Recipe
Store
Culinary Vacations for
Lovers of Food and Wine
Art de Vivre in the Loire Culinary Vacation
France
Chocolate Pate
Marquise.
Serves 6
250 gr (10 oz ) dark chocolate (approx 1 box)
200 gr (7 oz) melted butter (approx 1 cup)
6 eggs
5 tablespoon walnuts or praline* or candied orange**
Heat chocolate and butter slowly together in a double-boiler (au bain Marie), add egg yolks, mixed walnuts or praline or candied orange. Heat very slowly on low heat, especially if you don’t have a double-boiler. Beat egg whites until stiff and add slowly to heated mixture. Ensure that you butter your dish prior to pouring in the pate. Place in the freezer minimum 4 hours. Take it out before serving dinner to allow for easy slicing of the pate. Another great tip is to dip your knife into hot water for easy slicing. Serve with orange slices and savour every bite!
* In French cookery praline is a powder or paste made of caramelized almonds and/or hazelnuts.
** To make Candied Orange Peel (1 cup) you need:
2 large thick-skinned oranges
3-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
Grate orange using a regular kitchen grater (not too fine though, it should be thin julienne in size). In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of the water to a boil. Add the orange zest, and boil about 3 minutes. Drain and repeat the boiling for a total of three times, changing the water each time. Drain.
In the same saucepan, dissolve the sugar in the remaining 1/2 cup water. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil, and add the orange zest. Simmer over low heat until all the liquid has evaporated, and the zest is covered with the thick syrup, 8 to 10 minutes. You need about ½ cup for the Chocolate Pate recipe, or more according to your taste buds.
Chefs Note: This is such a simple dessert to make and it is sure impress! If you do not eat it all on Valentines Day you can freeze it and it keeps really well. Bon Appetite.
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