Easy cotton cheesecake

For ➑

255 g white chocolate 

225 g cream cheese, room temperature*

6 large eggs, separated, room temperature

20 cm round (springform) pan

Preheat oven to 175°C°. 

Line bottom and line sides of a 20 cm cake pan with buttered or oiled parchment paper. Or make the paper wet to avoid fat. Center the pan on a large piece of foil and fold foil up over the sides to prevent water from entering pan.

Place white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl and heat in microwave in 20-s intervals (or Break the chocolate into pieces and place it in a large bowl. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water (60°C).  Add the cream cheese and melt them together, stirring occasionally, until melted.  Let cool slightly, then add yolks and stir to combine.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, whip egg whites in another large bowl until stiff peaks form. Add a small portion of egg whites to chocolate mixture and stir just until lightened. Gently fold in remaining egg whites in 2 additions until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place pan in a baking dish or roasting pan and add warm water to reach halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake cheesecake until set, 40–45 m. Turn oven off and leave pan in oven 15 m, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Remove cheesecake from pan, transfer to a platter, and chill until cold, at least 4 h or up to overnight.

Serve with some fruit.

*variant smaller version with 200 g cream cheese, 225 g white chocolate, 5 eggs

Easy cotton cheesecake (small)

For ➍-➏
3 eggs, room temperature
120 g white chocolate
120 g cream cheese, softened, room temperature

15 cm round (springform) pan

Preheat the oven to 170°C. 

Separate the eggs. Place the whites in a large bowl and keep them in the refrigerator in preparation for the meringue.
Break the chocolate into pieces and place it in a large bowl. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over hot water (60°C). Add the cream cheese and melt them together. Remove the bowl from the double boiler. Let the mixture cool down. Add the egg yolks, and mix well.
In a large bowl, whip egg whites with an electric mixer until firm peaks form (to make a meringue). 
Add  ⅓ of the meringue into the cream cheese batter and blend well with a spatula. Then add the rest of the meringue ½ at a time and mix well.
Rub some oil/butter on parchment paper to prevent cracking.  Or make the paper wet to avoid fat. Line the round cake pan with the parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan and drop the pan lightly on the counter to raise the air bubbles out of the batter.

Place the cake pan on a baking tray. Pour some hot water into the baking tray. Bake at 170°C  for 15 m, at 160°C for 15 m, then stop the heat and bake with the remaining heat for 15 m.
When it is done, place the cake pan on a wire rack to cool completely. 

/Brush with apricot jam syrup, add whipped cream and/or dust with powdered sugar if desired. Or serve with some fruit./
Serve immediately or chill in the fridge before serving. Cake will slightly harden in the fridge, so leave at room temperature for a few m before you serve.

Chokotoff sauce

For ➍
150 g chokotoffs, crudely chopped*
a bit of milk or cream*

Put the chokotoffs in a microwave safe jug.
Add a bit of milk or cream.
Put in the microwave for 3 m at 650 W.
Serve hot with ice cream, or as a topping over tiny crèpes with ice cream.

*Alternatively, mix 150 g of chopped chokotoffs, 1 chopped bar of dark chocolate, 10 cl fresh cream and a pinch of salt in a small pan. Melt everything on low heat. Serve with ice cream.

'Chokotoff' (from 'chocolate' and 'toffee', and a wordplay on the Brussels' 'tof', meaning 'great!') is a Belgian sweet, invented in 1934 by famous Belgian chocolate-makers Côte d'Or. It has a half-soft caramel inside, covered in crispy dark chocolate. Each piece is wrapped as a small present, featuring the Côte d'Or elephant. It is a national institution, and the news that production would move from Belgium to Lithuania caused quite a stir. New owners, Kraft Foods, and Mondelèz  introduced a milk chocolate version, a white chocolate version (abandoned) , and a choco spread with the same taste (abandoned) .
Read another Côte d'Or chocolate inspired dessert: parfait glacé Dessert 58.

