Orange Mousse Chocolate Torte Recipes

Steps:

• In a small saucepan set over medium heat, bring the orange juice to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the sugar, the salt and yolks until smooth. Whisking constantly, add half of the reduced orange juice to the yolk mixture to temper. When it is all incorporated, return the tempered yolk mixture to the pan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula to prevent the eggs from scrambling, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, and the zest. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture and refrigerate until chilled through, at least 5 hours.
• Pour the heavy cream into a medium bowl, and add the vanilla and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream on medium speed just until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes, being careful avoid over-beating. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold half of the whipped cream into the chilled orange mixture. Pour that mixture into the remaining whipped cream and continue to fold until completely incorporated. Divide the mixture among six 3-ounce serving bowls or espresso cups. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, put the gingersnaps in a resealable plastic bag and smash gently with a rolling pin. Sprinkle on top of the mousse, and serve.

Steps:

• Grind orange zest using a mortar and pestle until it forms a smooth paste.
• Combine chocolate, coffee, and orange zest in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and remove from heat. Allow to cool slightly
• Beat egg whites and salt in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form (see Editor's Note).
• Add egg yolks to the slightly cooled chocolate mixture and stir until well combined. Pour over egg whites. Carefully fold together using a spatula until just combined.
• Pour mixture into 10 small dessert glasses or 1 large serving dish. Refrigerate at least 6 hours to overnight.

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the first six ingredients until blended. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and reaches at least 160°. Remove from the heat; stir in melted chocolate until smooth., Pour into dessert dishes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until serving. Garnish with whipped cream and orange peel if desired.

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. Dust it with bread crumbs or cocoa powder. Set aside.
• Place the chopped chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over water over low heat. Bring it to a low simmer. Meanwhile, in a cup or small bowl, dissolve the coffee in the 1/4 cup boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover and cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Let cool slightly. (Alternatively, place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover with a plate or kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Vigorously whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave in 15-second bursts, whisking between, until smooth and fully melted.)
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks at high speed until they are pale, thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat at high speed for 5 minutes more until very thick. Reduce speed to low, and add the vanilla and cooled chocolate, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Wash the whisk attachment and mixing bowl.
• In the mixing bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Gradually, in two or three small additions, gently fold half the egg whites into the chocolate, then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whites just until no whites show. Handling as little as possible, gently reserve about 4 cups of the mousse in a separate medium bowl; cover and refrigerate.
• Transfer the rest of the mousse into the pie plate; it will barely reach the top. Gently level and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, then leave it in the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. (The mousse will rise during baking and then, while cooling, it will sink in the middle, leaving a high rim.) Wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and place in the refrigerator or freezer to chill.
• When the baked mousse is completely cool, remove reserved mousse from refrigerator. Handling as little as possible, transfer the chilled mousse to the center of the baked mousse. Mound it slightly higher in the center, but be careful to handle as little as possible or it will lose the air beaten into it. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Make the whipped cream: In the chilled mixing bowl with the chilled whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla on high speed until it holds a defined shape. Spread over the unbaked part of the mousse, excluding the rim; refrigerate. (Another way of applying the whipped cream: Use a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tube and pipe a lattice pattern over the top of the pie and a border around the edge.) Coarsely grate some semisweet chocolate over the top before serving, if desired. The torte is best eaten the day it's made, but it's not bad the next day.

Steps:

• Make mousse: Put chocolate in a large bowl, and set aside. Heat 1 1/2 cups cream over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan until cream is steaming and small bubbles form on edges.
• Pour cream over chocolate. Stir until mixture is smooth. Let cool completely.
• Put remaining 1 1/2 cups cream and the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream into chocolate mixture, one-third at a time.
• Assemble torte: Line a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on sides. Spread enough mousse (3/4 to 1 cup) over bottom of pan to cover. Arrange 5 cookies on top in a single layer to cover, breaking them to fit as necessary. Spread enough mousse (3/4 to 1 cup) on top to cover; smooth into an even layer. Repeat process with remaining cookies and mousse until pan is full.
• Press plastic wrap directly onto surface, and refrigerate torte until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
• Remove plastic wrap from surface. Invert torte onto a serving plate; unmold, using overhang to coax it out. Remove plastic wrap. Dust with cocoa.

