Mocha Custard Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Combine crushed crackers and 2 tablespoons sugar with melted butter. Using the bottom of a glass, press cracker mixture onto bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Bake until set, 12-15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack., Meanwhile, mix cold water and coffee granules until blended. Sprinkle gelatin over coffee mixture; let stand 5 minutes. Microwave chocolate chips and 1/4 cup cream on high until chips are melted; stir until smooth. Stir gelatin into chocolate mixture until smooth. Cool slightly. , Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining cream. Beat in chocolate mixture until blended. Transfer filling to crust. Refrigerate, covered, until set, about 2 hours., If desired, drizzle with caramel and chocolate syrups.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water, let soften 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring cream to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; whisk in sugar and espresso powder until dissolved, about 1 minutes. Whisk in chocolate until melted (be careful not to let it burn), about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Whisk softened gelatin into cream mixture until gelatin has dissolved about 1 minute. Stir in milk and salt. Strain into a large liquid measuring cup (for easy pouring). Divide evenly among six 6-ounce coffee cups or custard cups. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours.

Steps:

• Place milk and cream in a 4-cup measure. Cook, uncovered, at 100 percent power in a high-power oven with a carousel for 2 minutes.
• While milk is cooking, whisk together eggs and sugar in a medium bowl. Combine cocoa and coffee in a small bowl.
• Remove milk from oven and pour into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Whisk in Irish Cream.
• Stir a scant tablespoon of the custard mixture into the cocoa and coffee to form a smooth paste. Scrape the cocoa mixture back into the custard and whisk until well combined.
• Pour into 1/2-cup ramekins and skim any foam from the top of each. Place cups, evenly spaced, around the carousel. Cook, uncovered, at 50 percent power for 6 minutes. Custard will still be partly liquid.
• Remove from oven. Let stand, covered with a towel, for 15 minutes. Refrigerate until firm and well chilled.

Steps:

• Stir only 1/2 c sugar in a heavy skillet over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until melted and golden brown.
• Remove from heat.
• Pour into 6 custard cups, coating the bottoms well. Set aside.
• Use the same skillet to combine remaining 1/2 c sugar, milk, chocolate, salt and cofee crystals, heating till chocolate is melted and sugar dissolves. Cool.
• Beat cooled milk misture with eggs and liqueur and pour into custard cups.
• Place cups into a 9" x 13" pan, pour 1" hot water into pan, and bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes.
• Cool, then refrigerate until serving time.
• Loosen edges with knife, invert onto plates and garnish with whipped cream.

Steps:

• Make custard:
• Beat together yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt in a bowl with an electric mixer until thick and pale, about 1 minute. Heat milk in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat until hot but not boiling. Add one third of hot milk to yolk mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour remainder of milk into yolk mixture, whisking, then transfer to saucepan. Simmer, whisking constantly, until very thick, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add chocolate, liqueur, butter, and espresso powder. Let stand until chocolate is melted, about 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Force custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover surface of custard with wax paper and chill until cold, at least 4 hours.
• Make tartlet shells while custard chills:
• Pulse together flour, sugar, salt, butter, egg, and vanilla in a food processor until dough is smooth and begins to form a ball (it will be soft, like cookie dough). Turn out dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and gather into a ball. Flatten dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours (overnight).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Break off 1-teaspoon pieces of dough and press evenly into molds with floured fingers to form shells about 1/16 inch thick, pinching off excess from rim and making bottoms slightly thinner than sides. Arrange molds 1 inch apart in a shallow baking pan and chill until dough is firm again, about 30 minutes.
• Bake in middle of oven, rotating pan halfway through baking, until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer molds to a rack to cool, then carefully remove shells from molds. Make more tartlet shells in same manner if desired.
• Assemble tartlets:
• Fill pastry bag with custard and pipe decoratively into shells.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Place 4 small custard cups in a 3 quart rectangular baking dish and set aside.
• Start water so it is boiling when needed.
• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, cocoa powder, sugar and coffee.
• Cook over low heat until the coffee and cocoa dissolve, stirring continuously to avoid scorching. Remove from heat.
• In a medium bowl, combine egg product and vanilla extract.
• Gradually add hot milk mixture and stir to combine.
• Pour egg and milk mixture into custard cups.
• Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish around the custard cups to a depth of about 1 inch.
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes until set and a knife inserted in center of custard comes out clean.
• Remove baking dish from oven and remove custard cups from the baking dish.
• Let custard cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2-24 hours. To serve, top each with a Tbsp of whipped cream and dust lightly with cocoa powder. Garnish each with a coffee bean.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Arrange six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Using wooden spoon, stir sugar, yolks, liqueur and vanilla extract in medium bowl to blend well. Stir half and half, chocolate and coffee powder in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until chocolate melts and mixture just comes to simmer. Very gradually stir hot mixture into yolk mixture. Strain custard into spouted measuring cup; pour custard into dishes.
• Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of dishes. Bake custards until just set in center when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes. Transfer custards to rack; cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate until very cold, about 4 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) Top custards with whipped cream and coffee bean candies and serve.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water, let soften 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and place over low heat. Add sugar, chocolate, espresso powder, and salt. Whisk until chocolate has melted, espresso powder is dissolved, and mixture is well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk in milk and strain mixture into a large measuring cup (for easy pouring). Divide evenly among six 6-ounce coffee cups or custard cups. Refrigerate until set, at least 3 hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Steps:

