Chocolate Pistachio Tartufo For Two

tartufo dessert What is tartufo you might ask? Well it actually has two meanings, it could be an edible fungus or an Italian dessert, in this case it’s dessert.

It’s an Italian frozen dessert usually composed of two or more flavors of ice cream and often with a strawberry, cherry or raspberry in the center and it’s usually covered in a shell made of chocolate, it’s divine! I’ve only had it once at a restaurant here in Chicago but it’s pretty popular in Italy, in fact if you Google it you’ll see many of the recipes in Italian. It’s also referred to as a chocolate bomb, and that it is!

tartufo dessert I recently saw this recipe in the current February issue of Martha and couldn’t wait to make it, it’s the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day because it’s meant to be shared. Put it on a pretty platter, grab a couple of spoons and dig in with your honey!

tartufo dessert ingredients

Here’s the ingredients I used, pistachio and dark chocolate gelato, chocolate wafer cookies, dark chocolate for melting, frozen cherries, (you only need two, Martha used maraschino, but I’m not fond of them) and chopped pistachios for garnish.

tartufo dessert Basically you line a domed glass bowl with plastic wrap, that’s going to be your mold. Place your gelato or ice cream side by side, plop a cherry in the middle of each side, then wrap it up and stick it in the freezer for a couple of hours or more. Feel free to use any flavor ice cream combination you like, I’ve also seen cookies and nuts stuffed in the center.

making tartufo dessert

In the meantime take your chocolate wafers and finely pulse them in a food processor, when the two hours are up unwrap the gelato mixture and place the crumbs on top of the mixture, this is going to land on the bottom when inverted and will give you a nice crunchy texture, then re-wrap and place the bowl back into the freezer for another couple of hours until nice and firm, I repeat, nice and firm! Very important!

tartufo dessert When it’s completely firmed up, get your chocolate melted then take out your dome of gelato, fold back the plastic and invert on a wire rack, being careful to remove the rest of the remaining plastic. Pour the melted chocolate all over the dome then stick it back into the freezer so it can harden up. You can do this in advance and just wrap the whole dome in plastic until ready to serve, or serve it right after the outer shell gets nice and firm.

tartufo dessert

So if you’re staying in and avoiding the crowds this Valentine’s Day and making a special meal at home, here’s the perfect dessert to share with your loved one.

Here’s the link to Martha’s recipe. http://www.marthastewart.com/1140997/chocolate-pistachio-tartufo

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Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake

chocolate flourless cake

I baked a cake for you, a flourless chocolate cake! I figured Valentines Day is right around the corner and we needed something sweet around here. It’s been a while since I made something chocolate and the fewer the ingredients for me, the better, so I decided to make this decadent but easy to make cake.

hazelnuts

I’ve been waiting for just the right reason for me to showcase these beautiful hazelnuts that I recently received from my friend Cathy who lives in Oregon. Oregon state happens to be the single largest producer of hazelnuts in the U.S.

If you have a hard time finding hazelnut flour near you, you can always buy it online, it’s nice to have it for special occasions, I store mine in the freezer to keep it fresh.

Rich, decadent, fudgy and dense that’s how I would describe this cake, just make sure you buy a good quality dark chocolate it makes all the difference.

melted chocolate

I’m not a chocoholic by any means, ( I’ve updated this and that opinion sure has changed! The smell of rich, dark melted chocolate is pretty irresistible, I need to be cooking and baking with it more often than I do. There’s something about dark chocolate, you don’t need much to completely satisfy your sweet tooth, just a little slice will do ya!

chocolate flourless cake

Plop a dollop of fresh whipped cream to balance the yummy richness, and shape a strawberry slice into a heart for garnish and this could be hands down your perfect Valentines Day dessert!

Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup toasted hazelnut meal
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 5oz of dark chocolate, chopped
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • coco powder for dusting
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8" springform pan. Set aside
  2. In a large heatproof bowl over simmering water add chocolate, butter and sugar, melt and whisk until mixture is smooth and glossy. Set aside to cool down.
  3. In smaller bowl beat the yolks until they break up. Pour into cooled chocolate mixture. Stir in all the ground hazelnuts.
  4. Beat egg whites and salt into a soft peak then fold into the chocolate mixture ⅓ at a time until incorporated.
  5. Place batter into your prepared pan and bake 35 minutes or until center is firm and springs back.
  6. cool and then dust with good quality cocoa.
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