Recipe: Chocolate Soup

From Denny: Now this is definitely something I'd like to try - a soup made from chocolate, wow! Beware of the calorie count though; it's a real whopper! Be generous; share this dessert with friends and family! :)

Zuppa di Cioccolato (Chocolate Soup) - from Sotto Sotto restaurant

From: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Sotto Sotto restaurant

"From the menu of . . . Sotto Sotto
313 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta
404-523-6678

Q: Please see if you can coax the chocolate soup dessert recipe out of the chef at Sotto Sotto. It's really great, with little bits of crunchy things in it.
-- Lea Nixon, Atlanta

A: If all you think of is minestrone when you think of Italian soup . . . think again. Zuppa di Cioccolato is a rich chocolate soup served as a dessert. Sotto Sotto chef Christian Watson says this heavenly confection is a combination of fine semi-sweet chocolate (the brand he uses is Callebaut, which can be difficult to find locally), hazelnut whipped cream topping, dry roasted hazelnuts and sugared croutons."

Hands on time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves: 10

Ingredients:

For the chocolate base: 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) heavy cream (36 to 40 percent milkfat)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/4 pounds best-quality semi-sweet chocolate chips

6 tablespoons rum (Virgin Island Rum, a sweet rum, is suggested)

For the baguettes:

10 slices French baguette

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

For the hazelnut cream:

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon hazelnut praline paste (see note)

For the garnishes:

1 cup whole roasted hazelnuts

Unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions:

In a medium, heavy Dutch oven, combine the cream and sugar over medium-high heat. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to low and gradually add the chocolate chips, whisking constantly until smooth. Stir in the rum, and whisk again. (The soup base may be adjusted to your desired consistency with additional cream or chocolate.)
Sprinkle the baguette slices with granulated sugar and place in the oven to toast until just caramelized.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the 3/4 cup cream to soft peaks with the hazelnut paste.

To serve: Place a crouton in the bottom of a shallow soup bowl; pour about 3/4 cup of the soup base over it, sprinkle with roasted hazelnuts, and top with a dollop of the whipped cream. Dust with cocoa powder, and serve at once.

NOTE: Hazelnut paste is difficult to find. Watson suggests substituting Nutella, for a slightly different flavor. Our tester reports it is fine to omit the paste.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 939 calories, 10 grams protein, 86 grams fat (percent calories from fat, 82), 49 grams carbohydrates, 208 milligrams cholesterol, 135 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

Recipe: Quarky Chocolate Cake

From Denny: Pastrywiz.com is a fascinating site with lots of chocolate recipes! This is something new to me though I've made similar cakes I was unaware of this German version. Cheese and chocolate in a cake, who knew? Take a look!

***

"Sour cream cakes are a dime a dozen, but using, German-style quark (a low- or nonfat fresh cheese that tastes like a combination of sour cream, yogurt, and cream cheese) takes this ordinary chocolate cake into the realm of the memorable. It's fudgy, yet slightly easier on your conscience.

If you can't find quark, which is available in some supermarkets, you can make this cake with sour cream. Since this is a three-layer cake, plan to serve a lot of people or to have a lot of leftovers. This cake is best eaten the day it's made, though it will hold, covered, for twenty-four to forty-eight hours at room temperature. Do not refrigerate."

Yield: 12 to 15 servings

FOR THE FROSTING

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

1 2/3 cups sugar

6 1/2 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, such as Scharffen-Berger or Callebaut, finely chopped

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened, cut into tablespoons

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FOR THE CAKE

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process), plus extra for dusting the pans

4 ounces high-quality unsweetened chocolate, such as Scharffen-Berger or Callebaut, coarsely chopped

1 3/4 cups cake flour

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups sugar

1 whole egg

5 large eggs, separated

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup quark, such as Ellen's Nonfat, stirred until smooth

To make the frosting:

In a medium-size saucepan, heat the cream and sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the chocolate and stir until it is thoroughly melted. Remove from the heat, cover, and let cool for about 10 minutes.

Using an electric mixer, mix the butter on medium-high speed until it is smooth and creamy. Turn the mixer to medium-low and add half of the chocolate mixture along with the vanilla. Mix well. Add the remaining chocolate mixture and mix until smooth and creamy.

Set aside until it hardens slightly, to become a spreadable consistency, 1 to 2 hours. (Or, you can refrigerate the frosting for about 30 minutes, or until it becomes thickened and spreadable. Bring it to room temperature before frosting.)

To make the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Cut a piece of waxed paper to fit the bottom of each pan and place inside the pans. Grease the waxed paper, and dust the pans with cocoa powder until well coated. Set aside.

In a small heatproof bowl, pour the boiling water over the 1/2 cup cocoa. Stir until the mixture is very smooth, and set aside to cool.

Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler or in a stainless-steel bowl set over a pan of hot, but not boiling, water. Stir occasionally until smooth. Remove from the heat.

Into a medium-size bowl, sift together both flours, the baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups of the sugar and beat until well blended, about 5 minutes. Beat in the whole egg and egg yolks, one at a time. Beat in the cooled cocoa mixture until very smooth, scraping down the sides as you go.

Turn the mixer to medium-low and add the melted chocolate, beating until well incorporated. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer to low and add half the dry ingredients. Then add the quark, mix well, and add the rest of the dry ingredients. Beat until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a copper or stainless-steel bowl, and using clean beaters, beat the egg whites at high speed. When frothy, add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the egg whites form stiff peaks, 5 to 6 minutes.

Using a large rubber spatula, fold about 1 cup of the chocolate mixture into the egg whites. Then gently fold that mixture back into the chocolate mixture, just until the egg whites are well incorporated. Do not overmix.

Distribute the batter evenly among the pans, and bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Do not overbake. Cakes are done when the tops are just beginning to crack and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it. Let cool on a rack for about 15 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely on a wire rack.

To assemble:

Place the first layer on a serving plate and frost the top only. Place the second layer on top of the first and frost the top. Repeat with the top layer. Spread the remaining frosting along the sides until the cake is completely covered with frosting. Cut and enjoy!

Source: The New American Cheese by Laura Werlin

Here is a wonderful small 6-inch easy chocolate cake when there are just two of you at home and don't want the bother of making a traditionally-sized cake that feeds 8 - 10.

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