Chocolate Bouchons and a Raspberry Chocolate Short

Life is crazy. Short post. Stupid Blogger has deleted my post twice, so now I have to rush. Blog Party #35 - Not to be missed (deadline is today though!).

Stepanie's party this time? Mmmmm.... CHOCOLATE!! How do I love it - so many ways. This time, party style.

I made Thomas Keller's Chocolate Bouchons. PERFECTION. HEAVEN. Make them!! Need I say more? (OK, I will say that I didn't have the suggested chocolate and made them anyway - they were still awesome. So, don't let it deter you - just get the best semisweet chocolate you can get your hands on and go to town!)

The drink? Chocolate Short. Easy, lazy. Cold chocolate milk + scoop of really good ice cream (raspberry here, vanilla is fantastic, chocolate is great too). Not terribly creative, but it is my favorite chocolate drink (cold anyway). Yummm!!!

Gotta run!

Chocolate Bouchons Recipe
Recipe from Bouchon

Bouchon Bakery uses 2-ounce fleximolds and serves smaller bouchons. 3-ounce (2-inch to 2-1/2-inch diameter) timbale molds or silicon muffin molds can be used for larger cakes.

Recipe Makes 12 servings of the smaller bouchons or 16 brownies using muffin molds.

Ingredients:

Butter and flour for the timbale molds

3 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (12 ounces - 3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly warm
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, such as Valrhona Equatoriale (55%) chopped into pieces the size of chocolate chips (size of chips is important for piping - I ended up using Lindt 70% and these were still insanely good)

Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour molds or muffin cups. Set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in another large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until very pale in color. Mix in the vanilla.

On low speed, add about 1/3 of the dry ingredients, then 1/3 of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter. Add the chocolate and mix to combine. (The batter can be refrigerated for up to a day.)

Put the timbale molds on a baking sheet if you are using those. Place the batter in a pastry bag without a tip, or with a large plain tip, and fill each mold about 2/3 full. Place in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (30 to 32 minutes for the muffin pans).

When the tops look shiny and set (like a brownie), test one cake with a wooden skewer or toothpick. It should come out clean but not dry (there may be some melted chocolate from the chopped chocolate).

Transfer the bouchons to a cooling rack. After a couple of minutes, invert the timbale molds and let the bouchons cool upside down in the molds; then lift off the molds. (The bouchons are best eaten the day they are baked.)

To serve: Invert the bouchons and dust them with confectioners’ sugar. Serve with ice cream if desired.