Black and Orange Recipe: Dark Chocolate, Mint, and Pumpkin Gelato Patch
Editor's Note: Since it's the last Wednesday in October, this will conclude our black and orange recipe feature. Thank you Kerry for creating each one!
I find that it pays off to seriously invest your time in a main course, but when it comes to appetizers, and especially to dessert, I say buy fabulous ingredients and arrange them simply and thoughtfully, but without much fuss. Here, I use dark chocolate, pumpkin gelato, and fresh mint to create a sweet, after-dinner pumpkin patch with flavors for children and grown-ups alike, with a touch of whimsy and certainly some elegance.
About the author: Kerry Saretsky is a Serious Eats intern and the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way.
Dark Chocolate, Mint, and Pumpkin Gelato Patch
Ingredients
1 12-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoons of cream
1 pint of pumpkin gelato, which will yield at least the 6 scoops you need
6 sprigs of mint
Special Equipment
6 silicone baking cups, or 6 paper cupcake wrappers and a cupcake tin
Procedure
1. Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate and add the cream.
2. Using a pastry brush, brush the inside of 6 silicone baking cups with an even layer of chocolate.
3. Place the cups in the freezer for 15 minutes, until frozen through. Then repeat the process with a second layer of chocolate, and freeze again for 1 hour.
4. Scoop in one perfect round scoop of pumpkin gelato.
5. Top with a sprig of mint and arrange into a pumpkin patch on your plate.
Related
Black and Orange Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Bisque with Pumpernickel Soldiers
Black and Orange Recipe: Black Fettuccine with Shrimp and Butternut Squash
Black and Orange Recipe: Pumpernickel Grilled Cheddar with Apple and Thyme
Black and Orange Recipe: Poppy-Crusted Sea Scallops on Fennel and Orange Salad
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5 Comments:
My favorite idea from this is the chocolate cup you create, but I'm concerned that the cup would break if I take it out of the wrapper or tin. Any suggestions on best practices here?
variaas at 12:26PM on 10/29/08
You know, I was similarly concerned, but I used a set of sturdy silicone baking cups, and I waited until the chocolate was very hard and well-frozen. The cups went pretty much undamaged, except for a very small chip due to the heat of my finger where I was holding it on one of the cups. When you peel off the silicone cup, do so with the intention of inverting it off, so it actually turns inside out off the chocolate, rather than simply peeling it. It will stay intact. My other advice is to apply the two layers of chocolate quite liberally, so you have a sturdy cup waiting for you in the freezer to begin with.
Good luck, and I do hope you'll try it. The cups are so versatile, you could fill them with almost anything. I like chocolate sorbet topped with cocoa whipped cream and a few raspberries as a year-round alternative.
Kerry Saretsky at 5:45PM on 10/29/08
So, is there a pumpkin gelato out there that you'd recommend?
emilydev at 9:32PM on 11/01/08
Ciao Bella
Sometimes they pack their pints of Pumpkin Gelato nationally, and sometimes, as I believe it is this year, they keep it only to their retail stores. I was, however, recently in Whole Foods, where a local New York creamery was selling a really superb pumpkin gelato. I tend to think pumpkin ice cream is fairly grass roots, and you may be able to find local products at the Whole Foods or market near you. Also, all else failing, Edy's makes a fairly good if somewhat commercial-tasting pumpkin ice cream that I know is sold nationally.
Kerry Saretsky at 6:07AM on 11/02/08
How about a recipe for pumpkin gelato?
delzaK at 9:22AM on 11/03/08