Recipe: Chocolate And Raspberry Fontaines for Allison

CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY FONTAINES
This recipe comes from the restaurant Daniel in New york City. Crispy phyllo packages stuffed with warm, bittersweet chocolate ganache topped with raspberries. The recipe can be prepared 6 to 8 hours in advance.
Serves: 12

Ganache:
7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 teaspoons raspberry brandy (eau de vie de framboise)
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
8 sheets phyllo dough, 10 by 20 inches
1/2 cup sweet butter, melted
1 recipe cocoa sponge cakeor commercial pound cake
1 pint raspberries

Ganache:
Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan and pour over the chocolate. Stir to melt. Add 2 tablespoons of the raspberry brandy, and combine until smooth. Set the chocolate ganache to cool.

Syrup:
Combine cup of water in a small pot; add confectioners' sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the raspberry brandy. Remove the syrup from heat. Cut the cocoa sponge cake or commercial pound cake into 12 disks 21/2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick with a cookie cutter.

To assemble:
Spread 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface, brush with a tin coating of the melted butter, dust with sifted confectioners' sugar, and cover with a second sheet. Dust with melted butter again and dust with sugar. Cut the rectangular phyllo dough into 3 equal strips, about 61/2 inches wide by 10 inches long. Place a disk of chocolate cake in the center of each strip and moisten each disk with a little of the raspberry syrup. Cover each disk with a generous spoonful of the ganache and place 8 to 10 raspberries on top. First, fold one end of the phyllo dough over the raspberries and then the other, tucking under to form a small closed purse fully encasing the chocolate and the raspberries. Repeat this process until you have made 12 packages. Brush each one with butter and refrigerate (or freeze) until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the packages on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with more sugar. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Keep warm. Top each fontaine with the remaining raspberries and serve hot.