Atlanta entertainer Danielle Rollins debuts her first book filled with 15 gracious Southern parties (many at her own home). Join her as she hosts glamourous guests and talented chefs. Brilliant photography, entertaining tips, stunning floral designs, and mouth-watering recipes will have you dreaming of ideas for your own lavish affair.
You're Invited • Meet Danielle at Table Matters in Mountain Brook Village on November 15 at 12 noon. Join her for a signing and claim your personal copy of Soiree: Entertaining with Style (Rizzoli). In the meantime, enjoy a taste of her decadent temptations here.
TABLE MATTERS • 205.879.0125 • table-matters.com • 2402 Montevallo Road • Birmingham
Chocolate Mousse with Espresso Ice Cream
2 (9.7 oz.) dark chocolate bars, preferably Scharffen Berger, Valrhona, or good –quality European-style chocolate. 1bar for melting. 1 bar, grated, for garnish.
1 ½ C heavy cream
2 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
3 lg. egg yolks
½ C sugar
Pinch of salt
Espresso Ice Cream (See recipe below)
Cacao nibs (for garnish, preferably Scharffen Berger)
8 Wineglasses
1. Place 1 dark chocolate bar (broken into pieces) in top pan of a double boiler and stir continuously over low heat until chocolate has fully melted. Remove from heat and let stand.
2. In separate bowl, beat cream with whisk until it holds stiff peaks. In another bowl, whisk eggs, and yolks together, add sugar and salt, and whisk until foamy. Add a spatula full of chocolate to egg mixture and folk in, then add all the egg mixture to the chocolate and blend until just combined. Add a spatula full of the chocolate mixture to the cream and gently fold in, barely mixing. Add the whipped cream to the chocolate and mix until just blended. (This is called the liason technique, which allows the mixture to slowly adjust to new ingredients without curdling.)
3. Divide evenly among 8 wineglasses and cover each with plastic warp. Chill at least 5 hours. For best results, chill overnight.
4. To serve, scoop a portion of espresso ice cream into each glass of mousse. Shave remaining chocolate bar with a grater over ice cream and add cacao nibs. Serve immediately.
Espresso Ice Cream
2 qts organic vanilla ice cream, softened.
6T ground espresso beans
Place softened ice cream in bowl of a stand mixer and add espresso. Mix with paddle attachment until blended. Return to freezer until ready to serve.
Vanilla Bean Champagne
8 oz. Bourbon
8 Madagascar vanilla beans
1 bottle Champagne, chilled
8 chilled Champagne flutes or tall pilsner glasses
1. In small saucepan, bring Bourbon to a simmer. Add the vanilla beans and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until soft and tender.
2. Remove vanilla beans from Bourbon, shaking off excess, and allow the beans to cool.
3. To serve, split beans in half lengthwise with a knife and place in Champagne flutes; top each flute with Champagne.
Chocolate-Pecan Pie with Toasted Marshmallow Chantilly Cream Tart Dough
½ C unsalted butter, softened
½ C powdered sugar
1 lg. egg yolk
¼ t vanilla extract
1 ¼ C all-purpose flour, sifted
1 ¼- C cocoa powder
Chocolate Filling
2 C heavy cream
8 oz. Calledbaut or Valrhona 66% chocolate
1 T cold butter
½ t sea salt
Marshmallow Chantilly Cream
1 C sugar
1 C glucose, plus ¼C for whipping with egg whites
½ C egg whites
2 t vanilla extract
1 C toasted Georgia pecans (for garnish)
1. To make dough: combine butter and sugar in bowl of a stand mixer. Mix with paddle attachment on medium speed. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract. Sift flour and cocoa together and slowly add to the bowl and mix. Place dough on counter and form into a flat disk, refrigerate at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 300 F.
3. To make tart shell: on a lightly floured surface, roll tart dough to approximately 1/8-inch thickness. Use the dough to fill 8 individual 4-inch tart pans. Blind bake for 8 minutes. Let cool. Can be stored for up to 4 days.
4. To make chocolate filling: heat cream in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat until just warm. Pour into a bowl with chocolate and stir to melt.
5. Add butter and stir, then add salt. Cool slightly, then fill baked tart shells. Tart shells can be mad the day before and stored in a covered container at room temperature.
6. To make marshmallow Chantilly cream: combine sugar, ½ C water, and 1 C glucose in a stainless steel saucepan. Heat until a candy thermometer reaches 240 F. Keep warm.
7. Whip egg whites and ¼C glucose in medium size bowl until fluffy and shiny but not dry. Add vanilla to egg whites. Continue whipping, adding hot sugar and glucose mixture until light and fluffy.
8. To serve: top each tart with marshmallow Chantilly cream and garnish with pecans. Toast marshmallow cream with a kitchen torch or in the broiler.
