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10 tablespoons bread crumbs
6 tablespoons grated chocolate
1 pint milk
1 pint sugar
Yolks of 6 eggs
Whites of 2 eggs
Boil the bread crumbs and chocolate in the milk till it begins to thicken, meanwhile stirring it. Then cool, stir in the yolks and the whites, which have previously been beaten well with the sugar. Bake for one-half hour. Cover with meringue made of sugar and the whites of 4 eggs. Brown in the oven.
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon gelatin
5 large egg yolks (3 fluid ounces)
1 2/3 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, split
1 cup heavy cream
Stir together sugar, salt, gelatin, and yolks until well blended. Heat milk with vanilla until it comes to a boil. Combine milk mixture into egg mixture, and heat to 170 - 180 degrees F. Immediately remove from heat and pour into strainer.
Scrape through strainer. Scrape the seeds out of the bean and stir until seeds are well blended. Whip the cream. Cool the hot mixture in an ice bath, whisking constantly until whisk marks are just visible. Remove from cool bath, and fold in the whipped cream. Pour into a 6-cup mold lined with shortbread biscuits. Alternatively, use individual dessert cups containing pieces of shortbread. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
Chocolate Praline (see recipe below)
1 vanilla bean
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup milk
6 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon Amaretto liqueur or other almond-flavored liqueur
1 tablespoon Kahlua liqueur or other coffee-flavored liqueur
4 tablespoons sugar, for topping
Prepare Chocolate Praline; set aside. See recipe below.
Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to center position. Butter six to eight (1/2 cup) custard cups and set them into a glass baking dish. If cooking custards in a metal pan, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of newspaper to ensure an even temperature on the bottom.
Cut vanilla bean in half lengthwise; scrape seeds into a saucepan. Add vanilla pod, whipping cream, and milk. Over medium heat, stir until mixture just begins to boil; remove from heat. Remove vanilla pods from cream mixture; rinse and dry for another use or discard.
Place chocolate into a microwave-safe glass bowl; heat until soft at 50% power approximately 2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir chocolate until smooth.
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks until slightly thickened. Add sugar and mix until dissolved; mix in 1/2 cup of hot cream mixture. Add remaining hot cream mixture and mix until well combined. Pour mixture into a blender; add hot melted chocolate (if it has cooled to room temperature, reheat briefly in microwave just until hot to touch - do not overheat); whirl until no chocolate flecks remain. Pour mixture through a fine strainer into a large glass measuring cup or bowl. Stir in Amaretto and Kahlua.
Pour chocolate mixture into prepared custard cups. Bring the water for the water bath to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way cup the sides of the custard cups. NOTE: The most common mistake people make in baking a custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath. The water should come up to the level of the custard inside the cups. You must protect your custard from the heat.
Bake approximately 45 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cup you are using, but begin checking at a half hour and check back regularly. When the center of the custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that's when you can remove it from the oven.
Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled to room temperature. Remove cups from water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
When ready to serve, sprinkle approximately 2 teaspoons of remaining sugar over each creme brulee. For best results, use a small hand-held torch. Hold the torch 4 to 5 inches from the sugar, maintaining a slow and even motion. Stop torching just before the desired degree of doneness is reached, as the sugar will continue to cook for a few seconds after flame has been removed. If you don't have a torch, place creme brulees 6 inches below the broiler for 4 to 6 minutes or until sugar bubbles and turns golden brown. Refrigerate creme brulees at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve within 1 hour, as topping will deteriorate.
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a 9-inch pie pan, place almonds; bake until nuts are golden, shaking pan once, approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Lightly coat a 12-inch square of aluminum foil with vegetable oil.
In a large frying pan over low heat, combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, and milk; stir until mixture is bubbly and just starts to turn golden, approximately 5 to 7 minutes; immediately remove from heat and stir in unsweetened cocoa and stir until smooth. Stir in toasted almonds. Pour mixture onto oiled aluminum foil and spread. Let cool until solid, about 10 minutes. Break praline into 6 to 8 large chunks.
