Dessert - by Scarlett

From soufflé to parfait, you'll find my personal selection of yummy dessert recipes here and more!! So for home-made goodness or sweet treats around Sydney, be sure to check here - oh, and bon appétit!! Scarlett :)

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Dessert - February 2008

Chocolate Espresso Cake

February 28th 2008 09:22

Chocolate Espresso Cake

About couverture

Couverture chocolate is used by professional cooks because it melts smoothly and is glossy, but needs tempering. It usually contains a minimum of 32 % cocoa butter, which enables it to form a much thinner shell than ordinary confectionery coating. It is often used for chocolate-covered fruits, or as the chocolate used in chocolate fountains.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 6

200 gm / 7oz dark, bitter chocolate (Couverture), chopped
1 tablespoon strong espresso coffee
1 tablespoon rum or brandy
150 gm / 5¼ oz caster sugar
150 gm / 5¼ oz butter
100 gm / 3½ oz ground almonds or hazelnuts
5 eggs, separated
icing sugar for dusting

1. Heat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.

2. Melt the chocolate, coffee, rum or brandy, sugar and butter in a bowl sitting in a pot of simmering water.

3. Remove from heat and stir until well mixed.

4. Add ground almonds and mix well.

5. Beat in the egg yolks, one by one.

6. Beat egg whites until stiff and peaky, and stir a couple of spoonfuls into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, before gently folding in the rest.

7. Turn into a buttered and floured 20 cm / 8 inch round or square cake tin, and bake for 40 – 50 minutes.

8. Leave to cool before removing from tin and don’t worry if the crust falls and collapses. That’s perfectly normal, if not desirable.

9. To serve, dust with icing sugar.

**From “Favourite Food by Jill Dupleix” ** and ““Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**

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Posted By: Scarlett - Category: Cakes

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Fragole E Melone Al Porto (Strawberries and Cantaloupe with Port)

February 27th 2008 10:51

Fragole E Melone Al Porto (Strawberries and Cantaloupe with Port)

About Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe refers to two varieties of muskmelon, which is a species in the family Cucurbitaceae (a family which includes nearly all melons and squashes). Cantaloupes are typically 15 – 25 cm in length and are somewhat oblong, though not as oblong as watermelons. Like all melons, cantaloupes grow beest in sandy, well-aerated, well-watered soil that is free of encroaching weeds.
1. The European cantaloupe is lightly-ribbed, pale green skin looks quite different from the North American cantaloupe.
2. The North American cantaloupe, common in the United States and in some parts of Canada, a different member of the same muskmelon species. It is named reticulates due to its net-like skin covering. In Australia and New Zealand, it is called rockmelon due to the rock-like appearance of the skin of the fruit. It is called a spanspek in South Africa, where it is harvested during the summer months October through February. It is a round melon with firm, orange, moderately-sweet flesh and a thin reticulated light-brown rind. Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist but are not common, and they are not considered as flavourful as the more common variety.

About Wild Strawberries

Herbaceous plant with small, white, 5-petaled flower, 3-parted leaf, and familiar fruit; flower white, radially-symmetrical, 5 petals, ½ to 1 inch broad, on separate flower stalk; fruit drooping on long, slender, stalk, much smaller than commercial strawberry.
The fruit ripens in late spring or early summer. Much smaller than commercial strawberries, it takes long to collect, but tastes much better. Stuff yourself with wild strawberries, collect them to use on cereal, in pancakes, oatmeal, fruit salad, sauces, or other desserts. They’re so good, they’re the symbol of perfect excellence.

INGREDIENTS
Serves 6

2 small cantaloupes
1 cup wild strawberries
24 large strawberries
2 cups white port
3 cups sweet sparkling white wine
1 lemon, juice
¼ cup superfine sugar
fresh mint leaves
½ cup crushed ice

1. Scoop the flesh out of the cantaloupes using a melon-baller.

2. Place the balls of cantaloupe in a salad bowl with the wild strawberries.

3. Slice the large strawberries in half and add to the bowl.

4. Add the port, sparkling wine, lemon juice, sugar, and mint leaves and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

5. Add crushed ice just before serving.

Tips:

Serve this refreshing dessert to a finish a meal on hot summer evenings.

**From “The Encyclopedia of Italian Cooking” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**