Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry Sauce
DESSERTS

Dessert| Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry Sauce … when God created mothers!

2011/05/08 / 32 Comments

“When your mother asks, “Do you want a piece of advice?” it is a mere formality. It doesn’t matter if you answer yes or no. You’re going to get it anyway.”
Erma Bombeck

Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceHAPPY MOTHERS DAY! Finally the day to celebrate the toughest job in the world, one that makes you wonder ‘Why?‘ over and over again. As always there are no right answers, but this wonderful piece by Erma Brombeck written way back in May 12, 1974 for her Mother’s Day column tries to explain!

Dear Mother,

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into his sixth day of “overtime” when an angel appeared and said, “You’re doing a lot of fiddling around on this one.”
And the Lord said, “Have you read the specs on this order?

She has to be completely washable, but not plastic;
Have 180 movable parts… all replaceable;
Run on black coffee and leftovers;
Have a lap that disappears when she stands up;
A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair;
And six pairs of hands.”

The angel shook her head slowly and said, “Six pairs of hands… no way.” … you must read the rest here When God Created Mothers

Mothers Day PABWoke up this morning to find a beautiful new ipod nano that the kids bought for me as a Mothers Day gift. The teen paid for it, and on last count she was still trying to wrangle the half the lad owed her! The way he’s trying to wriggle out of it is hysterical, both equally persistent! I am so touched with the gift … they downloaded all my favourite songs onto it {Tracy Chapman, Dire Straits, Enya, Scorpions, Eric Clapton, Gordon Lightfoot, Eagles … 1000s more, all there!}, my fave FM music channels, pictures etc, wrapped in pretty hot pink paper!Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceI made these delicious little desserts for today. One the the high points of summer in North India is the advent of stone fruit, especially cherries and peaches. The first sight of luscious deep red cherries takes my breath away. Always priced high, the way to announce the seasons first, yet temptation wins over resolve and the heart sings a song again! This year the crops better, sweeter and even more tempting!Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceCame home 2 days ago with a box that weighed just under 800gms and had many happy thoughts, the first being a lattice cherry pie, or maybe a cherry clafoutis. The teen had other ideas however, being a cherry lover, and soon most of the box was history. Yet it was my bake a dessert day as it had been a while since I made an indulgent dessert.Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry Sauce The Internet has magical powers and drags you into its web, pulling you deeper and deeper. I was quite happily lost in Canelle et Vanilles beautiful pictures, when I googled for a cherry gelee to replace a strawberry gelee. Of course I got distracted, landed up at Epicurious and got searching for cherries. Cherry Syrup? Mmmmm, yes please. That sounded good, but underneath was something that sounded even better, something that I had never heard of – chocolate marquise!Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry Sauce

Chocolate marquise is a delicate chocolate dessert made of dark chocolate, heavy cream, egg yolks, butter and sugar. Though chocolate marquise is fairly simple in its ingredients, it makes for an elegant dessert as it can be molded in various shapes and served with fresh or chocolate dipped fruit and shaved chocolate pieces. Chocolate marquise requires no baking, but you will need at least three hours to allow it to chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry Sauce Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceIt’s tough to leave a tempting title like a Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise without an in depth read. Expectedly, pretty soon I was lining molds and humming a sweet song! Yum Yum Yum is all I thought! One thing was definite, that my marquise would be individually plated, a form of serving dessert which I enjoy most. Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceBittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceOf course you can line a loaf pan, or rectangular mold and set the marquise. Chill and slice prior to serving. Else do what I did with some leftover – set in individual goblets. Outstanding and fun! I think if you are short on time, the goblets work best and offer visual delight. I layered in a big hurry as I wasn’t too sure of what to expect. From experience I can now say – expect the best!Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceBittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry SauceIf you like bitter chocolate, then use a nice dark couverture like a 65-70% one, else you can even go with a medium. In that case, maybe reduce the sugar a bit if you like. For an adult variation, maybe spike it with a liqueur and top it with a complimentary fruit pairing. Chocolate holds endless appeal and pairs well with a variety of fruit – cherries, strawberries, oranges, mangoes etc. If cherry season isn’t there yet, try a pairing with strawberries in balsamic syrup.

[print_this]Recipe: Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise with Crème Chantilly & Balsamic Cherry Sauce
your picture
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Ingredients

  • 200gms dark chocolate, melted {I used 55% couverture}
  • 85gms unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
  • 2 tsp cherry liqueur
  • 1/8 cup water
  • 200ml low fat cream, chilled
  • 1/8 cup powdered sugar

Method:

  1. Blend 50gms {2/3rd} of the butter with 1/8 cup of sugar, then add the cocoa and whip again. Set aside.
  2. Place the remaining butter, yolks, scraped vanilla bean, remaining 1/8 cup sugar and water in a metal saucepan and whisk until well blended.
  3. Place the saucepan over simmering water, and stir constantly until the temperature reads 160F. Take off heat and blend with an electric blender for about 5 minutes till it becomes smooth and cool.
  4. Whip this into the butter, sugar, cocoa mix, add the cherry liqueur if using, blending until homogeneous and smooth. Fold in warm chocolate. Adjust sugar if you like.
  5. In another bowl, whip up 200ml chilled low fat cream with 1/8 cup powdered sugar until it holds peaks. Fold this gently but firmly through the chocolate mix.
  6. Divide the marquise into your prepared molds, smoothen out to the edges and leave to set for at least an hour.
  7. Top with the crème chantilly if using, {recipe follows}, drizzled with a balsamic cherry sauce {recipe follows}.

Recipe: Crème Chantilly
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 1/8 cup powdered sugar
  • 100ml low fat cream, chilled
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla powder {or 1/2  vanilla bean, scraped}

Method:

  1. Whip all ingredients together to medium firm peaks.
  2. Place crème chantilly in a piping bag and top the mold with it. Using an offset spatula, level the tops. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe: Balsamic Cherry Sauce
your picture
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 200gms fresh cherries, pitted
  • 20gms brown sugar
  • 3/4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients in a metal saucepan and simmer until the cherries appear glossy, hold their shape and the syrup become thick.
  2. Transfer to a bowl and reserve. Use warm or chilled.
  3. If the syrup appears very liquidy, remove the cherries to a bowl, and reduce the syrup to desired consistency.

[/print_this]

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About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

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