Desaulniers - Im Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas

John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Copyright 2007 by Marcel Desaulniers. All rights reserved.

Photography Ron Manville

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Interior design by Joel Avirom and Jason Snyder

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Desaulniers, Marcel.

Im dreaming of a chocolate Christmas / Marcel Desaulniers; photography by Ron Manville.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN: 978-0-7645-9900-2 (cloth)

1. Cookery (Chocolate) 2. Chocolate desserts. 3. Christmas cookery. I. Title.

TX767.C5D475 2007

641.6374--dc22

2006036929

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

to my grandsons abe and will, for and the promise they hold

other books by marcel desaulniers

The Trellis Cookbook

Death by Chocolate

The Burger Meisters

Desserts to Die For

An Alphabet of Sweets

Death by Chocolate Cookies

Salad Days

Death by Chocolate Cakes

Celebrate with Chocolate

acknowledgments

My wife Connie, you are the light and love of my life

Dan Green, literary agent

Justin Schwartz, editor

Shelley Tennant, recipe assistant

Ron Manville, photographer, a true professional

John Curtis, business partner

Penny Seu, editorial advisor

Michael Holdsworth, The Trellis chef

Sarah Masters, The Trellis senior assistant chef

Michelle Holdsworth, The Trellis assistant chef

Christina Moulliet, The Trellis assistant chef

Heather Lenhardt, The Trellis pastry chef

Bridget Young, The Culinary Institute of America pastry extern

The Trellis kitchen, management, front-of-the-house, and office staff

Christine Manville, prop assistant

Nancy Thomas, prop contributor

Irina Zaytceva, prop contributor

The students, instructors, and staff at The Culinary Institute of America

introduction

oh! you better watch out, or youll find yourself as frantic as one of Santas elves on December 23, baking complicated desserts for friends and family for the holiday. Instead, you can use the recipes in this bookthey are simple and straightforward, but still loaded with WOW! Honestly. As the author of Death by Chocolate (the seven-layer namesake dessert is three pages long and takes three days to make), Im not knocking elaborate desserts. Im just saying: Use my other baking books the rest of the year and this one during the holidays, because parties are going on.

you better not cry as your fudge crystallizes in its scorched pan, or your favorite Christmas cake turns into an avalanche. The recipes in Im Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas are simple and fail-safe. We tested them in a home kitchen using equipment and ingredients found in local stores. Most were tested three to five timesor more. My wife Connie, who cant cook at all, could read and understand the recipes. We experimented with numerous ways to store, cool, reheat, and eat. We simplified steps to make less room for error and more room for flavor. If you find that a recipe in this book doesnt work to your satisfaction, please e-mail me at goganache@aol.com, and Ill help you through it.

better not pout while your friends are going to Christmas parties, and youre cleaning pots and baking pans. I certainly cant help you wash pans, but I will tell you that some of the recipes in this book use only one bowl, one spoon, and one pan to make. Many dont use an electric mixer, and you can simplify making plenty of the recipes by preparing the easy steps over several days. Im Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas has only one complex dessertthe Pumpkin Pecan Caramel Chocolate Fudge Ice Cream Cake (see )but its worth the trouble, and it is really five simple desserts rolled into one. Please note: Many of the recipes would be so much fun to bake with kids that youll forget about the partiesand the kids can wash a pan or two in exchange for your sweet reward.

im telling you why: You want to have your cake and Christmas, too. You want to share your creations with your friends, without it costing an arm and a leg and a week in the kitchen. You want to ship, store, give, take, reheat, and eat these desserts, knowing they will be delicious. And you want to have time to enjoy the holidays without hindering your love of baking. After all, Santa Claus is coming .

home for the holidays

chocolate fruitycakes

Makes 12 mini cakes

I f you use fruitcake as a doorstop, then make room in your house (and heart) for a truly appealing chocolate version, bejeweled with fruit, studded with walnuts, spiked with vivacious spices, and splashed with whiskey. Katie, bar the doorthe spirit of the holidays has been redefined!

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, plus 2 tablespoons, melted

112 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

12 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

12 teaspoon baking powder

14 teaspoon baking soda

14 teaspoon salt

18 teaspoon ground cinnamon

18 teaspoon ground cloves

18 teaspoon ground mace

1 cup walnut halves, toasted (see ) and chopped by hand into 14-inch pieces

12 cup dried cherries