Martha Stewart deemed this the dessert of the month a few years back and it's been waiting for me to have the time and energy to make it for Valentine's Day...this was the year. My Valentine thoroughly enjoyed them. I wonder that I could have made heart-shaped waffle cookies, filled them with the same filling and had a pretty similar result with half the work. Regardless, I can now move the recipe page to the back of my desserts binder and no longer have to wonder if they are as good as they look. I will suggest that you only need to make half the filling and half of the glaze because it made plenty. Although, the filling is good enough to eat with a spoon, so make the full portion and plan to eat about half.
For the Pate A Choux (fancy name for the pastry):
*Vegetable-oil cooking spray
*1 1/4 c. bread flour
*1/4 c. + 1 TBSP best-quality unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
*1 1/4 c. whole milk
*1/2 c. unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
*1/4 c. sugar
*1/2 tsp. salt
*4 large eggs
For the filling:
*4 oz. best-quality milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
*2 c. heavy cream
*3 TBSP. sugar
For the glaze:
*9 oz. best-quality bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
*1 c. heavy cream
*1 1/2 TBSP. corn syrup
Preheat oven to 425. Using a 2 1/2-inch heart cookie cutter and a pencil, trace 12 hearts on a piece of parchment paper, spacing 1 inch apart.
Repeat with another piece of parchment. Lightly coat two rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray; line with prepared parchment, traced side down. Set aside.
Make the pate a choux: Sift flour and cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Put milk, butter, sugar, and salt into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat, and add flour mixture all at once. Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until flour has been incorporated.
Set pan over medium-low heat. Continue to cook, stirring, until dough pulls away from sides of pan and forms a ball, about one minute.
Transfer dough to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until just warm to the touch.
Raise speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Pipe onto prepared parchment, tracing outlines of hearts and then filling centers. Pipe another heart on top of first layer.
Place hearts in oven. Reduce temperature to 400. Bake 10 minutes, then rotate sheets. Reduce to 350; bake 7 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool slightly. Turn off oven.
Using a serrated knife, halve hearts horizontally. Arrange, cut sides down, on wire rack. Place rack on baking sheet; transfer to oven. Prop open door slightly, and let hearts cool completely, 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.
Make the filling: Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Pulse chocolate in a food processor until finely chopped.
Put 1 cup cream and the sugar into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer; stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add hot cream mixture to the food processor.
Carefully pulse until completely smooth. Transfer to a large bowl set in the ice-water bath. Let cool completely, whisking occasionally, 30-45 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl.
Put chocolate cream into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Add remaining cup cream. Beat on low speed until medium peaks form (do not overbeat).
Make the glaze: Pulse chocolate in a food processor until finely chopped. Put cream and corn syrup into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until syrup has dissolved. Add hot cream mixture to the food processor. Carefully pulse until completely smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into a bowl; use a rubber spatula to eliminate air bubbles.
To assemble: Spoon glaze over tops of hearts (have hearts on cooling rack over parchment paper to help with clean-up). Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, spread filling onto cut sides of bottoms of hearts.
Sandwich tops and bottoms.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate, uncovered, up to 4 hours.
These were good and fun to make, but until I have an kitchen assistant who will do all my dishes...these aren't going to be a regular Valentine treat.
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