Johnny Iuzzinis Simple Syrup Recipes

SIMPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• In a saucepan, boil sugar and water over medium-high heat until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.

CHOCOLATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
• Whip whites and sugar together in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Sift together cocoa and powdered sugar. Fold the dry ingredients into the meringue when it has reached full volume. Then fold in the cocoa nibs. Spread the chocolate meringue onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan, sprayed with nonstick spray, about 1/4-inch thick.
• Bake for about 1 hour or until the meringue is hard and completely dried out.

JOHNNY IUZZINI'S CHOCOLATE SOUP

Steps:

• For the Cocoa Puffs:
• Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, or melt in a double boiler. Roll the Cocoa Puffs in the chocolate, coating them completely. Lift them out with a fork, letting the excess chocolate drip off, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Store in a cool place.
• For the Chocolate Soup (makes about 4 1/2 cups):
• Put 1 cup of the milk in a small saucepan with the juniper berries. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the juniper infuse for 25 minutes. Have the chopped chocolate ready in a heatproof bowl, and, remember, the finer you've chopped the chocolate, the better.
• Bring the milk back to a boil, then strain into a measuring cup. Add some of the remaining 3 cups milk, if needed, to make 1 cup. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate, let it sit for a moment, then whisk to melt the chocolate and make an emulsion.
• Pour in the rest of the cold milk, and froth the soup with an immersion blender. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
• For the Devon Foam:
• Whisk the heavy cream and Devon cream together in a bowl until thick. Whisk in the milk, then froth with an immersion blender (add additional milk if you need to). Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
• To Serve:
• Thin the chocolate soup with some cold milk if it's too thick to sip, and froth it again with an immersion blender.
• Divide the soup among sixteen small glasses (for tasting portions) or among eight coffee cups. Drop in a few of the Cocoa Puffs, then spoon on a layer of the Devon foam. Top with a few more Cocoa Puffs.

JOHNNY IUZZINI'S MERINGUE MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
• Place egg whites, sugar, and lemon juice in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, and whisk constantly while rotating the bowl until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm. Attach bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until stiff peaks are formed, about 10 minutes.
• Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. Transfer meringue to pastry bag. To create mushroom stems, pipe meringue in an upwards motion onto the prepared baking sheet, applying even pressure until you have a strip of meringue about 1 inch in length with a point at one end and a flat side at the other. To create mushroom caps, hold the pastry tip about 1/4 inch above the prepared baking sheet and apply pressure to the bag until a 3/4-inch round is formed. Continue making stems and caps as desired, making sure to reserve about 1/4 cup meringue for attaching the stems to the caps.
• Dust mushroom caps with cocoa powder. Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake until meringue is firm, about 1 hour.
• Using a small paring knife, make a tiny incision in the center of the flat underside of the mushroom caps. Pipe a tiny bit of reserved meringue. Place the caps over the pointed ends of the stems, return mushrooms to baking sheet and continue to bake until meringue is hard and completely dry, about 2 hours. Store in a covered container at room temperature.