A Walk In The Black Forest Recipes

BLACK FOREST CAKE

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust the bottoms and sides of the pans with cocoa powder, tapping out the excess.
• Put the eggs (in their shells) in a medium bowl and cover with hot tap water; let stand 5 minutes (warming the eggs will help them whip better). Sift the cocoa powder, cake flour and salt into a medium bowl, then whisk in the almond flour; set aside.
• Remove the eggs from the water and crack into a large bowl. Add the granulated sugar and beat with a mixer on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until pale, fluffy and thick, about 10 minutes. The mixture should fall off the beaters in a ribbon when lifted.
• Sprinkle one-third of the flour mixture over the egg mixture and gently fold with a whisk until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour mixture in two batches, adding the vanilla with the final addition. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes pull away from the sides of the pans and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Immediately run a small offset spatula around the edges to loosen. Let the cakes cool 5 minutes in the pans, then remove to a rack, parchment-side down, and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the whipped cream: Whisk the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan (the cornstarch will help stabilize the whipped cream). Slowly add 3/4 cup heavy cream, whisking, until a paste forms. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring, until thick and bubbling, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface and refrigerate until completely cooled, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring the cherries, cherry syrup, kirsch and granulated sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the almond extract and transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Finish the whipped cream: Beat the remaining 2 1/4 cups cold heavy cream and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. With the mixer running, add the cooked cream mixture and beat until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Drain the cherries and reserve the syrup. Discard the parchment from the cakes. Trim a thin layer off the top of each cake with a long serrated knife. Put one cake cut-side up on a cake stand or serving plate and brush with half of the reserved syrup. Spread about 1 cup whipped cream over the top in a thin layer, then top with all but 1/4 cup cherries. Spread 1 cup whipped cream over the cherries in a thin layer. Top with the remaining cake and brush with the remaining syrup. Spread 1 1/2 cups whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake in a thin layer (some crumbs are OK). Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Sprinkle the shaved chocolate around the top of the cake and press into the sides; top with the reserved cherries. Refrigerate overnight; the cake will soak up the syrup.

THE BLACK FOREST RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the rich simple syrup: Add the water and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 2 minutes, until the sugar is fully dissolved. Transfer to a glass jar and let cool. The syrup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
• Make the cocktail: Add the grenadine, blue curacao, rich simple syrup, gin, and lemon juice to a cocktail shaker and fill with ½ cup (70 G) ice. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds, until combined.
• Carefully light the bunch of thyme on fire with a kitchen torch. Blow out the flame and invert a highball glass over the thyme to capture the smoke. Let sit for 30 seconds.
• Fill the glass with the remaining ½ cup ice, strain the cocktail into the glass, and garnish with the remaining 2 sprigs of thyme and the pink peppercorns.
• Enjoy!

BLACK FOREST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• For the pistachio creme brulee: Put the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine the heavy cream and sugar and bring to a boil over high heat. At the boil, remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly whisk the hot cream mixture into the egg yolks. Mix the pistachio paste into the hot cream/yolk mixture, blending thoroughly. Strain the mixture.
• Pour the creme brulee mixture into a 9-inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan or baking dish and carefully pour hot water into the pan around it, halfway up the sides of the cake pan, to make a water bath. Bake until set and no longer liquid in the center, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check by jiggling the pan very gently; the creme brulee should tremble just slightly. Remove the roasting pan from the oven (but leave the oven on for the cheesecake), remove the cake pan from the water bath, cool the brulee to room temperature and then refrigerate for several hours until cold.
• For the mascarpone cheesecake: In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth. Beat in the whole eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beater between additions. Beat in the egg yolks, followed by the vanilla.
• Pour the mixture into a 9-inch cake pan. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan or baking dish and carefully pour hot water into the pan around it, halfway up the sides of the cake pan, to make a water bath. Bake until the cheesecake is set and no longer liquid in the center, 30 to 45 minutes. Check by jiggling the pan very gently; the cheesecake should tremble just slightly. Turn off the oven and leave the door open. Cool the cheesecake in the oven for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate until firm--preferably overnight.
• For the chocolate tree trunks: Cut the 3-foot wooden dowel into twelve 3-inch lengths. Cut twelve 3-inch squares of aluminum foil. Lay a piece of dowel parallel to one of the edges of a foil square and roll the foil around the dowel. Repeat with the remaining dowels and foil.
• Cut twelve 8-inch squares of plastic wrap. Hold a foil-wrapped dowel by one end. Place the opposite end of the dowel in the center of a square of plastic wrap. Hold the dowel and plastic wrap up so that the plastic drapes over the dowel. Gather the corners of the plastic wrap to enclose the dowel in the plastic. There will be a lot of wrinkles in the plastic. This will give texture to the tree trunks. Twist the ends of the plastic wrap together, or secure the ends of the plastic wrap with tape. Repeat with the remaining dowels and plastic.
• To temper the chocolate, melt 24 ounces of the chocolate in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water fitted with a digital or chocolate tempering thermometer. Heat to 115 to 120 degrees F.
• Remove the bowl of chocolate from the heat and add the remaining 8 ounces of chocolate. Stir until all the added chocolate has melted. The temperature of the chocolate should be below 86 degrees F. If not, allow the chocolate to continue to cool, stirring frequently, until it reaches 85 to 86 degrees F.
• Place the bowl of chocolate over the simmering water again and reheat for a few seconds at a time, stirring well, until the temperature has risen to 87 to 91 degrees F. (Do not allow the temperature of the chocolate to exceed 91 degrees F, or you will have to repeat the procedure from the beginning.) Wipe any moisture from the underside of the bowl before proceeding.
• Use a pastry brush to brush a coating of tempered chocolate onto the bottoms and up the sides of each dowel. Stand the dowels upright on a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil and allow to stand until the chocolate is just set. Apply a second coating of tempered chocolate for added strength. Set aside for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight.
• When ready to unmold, place the chocolate-coated dowels in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Undo the plastic wrap and remove the dowel from each. Hold each tree trunk securely in one hand (wear gloves to avoid fingerprints) and carefully remove the plastic wrap from the insides of the tree trunks.
• To assemble: Place the pistachio creme brulee mixture into a disposable pastry bag and snip a small opening. Pipe about a tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each hollow tree trunk.
• Use a spoon to scrape off the top skin of the cheesecake and carefully scoop the soft cheesecake center into a disposable pastry bag and snip a medium-sized opening. Pipe the cheesecake mixture on top of the pistachio creme brulee in the hollow tree trunks, filling as full as desired.
• Garnish each with a maraschino cherry and chopped toasted nuts if desired.

A WALK IN THE BLACK FOREST

Steps:

• In a 5-quart ice cream freezer, dissolve sugar in mixture of half and half and whipping cream.
• Add salt, vanilla extract, cherry extract, and almond extract.
• Stir well, then freeze in ice cream freezer.
• Remove dasher. Fold in half of the cherries, then half of the brownies, then almonds, followed by remainder of brownies and cherries.
• Freeze to desired consistency.
• Brownie bits: Prepare your favorite recipe of brownies, cool, then chill in refrigerator. Break brownies into small pieces, about 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch. Measure out 4 cups of bits, and return to refrigerator until ready to add to ice cream.