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I'm Ina Garten, and these are some of
my all-time best "Barefoot Contessa" recipes.
It's chocolate all day, every day with my favorite chocolate dishes,
from classics with a twist to downright decadent.
I'm making cupcakes with amazing peanut butter frosting
and the most outrageously rich chocolate ice cream you could ever imagine.
I've got white chocolate truffles,
crunchy chocolate bark, and even warm chocolate fondue.
Plus a no-cook ice box cake
with chocolate chunks that's over-the-top delicious.
Sit back and relax-- there is nothing for you to do
except enjoy my favorite chocolate desserts of all time.
♪♪
Let's start with one of my favorite "Barefoot Contessa" chocolate desserts--
chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.
It's a classic "Barefoot Contessa" recipe with the "wow factor".
So, the first thing I'm gonna make
is chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.
So, I need 1 and 1/2 sticks, that's 12 tablespoons,
of unsalted butter at room temperature.
And then I use two kinds of sugar--
brown sugar, 'cause it has a little bit of molasses flavor.
I need 2/3 of a cup,
just like that,
that's 1/3.
And I also use granulated sugar,
because it makes it lighter.
If I used all brown sugar, it would be too dense.
So 2/3 cup of granulated sugar.
You wanna cream those together.
(blender whirring)
Okay, two eggs, extra-large eggs,
and you want them at room temperature, that way they mix in best,
just until they get completely incorporated.
So 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
So far it smells like chocolate chip cookies.
Okay, now for some wet ingredients.
I need a cup of buttermilk.
Actually, I always like to shake it a little, 'cause it sometimes separates.
This is really good for baking, it's actually low fat,
dare I say it.
And 1/2 cup of sour cream--
it actually makes the batter really thick,
and it keeps the cake very moist...
and 2 tablespoons of coffee.
You don't really notice the coffee is there,
but it really makes the chocolate taste delicious.
Just stir that together.
Just gonna combine this until it's smooth.
Okay, now for the dry ingredients.
Use 1 and 3/4 cups of flour.
I used unbleached, all-purpose flour.
Use 1 cup of cocoa powder-- this is what gives it all the chocolate flavor.
And now you see why I sift everything,
because the cocoa powder has lumps in it.
Use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda
and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.
Actually, salt is really surprisingly important when you're baking.
It really brings out the coffee and the chocolate and the peanut butter flavor.
Okay, just sift those all together.
Okay, so, how is this doing?
On low speed, I'm going to add the dry ingredients.
Now for some wet ingredients.
This smells amazing...
really chocolate-y... and then just finish up with a spatula,
and make sure it's really well mixed.
Okay, into the muffin cups.
I use an ice cream scoop-- it's the easiest way to make sure
they're all exactly the same.
You want a nice rounded top.
This is a standard ice cream scoop.
It's about 2 and 1/4 inches across.
Okay, into the oven, 350 degrees, for 20 to 25 minutes,
and then I'm going to work on the icing...mmmm.
Everybody else likes chocolate, but I like peanut butter.
I'm going to put them both together,
and then everybody is going to be happy.
♪♪
This recipe is actually originally from my friend Kathleen King
who owns Tate's, an incredible bakery in South Hampton,
and she makes this peanut butter frosting.
That's what this is really all about.
The cupcakes are just a vehicle for peanut butter frosting,
a delivery system.
So, I need 1 cup of confectioner's sugar,
1 cup of peanut butter, smooth and creamy.
Okay,
5 tablespoons of unsalted butter at room temperature.
It's really important so it blends in really well.
I'm just going to start mixing that
on low speed so you don't have confectioner's sugar everywhere.
Use 3/4 of a teaspoon of good vanilla extract.
And the last thing is 1/3 of a cup of cream to make it nice and creamy.
I just wanna mix it, I don't wanna whip it,
'cause I don't want it too light and fluffy.
I want it to have great flavor.
Okay, that's it, that's the frosting.
I love to take something that's a classic combination,
like chocolate peanut butter cups,
and make it into a dessert.
I'm just going to put some on each cupcake.
Mmm, so good.
Why do I think we are going to go straight for dessert?
I don't like them so smooth, I like them very homemade-looking
so they're sort of rough on top.
And the last one.
And now I'm going to sprinkle it with chopped peanuts,
make it even better.
This is actually wonderful, because it gives it texture,
but you also know that it's peanuts from the peanuts on top.
I don't know, with a dessert like this, the rest of the meal
better be pretty good to stand up to it.
Mmm, it's gonna be so good.
And here they are-- who would say no to one of these?
But there is so much more to come.
Ice cream, candy, cake--
all chocolate, of course, and all delicious.
Well, no "Best of Barefoot Chocolate Dessert" list is complete
without Jeffrey's favorite, deeply chocolate-y Gelato.
Now this is ice cream with the volume turned up.
So, the first thing you need is 2 and 1/4 cups of milk.
Okay, into the pot.
