Chocolate Bavarian Cream, or, the DDH Cooks

As promised, here is the recipe for the chocolate Bavarian cream the Darling Devoted Husband was inspired to make on Sunday. We took this recipe we found online and added chocolate to it. Luckily, it turned out ok!

 

In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tbs. unflavored gelatin (you can find this near the Jell-O at the supermarket) and 1/2 cup cold water. Set aside to soften:

Separate four egg yolks from the whites. The DDH was intimidated by this idea, but it's really very simple. Over a bowl or the sink, crack an egg and pour it into your hand:

 

 

Part of the white will fall away; pass the yolk carefully back and forth from hand to hand and the rest of the white will slip off. You'll feel it detach from the yolk and fall away. It's pretty cool. If the recipe calls for yolks and not whites, I save the egg whites to cook and eat for breakfast. Egg whites are high in protein, but the yolk of the egg contains pretty much all the cholesterol, so it's a somewhat healthier way to eat eggs. Of course, the yolk also contains pretty much all the flavor, so you may wish to season your whites differently than a whole egg.

Whisk together your 4 egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, and a pinch salt until smooth:

 

 

At this point, we added some cocoa powder (I don't remember how much; a teaspoon or so):

In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of milk to a boil:

While the milk was heating up, the DDH chopped up about a cup of chocolate chips:

 

 

Obviously using better chocolate would improve the taste, but these worked. Stir the chocolate into the egg yolk misture:

 

 

Once the milk boils:

 

 

stir a small amount into the egg yolk mixture:

 

 

then stir the egg yolk mixture into the hot milk until well blended:

 

 

Whisk in the softened gelatin and 1 tsp. vanilla:

 

Run through a strainer:

And allow to cool:

 

 

When the mixture has cooled almost to room temperature, whip 2 cups heavy cream:

 

 

to medium stiffness:

 

 

and fold the chocolate mixture into it:

 

 

Refrigerate until ready to use. It will eventually stiffen into sort of the texture of Jell-O pudding. It tastes delicious on a warm brownie, which the DDH made the next day (from a mix, but a delicious Trader Joe's Chocolate Truffle Brownie mix I imported from New Mexico). 

 

We brought the brownies and chocolate cream to his mother's house on Monday for Labor Day dinner, and everyone kept thanking me for the lovely dessert, which rather irritated the DDH, as he actually had made it all himself (except separating the egg yolks and being told what "fold into" means). I'm so proud! ^_^

For some reason he hasn't taken over making dinner, though...^_~