Flourless chocolate & almonds cake

For ➏-➑
115 g bittersweet chocolate, broken into pieces
6 tbs (85 g) butter
85 g sugar
85 g powdered almond, (ground almonds or almond meal)
1 tbs brewed espresso
1 tbs rum
3 eggs, separated

Preheat oven to 145°C. Line the bottom of a spring form cake pan or a tart pan with a removable base, with parchment paper and butter the sides.
Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and melt over barely simmering water. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, almond powder, rum and coffee until smooth. When the mixture has cooled, mix in the egg yolks, one by one.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks then fold them into the chocolate batter. Pour into the prepared mold and place in the oven for 45 m.
Allow to cool in the cake pan before unmolding. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar before serving.

Torrone molle (Italian chocolate noga)

For ➏-➑
175 g butter
175 g cocoa powder
175 g ground almonds
175 g sugar
1 whole egg & 1 yolk
175 g plain biscuits such as Petit Beurre (from supermarkets), cut into almond-sized pieces
oil, for the tin

Work the butter and cocoa together in a bowl until you have a soft paste, then stir in the ground almonds. Melt the sugar with a little water in a pan over a gentle heat and add it to the cocoa mixture. Stir in the egg and yolk, then the biscuits.
Do this gently so the biscuits do not crumble. Place in an oiled mould (such as a loaf tin or another cake tin with a removable base) and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Turn out onto a dish to serve.

Montezuma chocolate cocktail

For ➋ (large)- ➍(medium)
60 cl milk
75 g plain chocolate
pinch allspice
pinch powdered ginger
1 tbs honey
7.5 cl rum
5 cl eau de vie de marc or brandy
rind ½ lemon, grated

Heat the milk gently with the chocolate, spices and honey.  When the chocolate has melted, leave to cool. Pour the milk into a cocktail shaker, add rum and brandy/eau de vie de marc, and grated lemon rind. Shake well.
Refrigerate.*
Shake again before serving.

*Serve it warm, without cooling. Don't shake,but blend.

A cold grog variation on Mexican spiced hot cocoa.

Mexican hot chocolate with tequila & cayenne

For ➋ servings
70 cl milk
125 g premium dark chocolate, broken into chunks
6 tbs cocoa
2 tbs cane sugar
⅛-¼ ts cayenne (or paprika)
12 cl tequila (or white rum)
10 cl heavy whipping cream
ground cinnamon for garnish

Warm the milk in a medium size heavy saucepan on medium heat, watching carefully.
Add the chocolate, the cocoa and the sugar.
Heat until the chocolate dissolves, whisking to combine all ingredients.
Season with the cayenne pepper. Start with ⅛ teaspoon and season to your taste.
Pour the warm milk into 2 large mugs and add 2 oz of tequila.
Top with whipped cream. Sprinkle whipping cream with cinnamon.

Minty white chocolate mousse

For ➍
100 g white chocolate
8 tbs (1¼ dl) fresh cream
1 bunch mint leaves
4 eggs, separated
fresh or candied mint leaves to garnish

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
Meanwhile, heat the cream with about 8 mint leaves gently in a small pan. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mint leaves soak for a few minutes.
Stir the egg yolks into the melted chocolate.
Beat the egg whites into stiff peaks.
Remove the mint leaves from the cream and beat the cream into the chocolate mixture.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to create a light mousse.
Spoon the mousse into fine glasses or cups. Put them in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 h.
Decorate with a sprig of mint or a sweetened mint. Serve with thin wafers or biscuits.

Risotto al cioccolato (chocolate risotto)

For ➍
2 tbs unsalted butter
100 g arborio rice
1 l milk
2 tbs sugar
125 g bittersweet chocolate, finely grated
walnuts for sprinkling, quartered

Similar to a regular process, melt the unsalted butter in a hot pan and add the rice. Stir for about 1 m or until the rice is translucent. Pour a cup of milk into the pan and stir until the milk reduces. Add the sugar and stir continuously. As the milk evaporates, add another 1/2 cup of milk to the rice and continue stirring. Repeat this process until the rice is at the 'al dente' stage.
Add the chocolate to the rice, and stir until the chocolate has melted and the milk has reduced to a creamy consistency.
Serve the dessert immediately in cups and finish with a sprinkle of walnuts on top.

Read the tip on making a quick risotto.

