Chocolate spoon cake with cognac cherries - bon appetit

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
10 ounces Dried Bing or tart cherries
⅓ cup Water
⅓ cup Plus 1/2 C Cognac
¼ cup Sugar
⅓ cup Chopped toasted almonds
3½ ounce Bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup Sugar
4 larges Eggs, separated
¼ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
½ cup Plus 2 T whipping cream
5 ounces Bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons Milk
1 large Egg yolk
¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract
4 ounces Bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, shaved into shreds with vegetable peeler
Vanilla ice cream

Directions

CHERRIES

CAKE

CUSTARD

FOR CHERRIES: Combine cherries, water, ⅓ C Cognac and sugar in heavy small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and cook until most liquid has been absorbed, about 30 minutes.

Cool. Add ½ C Cognac. Cover; chill overnight.

FOR CAKE: Preheat oven to 300'F. Position rack in center of oven.

Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch-diameter spnngfonn pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Line sides with parchment paper strip. Sprinkle bottom with almonds. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from over water; cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and ¼ C sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add yolks 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in melted chocolate, then cocoa. Using electric mixer fitted with clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add ¼ C sugar; beat until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into chocolate mixture in 2 additions, folding until just combined. Pour batter into pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool on rack (cake will fall to a height of about 2 inches). Cut around sides of pan to loosen cake. Release pan sides; remove parchment. Reattach sides of pan.

FOR CUSTARD: Preheat oven to 300F. Bring cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add 5 oz chocolate; stir until smooth.

Whisk in milk, yolk and vanilla.

Drain cherries well, reserving liquid. Press enough cherries onto top of cake to cover completely. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Pour custard over cake, covering completely and allowing some custard to fill in space between sides of cake and pan. Press down on cherries to submerge. Using tip of knife, pierce any bubbles on surface. Bake until custard is barely set, about 30 minutes.

Transfer cake to rack; Cool completely. Cut around sides of pan to loosen cake. If custard is not completely set, refrigerate cake 15 minutes. Release pan sides. Press chocolate shavings onto sides of cake. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.) Serve cake with ice cream; drizzle ice cream with reserved cherry liquid.

From: JIM GRAHAM, LE FRANCAIS, WHEELING, ILLINOIS Bon Appetit/Sept/94 Scanned & edited by Di Pahl & <gg>

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