Category

By Dave

I found this recipe in an old issue of Cuisine at Home. The look of it caught my eye so I thought I’d give it a shot. The recipe looked a little complicated, but it was easier than I thought.

Bavarian Chocolate Cream Horns

Ingredients for horns:
8 sugar cones
2 sheets frozen puff pastry (17.5 oz box)
1 egg
1 t water
1/2 C turbinado (raw) sugar

Ingredients for cream:
2 C whole milk
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C corn starch
1/4 t kosher salt
2 eggs
2 T unsalted butter
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
4 oz semisweet chocolate
1 C heavy cream
2 T powdered sugar

Recipe for horns:
Set out the puff pastry to defrost an hour or two before getting started. In the meantime, wrap the cones in foil and coat with nonstick spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Once the pastry sheets are thawed, cut them into 1/2″ strips and wrap them around the cone molds from the bottom up. Be sure to overlap the strips as you go. When you finish with one strip, overlap the ends by at least 1/2″ otherwise a gap will open up when the pastry cooks and expands. Whisk the egg and 1 t of water together and lightly brush the mixture onto the horns. Roll the horns in the raw sugar, coating well. Place the cones on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the cones to a rack to cool. Let the cones cool completely before filling otherwise the cream will melt.

Recipe for cream:
With the method of your choice, melt the semisweet chocolate and set aside for later. If you want your cream to be vanilla rather than chocolate, just leave the chocolate out of the recipe. Heat the whole milk in a saucepan over medium heat until bubbles form around the edge. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Then whisk in half the hot milk and then return this mixture back into the saucepan with the hot milk. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking often until thickened. Boil 1 minute to eliminate the starchy taste and to thicken further. Keep whisking as it thicken further. Add the butter and 1/2 t vanilla, stirring until the butter is melted. Stir in the melted semisweet chocolate. Transfer to a bowl, then place the bowl in an ice bath to cool. Stir until the pastry cream reaches room temperature, about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, whip the cream, powdered sugar, and 1 t vanilla until medium peaks form. Fold whipped cream into the cooled pastry cream just until incorporated. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes. Transfer the cream into a piping bag and pipe into the horns.

I did make a couple of mistakes along the way, but nothing catastrophic. The first was when I took the cones out to cool. When I took them out I left them on the baking sheet to cool. The problem that I came across was that the melted sugar that pooled around the cones solidified and stuck to the cones. Another mistake was iin making the milk mixture in the saucepan. You have to constantly whisk the mixture, otherwise it burns on the bottom and you end up with burnt bits in the cream.

For toppings, you can make a chocolate glaze and hazelnut topping to drizzle on the top of the cones. I didn’t try this part of the recipe, but I plan to in the future.

Chocolate Glaze

Melt 2 oz of semisweet chocolate in a small saucepan with 2 T sugar and 2 T water. Simmer over medium-low heat until it coats the back of a spatula, about 10 minutes. Off heat, whisk in 1 T unsalted butter. Drizzle onto cream horns while warm.

Hazelnut Topping

Toast 1/2 C skinned, chopped hazelnuts in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden. Add 2 T sugar and 1 T unsalted butter. Stir until butter is melted and sugar adheres to the nuts. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet to cool.

225 E 60th Street, New York City, NY 10022. (212) 838-3531

http://www.serendipity3.com/

During my East Coast Trip in May, I managed to visit Serendipity 3 to try their world famous frrrozen hot chocolate. I had first heard about this place a few years ago in the movie “Serendipity” and I had wanted to try it out since then.

This is the table where Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack sat at (or at least that’s what I was told by the waiter).

We stopped by after watching the Broadway play “Mary Poppins” so it was a little late. They were only serving desserts and drinks instead of their full menu (salads, soups, sandwiches, crepes, pastas, etc.) at that time.

I ordered the Peanut Butter Frrrozen Hot Chocolate ($9) and it was delicious! It was cold and smooth. I could definitely taste the peanut butter, but it wasn’t chunky at all.

My colleague ordered the Dark Double Devil Mousse ($8).