Steps:

• Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in the top of a double boiler or microwave proof bowl with the water and salt.
• Heat until the chocolate is melted in the double boiler or microwave.
• Let cool for 2 minutes.
• Rapidly beat the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture one at a time.
• Beat in the extract, zest, and liqueur.
• In a clean bowl with clean beaters whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.
• Gently but thoroughly fold in the chocolate mixture.
• Pour into a large serving dish or individual bowls or glasses.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• Garnish with the chocolate curls and orange rind twists before serving.

Steps:

• Make ganache:
• Bring cream and butter to a simmer in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan, then reduce heat to low. Whisk in chocolate until smooth and remove from heat. Transfer ganache to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring every 30 minutes, until thickened but spreadable, about 2 hours. (If ganache becomes too stiff, let stand at room temperature until slightly softened.)
• Make cake layers while ganache chills:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter cake pans and line bottom of each with a round of parchment or wax paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour, knocking out excess flour.
• Pulse chestnuts with flour, baking soda, and salt in a food processor until finely ground.
• Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer or about 6 minutes with a handheld. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla (mixture will look a little separated). Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture and sour cream alternately in 3 batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until just combined.
• Divide batter evenly among pans and bake in middle of oven until pale golden and springy to the touch, about 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks, then invert onto racks and remove parchment.
• Make mousse and assemble torte:
• Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth, and stir in Cognac. Transfer to a bowl and chill, covered, stirring occasionally, until thickened to the consistency of softened butter, about 1 hour. (If mixture becomes too stiff, let stand at room temperature until softened.)
• Beat cream in a bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks, then chill, covered, while beginning to assemble torte.
• Put 1 cake layer on cardboard round on a rack set in a shallow baking pan (1 inch deep). Spread 1/2 cup ganache evenly over top of layer and sprinkle with all of chopped marrons glacés. Top marrons glacés with another 1/4 cup ganache and cover with another cake layer.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using cleaned beaters at medium-high speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add sugar and beat at high speed until whites just hold stiff peaks. Stir whipped cream into chocolate Cognac mixture, then stir in one third of whites to lighten. Fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Spoon mousse immediately onto cake layer (it sets quickly), spreading evenly, then top with third cake layer. Chill torte, covered, until mousse layer is firm, about 1 hour. Keep remaining ganache at a spreadable consistency at room temperature, chilling, covered, if it becomes too soft.
• Glaze cake:
• Reserve 1 1/4 cups ganache in a metal bowl, then spread remainder over top and side of torte to seal in crumbs. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Set bowl of reserved ganache over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until ganache reaches a pourable consistency. Remove bowl from heat and cool 5 minutes. Pour ganache evenly over top of torte, making sure it coats all of side. Shake rack gently to smooth glaze (let excess drip into baking pan). Transfer cake on cardboard to a cake stand or plate using 2 large heavy metal spatulas and chill until set. Garnish just before serving.

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend first 4 ingredients in processor until nuts are coarsely chopped. Add melted butter and blend until moist crumbs form. Press nut mixture onto bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Bake crust until golden, about 8 minutes. Freeze while preparing mousse.
• Make mousse:
• Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering water (do not allow bowl to touch water). Whisk until candy thermometer registers 170°F, about 4 minutes. Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat yolk mixture until cool and thick, about 6 minutes. Beat in liqueur.
• Beat 2 cups cream and orange peel in bowl to stiff peaks. Fold in yolk mixture. Pour mousse into crust. Cover and freeze overnight. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead; keep frozen.)
• Cut around pan sides to loosen torte. Release pan sides. Transfer torte to platter. If desired, spoon lightly sweetened whipped cream into pastry bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe rosettes of cream around top edge of torte; place orange triangles between rosettes. Garnish with whole pistachio nuts. Cut torte into wedges. Serve with Boysenberry Sauce.

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat whipping cream at medium speed just until stiff peaks form.
• In double boiler or in bowl set over saucepan, melt chocolate over simmering water. Pour melted chocolate into whipped cream; fold chocolate into cream (do not overmix; mixture can have a few streaks). Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.