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Abbey Mandel's Boule de Neige (snowball)
Nb persons: 12
Yield: EXCELLENT
Preparation time:
Total time:
Source: Book of Great Chocolate Desserts - Maida Heatter's
8 ounces | semisweet chocolate, (if possible, use Maillard's Eagle Sweet or Baker's German's Sweet) |
2 tsps | dry instant coffee |
1/2 cup | boiling water |
1 cup | granulated sugar |
1/2 lb | butter, salted and room temperature |
4 | eggs, large |
1 tblsp | Cognac |
dark rum, alternative | |
This is a dense, dark, moist chocolate mixture completely covered with tiny rosettes of whipped cream. It is in a class by itself - not a pudding, not a mousse, or a cake, yet vaguely like all three. It looks elegant, tastes divine (Abby calls this her "most favorite chocolate"), and is easy. It should be made at least a day before serving, or it may be refrigerated for 4 or 5 days, or it may be frozen, but the whipped cream should be put on the day it is served. Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degs. You will need a round, ovenproof mixing bowl (for baking this dessert) with a 6-8 cup capacity; it may be glass, pottery, or metal, and it should preferably be deep and narrow rather than wide and shallow. (I use a stainless steel bowl that measures 4 1/2" high by 6" across the top, and has an 8 cup capacity-although a smaller bowl would do). To line the bowl with aluminum foil, turn the bowl upside down, tear off a 12" square of foil an center it over the inverted bowl, and with your hands press down on the sdes all around to form the foil into a bowl shape. Then remove the foil, turn the bowl right side up, and place the bowl shaped foil into the bowl, Pres it firmly into place and set aside. Break up the chocolate and place it in a small saucepan. Disdolve the coffee in the boiling water and add it along with the sugar. Stir over moderate heat until the chocolate is melted-the mixture does not have to be smooth. Transfer to the large bol of an electric mixer and beat on low speed until smooth. Gradually add the butter and ontinue to beat on low speed until smoothly blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beeting until smooth after each addition. Add the Cognac or rum and beat on modrate speed for about a minute. Pour the mixture into the lined bowl an bake for 55 minutes. When done the top will be puffy with a thick, cracked crust. (If you hav used a bowl with an 8 cup capacity, the, the mixture will not rise to the top.) Let the bowl stand at room temperature until the dessert is cool-it will shrink as it cools and will shrink more in the center than around the rim. This will leave a hollow in the middle which should be eliminated. The following directions will seem unusual, but follow them. A few minutes after the dessert has been removed from the oven, place a piece of wax paper on top of the bowl, touching the dessert. With your fingertips, press down on the edges of the paper to flatten the raised rim of the dessert (the crust will crack-that's alright). Repeat several times while the dessert is cooling in order to flatten the top as much as posible. When the dessert is cool, cover airtight and refrigerate ovenight or for a few days, or freeze. A few hours before serving, when you are ready to unmold the dessert and mask it with whipped cream, remove its covering. Invert a flat dessert plate over it (since the dessert will be solid white, a colored or clear glass plate will look better than an all-white one), invert the plate and bowl, remove the bowl, and then peel off the aluminum foil. Refrigerate. | |
Whipped Cream | |
1 cup | heavy cream |
2 tblsp | granulated sugar |
2 tsps. | Cognac |
dark rum, alternative |
You will need a pastry bag about 13 "long and a medium-small star tube, or about a #4. Inert the tube in the bag., fold down a deep cuff on the outside of the bag, and set aside.
In a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, whip the cream until it holds a soft shape. Add the sugar and Cognac or rum and continue to beat until the cream holds a definite shape, but be careful not to make it too stiff or it might curdle while you press it out of the pastry bag.
Transfer the cream to the pastry bag, unfold the cuff, and twist the top of the bag closed.
Now you will completely cover the dessert with small pointed rosettes of whipped cream. Start at the center top and squeeze out one small rosette right in the middle. Then make a circle or rosettes touching on another around the one on top. Then another circle, etc.-the last circle should touch the plate.
Refrigerate.
(Traditionally, a Bould de Neige is decorated with a few crystallized violets and/or rose petals-if you use them, press them into the cream just before serving or they may run and discolor the cream). Serve small portions.
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