"Chocolate Desserts" by Pierre Herme (Part 1)

[Richard Kilgore]

I have in some notes that when Dorie Greenspan first posted the warning about the recipe and the correction in the French edition, she also said that the milk quantity was cut to 700 ml, and the chocolate to 180 gr. I'm sorry; I'm too tired to do the math right now, but maybe those proportions will work.

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That's what I was referring to in this post.

The experimenting on the rice pudding is intruiguing me. I may have to try this.

Use 1/4 cup or 50 grams of rice.

In the French recipe, the milk is reduced to 700 ml and the chocolate is reduced to 180 grams.  These changes are not so important, it's the rice that really makes the difference.

Not sure, Dorie, but there may be some confusion here. You mentioned to Elie a 4:1 ratio, the ratio above appears to be almost 6:1 (700 ml: 70 g) for milk to rice, not counting the chocolate as a liquid. Or do you mean 700 ml:140 g, which would be about 3:1 not counting the chocolate? If the latter, counting the chocolate would bring it to just about that 4:1 ratio.

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[docsconz]

I have in some notes that when Dorie Greenspan first posted the warning about the recipe and the correction in the French edition, she also said that the milk quantity was cut to 700 ml, and the chocolate to 180 gr. I'm sorry; I'm too tired to do the math right now, but maybe those proportions will work.

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That may very well be the source of the problem. We didn't reduce the milk or chocolate. Somehow that didn't register from Dorie's post - maybe because the units of measurement for thee milk are different than in the book. I will probably have to try the recipe again with the corrections.

[Pumpkin Lover]

This thread is such great reading on a nice day!!

I'm planning to make the chocolate-Nutella tart for a party tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone has any input on whether or not it'd be a bad idea to make it in advance, like tonight. The recipe says that the tart is best served right away, but I'm afraid that the oven won't be available tomorrow.

Thanks!

[Patrick S]

This thread is such great reading on a nice day!!

I'm planning to make the chocolate-Nutella tart for a party tomorrow. I was wondering if anyone has any input on whether or not it'd be a bad idea to make it in advance, like tonight.

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No, it would not be a bad idea at all. In fact, I liked it better the next day, slightly chilled.

[Pumpkin Lover]

Lovely. Thanks, Patrick!

[Thornado]

Hmmm.... This is going to be interesting. When I first saw the recipe, the rice pudding wasn't something that I had planned to do, but after all the discussions here, I got curious and wanted to try it.

I used 700 ml milk, 70 g rice, and 190 g chocolate. After just taking it off the heat, it is very liquid, but I guess it should be like that now. It will be interesting to see what the result will be after having it in the fridge for a while. I've never made a rice pudding before, what is the consistency supposed to be like?

[Richard Kilgore]

I made the brownies. They were not done at 19 minutes and 21 minutes so I kept extending the time in 3 - 4 minute increments for a total of 28 - 30 minutes. I kept baking because the surface did not look dry. They turned out over baked, cakey and crumbley -- I couldn't get the it out of the 9 X 12 pan without it breaking up. While it tasted great and certianly not burnt, I am sure that if I had pulled it earlier it would have been fudgier and held together better.

I think this was due to my inexperience and not knowing what a dry surface should look like. But the specified 19 - 21 minutes was not close in my oven. Anything else that may have contributed to the failure?

I'll have to try them again sometime.

[docsconz]

Hmmm.... This is going to be interesting. When I first saw the recipe, the rice pudding wasn't something that I had planned to do, but after all the discussions here, I got curious and wanted to try it.

I used 700 ml milk, 70 g rice, and 190 g chocolate. After just taking it off the heat, it is very liquid, but I guess it should be like that now. It will be interesting to see what the result will be after having it in the fridge for a while. I've never made a rice pudding before, what is the consistency supposed to be like?

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It should be thick enough to eat with a spoon without it being "soupy". It should be somewhat gelatinous.

[momlovestocook]

Richard

I've made the brownies twice(in a 9x13 pan). I can't recall the exact time I cooked them, but certainly not more than the times stated. I didn't have any problems getting them out of the pan(I used parchment paper up the sides as well as on the bottom). They were definitely fudgey-dh said they were the best I have made. Not sure what could have been the problem other than overcooking. I also used chocolate chips instead of the nuts.

Oh, I made Suze's cake last week and some mousse. The cake was okay(kinda like a big brownie)-not sure if I'll make it again, I prefer the nutella tart or the Pave. The mousse was excellent of course.

We're trying to watch our waistlines(well see them shrink instead of grow LOL) so not sure what I'll be making next. I am doing a book club beginning of next month and have some frozen chocolat tart dough so may use that for some mini tarts.

Sandra

[Wendy DeBord]

Richard, brownies can be tricky to know when their done........as are many dark colored baked goods. You can use a standard toothpick testing method for them. I do underbake my brownies, pull them out of the oven before a toothpick comes out clean (which signals a baked good is done). Next time you make brownies use a toothpick and sample test your brownies multiple times, this will teach you.

