Chocolate

"Great Pumpkin" Truffles

October 29, 2010 By Steve Dunn 34 Comments

As a kid, there was nothing I enjoyed more about Halloween than sitting down to my annual viewing of the “Charlie Brown Halloween” special. Linus was my hero for believing so passionately in the Great Pumpkin that he was willing to risk the scorn of his friends, and miss out on all the trick-or-treating fun, to stand vigil in his pumpkin patch awaiting the Great One’s arrival.

Given that Linus and I were tykes together back in the early 60s, I imagine he is about my age today, and I’m also guessing that like me, he has outgrown his taste for Almond Joy, Milky Way and 100,000 Dollar Bars. That being the case, I thought I’d whip up a more sophisticated treat for the old duffer to enjoy as he sits in his patch this Halloween Eve, waiting for the arrival of the mystical Great Pumpkin.

Dude….if these truffles don’t attract the Great Pumpkin to your side, nothing will!

Ganache Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

October 21, 2010 By Steve Dunn 31 Comments

It will come as no surprise to any of you who have been visiting us here for a while, that the impetus for this particular recipe comes from our young friend, Muppet. I honestly can’t remember a post on this site that featured the use of chocolate and DIDN”T have something to do with her. To say that she’s been riding me for a while to help her concoct a ganache centered cupcake would be an understatement. It’s fairer to say that our persistent little angel ground me down by hounding me morning, noon and night for weeks in order that I get off my soft, large bottom and get focused on making this dream dessert with her. Mission (finally) accomplished…..

Double Chocolate Layer Cake

September 9, 2010 By Steve Dunn 25 Comments

This has been my “go-to” chocolate cake for a few years now, though I usually make it with a white butter and sugar, or cream cheese frosting. Here in the “Oui, Chef” kitchen, every family member gets to choose which cake we’ll make for their birthday each year, and this one has been a staff favorite for some time now.

Peyton generally goes for a cheesecake of some sort (key-lime was a big hit), Muppet is death by chocolate all the way (no surprise there). Arthas requests a chocolate-pistachio log that I learned how to make at Le Cordon Bleu, and everyone else requests some version of this cake.

Muppet’s Madeleine – Mousse Cake

August 7, 2010 By Steve Dunn 39 Comments

Pierre Hermé…..Ladurée…..Gerard Mulot……Hugo & Victor……Hediard…….Fauchon……Eric Kayser.

This is but a sampling of the famous pastry chefs / shops that kept us giddily happy and full during our recent trip to Paris. This same group is also responsible for opening Muppet’s eyes to the heights that the very best pastry can achieve. These folks are the best of the best, the “Top Gun” pilots of the pastry world, and eating their confections has inspired Muppet to dream-up her very own original creation.

Aren’t we all lucky?

Jean-Georges’ Molten Chocolate Cake

July 2, 2010 By Steve Dunn 16 Comments

This is one of the first “fancy” desserts I ever learned how to make, their inclusion in my repertoire pre-dating my training in Paris, and they are absolutely one of the family’s favorites. Rumor has it that these little lovelies were born out of a mistake made in the pastry kitchen of legendary chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, when a tray of individual cakes were pulled from an oven before being baked through. Good thing he tasted one as it’s liquid chocolate center oozed across the plate, and didn’t just chuck it in the trash….can you image where we’d be right now without the ubiquitous “molten chocolate cake” in our cooking lexicon? Nowhere I’d want to be, I can assure you of that!

"The" Cookies

June 19, 2010 By Steve Dunn 28 Comments

When I first learned of these cookies, they were called something like “Showhouse Cookies” , or “Show Stopper Cookies”, or maybe they were even called “Heart Stopper Cookies”. Honestly I can’t remember, and I don’t really even care because for a long time now, we’ve simply called them “The” Cookies. They are a decadent mix of white chocolate, toffee bits, brown sugar, and nuts, rendered in form of a perfect, sweet – chewy – crunchy cookie.

A perennial favorite with Grid, he rarely goes more than a few days without some reference to them.

“Hey Dad, you think you can make some of THE cookies this week?”

“It’s been a while since you’ve made THE cookies, what gives?”

When caught hunched over in front of the freezer, arse in the air, and his head in the chill zone, one can often hear him mumbling, “I just know there has to be a bag of THE cookies in here somewhere….there just HAS TO BE!”

Pierre Hermés’ Triple Chocolate Meringue and Ice Cream Puffs

May 30, 2010 By Steve Dunn 16 Comments

No, this is not a photo of the bustier Madonna wore during her “Who’s That Girl” tour…..get your head out of the gutter, will you please?

What it is, is something even more spectacular, and I think you’ll have to agree, that upstaging one of the material girl’s bustiers, is a mighty impressive feat.

So…what is it, exactly?

Before you read any further, I suggest you sit down.

Yeah, you heard me….sit down.

Thomas Keller’s "Ad Hoc" Brownies

March 26, 2010 By Steve Dunn 28 Comments

I have been struggling for the past few days about whether or not I should post this brownie recipe. For starters, it has only been a few months since I blogged about the King Arthur Brownies, and one of the things I really strive to do, not just for my family, but for all of you who are taking the time to read our blog, is to offer up a nice variety of dishes to enjoy. I guess I’m concerned that by posting two brownie recipes in about as many months, I’m not trying hard enough to bring fresh ideas to the table….Boo.

The second reason for my balking at writing this post is that the recipe happens to be YET ANOTHER one from Thomas Keller, you remember him right, the brilliant chef of “French Laundry”, “Per Se”, and “Bouchon” fame? So…..not only am I double-dipping with brownies here, but I am passing along my third Keller recipe (I’ve already written about Bouchon’s Quiche Lorraine and Chocolate Bouchons, and I have YET ANOTHER one in the “Oui, Chef” pipe-line) ….talk about a rut.

Will you ever forgive me?

Chocolate "Earthquake" Cookies

February 19, 2010 By Steve Dunn 24 Comments

This post represents the start of a little experiment here at “Oui, Chef” that we’d love for you to join in.

Here’s the deal.

My wife and I bought a little bag of decadent chocolate treats at a terrific local bakery a few weeks back, and were so enamored with our find, that we immediately began a quest to figure out how to reproduce the goodies at home. Our first attempt, while tasty, was not even a poor, abused step-child of the yum we were trying to replicate. This, our second iteration, is much closer, though we still have a few issues to correct. The point of our experiment, is that we will continue to refine this recipe over time, hopefully with some input from you all, and report back regularly with our progress. With any luck, we’ll develop a clone of these sinfully delicious treats soon, and all get to share in their glory.

Chocolate Bouchons

January 23, 2010 By Steve Dunn 29 Comments

Santa was good to me this year, I must have been a very good boy. My brother and his wife were good to me too. For Christmas, they bought me Bouchon Bakery’s snappy new “chocolate bouchon” kit from Williams-Sonoma. For those of you uninitiated to the joys of the chocolate bouchon to which I am referring, they are yet another brainchild of Thomas Keller, and are famously sold at both his bakeries and restaurants that bear their name. Think of the ultimate 2-bite brownie and you pretty much have the idea of the thing. Named, and shaped after the French word for “cork”, they are nothing short of magnificent little chocolate bombs, especially good when still slightly warm from the oven. The kit includes enough mix to make about 18 of the suckers, and a silicone mold in which to cook them. Joy to the World…..

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