A Time For Chocolate Molten Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Cookie Clock Hands, Allspice Pepper Sauteed Banana's, and Rum Froth
Book Description
Award-winning Open Kitchen is the story of one day in the life of an inn chef and of how easy it is to transform simple, fresh ingredients into exceptional cuisine. The book shares many secrets of Michael Smiths contemporary creative cuisine and shows how to embrace the art of cuisine at home. Smiths cooking is unpretentious
A Time For Chocolate Molten Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with Cookie Clock Hands, Allspice Pepper Sauteed Banana's, and Rum Froth
Recipe from:
Open Kitchen
by Michael Smith Cookbook Heaven at
Recipelink.com
These clocklike little cakes with their cookie clock hands are the all-time favorite dessert at the Inn. The presentation is always a show-stopper; but it requires timing. You will need an icing kit, available in supermarkets or specialty food stores.
Timing: Prepare the chocolate cake batter and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days. Make the batter for the cookie clock hands and refrigerate 2 hours. Form the cookie clock hands and bake. Several hours ahead, decorate 6 plates and refrigerate them. Bake the cakes. While they are baking, saute the bananas and make the froth.
Makes 6 Serving Size Cakes
Molten Bittersweet Chocolate Cake
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (8 squares)
1/4 pound butter (1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
5 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Place the chocolate, butter, and allspice in a large stainless steel bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. As the chocolate begins to melt, stir it until it is smooth. When about one- quarter of the unmelted chocolate remains, remove the bowl from the heat and continue stirring until all the chocolate is melted.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, sugar, molasses, and vanilla. Add the yolk mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until combined. Add the flour and cocoa powder, and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg white with a mixer on high speed until a stiff meringue forms. Add one-third of the meringue to the chocolate mixture, and stir until completely combined. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining meringue, and continue folding until completely combined. Place the batter in a storage container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours, or even up to 2 days. (Make the cookie clock hands and decorate the plates before baking the cakes.)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter and flour 6 (6-ounce) baking molds. Divide the chilled batter between the molds. Place the molds on a baking sheet and bake for exactly 12 minutes. (Meanwhile, saute the bananas and make the rum froth.) Let the cakes stand for 2 minutes before serving.
Cookie Clock Hands
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons molasses
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 egg whites
Place the butter, molasses, and sugar in a food processor. Combine until a smooth paste is formed. Add the flour and egg white, and continue processing until thoroughly combined. Process the mixture for 2 minutes longer. Place the batter in a storage container and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.
Using a stiff piece of plastic and a very sharp utility knife, cut out templates for a large and a small clock hand. The opening in the templates should be about 1/4 inch wide so that the cookie clock hands are not too fragile. Make a template about 4 inches long for the large hand, and about 2 1/2 inches long for the small hand.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the templates on a nonstick baking sheet. Use a flexible palette knife to spread an even layer of the batter into the openings of the 2 templates. Lift the templates and repeat until 12 hands are formed. Bake them until they are set and golden brown, about 7 to 8 minutes. Let the cookie clock hands cool, then gently remove them from the baking sheet and reserve.
Allspice Pepper Sauteed Bananas
3 ripe bananas, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons allspice pepper
3 tablespoons sugar
Separate each of the bananas into 6 equal pieces using the technique described in the chef's hint. Heat the butter in a large nonstick saute pan. When the butter begins to foam, add the
banana pieces and the allspice pepper. Saute the bananas briefly, and then sprinkle the sugar onto them.
Gently toss the bananas until they are well coated with the butter glaze. Set aside while you prepare the rum froth.
Rum Froth
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup dark spiced rum
1/2 cup water
Dark spiced rum is a full flavored rum with spicy nuances. It is widely available.
Place the egg yolk and sugar in a stainless steel bowl and place the bowl over, not in, a pot of simmering water. In a separate bowl, mix together the rum and water. Whisk the egg mixture until it becomes foamy, and then gradually add the rum mixture, whisking continuously.
Continue whisking vigorously until the mixture doubles in volume. It will thicken and become creamy. Serve immediately.
Presentation
Chocolate icing
Before you begin to make the cakes, use an icing piping kit to pipe a stylized clock face around the rim of 6 plates. Refrigerate the plates to set the icing.
Scoop some rum froth onto each plate. Arrange 3 of the banana pieces in the center of the froth. Unmold the cakes, and set a cake on top of the bananas on each plate.
Carefully poke the base ends of the clock hands into the cakes to resemble a clock. At the Inn, we always make sure that the clock hands indicate the time when the dessert arrives at the guest's table. Serve immediately.
