How Sweet It Is
Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to have a taste of something calorie laden, sumptuous, and naughty. Nothing does it better than chocolate. You may desire something sticky, sugary, or bitter. No matter how you prefer to have this silky and sexy confection, chocolate is a guilty pleasure that tastes so good it will leave you begging for more. No need to travel far and wide or flick through endless cookbooks looking for the dessert you’re craving. We’ve asked some of our best local chefs to share their favorite temptations
— Maria Desiderata Montana,
photography by Vincent Knakal

Sweet Temptation by executive pastry chef Franck Riffaud at Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad

FEBRUARY RECIPES

Sweet Temptation
By executive pastry chef Franck Riffaud at Four Seasons Resort Aviara in Carlsbad

Dark heart Dark chocolate mousse:
4 oz cream
4 oz milk
4 eggs
1 oz sugar
10 oz dark chocolate
16 oz cream

In a pot boil together milk and cream. Mix the eggs and sugar. Add a little bit of boiling milk/cream mixture to the eggs to temper them. Add the eggs back to the milk/cream in the pot and heat until it boils once more and it starts to thicken slightly. Make sure you whisk constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once done, remove from the stove. Pour mix into the chocolate, wait a couple of minutes for the chocolate to melt, and whisk together until smooth. Whisk the cream until it becomes thick (whipped cream) and fold the whipped cream into the chocolate until it’s well incorporated, making sure that you don’t over mix as the mousse will break.

Raspberry and rose petal custard:
9 oz fresh raspberry
fresh rose petal
1 tbsp rose water
4 oz cream
2 eggs
2 oz sugar
2 gelatin sheets

Boil half a cup of sugar and 1 cup of water to make some simple syrup. Take a 1/2 cup of simple syrup, the raspberries, the rose petals, and rose water and blend together to make the raspberry/rose puree. Boil the cream with the raspberry/rose puree. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and the sugar. Temper the eggs with a little bit of the cream, and then add the egg mixture into the pot with the rest of the cream, making sure to whisk constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Boil and cook until mixture thickens and reaches the consistency of custard. Remove from the stove. Place the gelatin sheets in a container of cold water to soften them, and then add the gelatin into the raspberry/rose petal custard, making sure it’s well mixed in.

Chocolate truffle sponge:
3 eggs
5 oz sugar
7 oz chocolate
7 oz butter
2 oz flour

Whisk together the eggs and sugar until thick. Melt the chocolate and butter over a water bath. Add the melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture. Fold in and mix until it’s well mixed together and smooth. Fold in the flour and the buttermilk into the batter, making sure that it’s well incorporated. Spread the batter onto a half sheet pan and bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

White heart White chocolate mousse:
4 oz cream
4 oz milk
4 eggs
1 oz sugar
10 oz white chocolate
16 oz cream
3 gelatin sheets

In a pot boil together milk and cream. Mix together the eggs and sugar. Add a little bit of boiling milk/cream mixture to the eggs to temper them. Add the eggs back to the milk/cream in the pot and heat until it boils once more and it starts to thicken slightly. Make sure you whisk constantly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once done, remove from the stove. Place your gelatin sheets in a container filled with cold water to soften them. Add softened gelatin to the egg/milk mix. Pour mix into the white chocolate, wait a couple of minutes for the chocolate to melt, and whisk together until smooth. Whisk cream until it becomes thick (whipped cream) and fold the whipped cream into the white chocolate until it’s well incorporated, making sure that you don’t over mix as the mousse will break.

Passion fruit cream:
12 fresh passion fruit
3 eggs
6 oz sugar
6 oz butter
2 gelatin sheets

Cut the passion fruit in half and remove the seeds. Place the passion fruit and the seeds into a pot and boil the fruit. Whisk eggs and sugar together until thick. Pour the passion fruit onto the eggs and boil together, making sure to whisk constantly, until it reaches the consistency of custard. Remove from the stove. Place gelatin sheets in a container of cold water to soften them, and then add the gelatin into the passion fruit mix, making sure it’s well mixed in. Strain the passion fruit cream into a bowl. Using a hand mixer, add the butter and mix until everything is well incorporated and the passion fruit cream is smooth.

