Monday, June 17, 2019

Glace au Chocolat


Glace' au Chocolat 
Source: Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts (Andrews & McMeel Publishing, 2006 ed.), pg. 223.

Summer is here and what better way to celebrate it than with ice cream. Actually, any time is good for me when it comes to ice cream. I love it and remembered reading in one of Maida's books that it was her favorite dessert as well. 

This is a French ice cream which means that it is made with eggs. It is easy to make and does not require an ice cream freezer. There were several times during the making of this that I thought I had done something wrong but it turned out well. For one thing, she says that after bringing the mixture to a boil, it will become very thick. I didn't notice a thickness at all - in fact, mine was very thin, almost watery. I thought I had perhaps added too much water but after double-checking the recipe, it was correct. You will need to freeze the ice cream for at least 3 or 4 hours before it firms up but after it does, it is very hard and kind of difficult to remove from the pan. 

This is very rich and just a small portion will satisfy any serious chocolate lover. The type of chocolate you use is variable. I used semi-sweet just as it is listed in the recipe.

6 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar

I used semi-sweet chocolate, chopping it in very small pieces. 

Beat the heavy cream until it holds a shape. I find the whisk attachment is the best for whipping cream. I always chill the bowl and the whisk - it only takes a few minutes.

The egg yolks should be beaten for several minutes until they turn a soft yellow color. 

The sugar and water is boiled for 3 minutes without stirring and then the chocolate is added to the mixture. This is where she says that it turns thick. It didn't thicken for me - it was very thin.

The chocolate mixture is added to the egg yolks gradually and then the whipped cream is added in small increments by folding it in. 

Doesn't it look great?

She recommends freezing it in a loaf pan or ice-cube tray (I thought this was odd at first, then realized she was referring to the old-fashioned types that had the perforated inserts laid in them). Cover it with foil and freeze. I kept testing it and it does not begin to harden until at least 3 hours, more like 4 hours. The next morning is was rock hard and I even had difficulties removing it with a scoop. It is best to let it sit for a while and soften a bit, otherwise it tends to flake off in slivers when you are trying to scoop it out. This is very rich and decadent!

Yum

2 comments:

Terri said...

Hello Phillip, I just recently found your blog as I was looking for anything written about Maida. I can’t remember how it learned about Maida Heatter, I think I was looking for a lemon cake recipe and ran across Dorie Greenspan’s video from the New York Times. After reading what a great baker and teacher she had been to so many famous bakers I was compelled to go to Amazon and ordered seven of her books, giving two to my daughter-in-law. I am attempting to bake my way through her books. I have made the East 65th Street Lemon Cake about six times, even sent it through the mail for a birthday gift. Everyone loves it! Baked the Palm Beach Brownies and other brownies several times too. I was actually baking the lemon cake when I found out she had passed, I felt immediate grief. At the same time I was so grateful she had plowed the way and was able to published such amazing collection of great recipes. My only regret is that I wish I had learned about her 20 years ago! While I do bake, my repertoire is not varied. Now that I found your amazing blog I feel that I have an extension of Maida to bake with! Thank you for writhing and devoting your time and talent for all of us! Your pictures and comments are a wonderful teaching guide. Thank you again for this marvelous blog!
Terri

Phillip Oliver said...

Hello Terri - thank you for your kind words! I wish I had discovered Maida earlier as well. I don't think I really understood how to bake properly until I discovered her books. She is truly an inspiration to us all.