WetLeather Recipe Database - food for bikers

Name:	Death By Chocolate	Contributor:	Lee Hart
Description:	Completely insane, labor-intensive chocolate THING	Posted:	1999-10-24
Key words:	chocolate, DOA, heart attack	Category:	Desserts
ID:	377	Updated:	2005-11-26 22:16:21
Ingredients:	Cocoa Meringue Chocolate Mousse Simply The Best Chocolate Brownie Chocolate Ganache Mocha Mousse Mocha Rum Sauce
Preparation:	Prepare the Meringue. While the Meringue is baking, prepare the Chocolate Mousse and mix up the Brownie batter. Once the Meringue is out of the oven, raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and when it arrives there, bake the Brownie. Prepare the Ganache and the Mocha Mousse. To assemble Death By Chocolate, place a closed 9 by 3 inch springform pan on a baking sheet. Set the top half of the chocolate brownie inside the pan, top side up. Ladle 1-1/2 cups of ganache into the pan over the chocolate brownie. Trim the cocoa meringue with a serrated knife so that it will fit tightly into the pan. Place the trimmed cocoa meringue, top side up, inside the pan on top of the ganache, pressing down gently on the cocoa meringue to eliminate air pockets. Spoon the mocha mousse on top of the cocoa meringue, spreading evenly. Place the remaining chocolate brownie half, bottom side up, on top of the mocha mousse. Chill the cake in the freezer for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove the cake from the freezer and cut around the edges to release from the springform pan. Pour the remaining ganache over the cake and use a cake spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10 to 15 minutes to set the ganache. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large stay tip with the chocolate mousse. Pipe a circle of stars (each touching the other) along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Continue to pipe out circles of stars until the top of the cake is covered. Refrigerate the Death By Chocolate for at least 4 hours, and preferably 12 hours, before cutting and serving. Prepare the Mocha Rum Sauce (the sauce can be prepared just prior to service or several hours in advance). To serve, cut the Death By Chocolate into the desired number of servings. Heat the blade of a serrated slicer under running hot water before slicing into the cake. Repeat this procedure after cutting each slice. Before placing the cake slice in the 10 inch diameter plates, flood the base of each plate with 3 to 4 tablespoons Mocha Rum Sauce, then place a piece of Death By Chocolate in the center of each plate. Serve immediately.
Notes:	Copied without permission from "Death by Chocolate: The Last Word on a Consuming Passion" by Marcel Desaulniers, Michael Grand (Photographer). ISBN: 0847815641 I highly recommend this book. This cake takes a LONG time to prepare (the recipe says to plan on 10 hours, and I would say to plan on 12. Making the 2 cakes took me 14 hours or so, more if you include shopping time.). If you want a significant chocolate dose but don't want to invest the time, make the Simply The Best Chocolate Brownie and prepare the Mocha Rum Sauce while the brownie is cooking. Also, most people will need to visit the looking cooking shop to get all of the tools necessary to make this. Plan for this. Having multiple bowls and whips for your KitchenAid mixer is also highly recommended. I'm glad Martin & Carol did; when I last made it, I didn't and regretted it. The Chef's Touch (Chef's notes) It is best to start work on this cake very early in the day if it is to be served that evening. Death By Chocolate can be held for 2 to 3 days under refrigeration, but it is at its best served within 24 hours of completion. The preparation of all of the chocolate components for this cake might seem overwhelming, but if the production is spread out over a period of 3 days, it is manageable. DAY 1: Prepare the chocolate brownie, and keep refrigerated until the cake assembly. DAY 2: Bake the cocoa meringue, and store in a dry place at room temperature (between 68 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit). Prepare the Mocha Rum Sauce, refrigerating until 2 hours before service, then bring to room temperature. DAY 3: Prepare the chocolate mousse (this mousse must be refrigerated for a minimum of 2 hours before assembling the cake), mocha mousse, and ganache. Assemble the cake. Be certain that the meringue completely fills the traced circle. If the meringue is not large enough the sides of the cake will be uneven. Do not be concerned if the meringue slightly overlaps the circle; any excess can be trimmed off after the meringue has been baked. Baked meringues are very brittle: Handle with care. Use a very sharp serrated knife to trim the meringue; otherwise, the meringue will break apart. If the ganache solidifies, place the bowl with the ganache in a pan of hot water and stir until the texture is correct for pouring. Use several toothpicks inserted in the sides of the chocolate brownie as guides to accurately halve the brownie horizontally. If you must have bad news, I have saved it for last: Each slice of Death By Chocolate contains 1,354 calories.
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