Coconut sponge:
4 eggs
4 oz sugar
2 oz flour
1 tbsp baking powder
2 oz desiccated coconut

Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl and place over a water bath. Using a whisk, beat the mixture while it warms up and thickens. Remove the eggs from the water bath. Add the flour and the baking powder to the eggs and mix together. Fold in the desiccated coconut into the batter. Spread the batter onto a half sheet pan and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Chocolate Gianduja Bombe
By executive chef Orion Balliet at Azul La Jolla

Gianduja Mousse:
1/2 cup hazelnut paste, sweet
1 cup semisweet chocolate
1 cup Italian meringue
2 cups heavy cream

Heat hazelnut paste in saucepan while stirring over low heat with a wood spoon. Heat until about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Take pan off the heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until all chocolate is melted and incorporated. In large mixing bowl, start with meringue. Add hazelnut-chocolate mixture and hand whisk until fully incorporated and smooth. Whip cream in small mixer until soft peak. Add 1/4 cream and whisk until incorporated. Whip the rest of cream until medium peak and fold into mixture. Pipe mousse into large black bomb molds only (silicon).
Freeze until rock hard (takes 24 hours) and top with cake and glaze.

Black Chocolate Cake:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
1 cup water, boiling
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan. Sift flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Set aside. Melt shortening in the boiling water, and then stir into the flour mixture until blended. Beat eggs, and then stir in vanilla. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Chocolate Glaze:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup corn syrup
6 oz semisweet chocolate

Heat cream with syrup until boiling. Take off heat and pour over chocolate. Whisk until incorporated. Strain and set aside to cool.

Raspberry Coulis:
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 oz sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Put all ingredients into saucepot and bring to a boil. Take off heat and puree in blender. Strain through chinois and cool.

Yields 8 bombes

Warm Chocolate Souffle Cake with Cocoa Cinnamon Macaroons
By executive pastry chef James Foran of Market Restaurant & Bar in Del Mar

Chocolate Souffle Cake:
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp cake flour
31/2 oz butter
31/2 oz bittersweet chocolate

Butter and flour six 4-ounce ramekins and put aside. Combine chocolate and butter together and melt over double boiler. Leave warm until needed. Whip eggs and yolks in electric mixer 5 minutes until foamy. Sift flour and sugar together and combine with egg mixture. Whip high speed 5 minutes until pale yellow and thick. Fold chocolate mixture into whipped egg mixture. Pour into prepared ramekins. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes until tops start to crack. Gently invert onto plate.

Cocoa Cinnamon Macaroons:
1 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
1 cup almond flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder (very dark)
21/2 egg whites
1 tbsp sugar
pinch salt
4 oz semi sweet chocolate (chopped finely)
4 oz cream
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon

Scald cream and cinnamon together. Pour over chocolate and whisk together until smooth and shiny. Cover and hold at room temperature. Sift powdered sugar and almond flour together and put aside. In an electric mixer, whip egg whites for 1 minute medium speed until foamy. With mixer on, sprinkle granulated sugar and salt and continue to whip to stiff peaks. Turn mixer off and fold in sifted dry ingredients. Place macaroon mixture in a pastry bag and pipe 1-inch-diameter rounds onto parchment paper leaving 1-inch space in between. Let sit uncovered at room temperature 15 minutes until a skin forms on surface. Bake at 300 for 12-15 minutes until cookies are puffed and still slightly firm on top. Remove from oven and cool on rack. Remove cookies from parchment paper and sandwich together with reserved chocolate filling. Serve 3 cookies per dessert.

Serving Suggestions: Serve with port vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce
for a complete dessert.

Makes 6 servings

Kimo’s Original Hula Pie by Jake’s Del Mar

Ingredients:
11/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies or other chocolate wafer cookies
1/3 cup melted butter
1 gallon macadamia nut ice cream
21/2 cups chocolate fudge
whipped cream
chopped macadamia nuts

Preparation:
Pulse cookies into crumbs in a food processor. Mix together the melted butter and cookie crumbs. Form into a pie tin, being sure to press down on the mixture to compact it. Set in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes. Remove the pie tin and add the ice cream forming it into a dome using a spatula. Set in the freezer for approximately 1-2 hours or until the ice cream is hard again. Remove from the freezer and spread two cups of cold fudge over the top, making sure to cover all of the ice cream. Set the pie back in the freezer until you are ready to serve. Cut into portions and plate. To finish, heat remaining fudge and pour over each slice. Garnish with whip cream and sprinkle with chopped macadamia nuts.

Yields 1 pie