If you stick your toothpick in and it's breaks the firm surface but comes out wet, it's too underbaked.

You can take your toothpick and sort of crack/break thru the top surface to see what it looks like further down. Brownies unlike a really wet cake won't deflate if you open up the raw center to peek. So go ahead and do that until you become more comfortable being able to tell when their done.

If a toothpick comes out clean from testing a baked good, technically that's correct. But for a brownie that will produce a more cake like/dryer texture then if you slightly underbake and let them cool to set up dense and moist.

When your beginning to learn baking, you shouldn't be judging the doneness of a baked good only with your eyes and definately not by time. Many pro.'s test by touching the item and seeing if it springs back. I prefer to use a toothpick to test for doneness and still use that method everyday, day in and day out. (Too often if the cake bounces back it's over done, not right for me.) I still have to open up some items to see inside them to tell if they are done.

[Patrick S]

I decided to break in my ice cream machine by making the triple-chocolate meringue and ice-cream puffs (p. 197). These consist of a scoop of Herme's chocolate ice-cream sandwiched between cocoa-meringue 'kisses' and topped with chocolate whipped cream. I decided to defer to Herme on the choice of chocolate, and ordered some Valrhona Caraibe to use for the ice and whipped creams.

These are, obviously, deeply and intensely chocolatey. The shatteringly crisp meringues make an interesting contrast with the ice cream. The taste is awesome.

Finally, my chocolate arrives. A kilo of gustatory joy.

Making the ice cream.

A meringue puff.

Finished ice-cream puff.

I should've made the whipped-cream swirl bigger. . .

. . . but I'm not complaining.

Maybe I'll have one more bite.

[Daniel]

Patrick,

there is no doubt you are the man.. Great pictures too!

[lemon curd]

Patrick,

there is no doubt you are the man.. Great pictures too!

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[lexy]

Patrick,

there is no doubt you are the man.. Great pictures too!

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Ditto - I always get inspired everytime you post your great baking pictures!

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I heartily third this sentiment - you deserve some sort of eG Medal of Honour

[Thornado]

I've never made a rice pudding before, what is the consistency supposed to be like?

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It should be thick enough to eat with a spoon without it being "soupy". It should be somewhat gelatinous.

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Still not really sure I understand what the right consistency would be. How is it supposed to be if you compare to e.g. a mousse or panna cotta? It's not really "soupy", but it definitely is a bit loose (turning it upside down above my head would be a bad idea). Oh, well... At least I've made the caramelized Rice Krispies now, so I'll bring the puddings to work tomorrow for some tasting...

Edited April 18, 2005 by Thornado (log)

[cathrynapple]

mmm, valrhona. i hadn't had any until i noticed a tiny stack of 70 percent bars above the godiva case in the bakery where i work. i gleefully used my employee discount and ate both in one sitting, with a cup of strong coffee, in my bed.

my original intention was to choose one of these recipes. i don't think this is possible unless i staple my mouth shut.

i am new, but you guys are amazing. i drool everytime i check this thread. keep em coming!

[Patrick S]

Patrick,

there is no doubt you are the man.. Great pictures too!

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Ditto - I always get inspired everytime you post your great baking pictures!

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I heartily third this sentiment - you deserve some sort of eG Medal of Honour

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Thanks so much for the compliments, Daniel, LC, and Lexy!

For my next project, I'm leaning towards the Concorde (chocolate meringue and mousse 'cake'). A friend at work told me about this meringue and chocolate mousse petite for he had, raving about how good it was. Plus it seems pretty easy.

[FoodMan]

I made Suzy's cake this weekend as well. It was easy but I was not too impressed with it. Tasted like a brownie but with a more floury/fluffly texture at room temp. It was actually better straight from the fridge, where it turned dense and fudgy.

Patrick these pictures look stunning!

I also made the meringue kisses per my mother in law's request. she loves the plain white ones so I made both types. I reserved a couple of the PH ones and served them with Vanilla ice cream. They were way better than I expected, light, chocolaty, crispy and chewy. I am sure I will be making them again.

Elie

[Richard Kilgore]

I made Suzy's cake this weekend as well. It was easy but I was not too impressed with it. Tasted like a brownie but with a more floury/fluffly texture at room temp. It was actually better straight from the fridge, where it turned dense and fudgy.

Elie

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The rich bitter-sweet Vahlrohna chocolate in a cakey, slightly less than purely fudgy, texture was what I liked about Suzy's cake. I guess part of it is what you like and what you were expecting. What kind of chocolate did you use?

[FoodMan]

I made Suzy's cake this weekend as well. It was easy but I was not too impressed with it. Tasted like a brownie but with a more floury/fluffly texture at room temp. It was actually better straight from the fridge, where it turned dense and fudgy.

