The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.
I was really happy when I saw this month's challenge since it is another gluten free recipe selected for the Daring Bakers. It is a fairly involved dessert, but it can be easily broken down in two days of preparation. The marquise and the caramel can be done the day before, but the meringue has to be made right before plating the dessert, and that is one of this dessert flaws in my opinion. As I experimented with the plating for the photo the meringue lost its body and I had to whip it again.
The presentation is really elegant, however the dessert was so sweet that I could only eat one spoonful. This concoction belongs to those desserts that make me want to drink a gallon of water afterwards, not sure why, years of sugar overload? I would have served it without the caramel and the meringue as they are also really sweet. I loved the crunchiness of the sesame brittle but that too was sweet.
The other drawback of this dessert is that it is really difficult to handle once you remove it from the freezer and toss it in cocoa powder, you have to move quickly.
My notes:
*I made the quarter recipe and I had plenty of marquise, again a little goes a long way with this dessert, so with a quarter recipe I got 8 portions.
*I piped the marquise into 6 oz cans I have been saving with both top and bottom removed. Each portion was probably coming up to 2/3 of the can. The frozen marquise came out easily while still frozen.
*I used ground star anise in the marquise, not chili, and I was pleased with the results, but next time I would only add 1 tsp of ground star anise to the chocolate base.
*I made the quarter recipe and I had plenty of marquise, again a little goes a long way with this dessert, so with a quarter recipe I got 8 portions.
*I piped the marquise into 6 oz cans I have been saving with both top and bottom removed. Each portion was probably coming up to 2/3 of the can. The frozen marquise came out easily while still frozen.
*I used ground star anise in the marquise, not chili, and I was pleased with the results, but next time I would only add 1 tsp of ground star anise to the chocolate base.
I wish you could smell these flowers, their fragrance is so sweet.Thank you Emma and Jenny for challenging this month, and to Lisa of La Mia Cucina and Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice, the creators of the Daring Bakers' challenge. To see the recipe and more of the daring bakers' creations click here.
14 comments:
Love the photos and the presentation. You did a wonderful job!
Beautifully presented and so tempting! well done.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love the shape of your marquise! looks flawless. Great job!wei
What a great version of the dessert! Your marquise from a can looks so lovely, and I really like the way you plated whe finished dish!
What a lovely Marquise..... and fabulous plating :)
The flowers are so pretty...
Chilli n Cherry in Chocolate Marquise on Lemon Meringue
Cheers,
The Variable, Crazy Over Desserts - Nachiketa
Catch me on facebook @ Crazy Over Desserts
Detalhe, thanks!
Rosa, thanks for stopping by.
Bourbonnatrix, I knew that cutting it would have been a challenge so I decides to make individual ones.
Ruth, yes marquise from a can... non fancy mold required!
Nachiketa, thank for visiting.
Very well executed challenge!
I too had the same issue as you with the marquise itself being difficult to work with after rolling in the cocoa because it was frozen but still soft. I then took some to a friend's house and turns out her freezer was much more cold than mine. Frozen harder, the marquise was so easy to work with. Like a night and day difference! I either need to adjust my freezer setting or get a new freezer! LOL
In an case your plated dessert looks really delicious and beautiful. Congrats!
Great idea using empty cans as molds! Talk about recycling.
Your plating is simply beautiful, you must be a wonderful party host.
Best, Sandie
Stacie, I would check your freezer then, you could be wasted lots of food. I am glad you were able to save what was left using your friend's freezer.
Sandie, I am all for reusing! Working in restaurants really makes you think of the visual appeal of food a lot. Thanks for visiting!
Very nice plating and photography! Love the sesame brittle to go with the mousse.
Look really really good. thank for inspire us!!
E' un dolce da VETRINA! Complimenti! Davvero molto molto bello!
Francesca di SingerFood & Chiccherie
http://singerfood.blogspot.com/
Sirius, I love the look of the brittle and also how tasty it is.
German, thanks for stopping by. Gracias!
Francesca, mille grazie, ho visto che siete freschi freschi con il blog. Buon divertimento!
Your Marquise certainly did turn out beautifully! I appreciate your analysis, because although I've not made it yet (I'm horrible!) I was thinking about making it for a dinner party away tomorrow night and now realize that would be a big mistake due to the last minute meringue. Smart thinking to save those cans!
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