Source: Death by Chocolate Cookies by Marcel Desaulniers
Makes 24 servings.
Preparation time: 2 hours
Tips: Best when prepare assemble just before serving.
Chocolate Caramel Puffs
Ingredients
Preparation
Puff Dough:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 375 F degrees. Grease with shortening and sprinkle with flour two baking sheets, or have two non-stick sheets ready to use.
1. Sift together flour and cocoa powder, set aside.
2. Heat the water, 4 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs sugar in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a boil.
3. Remove from heat and add the sifted dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to stir until the mixture comes together into a ball-like shape. Set aside for about 15 minutes to cool.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring energetically and thoroughly incorporating the each egg before adding another.
5. Divide the dough in level tablespoons (approximately 1/2 ounce per puff) onto baking sheets, 12 evenly spaced portion per sheet. DO NOT be tempted to make them bigger unless you are planing to use a different filling. The ganache called for in this recipe is quite rich.
6. Place baking sheets on the top and center racks of the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to center halfway through baking time ( at that time also turn each sheet 180 degrees). Remove the puffs from the oven and cool to room temperature. If puffs do not appear to be dry, make a small incision on the side of each puff and leave in the off warm oven to cool, this provides a vent for inside moisture to dry.
Preparing the Ganache:
1. Place all the chopped chocolate in a 4-quart bowl and set aside.
2. Heat the heavy cream and 2 Tbs butter in a 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep the cream hot, but not simmering, until needed.
3. Combine the 12 cup sugar and the lemon juice in a 3-quart saucepan. Stir with a whisk to combine ( the sugar will resemble moist sand). Caramelize the sugar for 7 to 8 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with the whisk to break up any lumps (the sugar will first turn clear as it liquefies, then light brown as it caramelizes. Quickly remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully pour about 1/3 of the hot cream into the caramelized sugar. Use a whisk to stir the caramel until it stops bubbling. Add the remaining cream and stir until smooth. If chunks of caramel are not dissolved, place the pan over the warm burner and stir until incorporated into the cream. Immediately pour the hot caramel over the chopped chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes before stirring with a whisk until very smooth.
4. Refrigerate the ganache until just slightly firm but not hard (if the ganache is too firm, it will be difficult to pipe.
Assembly.
1. Using a sharp knife, cut each puff in half horizontally.
2. Transfer the chilled ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.
3. Pipe about 1 heaping tablespoon ( about 1 ounce) of ganache onto the bottom half of each puff, then place the top half of the puff onto each portion of ganache.
4. Serve immediately, or store in a tightly sealed plastic container at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.
NOTE: 1) The puffs are best eaten within 24 hours of preparation, they seem to lose their distinctive texture when held longer.
2) Keep the filled Puffs at room temperature to maximize the flavor and texture of the ganache.
Makes 24 small puffs.
Chocolate Caramel Ganache:
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4"
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into 1/4"
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