Elie

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The rich bitter-sweet Vahlrohna chocolate in a cakey, slightly less than purely fudgy, texture was what I liked about Suzy's cake. I guess part of it is what you like and what you were expecting. What kind of chocolate did you use?

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Ghirardelli as usual. It was not the taste, which was rich and chocolaty, I did not like, it was more the texture. I really did not think it was a bad cake per se, there are just too many other ones I prefer to bake.

Elie

[halloweencat]

made the brownies over the weekend, two versions -- one with butter, and one no-butter version (earth balance vegan "margerine" used instead).

the chocolate used for both was scharffenberger 70% bittersweet.

the pan used was a 9x9 glass pan (the recipie calls for 9x12, i think)

the butter/book version was made first. at 19-21 minutes, the brownies were clearly not done, as quite a big part of the middle would shake (a "jello" center). i'm not sure what the exact final minute count was, but i kept on putting the timer on for 3-4 more minutes, another minute, etc. i'm positive the time did not exceed 30 minutes. (note: the toothpick test was applied numerous times -- knew enough to not wait until the toothpick pulled out dry, that it still needed moisture).

pulled them out of the oven at the first sign that the pan had lost its jello center. the brownies did not "rise" nor were they like cake, but they did not have much of that dense, gooey center either. they did have a touch of "cakeyness."

they were good, according to the general populace who ate them (but not terribly brownie-like). i'd try the recipie again, and be more meticulous about the time in the oven, in addition to trying it with the proper pan dimensions (i did not have the size pan the recipie required).

the earth balance "margerine" version

actually came out better, perhaps because i took them out of the oven sooner (having noted how the first batch was a little overdone, for a brownie). these too were not done (jello center) at 19-21 minutes, and had to stay in a few minutes longer.

however, the size of the pan might have presented some problems. i took the pan out at a certain point because i was concerned that the edges would get to cakey (or at worst, overdone/dry). but that meant that the very center of the pan was too gooey (the couple of pieces largely cut from the center hold their shape on the plate, but come too close to being viscous -- much too gooey).

regardless, they were delicious. better, i think, than the butter version. :)

also, i think i'm going to have the temperature of my oven checked, just for good measure.

cheers :)

hc

Edited April 19, 2005 by halloweencat (log)

[Richard Kilgore]

I made Suzy's cake this weekend as well. It was easy but I was not too impressed with it. Tasted like a brownie but with a more floury/fluffly texture at room temp. It was actually better straight from the fridge, where it turned dense and fudgy.

Elie

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The rich bitter-sweet Vahlrohna chocolate in a cakey, slightly less than purely fudgy, texture was what I liked about Suzy's cake. I guess part of it is what you like and what you were expecting. What kind of chocolate did you use?

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Ghirardelli as usual. It was not the taste, which was rich and chocolaty, I did not like, it was more the texture. I really did not think it was a bad cake per se, there are just too many other ones I prefer to bake.

Elie

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Part of it may be that you are a more experienced baker, and I am...well, easily amused at this point in my baking.

[CaliPoutine]

Hi all,

Dorie are you out there? Im about to make the chocolate ice cream but I have NO powdered milk. The bulk store in town recently closed and I am loathe to spend 6.99 on a bag of something I'll never use. Additionally, our town only carries powdered skim milk. Can I sub something else?

Thanks

[FoodMan]

Hi all,

Dorie are you out there?  Im about to make the chocolate ice cream but I have NO powdered milk.  The bulk store in town recently closed and I am loathe to spend 6.99 on a bag of something I'll never use.  Additionally, our town only carries powdered skim milk.  Can I sub something else?

Thanks

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Do you have any middle-eastern stores close by? If so, then you should be able to find whole powdered milk there. Look for KLIM or NIDO brands.

If all else fails, I think skim should be ok. I could be wrong, but I believe it is the proteins in the powdered milk that gives the ice cream a good texture. Skim milk still has those.

Elie

[CaliPoutine]

Hi all,

Dorie are you out there?  Im about to make the chocolate ice cream but I have NO powdered milk.  The bulk store in town recently closed and I am loathe to spend 6.99 on a bag of something I'll never use.  Additionally, our town only carries powdered skim milk.  Can I sub something else?

Thanks

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Do you have any middle-eastern stores close by? If so, then you should be able to find whole powdered milk there. Look for KLIM or NIDO brands.

If all else fails, I think skim should be ok. I could be wrong, but I believe it is the proteins in the powdered milk that gives the ice cream a good texture. Skim milk still has those.

Elie

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LOL, I wish there was a middle eastern store close. No such luck. Im in the middle of the country in Southwest Ontario. The closest large town is London. Anyway, I abandoned this recipe for now and pulled one off the web that calls for cornstarch. Im sure it wont be as good But it will have to do for now. I waited until the last minute to decide what to serve.