French Dessert

Soufflé au chocolat is a very light chocolate dessert because it is
almost only made of dark chocolate and egg whites !
For pure chocolate amateurs !

Ingredients : 200 gr [7 oz] dark chocolate
2 Tspoons sugar
1 egg + 2 egg whites
3 Tspoons milk
unsalted butter for dishes
Serves 4 persons
Preparation time 15 minutes.
Cooking time 15 minutes

- Separate the egg white from yolk.

- In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate with the milk on a very
gentle flame (turn non-stop).

- When melted, add the sugar, then the egg yolk off-flame.

- Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they get thick and
frothy, then gently incorporate them to the mixture with a whisk.

- Evenly dispatch the mixture into 4 individual soufflé dishes previously
buttered.
Farandole de Tartelettes aux Fruits d'été -
Farandole of Summer fruit Tartletts

Sugar Crust Pastry : 200 gr [7 oz] plain flour / 100 gr [3.5 oz] powder sugar /
100 gr [3.5 oz] unsalted butter / 1 big egg / 1 pinch of salt / extra flour for tins.
Pastry Cream : 25 cl [9 fl oz] milk / 3 egg yolks / 40 gr [1.5 oz] powder sugar /
20 gr [0.7 oz] corn starch / a knob of butter.
Fruit : 200 gr [7 oz] strawberries / 2 kiwi fruits / 1/2 banana / a few cherries,
grapes....( depending on what you like and what is available)

Pastry : in an electric mixer (you need the blade accessory), put the flour,
the sugar and the salt ;
turn the mixer on and add the butter cut in cubes while mixing for another
15 seconds ;
add the egg, mix, and wait a few seconds until the paste forms a ball,
then stop mixing immediately.
Take the pastry ball out from the mixer and place it on a plate with some
flour in the bottom.
Leave for at least 1 hour.

- When ready, line the tratlett tins with the pastry, simply spreading it
directly in the tins with your thumbs (take the volume of a wallnut of pastry
and spread it with your thumbs ; always take some flour with it so that it
does not stick ; the pastry is soft enough to make it easy).

- Bake the tartletts in (pre-heated) oven for 10 minutes at 200°C/400°F ;
the pastry should get golden brown, not too dark. When ready, get them
out from oven and let them cool down.

- Cream : while the tins are in oven, get the cream ready :
Bring the milk to the boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar
until the mixture gets clearer and a bit frothy ; add the starch and mix to
obtain an homogeneous mixture. Pour the hot milk little by little, turning
with the whisk.

- When finished, pour the mixture back in the milk saucepan ; put on a
low/medium flame and whisk until the mixture gets thicker (reckon 3 minutes).
Take off from flame, add the butter and turn until melted and incorporated.
Let it cool down for a few minutes.

- Meanwhile, take the tartlets pastry out from their tin and display them on
a plate.

- Prepare the fruits : wash and core the strawberries, cut them in slices ;
peel the kiwis, cut them in halves lengthwise and slice them ; slice the
banana, wash and pit the cherries, wash the grapes...

- When everything is ready, evenly share out the cream on the tartletts
pastry (cover the bottom of each tartlet with it) ; then put some fruit on them...

Have fun and vary colors ; try to put 3 different fruit per tin alternating colors
and flavors.

Serve fresh ; do not leave them too long before serving.
- Bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes at 200°C / 400°F ;
the inside of the soufflés has to stay very soft.

Serve warm or at room temperature (do not bake too long in advance,
it has to be very fresh to be good.
GATEAU AU CHOCOLAT
Chocolate cake

Cake : 150 gr [5.3 oz] plain black chocolate
3 eggs
60 gr [2 oz] unsalted butter + some for tin
100 gr [3.5 oz] sugar
100 gr [3.5 oz] plain flour
3 Tspoons milk
Chocolate coating : 130 gr [4.5 oz] plain black chocolate
3 Tspoons sour cream
3 Tspoons milk

Serves 6 to 8 persons - prep'time 30 minutes.

- Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 400°F.

- Separate egg whites from yolks ; melt the butter.

- Mix the yolks with the sugar until the mixture gets clearer and frothy ;
add the melted butter, then add the flour.

- Melt the chocolate in a saucepan with the milk (very gentle flame,
turn non-stop with a wooden spoon) ; when melted, add it to the batter.

- Whisk the egg whites with one pinch of salt using and electric mixer
until they get completely frothy ; gently incorporate them to the batter
with a whisk.

- Butter a tin and pour the batter in ; bake in oven for 30 minutes or so.

If you want to coat this cake, melt the chocolate with the milk in a
saucepan when the cake is baked (very gentle flame, turn constantly).
When melted, add the sour cream and coat the cake with this cream.
You can choose to flavor the coating with orange for instance using
1 Tspoon of Cointreau type liquor, it is delicious (my favorite !) or
using one tspoon of orange-flower water...which is very good as well.