BEST DESSERT EVER!!
We had this dessert at the fabulous restaurant - CURATE in Asheville NC. So when we got homs and had recovered from the dessert swoon we decided to make it ourselves.
The thing about Curate is the combinations of textures and flavors. So TRY this and you will die!! (don't leave out the pecan praline or the salt!!)
With a little help from Google we found the recipes below. When you have everything, you take a bowl and with the back of a spoon smooch a large dollop of homemade nutella on the side of the bowl and then sprinkle on the pecan praline dust and chips, then sprinkle on kosher salt. Then a dollop of the Mouse and on top of that a dollop of Raspberry Sorbet.
ENJOY!
EASY PECAN PRALINE BRITTLE
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped pecans
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Brush the foil lightly with melted butter.
In a heavy pan with cover, melt butter over low heat. Add sugar, cook over medium-high heat stirring continuously until sugar melts and turns golden brown. Add pecans; stir until pecans are well-coated with glaze. Quickly spread mixture evenly over prepared baking sheet (candy hardens very fast!). Cool completely. Break into bite-sized pieces. (Crush up for the Dessert above.)
Yield: 2 cups
Cooks Tip: When melting candy coatings, keep all utensils and ingredients dry. Moisture can cause coating to thicken.
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, October 2009 (sniffle)
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/10/silky-decadent-old-school-chocolate-mousse/
Yes, the eggs are raw. And I’ve been doing this long enough that I know someone is soon going to ask me if you can cook the eggs instead of using them raw or use yogurt instead of whipped cream or replace the eggs with flax seeds and water or skip the booze or reduce the butter, and so on, so let me just add this disclaimer: Yes, you may. You may make any changes that you see fit, any adjustments that will make this dish more enjoyable for you. You will, after all, be crafting this for you and not me. And it might be some kind of phenomenal when you’re done, something that exceeds your wildest expectations. But it will not be chocolate mousse.
This is. And I think it is fantastic.
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate (no more than 60% cacao), chopped
3/4 stick (3 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 6 pieces
3 large eggs, separated
1 tablespoon Cognac or other brandy (or swap with a liqueur of your choice)
1 cup very cold heavy or whipping cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
Get out one large heatproof, two medium and one small mixing bowl and dust off your electric hand mixer.
Set the large bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and melt the chocolate and butter in it, gently stirring it until smooth. Remove from heat. Alternately, you can melt them in your microwave, stirring thoroughly at 30 seconds and every 15 seconds thereafter until the mixture is smooth.
In the small bowl, beat yolks with your electric mixer until thick enough to form a ribbon that takes a few seconds to dissolve — this will take about two to four minutes to achieve. Whisk yolks into chocolate mixture along with Cognac, then cool to warm.
In one of the medium bowls, beat the cream with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks.
In the other medium bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks.
Fold the whipped cream and beaten whites into the chocolate mixture, gently but thoroughly. Transfer to 8 (4 ounce) ramekins or one large serving bowl, or go restaurant-style, serving it in stemmed glasses with white or dark chocolate shavings on top.
Do ahead: Mousse can be chilled, its surface covered with parchment paper, up to 2 days, though I’ve never heard of it lasting that long with hungry people named Deb around. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.
Homemade Nutella (hazel nut spread)
Ingredients
1 cup hazelnuts
12 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil, such as canola
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt, more or less depending upon your preference
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).
Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for about 12 minutes, until they’ve browned a little and the skins are blistered a little. Wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove as much loose skin as possible. (Some skin will cling to the nuts when you’re done. It’s okay—not to mention inevitable.) Let cool completely.
Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over gently simmering water or in the microwave. Stir until smooth. Let cool completely.
In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts until they form a paste. Add the oil, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, and salt and continue processing until the mixture is as smooth as possible-or as smooth as you like. Add the melted chocolate, blend well, and then strain the mixture to remove any chunks of hazelnut that remain. The resulting homemade Nutella will be thin and somewhat runny and maybe even a little warm but it will thicken as it cools.
Scrape your homemade nutella into a jar or other resealable container and let it cool to room temperature. Cover the container after snitching several spoonfuls. The nutella will keep on the counter for up to 2 weeks. (Hah!)
http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/homemade-nutella
Reprinted with permission from Leite's Culinaria. Copyright © 2012 by Christie Matheson
Buy a pint of Raspberry Sorbet. (although you can make that with an ice cream machine!)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/raspberry-sorbet-recipe.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/raspberry-sorbet-recipe.html
Yes, please, as is. We ate a fantastic chocolate mousse at a place in Greensboro. O.m.g. there is nothing like the real deal.
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