Johnny Iuzzinis Chocolate Ganache Recipes

Steps:

• Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Bring heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 of the cream to the chocolate and stir with a spatula until the chocolate begins to melt. Continue adding the cream, in three batches, stirring after each addition, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface and keep at room temperature until ready to use.

Steps:

• For the Cocoa Puffs:
• Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, or melt in a double boiler. Roll the Cocoa Puffs in the chocolate, coating them completely. Lift them out with a fork, letting the excess chocolate drip off, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Store in a cool place.
• For the Chocolate Soup (makes about 4 1/2 cups):
• Put 1 cup of the milk in a small saucepan with the juniper berries. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the juniper infuse for 25 minutes. Have the chopped chocolate ready in a heatproof bowl, and, remember, the finer you've chopped the chocolate, the better.
• Bring the milk back to a boil, then strain into a measuring cup. Add some of the remaining 3 cups milk, if needed, to make 1 cup. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate, let it sit for a moment, then whisk to melt the chocolate and make an emulsion.
• Pour in the rest of the cold milk, and froth the soup with an immersion blender. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
• For the Devon Foam:
• Whisk the heavy cream and Devon cream together in a bowl until thick. Whisk in the milk, then froth with an immersion blender (add additional milk if you need to). Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
• To Serve:
• Thin the chocolate soup with some cold milk if it's too thick to sip, and froth it again with an immersion blender.
• Divide the soup among sixteen small glasses (for tasting portions) or among eight coffee cups. Drop in a few of the Cocoa Puffs, then spoon on a layer of the Devon foam. Top with a few more Cocoa Puffs.

Steps:

• Butter eight 4-ounce ramekins or sixteen 2-ounce molds and dust them lightly with flour. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet.
• Put the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and melt in the microwave, using 30-second bursts. Stir until smooth.
• Put the egg yolks and eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Beat at medium speed until frothy. Pour in the sugar and increase the speed to medium-high. Continue to beat until the eggs have tripled in volume.
• Scrape the butter and chocolate into the eggs. Beat until well mixed, scraping the bowl once or twice. Sift the flour over the batter and fold it in gently.
• Put the batter in a pastry bag and pipe into the ramekins. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to serve the dessert or for up to 8 hours.
• Take the cakes out of the refrigerator to bring them to room temperature. Heat the oven to 475°F or 450°F on convection.
• Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the cakes until the sides and tops are set, about 4 minutes for small cakes or 6 to 7 minutes for large ones. The centers will still be very soft.
• Invert the ramekins onto dessert plates. Leave for about 10 seconds, then lift off the ramekins. Spoon a little chocolate sauce around each cake. Make a small pile of chocolate crumble to the side, and top with a scoop of ice cream. Garnish the ice cream with crystallized vanilla and the cake with confectioners' sugar, if you want. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• If making the Meyer lemon tarts, line a 9 x 12-inch rimmed baking sheet with a Silpat.
• Put the milk in a saucepan and bring almost to a simmer. Whisk the cocoa powder and gelatin together and add to the milk. Whisk until smooth.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl until creamy. Mix the cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons sugar and add to the yolks. Whisk until light. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the simmering milk to the yolks and whisk for about 1 minute to temper them (keep the pan off the heat while you do this). Then scrape the yolks into the saucepan and whisk well. Return the pan to the heat and cook, whisking just about constantly so the chocolate cream doesn't scorch. The mixture will become very thick. Watch for the cream to bubble up, almost like lava. Once you see the first bubble erupt, cook for another minute, still whisking. Remove from the heat and mix with an immersion blender, scraping the pan often, until very creamy.
• Put the egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk. Add the egg white powder, a pinch of cream of tartar, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Beat the whites at the lowest speed while you make the sugar syrup.
• Combine the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and the water in a small saucepan. Mix with your fingers until the sugar is like wet sand. Cook over medium-high heat until the syrup reaches 250°F. Once the sugar comes to a boil, increase the mixer speed on the egg whites to medium. You want the whites not quite at soft peaks when the syrup is ready.
• With the mixer still at medium speed, pour the syrup in a steady stream into the whites, avoiding the whisk and the sides of the bowl. Turn the speed to high and beat the whites until the sides of the bowl feel cool.
• Mix the chocolate cream again with the immersion blender. Mix about one-quarter of the whites into the cream to lighten it, then scrape into a large bowl. Fold in the remaining whites.
• Spread the chiboust into the baking sheet and even it out. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 2 hours.
• If you are making the chiboust to serve on its own, just put it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
• While it isn't essential for you to temper chocolate or the recipes in this book, the bright, shiny surface of tempered chocolate will give your dessert a beautiful, professional look. Use the best-quality chocolate, preferably Valrhona. Chop 5 ounces (142 g) bittersweet chocolate into small, even pieces. Reserve 1 ounce (28 g). Put the 4 ounces of chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of barely simmering-not boiling-water. Melt the chocolate, stirring often with a heatproof rubber scraper to keep the temperature even. When the chocolate is melted and has reached about 110°F, stir in the reserved chocolate. When the new chocolate has melted-this will happen very quickly-move the bowl to the counter and let the chocolate cool to 88°F to 90°F and keep the chocolate at this temperature. To test it, dip a small offset spatula into the chocolate. The chocolate should set within 4 minutes. If the chocolate has cooled down below 88°F, you can zap it for a second or two in a microwave, but be careful not to bring the temperature above 90°F.