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LA PECHE CHOCOLATE VELVET
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
-----CAKE-----
1 lb Sara Lee pound cake
2 tb Amaretto
-----MOUSSE-----
1/3 c Amaretto
1/4 c Myers dark rum
4 Heath bars -- coarsely chopped
6 tb Melted butter
3 Eggs -- separated
1 1/2 ts Instant coffee powder
1 1/2 lb Callebaut semisweet
-- chocolate (from Belgium)
1 1/2 c Whipping cream
1 tb Powdered sugar
-----ICING-----
1/2 lb Semisweet chocolate
1/2 tb Powdered sugar
1/3 c Coffee -- or as needed
-----GARNISHES-----
Chocolate leaves
Creme fraiche or
Whipped cream -- if desired
This is one of Louisville's most celebrated chocolate
desserts. Chocolate velvet earned its reputation at
the Four Seasons restaurant in New York City, under
the hands of pastry chef Albert Kumin, who later
became the White House pastry chef. Fritschner
writes: "It's based on the bombe concept - lining a
container with cake, filling it with creamy filling
(in this case mousse) and finishing the turned-out
dessert with a glossy chocolate glaze."
When Kathy and Will Cary opened La Peche gourmet
carry-out in 1979, she added her adaptation of Kumin's
recipe to the deli's offerings. Chocolate velvet has
never left the dessert case since then, as it's so
popular. As many as 50 chocolate velvets are sold
there a week, made by pastry chef Scott Bieber.
Line a 2 1/2 qt. souffle dish with plastic wrap. Cut
the pound cake into thin slices. Line the bottom and
sides of the souffle dish with overlapping pieces of
pound cake, so there are no openings. Put 2 layers of
pound cake on the bottom, to prevent leaks. Sprinkle
2 tb. of the amaretto around the pound cake. Set
aside.
To prepare mousse: In a bowl, combine 1/3 c.
amaretto, the rum, chopped candy bars, melted butter,
egg yolks and coffee. Stir well.
In a double boiler, melt 1 1/2 lbs. of chocolate.
Remove from heat and allow it to cool a little. Whip
the cream until stiff; set aside. With clean beaters,
whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
Slowly add 1 tb. powdered sugar and beat 1 minute.
Slowly add the chocolate to the liquor mixture,
stirring well to combine evenly. Fold in the whipped
cream and egg whites. Pour into prepared souffle dish.
Use the rest of the pound cake to cover the top of the
mousse, overlapping pieces. Cover with plastic wrap
and refrigerate at least 10 hours.
To make the icing: Melt 1/2 lb. of chocolate. Use an
electric mixer to beat in the powdered sugar. Add the
coffee as needed to make a smooth icing. (It
resembles a buttercream. It is very smooth and thick
enough to spread.) Let the icing cool a bit before
spreading on the cake.
To ice the cake: Invert the chocolate velvet on a
serving plate. Remove plastic wrap. Spread with
icing. Refrigerate. To serve, cut like cake. Serve
with creme fraiche or whipped cream, if desired.
Make chocolate leaves by running a spatula under a
thin layer of tempered chocolate before it is set.
Garnish velvet.
Keeps well up to 10 days refrigerated and freezes
beautifully for up to six months.
From Food Editor Sarah Fritschner's 11/22/90 "A
Chocolate Fantasy" article in "The (Louisville, KY)
Courier-Journal 'Magazine'", pp. 2-15. Recipe on pp.
8-9. Posted by Cathy Harned.
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