New Cookbook Serves Up Best Broiwnies You Ever Had (Really!)
by Larry Cox on Nov. 09, 2011, under UncategorizedChoclatique: 150 Simply Elegant Desserts by Ed Engoron with Mary Goodbody (Running Press, $27)
Choclatique, a Los Angeles-based artisan chocolate company, was launched in 2003 by Ed Engoron and Joan Vieweger. To say that Engoron is a chocolate expert is an understatement. He has traveled throughout the planet in search of the world’s best chocolate and his experiences have included preparing desserts at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, sampling the exotic chocolates of the Amazon jungle, and even making his extraordinary Chocolate Pasta for an intimate royal dinner party for fifty at the Grand Palace in Thailand.
The first recorded use of chocolate was when the Maya and Aztec peoples of ancient Mesoamerica began grinding up cacao beans by using stone manos and metates. The result was a chunky paste that when dissolved in water yielded a bitter, frothy beverage. By the 16th century, the Spanish had added sugar and so began one of the world’s favorite foods.
Engoron’s new book features 150 recipes all based on five chocolate ganaches. A ganache is basically made by pouring heated liquid over chocolate but this cookbook takes this technique to a much higher level. The five in this collection are Velvety Smooth Chocolate Ganache, Dark Chocolate Ganache, Snowy White Chocolate Ganache, Old-Fashioned Hot Fudge Ganache, and Spiced Azteca Dark Chocolate Ganache.
In addition to an explanation of the Choclatique Method perfected by Engoron, there is a glossary, list of sources, and conversion charts. The recipes are divided into nine basic sections: Let Them Eat Chocolate Cake and Cupcakes; Smooth and Creamy Chocolate Cheesecakes; Chocolate Cookies, Brownies, and Bars – Oh My; Chocolate Pies and Tarts; Chocolate Puddings, Custards, Mousses, and Trifles; Chocolate Drinks; Chocolate Ice Creams; Chocolate Candies; and Morning Chocolate. Even the cover of this cookbook will make your mouth water.
The recipes are anything but traditional. Since Engoron has built a reputation for thinking outside the box when it comes to chocolates, readers familiar with his work won’t be surprised to find such delights in this cookbook as Chocolate Salami, Chocolate Dumplings, and — his personal favorite — Orgasmic Chocolate Soup.
This is a fun, delightful collection. Illustrated with full-color photography, it will have cooks exploring Engoran’s wonderful world of chocolate where the only limitations are our imaginations.
Two recipes were tested, a batch of decadent Double Chocolate Brownies that was about the best I ever tasted. My second pick was a more involved Hot Fudge Nut Trifle but was well worth the extra effort.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
Makes about 24
Kitchen items needed:
13 x 9-inch pan
Double boiler
Electric stand, mixer, bowl and paddle
Wire cooling rack
Cake tester
Ingredients
12 Tbs (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 c Dark Chocolate Ganache (see below)
4 large eggs
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 c coarsely chopped milk chocolate
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a 13 x9-inch pan. Line the bottom and sides with aluminum foil, leaving an overhand on two opposite sides.
Combine the butter and Dark Chocolate Ganache in a double boiler set over barely simmering water and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on high speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
With mixer on low speed, beat in the salt and melted ganache, followed by the vanilla. Gradually beat in the flour just enough so that no white streaks remain in the batter. Stir in the chopped milk chocolate.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the brownies are set in the middle and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out slightly moist with batter. Cool in the pan set on wire rack for 30 minutes.
Use the foil overhand to lift the brownies from the pan and transfer to a plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and cut into 24 squares.
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DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE
Special kitchen items needed:
Large heavy saucepan (3 quarts or larger)
Plastic sealable storage container
1 ½ cups water
2/3 cup of light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¼ tsp salt
1 ¼ lbs bittersweet chocolate (at least 64 percent), coarsely chopped
1 ½ tsp chocolate extract
In a large saucepan, bring the water, corn syrup, cocoa powder, and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk until blended. Remove the pan from the heat.
Immediately add the chocolate and chocolate extract to the pan and whisk until smooth. Set aside for one hour to cool completely; whisking every 15 minutes or so to keep the ganache emulsified.
When cool, transfer the ganache to a rigid plastic or glass container, cover, date, and refrigerate for up to three months.
