Leftover Chocolate

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I know, it's like having leftover wine!

This is just for fun really but someone might come up with a nice idea.

The recipe I used for Florentines said 200g chocolate but I doubt it used more than 100g. Thus I have a bowl of previously melted 72% chocolate in the fridge.

I haven't got cream, ice cream or gelatine in the house and don't want lots of cakes or desserts hanging about. What shall I do with the chocolate?

[mistakened Profile]

Eat it

Moira

[scullion Profile]

chocolate fondu.
make buttons.
caramelise some orange slices/peel sticks and half coat them.
spread thinly, cut out the required shapes and make a little chocolate house for your granddaughter.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Those are nice ideas! You've mentioned Chocolate a la Taza on the Beverages thread and I may well go with that. GD adores hot chocolate and it would be a nice treat after we've decorated the tree.

[herbidacious Profile]

When we were teenagers, my sister used to make pancakes with a grated chocolate and double cream filling. They wre simple but delicious.

Othewise drizzle over biscuits?

[KeenCook2 Profile]

There's a Claudia Roden chocolate dessert in her Italian cooking that is just melted chocolate and double cream, chilled. I make it in ramekins but haven't done it for ages. I can't remember if she whips the cream before stirring in the melted chocolate.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

yessireee.

Either make truffles, with recipe of choice. little squares ones:
These are coconut, and a dark chocolate one.



Or make stuff.
Stuff is something from my childhood that we used to make. In a pan, melt chocolate, butter and a cereal - we used readybreak or porridge. Stir stir.
Scoop into little rounds with a teaspoon and leave to cool and set.
Nibble at your leisure.

[Lusciouslush Profile]

Make a mole sauce with/without peanut butter ready to add to pork/chicken - it would keep awhile in a chilly position in the fridge - no idea if it freezes.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

Or make stuff.
Stuff is something from my childhood that we used to make. In a pan, melt chocolate, butter and a cereal - we used readybreak or porridge. Stir stir.
Scoop into little rounds with a teaspoon and leave to cool and set.
Nibble at your leisure.

Sounds wonderful!!!!!!!

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I may have to buy more chocolate!

'Stuff' sounds interesting - it reminded me that I'm rather fond of chocolate rice krispie cakes too.

No time for churros today (as suggested on the Beverage thread). The chocolate had to be utilised on an afternoon which included end of term, decorating the tree and various other things (chaos!) and something appealing to a 5 year old. I did proper drinking chocolate for the first time ever and topped with squirty cream (which contained vanilla and tasted amazing!) and mini marshmallows, something I have never tried before even when out. It went down very well and we certainly only wanted small helpings. There's some left, it might make a small bowl of chocolate custard.

[Uschi Profile]

Grate it and dissolve a spoonful or two in hot milk!

Dark chocolate keeps for quite a while if kept in a coolish (not the fridge, just in a place that does not get too hot) place. in fact it matures a little, so there is no hurry. Just make sure not to keep it near something with a strong aroma.

Banana cake with grated chocolate in it is great, too.

[jeral Profile]

I may have to buy more chocolate! '...[clip]...
There's some left, it might make a small bowl of chocolate custard.

Do you like mocha chocolate custard? It's one of my favourites, although I do need to get the chocolate:coffee ratio and the sweetness right for my taste.

As it's fine to reheat melted chocolate, then if there's only a little left, you could drizzle like string onto paper, crossing squiggles over, to form a net wafer to stick into icecream or whipped cream dessert.

[Grasshopper Profile]

There is no such thing as leftover chocolate in the Grasshopper household!

[Pampy Profile]

Nor in mine! Every time I read the title of this thread, I just think "get a grip woman!" No offence intended at all EM!

[Earthmaiden Profile]

This was just a bit more awkward as it was melted then hardened in a bowl, I didn't have time to make anything and was just getting over a tummy upset where chocolate was the last thing I wanted. I do like chocolate but it is one of the few things which I can resist for a while if there's some in the cupboard (there aren't many!).

[jeral Profile]

If there's enough chocolate to re-melt with a bit of butter so a ganache, it can be used to spread on the bottom of an already blind baked sweet pie bottom once cool to prevent any chance of a soggy bottom once filled.

A tip (one of very many) courtesy of Erin McDowell who has six "all about and how to's" on pies on Youtube.

[Pampy Profile]

I'd use double cream rather than butter for ganache.

[jeral Profile]

For the purpose of lining, butter (or oil) or the fat in cream is just to stop the chocolate setting to brittle again so any will do. The trick is to remelt both choc and fat together, not melting then adding fat.

[Amyw Profile]

Ive always believed panache was chocolate and cream together. I've seen recipes where a small amount of butter has been added to make it glossy, or a version of milk and butter added together but my gut instinct is that just butter and chocolate melted together wouldn't be that good ? Have you tried it yourself ?

[jeral Profile]

Hi Amyw, no I haven't tried making ganache with butter as I can't eat it, but have with coconut oil. You might say Well that's not ganache then, and maybe it isn't other than being a vegan version. As I am talking for the purpose of a pastry sealer, most people will have butter in the fridge whilst not all will have cream and only a tiny amount needs to be added for a pie lining. HTH