Chocolate

When it comes to chocolate, it seems that there are two groups: those of us who love the stuff, and those who can easily leave it alone. (I know, strange, right?)

For those who love chocolate, here are six yummy recipes, including Warm Brownie Wedges with Java Cream and Salted Chocolate Pudding With Whipped Sour Cream. Enjoy!

HOT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

How does Hot Chocolate Cheesecake sound? Yum!

This comes from The Food Network Kitchen, and starts off, “Use your leftover hot chocolate or cocoa mix in both the crust and the filling of this super-rich cheesecake that tastes just like the classic drink.” Total Time: 3 hr 45 min; Prep: 30 min; Inactive: 45 min; Cook: 2hr 30 min; Yield: 12 to 14 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/hot-chocolate-cheesecake.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

Crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more butter for the pan

9 graham crackers (about 1 sleeve)

1/4 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix

Pinch fine salt

Filling:

Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix

1 cup sour cream

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

10 marshmallows

Directions

Special equipment: a 9-inch springform pan

For the crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.

Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter, hot chocolate mix and salt, and pulse until the mixture comes together and holds its shape when squeezed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and press it into the bottom to make an even layer. Bake until the crust is just firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Place the pan on a large piece of foil, and fold the foil up the sides of the pan. (This helps seal the pan, to keep water out while baking.)

For the filling: Wipe out the food processor. Pulse the cream cheese, sugar, hot chocolate mix and sour cream until completely smooth, without any lumps, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times. Add the eggs and vanilla, and pulse until incorporated. Pour the filling into the crust, and set the pan inside a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to go halfway up the side of the springform pan (but not above the foil).

Bake the cheesecake until the edge is set but the center jiggles slightly (when you gently shake the pan, the cheesecake should move in a cohesive wave motion), 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, and open the door for a few seconds to let out some heat. Close the door, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven until cooked completely through, 1 hour more.

Transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Before serving, cut the marshmallows on the diagonal, and arrange them, cut-side down, in a neat line all over the top edge of the cheesecake.

WARM BROWNIE WEDGES WITH JAVA CREAM

This recipe begins, “Dense wedges of chewy chocolate are paired with a sweet coffee-flavored cream and fresh berries.”

Yield 8 servings

Serving size 1/8 brownie, 2 tablespoons cream and 1/4 cup berries

Source: "The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen" by Chef Nancy Hughes

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=1263

View recipe with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1263.shtml

Watch video on how to make it: http://diabeticgourmet.com/media/67.shtml

Ingredients

Wedges

Canola oil cooking spray

2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

1/3 cup white whole-wheat flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon instant coffee granules

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup packed brown sugar substitute blend

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup egg substitute

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream

2 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

4 ounces fat-free whipped topping

1 cup fresh raspberries

1 cup blackberries or blueberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 325F.

Coat 9-inch, nonstick springform pan or cake pan with canola oil cooking spray.

Combine flours, cocoa and baking powders, 1 tablespoon coffee granules and salt in medium bowl.

Combine sugar, canola oil, egg substitute and vanilla in another medium bowl; mix well. Add sugar mixture to flour mixture, and stir until just blended. Batter will be very thick.

Spoon into bottom of pan; spread evenly by coating the back of a spoon with cooking spray. Bake for 11 minutes or until slightly puffed. (Mixture will not be completely cooked at this point, but it will continue to cook while standing without overcooking and drying out.)

Place pan on a wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove sides of the pan and gently remove from bottom or leave on bottom and place on a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. When cooled completely, store in an airtight container at room temperature.

To make cream, combine water with 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules in a medium bowl, and stir until dissolved. Add whipped topping; whisk until a sauce consistency is reached. For thinner sauce, add 1 to 2 tablespoons water or milk.

Refrigerate until needed. To serve, cut into wedges, spoon mocha cream on top, and sprinkle with berries.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 260; Protein: 5 g; Fat: 10 g; Sodium: 145 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Carbohydrates: 36 g

SALTED CHOCOLATE PUDDING WITH WHIPPED SOUR CREAM

This is from Alison Roman at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Alison wrote, “A classic, old-fashioned chocolate pudding, this dessert is made a bit more interesting by layering with whipped sour cream (for a little tang) and crushed cookies of your choosing (for texture). While you can absolutely make and serve chocolate pudding in individual cups, there is something delightfully communal about sharing it from one giant vessel, which can be nearly anything you want: Mixing bowls, trifle bowls or baking dishes all work, just aim for something tall and deep so you can build as many layers as possible.”

