French desserts? Mais oui!
If you are still thinking about what to make for a spectacular end to a special winter meal, think French.
The French have a way with sweets (along with everything else culinary), and a good French cookbook can guarantee a recipe for a treat that is not only delicious but has a certain, shall we say, “je ne sais quoi” about it.
Legions of classics immediately come to mind. There’s creme brulee, tarte Tatin, eclairs, Napoleons, floating islands and crepes Suzette. And then there’s Michel Rostang’s Double-Chocolate Mousse Cake.
Rostang is Michelin-starred chef in Paris, and this recipe is considered a classic at his restaurants. He gave it to Dorie Greenspan, an American food writer and part-time Parisian, who printed it in her new book, “Around My French Table,” (2010 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
The technique for making the dessert is, as Greenspan says, “ingenious.” You make a chocolate mousse and then bake some of it. Then you pile the rest of the mousse on top, and either chill it or bake it again. Two layers, two textures. But the beauty for the home cook is that you make only one batter. Further bonus: It has only six ingredients and can be made a day ahead.
This is a dessert that has everything going for it: a “rustic” look (no fancy presentation required), a deep chocolate flavor, intriguing textures and all the “je ne sais quoi” you could ask for.
Ÿ Marialisa Calta is the author of “Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family” (2005 Perigee). More at marialisacalta.com.