Daring Bakers May Challenge-Chocolate Marquise

It has been two months since I posted and I have so missed this blog!

Spring is finally here in New England and it is nice to shed the layers of clothing!

The flowers are blooming and my favorite, Lily of the Valley, are running rampant through the yard now. They are very fragrant so I forgive them for spreading everywhere.

But back to this months challenge! It is a rich one and not just in the taste. The ingredients were expensive and the recipe was for a lot of portions. I would recommend making this for a large party and serving nothing else but Champagne. Yummm....sounds great already!

The May 2011 Daring Bakers Challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

When I made this dessert, it was a multi-day event and I gave it away to any person stopping by the day I put it together. I got a lot of really positive feedback so I felt it was worth the effort.

Below is the recipe for the marquise. I made a caramel sauce flavored with Gran Gala. It was sweet and perfect with the slightly bitter mouth feel of the marquise. I made a chocolate champagne bottle and filled it with toffee bits. The whole thing was so very rich. If you are a decadent chocolate lover, this dessert is for you.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Base

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate
12 ounces heavy cream
1/4 cup Gran Gala
1/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
1 ounce unsalted butter, softened
Place the chocolate in a small mixing bowl.
 In a double boiler, heat the cream until bubbles form on the sides and then our over the chocolate. Allow to sit for a minute and then stir until smooth. add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Do not chill. Base should be room temperature when adding to the egg mixture.






Marquise

11 large egg yolks, room temperature
4 whole eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups dutch-process cocoa powder or toffee brickle bits

In the bowl of the stand mixer, combine the eggs and the egg yolks. Whip on high speed until thick and pale, about 10 to 15 minutes.
 When the eggs are getting close to finishing, make a sugar syrup by combining the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring the syrup to a boil and then cook to softball stage(235 degrees)
With the mixer running on low speed, drizzle the sugar syrup into the fluffy eggs. When all the syrup has been added, turn the mixer back on high and whip until the mixture is room temperature(takes about 10 minutes). This will take about 10 minutes.
 In a separate mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and set aside.
When the egg mixture has cooled, add the Chocolate Base to the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
Fold 1/3 of the reserved whipped cream into the chocolate mixture to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour into the prepared pans and cover with plastic wrap(directly touching the mixture to seal out air.
Freeze until very firm. When ready to serve, remove the Marquise from the freezer and cut into desired shapes. Roll shapes in cocoa powder(I used brickle bits for some of them).
These are great served with Caramel Sauce and torched meringue.



Whipping egg yolks and sugar mixture










Frozen Marquise

Frozen Marquise

Chocolate Toffee Brickle Stars for Decoration

Chocolate Marquise with Torched Meringue and Gran Gala Caramel Sauce