bittersweet by alice medrich

[yellowmnm81]

i've made both the queen of sheba torte and the molten raspberry chocolate cakes.. i think that's what they're called anyway. i don't remember exactly.... but anyway. the queen of sheba torte was very good tasting, but i sort of screwed up on the almonds in that i didn't grind them up enough i guess but i was afraid of making it too oily and start clumping together or anything so i ended up with a bits of almond in the cake so the texture was sorta weird.. but someone said they liked it better that way??? haha. but the molten raspberry chocolate cakes were really good!! i forgot to strain the seeds out.. woops! but it was still really good. i made half and kept the rest in my refrigerator for the 3 days that she says it's okay to leave them in there for and they weren't that great anymore but anyway.. those are my experiences with that book so far! hopefully there will be more soon.

Edited June 15, 2004 by yellowmnm81 (log)

[SethG]

I finally made something from Bittersweet tonight-- the Queen of Sheba cake/torte, which I served with plain whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. I made it with Scharffen Berger (70%). I thought it was fantastic, and very easy to put together. I managed to get it into the oven in about a half hour after work.

The almonds really do keep their identity in the cake so I agree it is important to pulverize them pretty well. I didn't leave any big chunks and I could still detect the almonds as a seperate taste/texture-- which is good, but I wouldn't have wanted them any bigger.

I'd love to hear other recommendations from the book.

[merstar]

I did the Sicilian Chocolate Gelato, which is also posted on the Scharffen Berger site. It's delicious and deep chocolatey, if you use Scharffen Berger cocoa, that is. I tried it another time with part SB and part Hershey's, (only because I was out of SB), and it definitely wasn't as good. The extra added benefit is that it's pretty lowfat.

A few notes:

This gelato has a texture more like ice cream than gelato. Also, it didn't make a quart as the recipe indicated, more like a pint or a pint and a half.

I did a few things differently than the recipe stated. Instead of pouring the mixture into a bowl, cooling, and then covering with plastic and chilling, I first strained it into a bowl, then covered with plastic wrap immediately to prevent a skin from forming - I also jabbed some holes into the plastic to let the steam escape. I cooled on the counter until lukewarm, then chilled about 32 hours before processing in the ice cream maker.

Edited August 12, 2004 by merstar (log)

[claire797]

I've made her brownies. They're excellent -- deep, dark and dense. She says the top will be glossier if you let the brownie batter sit overnight in the refrigerator, but I haven't tried this yet.

I also recommend her Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake which is relatively low-fat. I'm generally skeptical regarind low-fat desserts, but this one was better than a few high fat fallen chocolate souffle cakes I've tried.

[yorkshirepud]

I've made her brownies. They're excellent -- deep, dark and dense. She says the top will be glossier if you let the brownie batter sit overnight in the refrigerator, but I haven't tried this yet.

I also recommend her Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake which is relatively low-fat. I'm generally skeptical regarind low-fat desserts, but this one was better than a few high fat fallen chocolate souffle cakes I've tried.

Claire, which ones did you make? I've heard good things about the all cocoa powder ones.

I need to put this book to work again sometime soon. Poor thing has been neglected. Shame on me!

[claire797]

I've made her brownies.  They're excellent -- deep, dark and dense.  She says the top will be glossier if you let the brownie batter sit overnight in the refrigerator, but I haven't tried this yet.

I also recommend her Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake which is relatively low-fat.  I'm generally skeptical regarind low-fat desserts, but this one was better than a few high fat fallen chocolate souffle cakes I've tried.

Claire, which ones did you make? I've heard good things about the all cocoa powder ones.

I need to put this book to work again sometime soon. Poor thing has been neglected. Shame on me!

Hi YP!

Nice to see you :)!

I made the recipe she calls "The Best Brownies".

It's really an interesting book and I'm enjoying reading it. Her "Bittersweet Decadence" cookies are next on the list.

[SethG]

I made the Truffles Au Cocolat this week. They are incredibly rich-- and delicious. I can't eat more than one or two little pieces at a sitting. I used her instructions for 70% chocolate, adding sugar and more butter than the master recipe calls for.

[Rhea_S]

I made the Bittersweet Deception last night. It's very rich and creamy despite being low-fat. Most of my co-workers aren't used to dark chocolate unless you count Hershey's Special Dark, so the 70% bittersweet I used seems to be a bit too much for them. It's just Trader Joe's brand, but I'm amazed by its fruitiness. My only problem with the recipe was releasing from the pan and having smooth sides.

[SethG]

It's good to see you here, Rhea.

[Rhea_S]

I must be rusty. I tried to post a reply twice using "fast reply" and got nowhere. Anyway, I got a bit busy and had to temporarily give up some obsessions. I'm back and ready to go for the BWJ thread.