Microwave cake with ganache frosting

For ➍-➏
10 cl sunflower oil, plus extra for pan
175 g caster sugar
140 g plain flour
3 tbs cocoa
3 ts baking powder
2 large eggs
1 ts vanilla essence
chocolate sprinkles, to serve
for microwave ganache:
100 g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
5 tbs double cream

Grease a 22 cm silicone microwaveable cake pan with a little oil and place a circle of baking parchment in the bottom.
Mix sugar, flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl. In a jug, whisk the oil, eggs, vanilla and 10 cl hot water until combined.
Add liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until you have a lump-free batter. Pour mixture into the cake pan and gently tap to pop any air bubbles. Cover with cling film.
Microwave on full power (800 watts) for 7 m. Remove and check if the cake is cooked by poking a skewer into the middle: if it comes out clean it is ready. Allow cake to stand for 5 m, then remove cling film and turn out onto a cooling rack.
For the ganache, melt the chocolate on half power (600 watts) for approximately 2 m, stirring every 30 s until melted. Add the cream and mix thoroughly until smooth and glossy.
Once the cake is cool, spread over the ganache and scatter with the sprinkles.
Serve. The cake will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

The Roux mystery: Mayan hot chocolate

For ➋
50 cl boiling water
1 chilli pepper, cut in half, seeds removed
125 cl light cream (or non-skimmed milk)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
250 g bittersweet chocolate, crushed
2 tbs sugar (or honey)
1 tbs ground almonds
whipped cream*

Boil water in a large saucepan. Add pepper and cook until reduced to 25 cl. Remove pepper. Strain water.
In a saucepan heat cream over medium heat. Add vanilla bean and cinnamon stick. When bubbling, lower the heat. Add chocolate and sugar. Whisk until melted. Take of heat. Remove vanilla bean and cinnamon. Add chilli flavoured water to taste.
Serve in small cups, with (crushed) almonds or hazelnuts and a dot of whipped cream.

*Optional.
**Replace half of the cream with strong coffee to change the taste to mocha.

When the gypsy Roux, played by Johnny Depp, receives his favourite kind of chocolate from Juliette Binoche in 'Chocolat', it's a kind of chocolat chaud, reminiscent of the original Maya chocolate drink. This brew was suggested at What's Cooking.

Orange chocolate martini

For ➊ cocktail
25 cl cold chocolate milk
3 cl of Grand Marnier orange liquor (or vodka) (from the freezer)*

Pour the chocolate milk into a chilled glass then add the Grand Marnier. Stir to combine.
Serve.

*For a more potent drink, use 3 cl of vodka and 3 cl of Grand Marnier.

Mug chocolate cake @ microwave

For ➊-➋
4 tbs flour, sifted
4 tbs sugar, sifted
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa, sifted
2 tbs whisked egg*
3 tbs milk
3 tbs oil
3 tbs chocolate chips**
splash vanilla or other flavoring, e.g. peppermint or cinnamon
icing sugar

Add all of the dry ingredients to the mug and mix.
Add the egg* and combine well.
Stir in milk and oil.
Add chocolate chips** and splash of vanilla. Stir well.
Microwave for 3 m in a 1000w oven, or 4 m in a 700w oven.
It will crown over the top of the mug, but collapses once the heat stops.
Shake out of the mug. Serve warm with a dust of icing sugar. Or let it cool for about 30 m. Serve with red fruits.

*1 egg is too much, 1 egg white is too eggy, 1 yolk is too dense. Omit egg for a fudgier texture. Or replace with an extra tbs of milk.
**Or a broken up candy bar.

Torta (di cioccolato) Caprese (Capri chocolate cake)

For ➓
150 g unsalted butter, room temperature
200 g bitter chocolate
100 g whole almonds, toasted
2 tbs/15 g all purpose flour
4 large eggs, separated @ room temperature
150 g sugar
confectioners' sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Butter a 20 cm cake pan and line with a circle of parchment paper.
Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl over a bain-marie. Set aside and let cool.
Grind the almonds together with the flour in a food processor until fine.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a stand mixer until light colored and fluffy, about 3 to 4 m.
Scrape yolk and sugar mixture into a large mixture. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture carefully.
Add in the almond flour and fold in carefully just until combined.
In a clean stand mixer bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully scrape them over the batter and fold in gently.
Pour the batter into prepared pan and bake in oven for about 35 to 40 m, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cake cool on rack, then invert onto a plate and remove parchment. Invert cake back onto a serving plate.
Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.*

*Refrigerate overnight for a softer taste. It will be good for a few days. Always serve at room temperature.

