Oh my. I haven’t talked about chocolate in a very long time. There has been chocolate of course, but there has been insufficient discussion about chocolate. If you’ve been with me for a while, you are already aware that we are at war. Did you know:
The average American eats 11.6 pounds (just over 5 kg) of chocolate a year. The average Swiss eats 22 pounds (10 kg) a year. Despite the fact that the average Swiss eats 22 pounds (10 kg) of chocolate, they have the lower incidences of obesity and coronary heart disease in Western Europe.
Obviously we are doing something wrong here people! Of course, I’m always willing to do my part in supporting the war effort and this past weekend was no exception. When in need of a good chocolate recipe my no-fail source is Tartelette. I think I may have a chocolate crush on Tartelette. This past Sunday was Grandparent’s Day. Because my parents have been so helpful throughout our move and they live so close, we decided it would be fun to take them a little treat as a thank you. Of course, any truly worthwhile treat is going to include chocolate, right? Therein lies the problem. My mom prefers dark chocolate, but my dad prefers milk chocolate. What to do? Tartelette to the rescue! One of her newest creations, Transatlantic, is a dark chocolate and walnut fudgy brownie, a milk chocolate and salted butter caramel mousse, topped with chocolate ganache. Not only is this dessert even better tasting than it sounds, it is an absolute blast to make. My favorite part was making the mousse. It smelled SO good, plus it was really fun to add the butter and cream to the caramel at the beginning and watch it bubble like crazy. The only change I made to the recipe was to bake the brownie layer in a 9×9-inch pan, instead of a 9×13-inch pan, so that the brownie was thicker. This way I used all of the brownie, instead of having leftovers. I used the full 35-minute baking time and they turned out perfect–moist and chewy. Plus, the extra thick layer of brownie was definitely yummy in the finished bars.
The bars were a hit with everyone. The marriage between dark and milk chocolate was obviously a success!
Transatlantic
by Tartelette
Makes 16 servings (you can even cut the bars tinier if you want)
Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownie base:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper or foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on to sides (you pick). Coat with cooking spray or a dab of butter.
Melt together butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove the bowl from heat and stir until smooth. Let the chocolate mixture cool slightly.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour mix and beat until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the walnuts with a spatula.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and smooth top with an spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownie between edge and center comes out with a few crumbs, 30 to 35 minutes, depending on your oven (Do not overbake.) Let cool 15 minutes; lift out of pan, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely. Line a 9×9 inch square pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cut your brownie base to fit inside the square pan, and set it down as your first layering component. Munch on the leftover or cut in little bites and cover with ganache for instant petits fours. Proceed to the rest of the recipe.
Milk Chocolate and Salted Butter Caramel Mousse Layer:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tb water
2 Tb salted butter, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream, divided
6 oz (3/4 cup) milk chocolate
Measure 3/4 cup of cream and refrigerate, this portion will be used to make whipped cream so keep it well chilled. In a microwave or small saucepan, heat the 1/4 cup remaining until it is fairly hot. It will be added to the caramel and by being hot it will prevent the caramel from seizing on you and clumping up.
Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in an heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water). Set aside.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the sugar to the water over medium high heat and cook, without stirring until you get a dark brown caramel. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter and 1/4 cream. It will bubble like mad but it will not run over….if the butter and cream are not cold the bubbling will be minimal and short lived. Stir with a wooden spoon to smooth the caramel if necessary. Let it cool to lukewarm. Add the caramel to the chocolate and stir until smooth.
Whip the remaining heavy cream to soft peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Fold 1/3 of the whipped cream to the chocolate/caramel to loosen it up and then add the remaining whipped cream. Spread over the brownie base and refrigerate until completely set.
Dark Chocolate Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup dark chocolate
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer, remove from the heat. Add the chocolate to the cream and let sit for 5 minutes. Slowly stir the heavy cream and chocolate until they come together and form a shiny ganache. Let cool. You want the ganache to still be pourable but not too warm that it will melt the mousse.
Spread it over the caramel mousse and refrigerate until set.
To serve: lift the dessert out of the pan and trim the sides with a sharp knife (heated under hot water and wiped dry works great too), cut into the desired number of servings and enjoy.
** If you need another to-die-for chocolate recipe from Tartelette, I have 3 words for you: Crème au Nutella. I made it awhile back…it was deadly good.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m no expert on chocolate but it seems to me I would feel more inclined to each more chocolate if we had as good of chocolate as the Swiss do…
Oh but this does look very yummy! Excuse me while I go mop up my drool…
i want one of these NOW!
I am not a fan of milk chocolate, but I may have to try this…
Sounds good but also dangerous. I don’t think I could make that at home and have it last an afternoon.
OMG, those bars look fabulous and extremely scrumptious! I love milk chocolate, especially if it’s good quality-wise…
Cheers,
Rosa
Those bars look fabulous! Please eat one for me.
Who DOESN’T have a chocolate crush on the lovely Tartlette! :D
Those look divine! Your parents must have loved them. I know I do!
i agree! tartelette is one of the best chocolate recipe resources out there! these brownies look wicked! definitely do like dark and milk choc together – :) awesome x
Okay I am book marking this and saving it, this recipe looks AMAZING. So glad I stopped by!
Oh yum! Girl, you’re really not helping out my bid to stay off chocolate to lose some weight! I’m craving very badly now!
oh my word, that chocolate ganache looks absolutely decadent!
Cute post! Mmm, everyone needs a good chocolate dessert recipe! I can’t believe the Swiss eat 22 pounds of chocolate a year! Though knowing how good their chocolate is…I guess it isn’t hard to believe! If we had the same chocolate as them, I bet we’d have them beat with at least 30 pounds a year. :-)
Ok…I have been MIA and then I come by and I am seriously blushing!! I am so tickled that they worked out for you!! Depending on the time of the month, a thick layer of brownie is indeed a good thing!!
Oh. My. God. These look absolutely amazing. I want one now!
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