Next thing is 1/2 a cup of sugar
and 1/3 of a cup of cream,
just to give it a little richness.
I'm just going to turn the fire on
and just cook this just until the sugar melts.
Okay, the milk and cream has some to a simmer, and the sugar is dissolved.
I'm just going to turn the heat off,
and now comes the fun part, the chocolate.
First thing we need is 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder,
stir that together.
And now comes the second chocolate,
2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate.
This is a 4-ounce bar, so I'm just going to chop up half of it.
I can't imagine what's going to happen
to the other half.
Just rough chop--
just right into the mixture, and it's gonna melt
into the milk, and cream, and cocoa powder.
So that's the base of the ice cream.
I'm just going to stir this until it melts.
The warm milk will melt the chocolate.
Okay, nice and melted and nice and chocolate-y.
I'm just going to put that right back into my measuring cup
and let that cool while I get the rest of the ingredients together.
Now how chocolate-y does that look already?
And there is more to come.
So, just like making American ice cream to make Gelato, you have to make a custard,
so I'm going to separate four eggs, I need four egg yolks...
1/4 of a cup of sugar.
I'm just going to beat this together until it's light and fluffy,
and then I'm going to add the chocolate.
So, I think the chocolate has cooled enough now.
I don't want to add hot cream to the egg yolks,
otherwise, scrambled eggs.
Put this down to stir, or I'm going to have
chocolate all over me, and just mix these together.
I just want to get every bit of chocolate in.
Fantastic.
And now I'm gonna cook this over low heat, right back into the same bowl.
You don't need to clean it at all.
But just very low heat.
Just make sure you keep stirring it so it doesn't curdle,
and it's right there.
It's so unbelievable, look at this.
Oh, this is gonna be so good.
Okay, now I'm going to sieve it, I'll show you what I do.
Just to make sure it's really, really smooth,
what I'm going to do is put the mixture right through a sieve,
just to make sure there are no egg yolks that have gotten
sort of lumpy at the bottom.
Just put it right through a sieve.
Okay, now that looks fantastic.
So now comes the fun part, gonna add some flavors.
Chocolate sometimes has a little flatness about it,
and I want it to be bright and full of flavor, I want it
to hit your tongue different ways, so the first thing
I want to add is a little bit of coffee which I usually do
but this time I'm going to use coffee liqueur.
So 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur, you don't really know
the coffee is there, but it just brings out the chocolate flavor.
And 2 teaspoons of vanilla, good vanilla extract,
really does the same thing.
And I know you never think about this, but a pinch of salt
makes all the difference in the world,
it sort of brings out the brightness in the flavors.
Okay, I'm just going to stir this all together,
and in order to keep a skin from forming on the top,
I'm going to take a piece of plastic wrap, and I'm going to put it
directly on the custard, and that will keep it really nice and moist and creamy.
I'm going to chill this until it's really cold,
and then it's on to the next stages.
Let me take you through them.
While the chocolate mixture is chilling, you can get to work
on the third chocolate, in the form of baci.
I get these from the Italian deli.
You can get them online, or you can really use any kind of
chocolate hazelnut candy you can find.
Just chop eight of them roughly, then pour the chilled mixture
into an ice cream maker and switch it on
and let it go around and around until it's really thick.
When the Gelato is thickened, add the chopped up chocolates.
You pour it into a quart container, and all of the work is done.
Just put it into the freezer just until it hardens.
So here it is, chocolate gelato--
this looks so incredible,
it's really like a truffle, so rich.
If Jeffrey were around,
this would be gone,
but what a great dessert it is.
I think I may have to taste it
just to make sure it's okay.
Mmm, it's like rich chocolate mousse
that's been frozen, it's amazing.
We've got lots more chocolate coming up.
We've got chocolate bark, chocolate fondue,
and chocolate truffles, so don't go anywhere.
I don't know anybody who is disappointed
when a meal ends with something chocolate,
and I've got three great ideas, starting with chocolate fondue.
Just pour 1/3 of a cup of heavy cream into a bowl,
set over a pan of boiling water, add 6 ounces
of semisweet chocolate, and allow it to melt.
Then, add 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of grated orange zest,
just give it a stir, and add a 1/2 a teaspoon of instant coffee granules
and 2 tablespoons of orange liqueur.
Stir it all together and heat it just until the chocolate melts.
You can dip anything you like into the fondue,
long-stem strawberries, slices of pound cake,
bananas, doughnuts,
and my favorite, salted pretzels.
Just transfer to a fondue pot, and let everyone help themselves.
I actually love to serve things family style, and this is perfect.
Just assemble the parts, everybody helps themselves,
big strawberry, chocolate fondue--
mmm, how good does that look? One of the things I love to do is,
after dinner, everybody comes into the living room,
we have coffee and a little chocolate something,
so that's the perfect time for chocolate bark.
All you have to do is heat the chocolate in the microwave on high heat
in just 30 second bursts, just until it's melted.