This moist almond chocolate cake was conceived in the 1930's by the Austrian heirs of the painter August Weber at the Strandpension Weber at Marina Piccola at the Italian isle of Capri, and is more Austrian than Italian. Capri was a popular place for European painters. Picture shows a fragment of a 1862 painting by Hungarian painter Antal Ligeti.

Peppered chocolate mousse

For ➑
6 egg whites
20 cl cold cream
200 g top quality dark chocolate*
80 g confectioners' sugar
2 ts freshly grounded Balinese (long) pepper**

Melt the chocolate in bain-marie without stirring or in the microwave oven. Let cool a bit.
Beat the egg whites and slowly add the sugar. Beat the cream in an ice-cold bowl.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate. Fold the cream into the mixture. Gently mix the pepper through the mixture.
Pour into glasses or cups and put in the refrigerator.

*With at least 60% percentage of cocoa.
**Or a mixture of white pepper and mace. Jamaican spice is an excellent substitute.

Le cocktail Lumumba

For ➊
6 cl dark Cuban rum*
12 cl milk**
5 ts cocoa powder**
whipped cream*
chocolate shavings*

For the warm version, heat the milk to drinking temperature.

Add rum and cocoa. Stir.

Top with whipped cream and add chocolate shavings.

For the cold version, mix milk and cocoa (or use chocolate milk**). Add rum*. Pour on ice cubes.

*For the original version, use vodka. Omit cream and chocolate shavings. Use brandy instead, or an equal mix of brandy and coffee liquor.
**For the original version, use dark chocolate milk.

When after the Congolese independence in 1960, Patrice Lumumba became prime minister and declared himself a partisan of mild communism, his fate was sealed by murder. In the former motherland Belgium, his name was used to mix a quite racist, but delicious cocktail of chocolate milk and vodka (the Russian influence). After his death, he was considered a martyr by African nations and by the USSR who honored his legacy with a stamp.
The cocktail disappeared in Belgium but lived on in several versions, hot and cold, with rum substituting the vodka (suitable enough, as Cuban fighters were involved in the Congo wars). (Sometimes it is replaced with brandy and/or coffee liquor, omitting the milk).
The warm version comes close to a simple version of the mighty Mexican serpent's chocolate.

Parfait glacé Dessert 58

For ➍
200 g chocolate bar Dessert 58**
2 eggs, yolks & whites separated, room temperature
25 g powdered sugar
2 dl cream***
3 tbs warm strong coffee

(Cut out 4 chocolate elephant vignettes to decorate the parfait. Set aside.)
Break the chocolate tablet(s) into small chunks. Prepare a bowl for a bain-marie. Heat the water. When warm, put the warm coffee in the bowl, add the chocolate chunks and melt them with the coffee. Let cool a bit.
In a clean bowl, beat the sugar and yolks until foamy white. Mix with the chocolate.
Beat the egg whites and spoon through the mix.
Whip the cream*** until almost stiff and spoon through the mix.
Fill 4 glasses with the mixture and put 3 h in the freezer.
Remove 10 m before serving and add the vignettes.

*Based on a recipe from the Belgian Côte d'Or website.
**A good milk chocolate bar with a good praliné filling might do the trick, but not the magic.
***Reduce amount of cream to have a less creamy texture and a richer taste. You can save the cream to serve with dessert.

Dessert 58 is a speciality chocolate bar created by Belgian chocolate manufacturer Côte d'Or in 1958 to celebrate the Brussels World Fair. Rich milk chocolate enrobes a creamy mixture of, originally, hazelnuts and almonds. Nowadays, the Dessert 58 is made with almonds and cashew nuts.
The illustration shows an early wrapper for Dessert 58, with a modern logo.
The Côte d'Or elephant trademark is a reference to the African Golden Coast, now Ghana, where much of the cacao beans were imported from in the 19th century. In 1870 Belgian chocolatier Charles Neuhaus started a chocolate factory in Brussels, depositing the name in 1883, selling the factory and the name before the end of the century. The elephant logo was created in 1908, with palms and very non-Ghanaian pyramids. Côte d'Or is now part of the Kraft group.
A parfait, French for perfect, is a frozen custard dessert made with eggs, sugar, whipped cream and flavourings such as a purée, liqueur, coffee or chocolate.
Try another Côte d'Or chocolate inspired dessert: ice-cream (crèpes) with chokotoff sauce.

