Raspberry, Chocolate Sauce Recipes
Dress Up Holiday Desserts with Sauces and Chocolate Curls
Dec 15, 2007
Family gatherings, festive activities and lots of great food make holiday time a special time of year. Every December, our kitchens fills with the aromas associated with holiday baking--homemade sugar cookies, cakes and pies all combine to produce a comforting sense of peacefulness amid the frenzy of holiday errands. At this time of year, when good food, boisterous conversation with friends and family and holiday traditions allow us to celebrate in style, why not take the extra effort to add some elegance to your holiday desserts with a few simple touches that'll make your guests feel extra special?
Sauces not only enhance the flavor of a dessert, but also add a splash of color. For a sophisticated look, try trimming individual dessert plates with a chocolate or raspberry sauce. Then place the individual servings on top of the sauce for a sophisticated yet simple presentation.
Turn chocolate into an easy and edible garnish. You can encircle a pie or cake with a border of small chocolate curls. Or add a few chocolate curls to an individual serving of mousse or pudding.
The recipes below will help you achieve some stunning results for your dessert garnishes.
Raspberry Sauce Recipe
Makes About 3/4 Cup
Ingredients:
- 1 pint (1 1/2 cups) red raspberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions:
- Combine the raspberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small nonreactive pan over low heat. Cook until the berries release their juice and just start to break down, about 5 minutes.
- Use a rubber spatula to press the berries through a fine sieve; discard the solids. Let cool, and refrigerate until ready to use. This sauce may be made 1 day ahead.
Hot Chocolate Sauce Recipe
Makes About 1 1/2 Cups
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a small saucepan stir together sugar and cocoa. Add the corn syrup, evaporated milk and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until sauce is thickened and bubbly.
- Cook and stir for 3 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Serve the sauce warm or cool to room temperature.
NOTE: The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 week. To reheat, place the container of sauce in a pan of hot--not boiling--water until the sauce warms and thins to a pouring consistency.
Chocolate Curls Recipe
Small chocolate curls are easiest to make with milk chocolate.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces semisweet, bittersweet, white or milk chocolate, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon pure vegetable shortening
Directions:
- In the top of a double boiler or in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and shortening, stirring occasionally, with a rubber spatula, until smooth.
- Using a pastry scraper or a large spatula, divide the chocolate between two 12 x 17-inch baking pans; spread the chocolate evenly with an offset spatula. (You can use heavy-duty aluminum or stainless steel sheets with no or very low edges. Very large curls must be made on large sheets.) The chocolate should be spread as thinly as possible while remaining opaque on the baking sheet; if applied too quickly, it will not curl at all. Refrigerate the chocolate until your finger makes a mark but not a hole when you touch the chocolate.
- Remove the baking pan from the refrigerator. Using a sharp, metal pastry scraper, held at a 45-degree angle, scrap off a strip of chocolate from the pan; the chocolate will curl as it is scraped. Repeat until as much chocolate has been removed as possible. Chill or freeze the curls until firm and ready to use.
- When you remove the chocolate from the refrigerator, its temperature will determine the type of curl you get. If it is very cold, the chocolate will splinter when scraped and give you small "thatch." If the chocolate is a little less cold, you will produce tight curls. And if the chilled chocolate approaches room temperature (or if a lightly pressed finger leaves a slight print), you will have big, loose curls or sheets of chocolate, which can be used as "bark." The type of curl you produce will also depend on how you scrape the chocolate from the sheet. Just remember that making beautiful curls takes practice.
An alternative way of making chocolate curls is to slice across a bar of sweet milk chocolate with a vegetable peeler. (If semisweet chocolate is used, curls may be smaller.) For best results, the chocolate should be slightly warm. Let it stand in a warm place for about 15 minutes before slicing. To avoid breaking curls, lift with a toothpick.
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