Jacques Torress Chocolate Spirals Recipes

JACQUES TORRES'S CHOCOLATE SPIRALS

Steps:

• Place a tall glass container and a bottle of vodka in the freezer overnight.
• Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Transfer melted chocolate to a piping bag fitted with a small round pastry tip.
• Fill frozen glass container two-thirds full with frozen vodka. Drizzle chocolate into the vodka. The more you move the pastry bag, the more organic the spiral. The chocolate will set instantly. Using 2 wooden skewers, remove the chocolate spiral to a parchment-lined baking sheet; let dry until ready to use. The spirals may be used to decorate cakes and cupcakes.

JACQUES TORRES'S SECRET CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
• Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE SPIRAL COOKIES

Steps:

• For the Plain Dough: Using a sharp knife, slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Separate the seeds from the outside skin by scraping the blade of the knife along the inside of the bean. Place the vanilla bean seeds, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and orange zest in a medium-sized mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Combine the baking powder, salt, and flour and add to the butter mixture all at once. Beat on low speed just until combined, about 1 minute. Do not overmix the dough or it will become tough. Remove the dough from the bowl. Form it into a 4 by-9-inch rectangle, wrap in plastic, and place in the refrigerator. For the Chocolate Dough: Repeat the exact same procedure as for the plain dough, combining the cocoa powder with the flour and adding it to the butter mixture.
• Let each dough rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. (I prefer to make the dough a day in advance and let it rest overnight.) Overnight, all of the flavors (orange, vanilla, chocolate, butter) mature and the flour and butter absorb the flavor of the cocoa. The next day, the chocolate dough will be darker in color.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. It will be hard, so give it a few quick raps with a rolling pin to make it easier to roll. Lightly flour both sides of each dough. Roll both doughs into a 7 by 6-inch rectangle about 1/8-inch thick. Place one rectangle on top of the other and roll it out to an 8 by 20-inch rectangle. Brush the rectangle with a thin coat of water to help the dough stick to itself. Roll the dough into a cylinder that is 20 inches long and 1 1/2 to 1 3/4-inches in diameter. Cut the cylinder into 1/2-inch thick round slices. Lay the cookies, cut side down, on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes and cool on a wire rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

EASY CHOCOLATE CAKE - JACQUES TORRES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Tightly wrap outside of 10-inch diameter springform pan with 3 sheets of heavy-duty foil. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Spray inside of pan with nonstick spray.
• Combine both chocolates in double boiler over simmering water. Stir until just melted. Remove from over water.
• Bring 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup plus 2 T water to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and syrup forms. Gradually whisk hot syrup into into melted chocolate (mixture may look curdled). Add butter; whisk to blend.
• Using electric mixer, beat eggs and 1/2 cup sugar in bowl to blend well, about 2 minutes. Using rubber spatula, gently fold egg mixture into warm chocolate mixture. Transfer batter to prepared pan (batter will come halfway up sides).
• Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of cake pan.
• Bake cake until wooden skewer inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Remove cake pan from water. Remove foil; cool completely on rack.
• Cut around cake sides to loosen. Remove pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Dust with cocoa powder and serve.