Chocolate Passion Bowl Recipes

Steps:

• Pour milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping.
• Place half of the brownie cubes in 2-quart serving bowl; top with half of the pudding mixture, half of the raspberries, and half of the remaining whipped topping. Repeat all layers.
• Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to serve.

Steps:

• Break the chocolate into small pieces. Put in a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water and leave to melt. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 mins. Meanwhile, blow up your balloons - you want each bowl to be about 10cm wide, so try to pick small balloons and don't blow them up too much. Tie with a knot.
• Line a baking tray with parchment. Holding the knotted end of the balloon, dip it into the melted chocolate to create your bowl shape. Stand it on the tray and hold the balloon for a few secs until the chocolate pools around the base allowing you to let go of the balloon. Continue with the remaining balloons. Chill for at least 30 mins or until set.
• When the chocolate has set, pop the balloons and carefully peel them away from the bowls. Fill with your chosen dessert - ice cream is good because it keeps the bowls cold.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, sift the flour, icing sugar and cocoa powder into a small food processor. Add the butter and blitz together until it is the texture of breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix together gently with your fingers until it forms a soft paste. You may need to add a little water, 1 tbsp at a time. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a pound coin. Use the pastry to line a 20cm round tart tin with a slight overhang. Prick the pastry with a fork and chill in the fridge for 1 hr. Line the inside of the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans, uncooked rice or dried pulses to keep the base flat. Place the tart tin on a baking sheet and bake for 25 mins. Remove from the oven, take out the parchment and beans and return to the oven to cook for a further 10-20 mins until the pastry case is cooked through and dried out. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Trim off the excess pastry with a serrated knife.
• To make the custard filling, pour the milk, cream and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and put the egg yolks in a bowl. While whisking the yolks, pour in the cream mix, until fully incorporated. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and heat to 85C (use a digital probe to check the temperature), or until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Tip the white chocolate into a large bowl and pour over the hot custard, stirring to make a rich chocolate custard. Leave to cool, then ladle the custard evenly into the pastry case and chill for at least 2 hrs, or overnight if possible.
• For the passion fruit syrup, cut the fruit in half, scrape out the seeded flesh into a saucepan and add the caster sugar and orange juice. Put the pan on a medium heat, bring to the boil and simmer for 25 mins until thickened and syrupy. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Can be made several days ahead. Pour the chilled passion fruit syrup over the chilled tart just before slicing.

Steps:

• It is very important to have a chocolate thermometer -- something that goes below 100 degrees!
• Blow up balloons to desired size, make a knot in the top, and set aside.
• Place 2/3 of the chocolate in the top of a double boiler.
• Do not boil the water, or even have it on simmer, just keep it hot.
• Stir the chocolate every few minutes.
• The chocolate temperature needs to rise above 105 degrees, but keep in mind, it may burn at 200.
• When the chocolate has melted, remove from heat.
• Stir in remaining chocolate.
• Stir again, and when all has melted, return top of double boiler to bottom.
• Regulate heat to maintain a chocolate temperature of 88-90 degrees.
• Spoon 1/2 teaspoon or less of chocolate onto the parchment, making sure you allow space for each bowl, this will form discs for the bowls to "land" on.
• Dip the balloons, one at a time in the chocolate, covering as much as you want the bowl to be.
• Place each on the individual discs.
• When they are cool and hardened, make a tiny hole below the knot to SLOWLY release the air.
• In my experience, the balloon still sticks to the chocolate, and I was not able to "peel it away". What I have done, is to make a tiny slit, just below the knot, and pour a tiny amount of tepid water into the balloon. The balloon suddenly, but cleanly, releases.
• Any repairs, can be made with more warm, tempered chocolate.
• Set aside in a cool dry place until you are ready to use them. They do not need to be refrigerated. I put mine in the guest bedroom on the dresser, away from Lizzie Borden (the cat).

Steps:

• Sift the flour, icing sugar, cocoa and ½ tsp salt into a bowl. Rub the butter in with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks along with 2 tbsp ice-cold water, and continue to mix with your hands until a soft dough forms. Alternatively, pulse the ingredients together in a food processor. Wrap the dough and chill for at least 1 hr. Will keep chilled for up to two days.
• Line the base of a 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin with baking parchment. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a £1 coin, then use it to line the tart tin, pressing it up the side and leaving some overhanging. Cover and chill for another 1 hr.
• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake for 20 mins. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for 20 mins more until crisp. Leave to cool completely, then use a sharp knife to trim the excess pastry.
• To make the curd, put the passion fruit pulp in a food processor and blitz to separate the seeds and flesh. Push through a sieve over a medium saucepan, then discard the seeds. Tip in the remaining ingredients and set the pan over a low heat. Whisk until the butter has melted, then, using a wooden spoon, stir until the curd has thickened, about 10 mins. (Don't turn up the heat to speed up the process, as the eggs will curdle.) Stir well, especially at the edge, as this is where the curd can catch. Sieve into a bowl, leave to cool, then spoon into the case. Chill the filled tart for 30 mins.
• To make the ganache, melt the chocolate, cream, sugar and a pinch of sea salt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water, stirring until glossy and thick. Remove from the heat, leave to cool for 15 mins, then pour over the curd layer. Scatter over the cocoa nibs, if using, then chill for at least 4 hrs, or overnight. Dust with cocoa, then slice and serve with crème fraîche.