Daring Bakers: Chocolate Valentino & Rose Gelato

The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE's blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

I get it, most people I've tried to encourage rose flavor on have said, no thanks, it just tastes like soap. So Americans aren't into rose as a tongue experience. But, rose flavor to me means Paris. La Vie en Rose, and all that aside (though I do love that song), the first time I had rose as a flavor was in Paris. We had just toured Sacre Coeur, and at the bottom of Montmartre we stopped to get lunch. Something "traditional" I think, but I don't remember. And then, just down the way was a gelateria. I got rose flavored thinking, well it couldn't hurt to try. It was perfect. Yes, it tasted like perfume, but not in a bad way. It tastes like summer, and small winding streets, and natural elegance. It tastes like a fabulous daydream. It makes you want to never go back to your paper pushing desk job again, but give it all up to become a painter. Well, I guess there are a lot of things that make us want that last one, but rose in particular.


We were asked to pair the cake with a homemade icecream of some sort. What would go better with a decadent, rich, flourless chocolate cake than rose gelato? And it was divine. The cake is best made the day before. Day one it is "egg-y", but day two it sets up so thick and fabulous. As our hosts directed, we have to use a high quality chocolate, because that's really all you're going to taste in the end. I bought a new bag of Callebaut dark chocolate. Though the bag didn't say, I think it must have been their lowest % cocoa solid chocolate, the Otovalo. So smooth and heavenly. I kept sticking my finger in the melted chocolate while it was cooling - I couldn't help myself. And I can normally help myself with chocolate. I don't like M&Ms, Hershey bars, or generic chocolate chips (ie, American chocolate). But good quality chocolate like this is a whole new story.

PS, Picasa is my new favorite toy. So much fun with picture collages!


Chocolate Valentino
from Sweet Treats by Chef Wan
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.


Rose Gelato
adapted from David Lebovitz


2 c whole milk
1/3 c sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 c Rose syrup

1. Make a slurry by mixing the 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch, mixing until the starch is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

2. Heat the rest of the milk in a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar.

3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

5. Once chilled, whisk in the pistachio paste and just a few drops of citrus juice until smooth.

6. Freeze the gelato in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions