Tag: Valentine’s Day dessert

In Love With Chocolate

Posted on by Mary
This chocolate decadence is sure to capture a heart—or two!

To me, chocolate represents everything good in life. It has helped me through my darkest hours, given me clarity when I am indecisive, and won hearts when it counts.

That is why I cannot imagine Valentine’s Day without chocolate. Whether you are wooing a mate or just treating yourself or family, this flourless chocolate cake will cast a spell for love, which is what we all need, right?

I use Galantino’s olive oils, pure and strictly local to Puglia. It’s the best olive oil I have tasted.

Torta Caprese is a traditional Italian chocolate dessert, rich and dense with chocolate and almonds and moisturized with olive oil. This recipe is from Galantino’s collection. A decadent finale! Excellent served with espresso. Buon appetito!

May love knock at your door this Valentine’s Day!

Mary Knight

Torta Caprese

5 from 1 vote
Creamy, decadent and gluten-free
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • Line a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil the bottom.
  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • 6 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate not unsweetened, chopped and melted
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil – I use Galantino Mandarin EVOO* but you can use any high-quality EVOO
  • 1 Tbls. grated orange rind
  • 4 large eggs separated
  • 1 cup sugar I use superfine
  • 7 oz. almond flour or finely ground whole almonds
  • Pinch of salt
  • whipped cream to decorate or if you prefer powdered sugar dust

Method
 

  1. Gently melt the chocolate and stir in the olive oil. Set aside.
  2. Beat the sugar and 4 egg yolks until light and creamy.
  3. Stir the ground almonds or almond flour into the sugar and egg mixture.
  4. Gently stir in the melted chocolate and olive oil.
  5. Beat the 4 egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
  6. Gradually fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. The mixture will not be light and airy but still rather dense.
  7. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes. I usually start checking the cake at 40 minutes by inserting a toothpick in the center to see if the inside is still damp or beginning to form moist crumbs. This cake does have a fudgy inside so do not over bake it.
  8. Let cool for half an hour and run a spatula around the edges to loosen the sides. Undo the sides of the pan and let cool. Cake can be kept for up to 5 days, wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. It actually improves with flavor!

*EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I have made this cake using the full amount of mandarin EVOO and have also made it with half mandarin and half EVOO. Feel free to improvise by using only EVOO, eliminating the orange zest, and perhaps stirring in a teaspoon. of coffee power for a bold chocolate coffee flavor. Or, use EVOO and stir in a teaspoon of almond extract. Use your imagination!

“Chocolate symbolizes, as does no other food, luxury, comfort, sensuality, gratification, and love.” 

― Karl Petzke

Ciao for now,

A Valentine’s Memory & Mousse

Posted on by Mary

I think my favorite thing about Valentine’s Day is the spirit of kindness and love that seem to carry on throughout the month. Yes, it’s commercial but love is everlasting, right? As a child, it was my favorite holiday.  We would fold red, pink and white construction paper in half, then draw the curves that created the hearts. After cutting out many heart sizes, the fun began to create cards for family and classmates.  Our teachers taught us how to construct and decorate large envelopes to hold our valentines. With our name on the front, these envelopes hung around the classroom, soon to hold notes of love from secret admirers. When February 14th finally arrived, we paraded around the room, delivering our valentines into our classmate’s envelopes. Then the excitement began. Our moms brought cupcakes with pink icing topped with red hot hearts as well as heart-shaped sugar cookies glazed in white and sprinkled with red sugar crystals and silver beads. Sitting at our desks, our hands excitedly opened valentine after valentine while devouring all the homemade goodies and drinking, of course, red fruit punch. Everyone was happy. New budding relationships were born, even if we were only eight years old!

So, make a valentine, tell someone you love them and whip up this easy chocolate mousse for dessert. The best part is I’ve created it as a “shared” dessert. Just spoon or pipe it into a bowl, then using cookies or strawberries, dip into the mousse and enjoy. No spoons needed! It’s perfect for feeding each other, an intimate act of togetherness.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Milk Chocolate Mousse

Notes: I turned to this method of making mousse when I reviewed my original recipes from my professional chef life and they all use uncooked egg yolks and whites. No one ever got sick, but these days, most people are careful about raw products. Someday I will share my delectable orange chocolate mousse but for now, let’s keep it simple!

I’ve adapted this mousse from a recipe I saw in Food & Wine. The concept is simplicity. A word of caution, do not over beat this mixture! As all good cooks, I tested this recipe twice. The first time, I tried to beat it into a whipped cream state. After I piped it out and refrigerated it, it was not light but rather heavy. Still tasty but not the texture I was anticipating. My second batch, I added a teaspoon of espresso powder to the cream as it heated. When it dissolved and the cream was hot, I added the chocolate. This time I checked the mousse frequently during the whipping process and stopped when it just barely held a peak. The results were much better and it actually piped out smoother.

One thing you might question is the use of milk versus dark chocolate. I prefer dark chocolate but with this method, when the mousse sets in the refrigerator, the dark chocolate will make it even denser because it lacks the milk in the milk chocolate. If you really want dark chocolate, I would use 2 1/2 cups of cream to the 10 ounces of chocolate. Another option is to stir in 2 teaspoons of Grand Marnier, brandy or other liqueur after you have poured the warm mixture into your beating bowl.

A Valentine’s Memory & Mousse

Print Recipe
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 10 ounces milk chocolate-chopped
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp. espresso powder or coffee or 2 tsp. other liqueur all optional

Method
 

  1. Heat the cream and espresso, if using, to dark warm. Do not boil. Stir in chocolate. Use a whisk and stir until chocolate is completely incorporated into cream.
  2. Pour into your kitchen aid mixer or which ever bowl you will be beating it up in. Put in the refrigerator and chill until cold, about an hour.
  3. On medium speed, beat the mixture until soft peaks form. Remember to not over beat.
  4. Spoon into a beautiful bowl or individual cups.
  5. Garnish with strawberries, espresso beans, chocolate sprinkles or whatever suits your fancy.
  6. Makes about 2 cups of mousse

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“CHOCOLATE DAY POEM:

“Chocolate, dark or light..

Makes me smile bright.

Chocolate, whether speak or not..

If it’s love, it conveys a lot.

But when you’re.. not there with me..

It’s just a piece.. of sugar candy.

It’s you, who makes it sweeter..

I love it with you, even if it’s bitter.

So be there always.. stay forever..

I can’t think of life.. without you ever.

O girl, O girl, O.. O.. girl.. you be mine..

You are my choco-life..

You be my.. Valentine.

Just be mine.. O O.. Valentine!!!”

― Vikrmn, Guru with Guitar

With love,

Mary

Your Heart’s Desire

Posted on by Mary
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! Lucy Van Pelt In Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.
All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt!
Lucy Van Pelt
In Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz.

What is your heart’s desire? When I ask myself this question, the first thing that comes to mind is, “love, always love.” Rather than one specific “love,” I desire this love be spread out over my family, Sparky, my friends and my garden. Of course we all have secret wishes and desires. These drive our dreams and goals. Everyone craves reciprocating love. It’s a fact of nature. For this moment I will reciprocate and share with you a recipe that will stir passion in your loved one. Instead of creating something exotic this month of Love, I turned to a basic comfort food – pudding, chocolate of course. Pudding seems like such a muddled word for this dessert that brings so much love and warmth into a kitchen. The late Richard Sax devised a recipe called Double-Chocolate Pudding that is a snap to make. So irresistible and luscious, I have made it twice this week. I prefer eating it still slightly warm and when I served it this way to my mom and aunt, the spoons were the only ones talking, their metal scraping every last morsel of dreaminess out of the ceramic dishes. The creamy, not-too-sweet, chocolate velvet temptation conjured up sweet childhood memories of begging to lick the bowl. Whatever it is your heart desires, I wish this for you. My heart’s desire – just one more spoonful of chocolate pudding!

Candle light, moon light, star light,
The brightest glow is from love light.
Grey Livingston

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Sending love,

Mary