Black sorbet

For ➍
55 cl water
80 g unsweetened cocoa powder
200 g sugar
170 g bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped finely
pinch of salt

Freeze the bowl of an ice cream maker.
In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, cocoa powder, and sugar. Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking continually. Remove from heat, and add the chopped chocolate.
Let rest for 30 s as the chocolate begins to melt, add the vanilla and salt, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted. Let cool on the counter, then refrigerate until chilled.
Whisk the mixture again just before using, and freeze in the ice cream maker.

White chocolate & strawberry tart

For ➓ 

375 g sweet shortcrust pastry* 

200 g white chocolate 

500 g mascarpone 

450 g strawberries 

1 tbs icing sugar

 

Preheat the oven to 200 C°. Roll the dough on a flat surface, line a buttered flan tin (23 cm) , blind bake for 10 m. Remove the baking beans and paper and put in for a further 5 - 10 m until golden brown. Set on a wire rack and leave to cool.

Melt the white chocolate with 125 g of the mascarpone in a bain-marie. Transfer to a mixing bowl and, using an (electric) whisk, beat in with the rest of the mascarpone until the mixture is smooth. Pour into the pastry case and set the cake to chill in the fridge for 3 h.*

Wash the strawberries and remove the green. Puree 150 g of them in a food processor, then mix in the icing sugar. Set to chill.

When the cake is set and you're ready to serve, take it out of the fridge, cut up the remaining strawberries and spread them on the cake. Cut the cake up and pour some of the strawberry coulis over the individual pieces.

*Alternatively, use a ready-made pastry case instead. Or bake six rounds of pastry to put in an individual serving cup. Pour chocolate mixture over it and set to cool.

Sophia Loren's tiramisu

For ➑
3 eggs, separated
5 tbs sugar
170 g mascarpone
36 Savoiardi (lady finger biscuits)
25 cl orange liqueur
25 cl espresso coffee
50 g black chocolate, grated
10 g cocoa powder (or 50 bittersweet chocolate, grated)

Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized bowl and beat well.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.
In a third, larger bowl, combine the egg yolk mixture with the mascarpone, then fold in the egg whites to produce a creamy mixture.
Arrange a tight layer of ladyfingers in a 22x30 cm serving dish.
Using a spoon, drizzle about half the liqueur and half the espresso over the ladyfingers.
Cover the ladyfingers with the mascarpone mixture and the grated chocolate, and dust it with a little more than half the cocoa.
Cover the filling with a second layer of ladyfingers and drizzle with the remaining liqueur and espresso.
Top with the remaining cocoa before serving.

Italian cinema diva Sophia Loren has published two collections of her favourite recipes, Italian of course, Neapolitan by proxy, la cucina sfiziosa, hearty food with a little extra. Here she gives her version of the tiramisu dessert, substituting the classic amaretto by orange liqueur.
The forerunner of the tiramisu, with custard, rather than mascarpone cheese, was popular in Tuscany, as zuppa del duca, a dessert for the ducal visit of Cosimo III de' Medici to Sienna, or the closely related zuppa inglese, the Italian version of the English trifle. No written sources about the recipe are available before 1983, pointing to its appearance in 1971 in Veneto's Treviso . The name means 'cheer up' or 'give some strength', giving birth to legends that the dessert was invented by Venetian lace-workers, or women of a casa chiuso**, or by Northern Italian wives making it for their soldier husbands in WWI. It became widely popular in the 1980's.
Read more Sophia Loren recipes: Sophia Loren's raw tomato spaghetti, vermicelli with sauce alla Sofia.
(**Several Italian dishes are rumoured to have been invented by women of the trade to regain their strength, such as the spaghetti alla puttanesca.)