As Seen On “Good Day New York”!

Mamiverse Executive Chef Daisy Martinez’ appears on “Good Day New York” May 10th  to provide viewers with a triple-delight of Mothers Day treats!  Here are her exquisite recipes for you to enjoy:  Chocolate Mousse with Cookie Crumbles, Cherry Cordial Bread Pudding, and Flourless Chocolate Chili Cake.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH COOKIE CRUMBLES/TIERRITA DULCE

These adorable desserts, which look like little potted flowers, are all the rage now in Puerto Rico. The “earth” is a rich chocolate mousse topped with dark chocolate cookie crumbs—an edible flower (or candy flower from a specialty baking store) poking out of the soil completes the illusion.

Makes 6 to 8 servings (depending on the size of the pots)

Prep Time: 45 minutes (plus 2 to 24 hours of chilling)

Ingredients:

One 12-ounce bag bittersweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 ½ tablespoons instant espresso powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

3 extra-large eggs, separated

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 packages of Oreo Crisps chocolate cookies, crushed

6 to 8 edible flowers, with stems if possible or candy flowers from a bakery supply shop

Instructions:

1. Mix chocolate chips, rum, espresso powder, vanilla, salt, and ½ cup water in a large heatproof bowl.
2. Set over a pot of simmering water and whisk until melted.
3. Set aside.
4.  In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the egg yolks with ½ cup of the sugar until pale yellow and fluffy and you can see the bottom of the bowl as you beat, about 2 minutes.
5. Fold about 1/3 of the chocolate mixture into the yolks with a rubber spatula, then fold the egg mix into the chocolate remaining in the bowl.
6.  Set aside.
7. Wash the beaters and bowl thoroughly and dry them.
8. Beat the egg whites with the remaining ½ cup sugar until they hold soft peaks when the beaters are lifted from them.
9. Fold 1/3 of the whites into the chocolate mixture with a rubber spatula.
10. Once incorporated, fold the remaining whites into the chocolate mixture.
11. In a clean bowl, beat the cream until it holds firm peaks.
12. Fold the cream into the chocolate mixture one-third at a time using a rubber spatula.
13. Divide the mousse among 8 food-safe flower pots (see Note) or dessert cups.
14. Chill at least 2 hours or up to one day.
15. Put the cookies in a heavy sealable plastic bag.
16. Whack them with a rolling pin into coarse pieces, then roll until fine crumbs.
17. Top each dish of mousse with crumbled chocolate cookies to resemble “soil”.
18. Finish with edible flowers.  Standing them straight up by inserting the stems into the mousse.

Note:

Food-safe pots are available in specialty bakeware shops and online at www.kingarthurflour.com.

CHERRY CORDIAL BREAD PUDDING

Bread puddings were always reserved for celebrations—not just in PR, but all around the Caribbean. That was certainly the case when I was growing up and watching abuela in the kitchen. (For extra-special occasions, we’d add a whole can of fruit cocktail to the mix!) This very simple recipe features a chocolate custard teamed up with two of chocolate’s long-time friends: cinnamon and cherries. It has all the appeal of one of those ‘cherry cordial’ candies (sweet cherry in a liqueur-flavored syrup encased in dark chocolate). Be sure to give the bread enough soaking time so the chocolaty custard penetrates all the way to the center of the bread cubes. (Break a bread cube open to check.)

Makes 12 generous servings.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

One (10-inch) loaf challah bread, cut (crusts and all) into ¾-inch cubes (about 12 cups; see Notes)

6 cups heavy cream

12 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons rum

1 (11 1/2-ounce) bag bittersweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup dried cherries (about 5 ounces)

Instructions:

1. Using the butter, grease an 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

2. Beat 2 cups of the cream with the eggs, sugar, and rum in a large bowl until smooth. Heat the remaining 4 cups of cream in a medium saucepan until the edges are bubbling. Remove from the heat, add the bittersweet and semisweet chocolates, let stand a minute, then whisk until smooth.

3. Slowly pour the chocolate cream into the cream-egg mixture, whisking continuously until the two are blended. Add the bread, turn gently to coat with the chocolate cream let stand until the bread soaks up as much of the cream mixture as it will, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how stale your bread is.

4. While the bread is soaking, preheat the oven to 350 F.

5. Stir the cherries into the custard mix. Pour the pudding mixture into the prepared pan. Bake until the edges are set and the center jiggles a little when you wiggle the pan, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool at least thirty minutes before serving warm or cool completely and serve at room temp. The pudding is best eaten before refrigeration.

Notes:

Day-old bread is best for this. It will soak up more chocolaty cream and, as an added bonus, will be easier to cut into cubes.The bread pudding is best eaten warm or room temperature without ever having seen the inside of a refrigeratorRefrigerated bread pudding just won’t have that same creamy-custardy texture, but leftovers will still be quite delicious. If you would like to warm them, do so gently, wrapped in aluminum foil on a baking sheet in a 250 F oven.