Mocha Custards Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325F. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a tea kettle or saucepan.
• 2. In medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine milk, sugar, cocoa, and coffee granules. Cook and stir just until sugar, cocoa and coffee are dissolved. DO NOT BOIL. Let cool slightly.
• 3. In a medium bowl gradually whisk milk mixture into eggs. Add vanilla.
• 4. Place six 6-ounce custard cups or ramekins in a rectangular baking dish. Divide egg mixture evenly among the 6 cups.
• 5. Place baking dish on oven rack and carefully pour boiling water around the custard cups into the baking dish, about 1-inch deep.
• 6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• 7. Remove cups from baking dish and cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes.
• 8. Serve warm, of if you want them chilled, cool 1 hour on rack and then chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
• 9. If desired, top with whipped topping of your choice.

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:

• 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:

• 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:

• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; bake 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack and let cool slightly. Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Heat 4 cups whole milk, 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan over medium until hot but not bubbling. Stir in almonds. Transfer to a liquid-measuring cup and let steep, covered, in refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days. (The longer the mixture steeps, the more flavor the blancmange will have.)
• Fill a 4- to 4 1/2-cup or two 2- to 2 1/2-cup molds with ice water. Rinse a large piece of heavy-duty cheesecloth (if thin, use a double layer) in hot water; wring as dry as possible. Place a sieve over a bowl, line sieve with prepared cheesecloth, and pour in almond mixture. Let almond milk drip through 30 minutes, then carefully gather up ends of cheesecloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Almond milk should be smooth; if any pieces of almond pass through, strain through a very fine sieve. Discard cinnamon sticks. Pour almond milk into a large liquid-measuring cup (you should have at least 3 cups) and add enough of the remaining 1 cup whole milk to make 4 cups liquid.
• In a medium saucepan, combine cream and 1 cup almond milk. Sprinkle gelatin over top; let stand until softened, 5 minutes. Heat almond-milk mixture over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until gelatin is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir gelatin mixture into remaining almond milk in measuring cup. Remove ice water from mold but do not dry mold (this will make the blancmange easier to unmold later). Strain almond-milk mixture through a sieve into mold to fill. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto surface to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until firm, about 6 hours or overnight.
• To unmold, quickly dip mold into a hot-water bath to loosen pudding from mold, or use a hot wet towel that has been wrung out. Place a serving platter over mold and quickly invert. Jiggle to loosen; remove mold. Serve with currants, if desired.