Mocha Custards Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water, let soften 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring cream to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; whisk in sugar and espresso powder until dissolved, about 1 minutes. Whisk in chocolate until melted (be careful not to let it burn), about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk softened gelatin into cream mixture until gelatin has dissolved about 1 minute. Stir in milk and salt. Strain into a large liquid measuring cup (for easy pouring). Divide evenly among six 6-ounce coffee cups or custard cups. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water, let soften 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and place over low heat. Add sugar, chocolate, espresso powder, and salt. Whisk until chocolate has melted, espresso powder is dissolved, and mixture is well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk in milk and strain mixture into a large measuring cup (for easy pouring). Divide evenly among six 6-ounce coffee cups or custard cups. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Using wooden spoon, stir sugar, yolks, liqueur and vanilla extract in medium bowl to blend well. Stir half and half, chocolate and coffee powder in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until chocolate melts and mixture just comes to simmer. Very gradually stir hot mixture into yolk mixture. Strain custard into spouted measuring cup; pour custard into dishes.
• Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of dishes. Bake custards until just set in center when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes. Transfer custards to rack; cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 4 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Top custards with whipped cream and coffee bean candies and serve.

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with vegetable oil spray. Wrap outside of pan tightly with double layer of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind cookies and walnuts in processor. Add melted butter; process to blend. Press mixture firmly onto bottom (not sides) of pan. Chill crust while making filling.
• Make filling:
• Bring whipping cream, milk and 1/3 cup water to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, chocolate liqueur, espresso powder and vanilla extract.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until well blended. Add 4 whole eggs 1 at a time, then 2 yolks, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Gradually add hot cream-cocoa mixture and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
• Bake tart until custard moves just slightly in center when pan is gently shaken and tester inserted into center comes out with some custard still attached, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Cool tart in pan on rack. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Make ganache:
• Bring first 4 ingredients to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla extract; whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Let ganache stand until slightly cooled but still pourable, about 10 minutes.
• Run small knife around pan sides to loosen tart. Remove pan sides. Place tart on platter. Pour ganache atop tart. Using thin metal spatula, spread ganache evenly over top of tart, being careful not to allow ganache to drip down sides. Using icing comb or tines of fork, make decorative concentric circles in wave pattern in ganache. Garnish top of tart with chocolate coffee bean candies, if desired. Refrigerate until ganache is softly set, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes before serving.) Cut tart into wedges; serve.

Steps:

• Make custard:
• Beat together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt in a bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 1 minute. Heat milk in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not boiling. Add one third of hot milk to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour remainder of milk into yolk mixture, whisking, then transfer to saucepan. Simmer, whisking constantly, until very thick, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add chocolate, liqueur, butter, and espresso powder. Let stand until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Force custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover surface of custard with wax paper and chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
• Make tartlet shells while custard chills:
• Pulse together flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg, and vanilla in a food processor until dough is smooth and begins to form a ball (it will be soft, like cookie dough). Turn out dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and gather into a ball. Flatten dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours (overnight).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Break off 1-teaspoon pieces of dough and press evenly into molds with floured fingers to form shells about 1/16 inch thick, pinching off excess from rim and making bottoms slightly thinner than sides. Arrange molds 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan and chill until dough is firm again, about 30 minutes.
• Bake in middle of oven, rotating pan halfway through baking, until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer molds to a rack to cool, then carefully remove shells from molds. Make more tartlet shells in same manner if desired.
• Assemble tartlets:
• Fill pastry bag with custard and pipe decoratively into shells.

Steps:

• Combine cream, milk, and ground coffee beans in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into mixture; add bean. Bring mixture to simmer. Remove from heat; let steep 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Strain cream mixture into bowl. Return mixture to saucepan. Add chocolate and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in Kahlúa. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in 1/3 of chocolate mixture. Whisk in remaining chocolate mixture. Strain custard into another bowl.
• Place six 3/4-cup custard cups or ramekins in roasting pan. Divide chocolate mixture among cups. Fill roasting pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of cups. Cover pan with foil and bake until custards are set, about 45 minutes. Remove custards from water. Cool, then cover and refrigerate until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Serve each custard with 1 buttermilk doughnut.

Steps:

• Place milk and cream in a 4-cup measure. Cook, uncovered, at 100 percent power in a high-power oven with a carousel for 2 minutes.
• While milk is cooking, whisk together eggs and sugar in a medium bowl. Combine cocoa and coffee in a small bowl.
• Remove milk from oven and pour into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in Irish Cream.
• Stir a scant tablespoon of the custard mixture into the cocoa and coffee to form a smooth paste. Scrape the cocoa mixture back into the custard and whisk until well combined.
• Pour into 1/2-cup ramekins and skim any foam from the top of each. Place cups, evenly spaced, around the carousel. Cook, uncovered, at 50 percent power for 6 minutes. Custard will still be partly liquid.
• Remove from oven. Let stand, covered with a towel, for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until firm and well chilled.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Place 4 small custard cups in a 3 quart rectangular baking dish and set aside.
• Start water so it is boiling when needed.
• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cocoa powder, sugar and coffee.
• Cook over low heat until the coffee and cocoa dissolve, stirring continuously to avoid scorching. Remove from heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine egg product and vanilla extract.
• Gradually add hot milk mixture and stir to combine.
• Pour egg and milk mixture into custard cups.
• Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish around the custard cups to a depth of about 1 inch.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes until set and a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean.
• Remove baking dish from oven and remove custard cups from the baking dish.
• Let custard cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2-24 hours. To serve, top each with a Tbsp of whipped cream and dust lightly with cocoa powder. Garnish each with a coffee bean.