Time: 45 minutes, plus 3 hours’ chilling

This was featured in “Desserts That Bring the Party, but Not the Fuss”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020708-salted-chocolate-pudding-with-whipped-sour-cream.

Ingredients

For the Pudding:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (65 to 70 percent), finely chopped

3 cups heavy cream

3 cups whole milk

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 large egg yolks

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

For Assembly:

3 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

3 cups sour cream

12 ounces thin wafer cookies, such as gingerbread, vanilla wafers or chocolate wafers

Flaky sea salt

Preparation

Make the pudding: Place chocolate in a large bowl; set aside.

Heat heavy cream, milk, cocoa powder and 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a medium pot over medium-high, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a bare simmer, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the egg yolks, the cornstarch, the salt and the vanilla, if using, until the mixture is lump-free and pale in color. Ladle a bit of the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks and whisk until completely blended, adding a bit more at a time until half the cream mixture is added. Transfer the yolk-cream mixture back into the pot with the remaining cream mixture.

Return the pot to medium heat and, whisking constantly, cook until the mixture has gone from thin and watery to thick and custardy, with the occasional bubble popping up, 3 to 5 minutes.

Immediately pour the mixture over the chocolate, and let sit for a minute or two, giving the bowl a shake to help the chocolate settle as it melts. Using a whisk, mix the chocolate into the cream as it melts, until you have an ultrasmooth, silky pudding. Transfer to a flat baking dish (an 8-by-8-inch pan works well) and cover the top of the pudding with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until pudding is completely set, at least 3 hours and up to 48 hours.

Assemble and serve: Using either an electric mixer on medium or a whisk and elbow grease, whisk heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. (The cream should hold a gentle peak.) Whisk in sour cream.

To serve, spoon a bit of chocolate pudding into a serving vessel. This can be done in individual bowls, glasses, cups or coupes, or alternatively, one large bowl or baking dish — the choice is yours. Then spoon in an equal amount of whipped sour cream, and scatter with crumbled cookies. Repeat until the vessel is full, topping with flaky salt.

Eat immediately, so the cookies stay crunchy, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BROWNIES

This is from that infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list.

Yield: about 20 bars

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups (10 oz) raspberry chips

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

powdered sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and lightly flour an 8 inch baking pan. Combine raspberry chips and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted. Remove from heat. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Add flour, sugar, and baking powder. Stir until well blended. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. Sift powdered sugar over top, if desired.

DENSE AND DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE CAKE

This is from the October 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 31), and begins, “Wow the chocolate lovers in your life with this fudgy creation that’s as easy to whip up as a cake mix.” Makes 10 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 large egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup brewed espresso or strong coffee

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Fudge Glaze

2 Tbs. low-fat buttermilk

2 Tbs. cocoa powder

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat 9-inch round springform pan with cooking spray. Combine flour, sugar, and baking soda in bowl. Whisk together buttermilk, egg, and vanilla in separate bowl.

Combine espresso and cocoa in large saucepan. Add butter, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in dry ingredients. Add buttermilk mixture, and whisk until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared pan, and bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until top looks dry but toothpick inserted in center comes out moist.

Meanwhile, make Fudge Glaze: Combine buttermilk, cocoa powder, and butter in medium saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Pierce holes all over cake with skewer or fork. Spread glaze over cake with spatula. Let stand 5 minutes before unmolding, and serve.

DARK CHOCOLATE SORBET

This is from the infamous long-since-forgotten emailing list. Makes 4 servings.

This begins, “Deep, dark chocolate is the perfect finish to any meal. Here, the sumptuousness of a chocolate treat is tempered by the refreshing texture of a light sorbet.”

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

5 oz finely chopped dark chocolate

Directions

In a small saucepan, bring the milk, sugar, and cocoa to a gentle simmer. Whisking the mixture occasionally, allow it to simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. Set aside the chocolate milk.

Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler and then whisk in the chocolate milk.

Chill the chocolate mixture for at least 1 hour, and then freeze it in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

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