Marquise au Chocolat : TWD

This week at Tuesdays With Dorie (TWD), we are making a French chocolate dessert, Marquise au Chocolat. According to Dorie, traditionally the marquise is packed into a loaf pan, frozen and then slice just before serving. Or can even be made in mini loaf pans or small ramekins. A practical dessert to make, which can be made weeks in advance, keeps well in the freezer.

This recipe uses egg yolks that are not cooked, Dorie has advised that it's important to use very fresh eggs, preferably organic and/or from a trusted local source. I do not like to use raw eggs in desserts, and was wondering on a good substitute for that. I've decided to use cream cheese, as that was what I have used before for making ice cream, and this marquise is a frozen chocolate mousse dessert, pretty close to ice cream to me!  

I made half a recipe as I wasn't sure how it would turn out by using cream cheese, and do not want to waste an expensive bar of dark chocolate, just in case it did not turn out well at all. I use four mini ramekins and ended up using an extra medium ramekin. 

This is how I made the Marquise au Chocolat :

Firstly, I line the base of the ramekins with cut-out plastic sheet, leaving the sides bare. 

Melt the chocolate with butter in a bowl over simmering water, just until both the butter and chocolate has melted and the mixture is thick and velvety. Transfer bowl to counter and let cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese (at room temperature) with the sugar until light and fluffy. I use 20 gram of cream cheese to substitute for each egg yolk. 

Stir the cream cheese mixture into the melted chocolate.

Stir to combine gently.

Whip the heavy cream with sugar until it holds firm soft peak. Spoon it into the choclate mixture and stir gently to combine. Spoon the mousse into the ramekins and cover the ramekins with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 6 hours.

 

The frozen Marquise au Chocolat. It is very easy to unmould. Simply place the ramekin into a bowl of warm water for a few seconds, and turn the marquise out onto a serving plate. 

I tested one on the next day, and it was hard frozen solid! So I remove all the marquise out from the freezer and place them in the refrigerator to soften them a little. About forty minutes later, I tested one which seems to have softened slightly, but I would prefer them to be a little softer. I left the rest in the refrigerator overnight and the next day, the marquise has softened but this time with a soft but firm texture. 

My daughter loves it! It is a little too rich for me, and could only finished a small serving. It is very rich (butter, chocolate, cream and cream cheese!!!), and really, really chocolaty! The taste of the dark chocolate really shines through. This dessert keeps really well, chilled in the refrigerator for a few days. 

Drop by TWD to see other bakers take on this French frozen chocolate mousse.

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I'm sharing this post with Little Thumbs Up February 2015 : Cocoa, organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids and Doreen of my little favourite D.I.Y and hosted by Grace of Life Can Be Simple.