A Venezuelan Chocolate Love Triangle
By Kevin Kopsick, Pastry Chef

Wine suggestion
The perfect chocolate pair - Banyuls!

This recipe has three separate elements. One of them is chocolate ice cream. Just use your favorite recipe for chocolate ice cream or one you can buy.

This cake needs to be cooked just before it is served.

Yield: 4 servings

For the "Liquid Center" Chocolate Cake:

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (Chef Kopsick uses a Venezuelan brand called "El Rey")

• 6 ounces of butter
• 4 whole eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 1/4 ounces granulated sugar
• 2 ounces all-purpose flour, sifted

Pre-heat an oven to 350°F. In a medium mixing bowl gently melt the chocolate and butter over simmering water. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs, yolks and sugar to full volume, (thick and light). Add the flour and mix until smooth. Combine with the chocolate mixture and pour into well buttered timbale molds. Bake them until the edges are firm but the center is still soft to the touch, (7-10 minutes.) Remove them and carefully run a thin knife around the inside of the timbale and invert them onto a plate.

For the Chocolate "Truffles":

• 8 ounces excellent quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Some unsweetened cocoa powder to roll the truffles in

Place the chocolate in a bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a separate saucepan. Pour it over the chocolate and whisk smooth. Store the mixture in a cool place so that this "ganache" sets.

Roll a tablespoon or more of the chocolate at a time with your fingers into smooth round balls. Then gently roll them in unsweetened cocoa powder. Store in a cool air-tight container.

Bake the "liquid center" cakes to order. As they are finished plate some truffles in one area of a plate or "soup plate"; add the ice cream and then the cake. Serve.

Copyright © 1996 by Norman Van Aken