One treat that I’ll probably never be fortunate enough to have is their Golden Opulence Sundae. It holds the Guinness World Record for being the most expensive sundae… $1000!!! This requires a 48 hour notice. Why is it so incredibly expensive? It’s “made with 5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf, the sundae is drizzled with the world’s most expensive chocolate, Amedei Porceleana, and covered with chunks of rare Chuao chocolate, which is from cocoa beans harvested by the Caribbean Sea on Venezuela’s coast. The masterpiece is suffused with exotic candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets, truffles and Marzipan Cherries. It is topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar, made of salt-free American Golden caviar, known for its sparkling golden color. It’s sweetened and infused with fresh passion fruit, orange and Armagnac. The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18K gold spoon to partake in the indulgence served with a petite mother of pearl spoon and topped with a gilded sugar flower by Ron Ben-Israel.” If anyone has the money for this, please invite me along… =)

This is just a fun place to enjoy a sweet treat. The servings are large enough for two to share. They also have a little shop where you can buy books, candy, and other knick knacks…

Taste: 10/10
Presentation: 5/5
Service/Atmosphere: 4/5
Total: 19/20

1430 Union Street, San Diego, CA 92101. (619) 294-7001

http://www.extraordinarydesserts.com/

This review is long over due. I think I went several months ago. This is the second Extraordinary Desserts. It is located in Little Italy and is larger than the Hillcrest location. There is a different feel. The atmosphere is more contemporary. The menu offers a wider selection than just desserts.

Kiwi Lemonade ($4) - Dave says, “No big surprise. Pretty much lemonade with chunks of kiwi in it. Nothing spectacular.”

Turkey Breast Panini ($10) - with smoked mozzarella, cranberry mayonnaise, and butter leaf lettuce. The turkey was moist, but the bread was too crunchy.

I think this was the Serrano Ham Panini ($10) with buffalo mozzarella, balsamic onions, and red plum conserve.

Sorry, but I can’t remember which chocolate desserts these are either! But, I will say that every single dessert that I’ve had at both locations has been pretty good… very rich and decadent!

Taste: 7.5/10
Presentation: 4.5/5
Service/Atmosphere: 4.5/5
Total: 16.5/20

2929 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103. (619) 294-2132

http://www.extraordinarydesserts.com/

The Dovers and I went during the afternoon and it was nice and quiet. A small line, but not nearly as chaotic as their usual evening crowds. We sat inside because I didn’t want to be outside with the friendly bugs…

We decided to order two desserts to share: something fruity and something chocolaty.

Passion Fruit Ricotta Torte (about $7 or $8) - Tropical and light, this torte is made of ricotta cake layers, soaked with passion fruit juice and layered with passion fruit whipped cream, kiwis, strawberries, and bananas.

A little soggy and too sour for my tastes… dessert should be sweet! =) Besides, I’m not a fan of kiwi anyway.

Truffe Framboise ($7.50) - Raspberry and kirsch soaked chocolate cake layers are surrounded by bittersweet Valrbona chocolate mousse, with fresh raspberries bursting inside and out.

Very, very rich… too the point where you just can’t finish it. The thick chocolate can be too much, but it was very delicious. I think they should offer a WHITE chocolate version. It would be positively sinful…

Taste: 8/10
Presentation: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 17/20

2929 Fifth Avenue. (619) 294 - 2132.

Dennis and I went to Extraordinary Desserts the other night. Since it was night, we basically passed it up the first time because we couldn’t see it. Thanks to the advice of my friend, who said to look for the Kung Fu Restaurant sign next door, we found it on the second go.

Once we parked, we found that there was a long line out the door! This place MUST be good with so many people here for just desserts. After taking a look at the desserts on display and the advice of ordering one chocolate dish and one non-chocolate dish, we decided on the special of the night, Warm Nectarine Pie ($6.50), and a slice of Triple Mousse Chocolate Torte ($7.50).

The Warm Nectarine Pie looked very appetizing and pleased my palete. The nectarines on the outside weren’t mushy at all, and the insides were as sweet and tasty as grandma’s pie. The dessert including sour cream ice cream on the side, but I found that to be tasteless and boring. I think the server, due to habit, added it to the order even though we didn’t pay for it at the front (unless the price already included it). The chocolate mousse was delicious too, with sprinkles of hazelnuts on the outside. Being a portion sensitive eater of chocolate (I can only handle so much chocolate), I savored the first couple of bites of the cake before the rich chocolate taste drove me away. Chocolate lovers would probably enjoy it throughout.

Overall, this place was very nice and romantic, and presentation-wise, the desserts looked fabulous and the tastes matched the presentation.

Lynn’s ratings:
Taste: 8/10
Service: 4/5
Presentation: 5/5
Total: 17/20

Dennis’s ratings:
Taste: 8/10
Service: 3/5
Presentation: 5/5
Total: 16/20