Meanwhile, chop up some extra chocolate.
You can buy all different kinds of white chocolate--
this is one big block, it's Belgian chocolate,
and you can usually find it in specialty food stores.
Hopefully it's done now,
perfect.
So it's perfectly smooth,
it's not too hot, and now I'm going to put the rest of this in,
and it's going to lower the temperature immediately,
and the chocolate will melt.
Then you pour the melted chocolate onto a baking sheet
that's been lined with parchment paper.
Spread it into a rectangle, and cover it with lots of delicious things.
Salted pistachios roasted for 8 minutes
at 350 degrees, and then some dried fruit.
Dried cranberries and chopped apricots
are two of my favorites, and that's it.
Just leave it at room temperature for a few hours
until the chocolate hardens, and you have white chocolate bark.
You can make chocolate lollipops-- just spoon circles
of melted chocolate onto a baking sheet
and put lollipop sticks in them before
you decorate them.
And for a change, you can make dark chocolate bark.
It's fabulous topped with cashews, cranberries, and apricots.
And this is what it looks like, how great is that?
It just breaks off, mmm.
But while we're on the subject of chocolate candy, the best is chocolate truffles,
and nobody will believe that you've made them yourself.
Just pour 1/4 of a cup of heavy cream into a bowl
and set it over a pan of simmering water.
Add 7 ounces of chopped white chocolate and whisk it together until it's smooth.
Your gonna add Irish Creme liqueur, 2 tablespoons.
You can really use any flavor liqueur you like.
Then 1/2 a teaspoon pure vanilla extract,
whisk everything together,
and chill it for an hour.
When the time is up, just scoop out the truffles,
I use a tiny ice cream scoop.
Roll them around in your hands,
and chill them again.
When they are set, just drizzle them with melted chocolate,
they're fabulous.
So can there be too much chocolate? I don't think so.
We've got chocolate cupcakes, chocolate fondue,
chocolate truffles,
deep chocolate ice cream, and chocolate bark.
But I've saved the best for last-- chocolate mocha icebox cake.
Next I've got a chocolate dessert that requires no cooking at all,
and people go crazy for it.
It's a mocha chocolate chip icebox cake.
How could something so simple be so delicious?
I have to say now, this is my favorite dessert,
because not only does it make grown men weep,
but it's unbelievably easy to make.
What I'm going to do is layer chocolate chip cookies
and mocha whipped cream together and then let it sit overnight
in the refrigerator, and you end up with a cake like this.
A little chocolate shavings on the top just so everybody knows it's really chocolate.
I soften the chocolate a little bit in the microwave so you get nice shavings on top.
I'm going to show you how to make this.
First you start with mocha whipped cream.
Okay so, put 2 cups of cold heavy cream into an electric mixer fitted
with a whisk attachment, you can also use a hand mixer.
Add 12 ounces of Italian mascarpone cheese
and 1/2 a cup of sugar.
Okay, then for the mocha part-- mocha is coffee and chocolate,
which is such a great combination.
First, add 1/4 of a cup of coffee-flavored liqueur,
2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder,
and 1 teaspoon of instant espresso granules,
and then 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
Start with the mixer on a really low speed, and mix everything together
just until it's combined, and then turn it up to medium-high,
and beat it until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
So we've got the mocha cream, now we want to start layering cookies and cream.
The only tough bit is you want to get the right amount of cream
in between the layers of cookies.
You need an 8-inch Springform pan.
Make sure it's at least 2/3 quarter inches high
and some good quality thin crisp chocolate chip cookies.
I use my good friend Kathleen King "Tate's" cookies from her bakery,
but you can use whatever thin crisp cookie you can find.
Make sure they are really good.
Arrange a layer of cookies covering the bottom of the pan.
I actually break some up to fill in the spaces.
Spread 1/5 of the mocha whipped cream evenly over the top
of the cookies, and then you just keep layering
chocolate chip cookies, mocha whipped cream,
chocolate chip cookies, mocha whipped cream.
I use about 1 pound to 1 pound and 1/4 chocolate chip cookies.
This is so good.
And all you have to do is finish the cake
with a final layer of mocha cream, smooth the top,
cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight...easy.
So what happens is all the cookies
get really soft when it sits overnight
and they meld together, it's kind of like what happens with tiramisu.
I can't wait to taste it.
This is a big slicing knife, and really what is amazing is
it's whipped cream, but because it's gotten very firm overnight,
it slices just like a cake-- wait until you see this.
This has to be the easiest cake I've ever made in my life.
How gorgeous is that?
It's so good.
You really can taste all of the mocha and the chocolate chips.
It's got great texture, mmm.
Let's see-- mocha, chocolate chips, cookies, how bad can that be?
That's outrageous.
So that's it... "Best of Barefoot Chocolate Desserts"
Jeffrey's on his way home, I wonder what he is going to think, hmm?
Appetizer, main course, and dessert.
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