There are many for whom the kitchen is foreign territory and yet who, for any number of good reasons, may find themselves responsible for planning and cooking a dinner for guests.  Enthusiasm, good nature, acting on the impulse to do something for somebody, the wish to learn a pastime that evidently brings pleasure to many–any of these have perhaps conspired to bring a body to the brink of this, their first dinner party.  Once committed to the project, for whatever reasons, Dessert will naturally figure in the game plan.

Learning something new, however rewarding, is stressful.  One goes back to the nursery, so to speak, in taking the first tentative steps in anything unfamiliar.  In an endeavour of this sort, where simplicity has much to recommend it, Dark Chocolate Cream is your huckleberry.

The veriest beginner can turn it out successfully every time.  But, like the proverbial little black dress, Dark Chocolate Cream is chic and good for anybody’s special occasion–including those who know their way around a kitchen very, very well.

Dark Chocolate Cream (for 4 – 6 people, depending on the size of the glasses used to hold the Cream–it’s a dense form of chocolate, and a small glass of it is a ‘big’ dessert)

Note 1:  Dark Chocolate Cream has to be made at least 24 hours in advance of serving.

Note 2:  To print this recipe, or any other diplomatickitchen recipe, go to the bottom of the page, at the end of the post, and click on the icon:  Print & PDF.

Ingredients:  The quantities are described in metric measures that are more easily increased to make larger amounts than American ones.  Dark Chocolate Cream doubles or triples easily and is a good choice for large gatherings since putting it together requires so little time and effort.

• 200 grams of Dark Chocolate, chopped
• 50 grams of Butter, cut in pieces
• 400 mililiters of Heavy Cream

Optional Ingredients for Decorating the glasses of Cream:

• 200 mililiters of Heavy Cream for whipping
• 2 or 3 Tablespoons of Powdered Sugar (or more for a sweeter whipped cream)
• Cocoa Powder

Equipment:

• a Bowl
• a Pot, preferably a heavy-bottomed one
• a Whisk
• Pretty Glasses for serving
• a Mixer, standing or hand, for the optional decorative topping
• a Sieve, for the optional decorative topping

1.  Put the chopped dark chocolate in a bowl.

2.  Pour the 400 ml of cream into the pot, add the 50 g of butter and bring the mixture to a boil.

3.  Pour a third of the hot cream and melted butter mixture over the chocolate, stirring, and, as the chocolate melts, pour another third, and then, another–stirring all the while until the mixture is very smooth.

4.  Pour the chocolate cream into glasses…

…and put them in the refrigerator.  Later, when the glasses of cream have cooled, they may be covered with plastic wrap.  The Cream must be refrigerated for at least 24 hours, so this is a dessert that may be made well in advance–even several days early.  At the end of that time, the chocolate will have become a soft solid…

like the inside of a Swiss chocolate:

5.  Just before serving, if you want to add the optional decorative cream, whip the 3/4 cup of heavy cream until it looks soft and billowy and then, stir in about 2 – 3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar to make a slightly sweetened cream–more sugar for a sweeter cream.

6.  Dollop some cream onto each dessert and sieve some cocoa powder over them…

…The cream will form a cushion of topping, not a stiff one:

…And it should be served right after the whipped cream is spooned onto the top of each glass of the dessert and they are all powdered with cocoa.

A Note:  Dark Chocolate Cream is served as the Dessert for the Dinner Menu:  An Evening with the Classics.

© Elizabeth Laeuchli, the diplomatickitchen, 2011-2012