[Moopheus]

For x-day I decided to make the grappa, currant, and pine nut torte (sans currants). This recipe should come with a warning. I'd never actually tasted grappa before making this recipe. The wife complains when I make a recipe with an unfamiliar ingredient. But in this case it's okay. If I'd known beforehand, I might have decided not to make it. Grappa is pretty nasty stuff. It assaults you as soon as you open the bottle. I would never have thought to put this in a cake. I was just trusting that the recipe would work, and it did. The torte turned out pretty yummy, though you have to check IDs before serving.

[Patrick S]

Funny this thread came up, as I did make Medrich's Best Cocoa Brownies a few days ago. They are really dark and firm/fudgy, and easy to make too.

[duckduck]

Just remember that there are many different kinds of grappa. They are not all created equal. I tried the cake Alice made with grappa in class and it wasn't bad at all.

[Moopheus]

Sure, but the origin of grappa is basically a form of moonshine, a peasant drink. Now you buy it as expensive, artisinal moonshine. But it doesn't matter, the cake was good and now mostly gone. In fact, I'll have to make another one, 'cause I don't know what else to do with the rest of the bottle.

[jgarner53]

Is her cocoa nib cookie recipe in this book? We've done it a few times in school, and they're really outstanding cookies. I love the texture the nibs add to the cookies, which otherwise would be fairly uninteresting shortbread.

That Sicilian Gelato is amazing. I hunted down the recipe to give my brother-in-law after we gave them a Cuisinart ice cream maker for Xmas. Now getting him to buy something other than Hershey's cocoa...

[claire797]

Is her cocoa nib cookie recipe in this book? We've done it a few times in school, and they're really outstanding cookies. I love the texture the nibs add to the cookies, which otherwise would be fairly uninteresting shortbread.

That Sicilian Gelato is amazing. I hunted down the recipe to give my brother-in-law after we gave them a Cuisinart ice cream maker for Xmas. Now getting him to buy something other than Hershey's cocoa...

←

She's got one called Nibby Pecan Cookies -- could that be it? In the variation, she omits the nuts, increases the nibs and adds cocoa. Sound familiar?

[jgarner53]

She's got one called Nibby Pecan Cookies -- could that be it? In the variation, she omits the nuts, increases the nibs and adds cocoa. Sound familiar?

That's it!

[bloviatrix]

I made her Bittersweet Deception for Blovie's birthday. I used Scharffenberger 70% and their cocoa powder. The texture is light - almost mousse-like. And the flavor is intensely rich. No one would know it was so low-fat. My only complaint is that it's so moist it's difficult to cut nice slices.

I highly recommend making this cake -- it's really quite easy and isn't a time consuming process.

[merstar]

The Bittersweet Chocolate Ice Cream is the ultimate chocolate ice cream - rich, ultra creamy, deep dark chocolatey. Does not get better than this.

[Safran]

I made the Raspberry-laced chocolate cake....excellent, elegant and easy! When serving, add a tablespoon of whipped cream, and bit of raspberry coulis... Yes, they'll be asking for seconds...

[claire797]

Her low-fat fallen chocolate souffle cake is one of my favorite desserts. No one would ever guess that it's missing fat.

On the other hand, I made her Bittersweet Decadence Cookies. They looked gorgeous and tasted great on the first day, but by the second day, they were a little more dry than some of the other double chocolate cookies I make. I'll probably make them again just to make sure I didn't do something wrong.

I've also made The Best Brownies Patrick mentioned. They are incredible.

[laniloa]

I tried Medrich's best cocoa brownies as my office Valentine's offering. This will definitely be replacing my old brownie recipe. The flavor is so much richer using cocoa instead of chocolate. I tossed in some cocoa nibs for a nice crunch since I don't like nuts in my brownies. The best part is that they are fudgy without being super dense.

[ravum]

I made the chocolate cheesecake for Valentines day yesterday.It is smooth,creamy and the most chocolatey cheesecake I've made (or eaten) so far.After reading cheesecake posts here about baking them in a cake pan,I tried baking them in a 9" pan instead of the springform she calls for.

It worked beautifully.I had to bang it few times to get the cake out of the pan,but otherwise this is the method i'll follow henceforth.

[Ling]

I made her "Best Ever Cocoa Brownies" today, and although I think it's a very good recipe (moist, relatively rich, dark), I prefer my old recipe. Of course, this recipe is much cheaper to make than the one I normally use (it's in Recipe Gullet under Ling's Favourite Brownies), so I'll use the cocoa one for everyday.

I agree with her portions being a bit stingy...you are supposed to end up with 25 brownies or 16 "large" brownies for this recipe. I quartered the pan and therefore only ate one brownie.

Edited July 26, 2005 by Ling (log)

[claire797]

I prefer my old recipe. Of course, this recipe is much cheaper to make than the one I normally use (it's in Recipe Gullet under Ling's Favourite Brownies), so I'll use the cocoa one for everyday. 

←

Ling, thanks for posting. I saw your brownie recipe the other day and it immediately went in my "to try" file.

I haven't made the Alice Medrich brownies in a long time. My last batch of brownies was the old Katharine Hepburn recipe and I am sorry to say, they were highly disappointing :(.