ROULAGE LEONTINE OR CHOCOLATE ROLL
Source: James Beard's American Cookery by James Beard

Made famous by Dione Lucas at her Cordon Bleu Cooking School, this flourless chocolate roll has always been associated with her. It is really a chocolate souffle baked like a roll.

6 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate pieces
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
unsweetened cocoa powder or powdered sugar
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, whipped, sweetened, and flavored with vanilla, Cognac, or 1 or 2 tablespoons sherry or kirsch

Prepare the pan first; it should be an 11x16x1/2-inch pan. Butter it well, then fit wax paper in the bottom and butter the wax paper (only wax paper will work with this). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Soften the chocolate over hot (not boiling) water and let cool to room temperature.

Separate the eggs and beat the yolks until very light and lemon-colored. Add the sugar gradually, and continue beating until very light. Stir in the chocolate and beat again until the mixture is very light, adding the vanilla and salt while beating.

Beat the egg whites until foamy, add the cream of tartar, and beat until the whites are light and hold a soft peak. Fold into the chocolate mixture with a rubber or plastic spatula. Turn the bowl as you do this to incorporate the two mixtures evenly and retain as much air a possible. Spread lightly into the prepared pan.

Bake in the preheated 350-degree F oven approximately 15 minutes or until the roll pulls away from the sides of the pan. Transfer to a rack, put a damp towel over the pan, and leave 10 minutes.

Take off the towel, loosen the side of the roll, and turn onto wax paper sprinkled with cocoa powder or powdered sugar. Cool.

Fill with the whipped cream, but do not spread it out to the edges. Lift the wax paper on one side, which will cause the cake to lift also and roll inward. Continue to roll and roll off the paper onto a serving plate or onto a Roulage Léontine or special chocolate roll board. This roll will often crack, but it does not matter. Serve cut in diagonal slices.

This will freeze, but it is not as good. In fact I prefer it not even refrigerated. It will hold perfectly at room temperature for 4 or 5 hours.

VARIATIONS:

CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE:
Instead of spreading in a pan, turn the mixture into a buttered and sugared 1-quart souffle dish and bake about 45 minutes in a 375-degree F oven. Serve with the whipped cream.

NUT ROLL:
Omit the chocolate. Fold 1 cup finely chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or filberts into the egg yolk mixture before folding in the egg whites (chop them in the blender, if you like.) The baking and rolling procedures are the same.

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CHOCOLATE ROLL
Source: The James Beard Cookbook by James Beard
This makes 8 to 10 slices of elegant dessert

This delicate dessert is not a true cake. It is really a fallen souffle.

6 eggs, separated
1/2 cup of sugar
6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons of strong coffee
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 /2 cups of heavy (whipping) cream, whipped and sweetened
Powdered sugar
unsweetened Cocoa powder

Butter an 11- by 14-inch jelly roll pan, line it with waxed paper and butter the paper.

Beat the egg yolks until light and lemon-colored and gradually beat in the sugar.

Put the chocolate and coffee in the top of a double boiler over hot water and melt. Let cool slightly and then beat into the sugar and egg yolks. Beat in the vanilla.

Beat the egg whites until still enough to form peaks when you remove the beater, but do not beat them dry. Fold them into the chocolate mixture. Pour the batter into the greased pan and spread it evenly.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 1 5 minutes or until a knife inserted into the batter comes out clean. Remove from the oven, cover with a slightly damp towel and let stand for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange two 14-inch lengths of waxed paper on a worktable, side by side and slightly overlapping. Sprinkle paper with powdered sugar and cocoa powder.

Run a spatula around the edges of the cake and invert it on the waxed paper; it should turn out easily. Carefully remove the paper in which it was baked. Spread the cake with sweetened whipped cream.

Then, by lifting the edge of the waxed paper under the cake, get the end of the cake to fold inward; this starts the cake rolling. Continue lilting the waxed paper and roll the cake up gently and quickly and onto a large platter.