Chocolate World

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Desserts to die for

It's all about the chocolate

EILEEN FISCHER efischer@ctpost.com

Death by Chocolate. Even the name can give a chocolate lover goose bumps. So, it's no surprise that a trifle loaded with chocolate cake, real whipped cream and chocolate mousse was voted the No. 1 chocolate dessert by our panel of judges.

In the most recent Taste contest, we asked readers to send in their favorite, most decadent chocolate dessert recipe. There was quite a response — from a rich chocolate tiramisu to a chocolatey version of an old-fashioned bread pudding recipe.

The winner, a Death By Chocolate trifle sent in by Eve Hapis, of Trumbull, is what I would call a deconstructed version of the Death By Chocolate dessert created by Marcel Desaulniers for the Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, Va., in 1982.

He is the author of several cookbooks with the death by chocolate theme. The genre includes layer cakes, molten chocolate cake and flourless chocolate cakes. Desaulniers' version, served at the restaurant, is a seven-layer chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse and cocoa meringue.

Hapis, 75, said she started making her trifle about 15 or 20 years ago after first tasting it at an acquaintance's home.

"I begged for the recipe," she said. "It was unique, so different. I loved working with the trifle."

Like many of us, Hapis has accumulated all kinds of recipes over the years, some of which get tucked away and forgotten. One day she had the idea to go through some of her old favorites and asked about eight women friends if they wanted to make some of them and see how good they really were.One friend made a soup, one an appetizer, one a main course, one a dessert and so on. They met at her house, had an enjoyable meal and rated the dishes from 1 to 10 on how good they tasted, how easy they were to make, how much they cost and could they readily get the ingredients. They had these get-togethers about four or five times, she said.

"We had a good fellowship together," said Hapis. "I made copies of the different recipes on my computer and they all went home with recipes."

But, it's her much-loved Death By Chocolate trifle that she makes time and time again for her family and friends or takes to social events at her church, Calvary Evangelic Free Church in Trumbull.

A big fan of chocolate, Hapis said most people adore chocolate, too, and are happy that health experts have said dark chocolate is actually good for us. Which may be why she often brings her favorite sweet creations to her doctors' offices and shut-ins who she visits.

Cookbook writer Maida Heatter, chocolate expert and author of "Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts" (Andrews McMeel, 1980, 2006), and a member of Chocolatier magazine's Hall of Fame, couldn't agree with her more.

Heatter's favorite dessert, she said, is "anything chocolate."

In a phone interview from her home in Miami Beach, Fla., where she's lived for more than 50 years, Heatter said she's had a love affair with chocolate ever since childhood.

With seven dessert cookbooks to her credit, Heatter started making desserts for her late husband's restaurant, which led to her writing the cookbooks.

"My chocolate mousse was the most popular dessert and Queen Mother's Cake was the No. 1 cake," she said about her best-loved creations.

When she first started baking, there weren't as many brands of chocolate to choose from as there are today, she said. It can be confusing as to which one to buy, but right now, she's happy using a semi-sweet Valrhona , she said.

"It's good for baking and eating," she said. So, what does she think makes a great chocolate dessert?

"Mainly the chocolate. Nothing should overpower it," she said.

For the Connecticut Post contest, the judges were asked to rate each dessert they tasted by this criteria: Which one best satisfied their craving for chocolate?

In the succinct words of two judges, Hapis' Death by Chocolate was "fantastic" and "delicious" and scored a number of perfect "10"scores.

A close second in the competition was a brownie recipe sent in by Rosalie DaSilva of Fairfield. Loaded with bittersweet chocolate — DaSilva usually uses Callebaut, she said — the brownies also were very easy to make, said one of the judges, Shelley Levi, a Connecticut Post copy editor.

"For me, it was almost like eating fudge," said Levi. "If someone prefers a more fudgey brownie as opposed to a cake-like brownie, this is the way to go."

For her "Death By Chocolate" entry, Hapis will receive a $50 gift certificate to Aldario's Restaurant in Milford. So, without further ado, here are the top two recipes you, too, can make at home.

Death by Chocolate Trifle

1 box chocolate cake mix
5 Heath or Skor bars
4 packages chocolate mousse
1 pint heavy cream
½ cup Kahlua

Make the chocolate cake mix according to package directions. Bake in a 9- by 13-inch Pyrex dish. When slightly cooled, about 10 minutes, poke holes in the cake with a fork. Pour the Kahlua over the cake and let it sit overnight.This is optional. (The liquor can be omitted.)

Make the mousse according to package directions and chill for about an hour.

Whip the heavy cream. Crush Heath bars. In a large glass trifle bowl, crumble 1/3 of the cake.

Then add a layer of mousse, a layer of whipped cream and a layer of the crushed candy. Repeat.

End with the Heath bar mixture on top. Chill before serving.Serves a large crowd.

-Submitted by Eve Hapis of Trumbull

Best Ever Brownies

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar teaspoon salt
2 large eggs cup flour cup walnuts

Melt butter and chocolate over hot water. Beat sugar and salt into melted chocolate with a wooden spoon. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add flour and mix well until glossy. Add walnuts and mix. Line an 8-inch square pan with an 8- by 16-inch piece of foil for easy removal. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes.Cool in pan. Remove by lifting foil ends. Cut into squares.

— Submitted by Rosalie DaSilva of Fairfield
from http://origin.connpost.com

Labels: chocolate dessert

posted by All About Home @ 8:06 PM

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