Chocolate para Churros from Spain

Chocolate para Churros from Spain
Ingredients:
4oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 cups milk
1 tbsp cornstarch (also known as cornflour and is the powder that causes the thickening)
4 tbsp sugar

Place the chocolate and half the milk in a pan and heat, stirring, until the chocolate has melted. Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining milk and whisk into the chocolate with the sugar. Cook on low heat, whisking constantly, until the chocolate is thickened, about five minutes. Add extra cornstarch if it doesn't start to thicken after 5 minutes. Remove and whisk smooth. Pour and server in cups or bowls for dunking churros. Do not pour over churros, but use the mix for dunking churros after every bite. Served warm.

This is one of the easy but many ways to make a good and thick Chocolate Dunking...you can also use this Chocolate recipe for a fruit Fondue or simply to add on Ice cream..:)

I know the calories but the easiest way to cut the calories by half is to eat just half a portion;)soon I will post low fat and diet recipes and menus for those with health problems or on a diet!!!!

Any questions...
el_unicojefe@hotmail.com

Enjoy!!!
The Chef

Chocolate Nest Cake

6 oz. Soft Margarine 6 oz. Caster Sugar 3 Eggs, Beaten 6 oz. Self-Raising Flour Grated Rind and juice of 1 lemon 2 oz. Plain Chocolate The Decoration: 4 oz. Slightly Salted Butter 8 oz. Icing sugar, Sifted 4 oz. Plain chocolate 3 T. Apricot Jam 4 lg. Cadbury's Flake Bars 8 oz. Cadbury's Mini-eggs Preheat oven to 375° F. Put margarine, caster sugar, eggs and self-raising flour in a bowl. Combine ingredients, then beat well until mixture is light in color and texture. Stir in orange rind and half of the juice. Break up chocolate for cake. Place on a plate over a pan of simmering water until completely melted. Stir chocolate through cake mixture so that it is streaked. turn mixture into a greased 9 inch ring tin and spread level. Bake cake in preheated oven for 30 minutes until spongy to touch. Turn on to a wire tray and leave to cool. Beat butter until soft, then gradually beat in icing sugar and remaining orange juice. Melt chocolate for decoration, as before, and beat into buttercream to make a smooth mixture. Split cake in half. Spread both halves with jam and sandwich back together. Place cake on a plate and, using a small palette knife, spread chocolate buttercream over surface, leaving it rough in appearance. Using a sharp knife, cut flake bars into long pieces and arrange over cake to give a nest effect. Fill center of cake with Mini-eggs.

White Chocolate Easter Cake

3/4 cup half and half
3 ounces white chocolate; chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted pistachio nuts
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 teaspoons unsalted butter; room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
5 large egg whites
3 (1 pint baskets) strawberries

Buttercream Frosting
1 (7 ounce) package marzipan
2 tablespoons plus 1/4 cup
powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides.

Bring half and half to simmer in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla and stir until smooth; cool to room temperature.

Finely grind pistachios with flour and baking powder in processor.

Using electric mixer, beat butter and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until fluffy. Add yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Beat in flour mixture alternately with white chocolate mixture in two additions each.

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peak form. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter in two additions. Divide batter between prepared pans.

Bake cakes until tester inserted into center come out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cakes. Turn out cakes onto racks; cool completely.

Hull and slice two baskets strawberries.

Place one cake layer on platter. Spread one cup buttercream over second cake layer and place cake, buttercream side down, atop berries. Press gently to adhere.

Spread remaining buttercream over top and sides of cake.

Chill cake until buttercream is firm, about one hour.

Knead marzipan in medium bowl to soften. Shape marzipan into disk. Dust work surface with two tablespoons powdered sugar. Roll out marzipan disk on powdered sugar to 9 1/2 inch round. Place on cake; press to adhere to top and gently press overhang onto sides of cake.

Beat whipping cream and remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar in large bowl to firm cakes. Transfer to large pastry bag fitted medium star tip. Pipe cream in side-by-side columns up sides of cake. Pipe border of rosettes around top edge of cake.

Refrigerate cake until cold, at least two hours.

White Chocolate and Strawberry Cheesecake

Bake this at least one day ahead.

Crust:
1 9 ounce package chocolate wafer cookies, broken into pieces
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1 pound good quality white chocolate such as Lindt or Baker's, finely chopped
4 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
3 1 pint baskets strawberries, hulled, halved
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons brandy

For crust: Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325F. Butter 10 inch diameter springform pan. Wrap outside of pan with foil. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add melted butter; process until crumbs are moist. Press crumbs onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake until set, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling: Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler set over barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add sugar, then salt; beat until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla; beat until well blended. Gradually add melted white chocolate, beating until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into crust.

Bake cake until top begins to brown but center still moves slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Open oven door slightly; turn off oven. Leave cake in oven 30 minutes. Chill cake uncovered overnight. Run small knife between pan sides and cake. Release pan sides.

Starting at outer edge of top of cake, arrange strawberry halves in slightly overlapping concentric circles, covering top completely. Stir preserves and brandy in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until mixture boils. Strain preserves. Brush glaze generously over strawberries, allowing some glaze to drip between berries.

Chocolate Decadence Tart

Filling:
6 ounces semi sweet chocolate
2 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream

Crust:
2 packages chocolate graham crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
1 egg white

Blend graham crackers, melted butter and egg white in food processor until dough forms a ball. Press into a fluted tart shell and bake at 350F for 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler. Whisk eggs and heavy cream until smooth. Pour into cooled tart shell and refrigerate. Garnish with chocolate whipped cream.

Chocolate Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Whip ingredients till stiff peaks form.

Chocolate Fondue

3 (3-ounce) bars Toblerone
1/2 cup light or heavy cream
2 tablespoons Kirsch brandy or Cointreau

Break the Toblerone into separate triangular pieces. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan or small chafing dish. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Serve in a chafing dish over low heat.

For dunkables, serve each person a plate with one, or a combination, of the following:

Angelfood cake or ladyfingers, cut in chunks
Orange or tangerine sections
Sliced strawberries or bananas
Profiteroles or puff pastry

Yield: 4 servings

Chocolate Cherry Puffs

Puff pastry
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon almond flavoring
1 can bing cherries
chocolate sauce

Cut puffy pastry sheets into six 4 inch triangles, bake until golden. Beat heavy cream in cold mixer until whipped, fold in powdered sugar and cocoa, chill. Combine remaining ingredients in sauce pan, cook until thickened, let cool. To assemble cut pastry in half, fill with cherry mixture and top with chocolate cream. Place top back on, sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Serve immediately.