disc. Or use a fine strainer to remove all seeds. You should have 1 liquid cup puree. Stir in the raspberry syrup and lemon juice. To make a lightly sweetened sauce, measure again. There should be 1 and ⅓ liquid cups. if you have less, add less sugar. The correct amount of sugar is ½ the volume of the puree. Stir until sugar dissolves.

White Ganache

3 oz bar White chocolate, chopped 1 cup Heavy cream Refrigerate the mixing bowl and beater for at least 15 minutes. Using a double boiler or microwave on high power (stirring every 10 seconds if using microwave) melt the chocolate with ¼ cup cream. Remove from the heat before the chocolate is fully melted and stir until melted. Set aside until no longer warm. In the chilled bowl beat the cream until traces of beater marks just begin to show distinctly. Add the white chocolate mixture and beat just until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised.

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