Rich Grand Marnier-Chocolate Cake with Shiny Chocolate
Icing and Vanilla Gelato
Orange and chocolate have enjoyed a long and glorious
relationship on the dessert plate for a reason: they are absolutely delicious
together.
This is our take on a French classic, and we use only Vahlrhona chocolate for
it. We serve it with our house-made Vanilla Gelato and Raspberry Coulis, both
which were demonstrated on The Kitchens of Biró.
Makes 1 - 9 inch cake
Ingredients:
Rich Grand Marnier-Chocolate Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup sugar
zest of 2 oranges
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/2 cup minus one 1 tablespoon cake flour
pinch of sea salt
additional butter for baking form
Shiny Chocolate Icing:
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
2/3 cup heavy cream
7 tablespoons clarified butter, at room temperature
Dish:
Vanilla Gelato (recipe follows)
Raspberry Coulis (recipe follows)
mint leaves for garnish
raspberries for garnish
Preparation:
For the Rich Grand Marnier Chocolate Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter your baking form and line its bottom with parchment paper.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until it's a
uniform pale yellow color. Add the orange zests, egg yolks, and Grand
Marnier and mix together.
Pour the melted chocolate into this mixture. Add the flour and blend. Put
aside.
Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until it reaches the stiff peak
stage. Very carefully fold the egg whites into the chocolate.
Pour the batter into a prepared baking form and bake for 25 minutes, or
until a toothpick inserted into the cake's center comes out clean.
Invert cake onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes and
then ice.
For the Shiny Chocolate Icing:
Bring cream to a simmer over high heat. When it begins
to simmer, remove it from the heat. Add your finely chopped chocolate.
Stir until all the chocolate is melted and it is evenly incorporated into
the cream. Allow it to come to room temperature.
Add the clarified butter to chocolate-cream mixture and blend well. Use
immediately.
Presentation:
Slice the cake into thin slices; it's quite rich and a
little goes a long way. Place a slice on each serving plate and serve with a
scoop of Vanilla Gelato. Garnish with Raspberry Coulis, a few fresh
raspberries, and mint leaf.
Wine Pairings:
1997 Niepoort
Vintage Ruby Port
Portugal
2001 Robert Sinskey Vineyards
Zinskey Late
Napa, California
© 2005 Marcel Biró and Shannon Kring Biró. From Biró—European-Inspired Cuisine
cookbook. All rights reserved.
Vanilla Gelato
Makes about 1 quart
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 whole vanilla beans
9 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
Preparation:
Prepare the inserts of your ice cream machine as per the
manufacturer's instructions.
Place the milk and cream in a small saucepan. Cut the vanilla beans in half
lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the tip of a sharp knife. Add the
seeds and pods to the milk-cream mixture and place over high heat. Bring the
mixture to a boil, whisking constantly to aid in the extraction of the
vanilla seeds from the pods. Turn off heat and allow to infuse for at least
20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the yolks and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until
the mixture is thickened, fluffy, and pale yellow. You should be able to
cover your spoon's back with the mixture and form a rose shape if you blow
into the mixture. You also may use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle
attachment for this step; it would take about 2 minutes on medium speed.
Remove the vanilla pods from the milk-cream mixture, pressing any remaining
seeds from the pods into the pan. Bring the mixture back to a boil over high
heat, whisking constantly. Slowly add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk-cream
mixture to the egg-sugar mixture and whisk to temper the yolks. Whisking
constantly, add the egg-sugar mixture to the milk-cream mixture and whisk
until evenly blended.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Using a wooden spoon, continually stir the
mixture in figure 8 patterns, making certain that you are involving all the
mixture on the bottom and in the corners of the pan. Cook until the mixture
has thickened to a coating consistency, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Fill a large bowl halfway with ice water. Place a medium-sized stainless
bowl in the ice water and carefully pass the cream through a fine-mesh
strainer into the bowl. Stir the cream occasionally to cool.
Pour the cooled cream into the bowls of your ice cream machine and process
according to your machine's specifications, usually 30 to 40 minutes. Freeze
until ready to serve, for up to 48 hours.
Raspberry Coulis
Makes 1/2 cup
Ingredients:
1 pint raspberries
2 to 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
Preparation:
Place the raspberries and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a
food processor or blender and purée. Add more sugar, if necessary.
Pass the puréed berries through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. It
may be necessary to add a little water to thin the coulis.
Place in a fine-nozzled squeeze bottle and store refrigerated for up to 2
days.