• Make the mocha buttercream: Combine espresso powder and hot water in a small bowl; stir until espresso dissolves. Heat egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water, whisking until whites are warm to the touch and sugar dissolves, 2 to 3 minutes. (Mixture should feel smooth when rubbed between 2 fingers.) Whisk egg-white mixture with a mixer on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and mixture cools completely, about 10 minutes.
• Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter, a few tablespoons at a time, whisking well after each addition. Switch to the paddle attachment, and reduce speed to low. Beat in espresso mixture and melted chocolate until smooth, then beat to reduce air bubbles, 3 to 5 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until ready to use.
• Make the mocha pastry cream: Prepare an ice-water bath. Combine espresso powder and hot water in a small bowl; stir until espresso dissolves. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and 1/4 cup sugar in medium bowl.
• Bring remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the milk, vanilla seeds, cornstarch, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Remove from heat, and gradually whisk one-third of hot-milk mixture into egg mixture. Whisk entire mixture back into saucepan. Raise heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Cook, continuing to whisk, until mixture is thick enough to hold its shape when lifted with a spoon, about 3 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time. Whisk in espresso mixture and chopped chocolate until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, pressing it directly on surface to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to ice-water bath; let stand until cooled, about 30 minutes. Refrigerate until chilled and firm, at least 2 hours.

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with vegetable oil spray. Wrap outside of pan tightly with double layer of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind cookies and walnuts in processor. Add melted butter; process to blend. Press mixture firmly onto bottom (not sides) of pan. Chill crust while making filling.
• Make filling:
• Bring whipping cream, milk and 1/3 cup water to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Whisk in cocoa powder, chocolate liqueur, espresso powder and vanilla extract.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until well blended. Add 4 whole eggs 1 at a time, then 2 yolks, beating well after each addition and occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Gradually add hot cream-cocoa mixture and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
• Bake tart until custard moves just slightly in center when pan is gently shaken and tester inserted into center comes out with some custard still attached, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Cool tart in pan on rack. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Make ganache:
• Bring first 4 ingredients to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and vanilla extract; whisk until chocolate is melted and smooth. Let ganache stand until slightly cooled but still pourable, about 10 minutes.
• Run small knife around pan sides to loosen tart. Remove pan sides. Place tart on platter. Pour ganache atop tart. Using thin metal spatula, spread ganache evenly over top of tart, being careful not to allow ganache to drip down sides. Using icing comb or tines of fork, make decorative concentric circles in wave pattern in ganache. Garnish top of tart with chocolate coffee bean candies, if desired. Refrigerate until ganache is softly set, about 15 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes before serving.) Cut tart into wedges; serve.