Folding in the egg whites could be a new skill. |
Remember this? |
I adore any light end to a big meal that is chocolatey without being chocolatey. Tortino di Cioccolato (practice saying this so you sound great) is, without doubt, bowl-scraping scrumptious and I gilded the lily by added a bit of Haagen Daz (5 ingredient) Vanilla Ice cream (not too much) and a squiggle of hot fudge (not too much again.) You could, instead, add a tiny dump of whipped cream or creme fraiche.
Even a dab of sour cream and a few tiny berries. Just don't lose the simplicity of taste in this dessert.
Or Chocolate Torte (Recipe by Jim Lahey with Alyce's twists.)
I literally took a page out of Mr. Lahey's book.
- 1 stick or 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold is ok)
- 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped coarsely (I used a 4oz bar of Ghirarddelli**)
- 1 cup plus 1 T (this is divided in use; careful)
- 4 eggs, separated (make sure they're at room temp)
- 1/4 c fine dry (plain, unseasoned) breadcrumbs (homemade if possible-start a day ahead*)
- Pinch of table salt
- Preheat oven to 400 F.
- In a small saucepan over low heat (or in a bowl in the microwave), melt the butter. Combine the chocolate with 2/3 cup plus 1 T of the sugar (you'll use the rest beating egg whites) in a medium bowl, add the hot melted butter, and stir a few times. Let sit for 3 or 4 minutes to melt the chocolate, then stir until smooth. (My chocolate would not melt; I had to put my pot on the stove and let it melt over low heat. If you chop the chocolate finer, I think Mr Lahey's method might work. )
- Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and slowly whisk in the chocolate mixture until thoroughly combined. Mix in the bread crumbs very thoroughly.
- Put the egg whites and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a medium bowl if you're using a hand mixer. Whip at medium speed until the whites are foamy, then reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add in the REMAINING 1/3 CUP OF SUGAR. Raise the speed to medium and continue whipping until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks (if they become too clumpy or dry, they're overwhipped; dump them and start over with new egg whites.) Use a rubber spatula or whisk to fold a large scoop of the meringue into the chocolate mixture until incorporated (this will lighten it up), then gently fold in the remaining meringue.
- Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. (Or lightly butter oven safe coffee cups, custard cups, bowls or ramekins--these will take longer to bake.) Fill each cup approximately 3/4 full. Bake the tortini for about 10 minutes until they are puffed up and just set in the middle. Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack. The tortini will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for three days.
- If you use baking dishes, it may take 20 - 30 minutes. Also, these are full of uncooked egg whites. I like to make sure they're done in case I am serving the young, the old or those with impaired immune systems.
**You can choose Valrhona ( I like this French chocolate; I was out of it.) or even American Baker's Semi-Sweet --don't use chocolate chips unless you're desperate.)
These are underdone and runny inside. |
I liked them with this great crust on top and tender inside. Use a small spoon! |
Alyce
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