Gosh, I get so tired of computer problems. I tried to save all the copy for this post, pushed “Save Draft” button and everything disappeared. All I was left with was an error message and a few photographs. Oh well…here goes another try. 😥 Not a good way to start the day.
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This is one of my favorite recipes handed down to me from my mom. Most of her recipes are from scratch…there wasn’t much choice back in the 1950’s and ’60’s…and many of her recipes are versatile and can be adapted to many different uses. Molded desserts and salads were so popular back then and a week seldom went by that we didn’t have a molded jello and fruit salad for dessert. I had several sets of molds when I was first married…every bride did…but they long since disappeared and when I wanted to make this dessert I had to look for new ones. Apparently most stores haven’t carried them for ages and I had to resort to the internet to find what I was looking for…at probably ten times what my mother paid years ago. I was able to find the exact molds she used plus several others that were popular in the old days.
CHOCOLATE BAVARIAN CREAM is a luxuriously rich dessert with a deep chocolate flavor and silky texture. It is perfect all by itself, garnished with a dab of whipped cream and fruit, and it makes the most delicious chocolate pie you can imagine. I have used it as a filling in cake as well. The pattern in the molds doesn’t show as much as I would have liked, but I quickly forgot that when I tasted this heavenly dessert.
When you make a recipe like this use the best chocolate you can find. When I was in Provence last May I was fortunate to visit Valrhona’s Chocolate Boutique in Tournon and had the opportunity to sample and purchase a variety of chocolates. The art of chocolate making is serious business at Valrhona (Valley of the Rhone) where you will find the Ecole du Grand Chocolate, a school for professional chefs. I used a 61% bar in this recipe and it was perfect for my taste…lots of chocolate flavor with no bitterness. The percentage on chocolate bar labels is the percentage of cocoa that was used to make the chocolate. 85% is very dark chocolate and is quite bitter and actually the healthiest of chocolates. Milk chocolate contains approximately 20% cocoa. Making fine chocolate is very serious business and if you would like to know a bit more about it you can find information HERE. Take a look if you have a minute. Most of us love chocolate and knowing the complexity of the process helps me appreciate it more. If you have the opportunity to visit this store you have to go there. They are so generous and you can taste ALL of their chocolates. It was overwhelming and I hope to get back there one day.
There are wonderful recipes for molded salads and desserts in my mom’s files and I’m going to share many of them in the coming months. They are a beautiful addition to holiday buffets and I especially like that I can make them ahead of time. It’s fun to serve something different and the ingredient combinations are endless. I love sharing my mom and grandmother’s treasured recipes and hope that you will find some that you and your family enjoy.
This post is linked to FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm.
- 5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
- ¼ ounce unflavored gelatin ( 1 envelope)
- ¼ cup water
- 3 large egg yolks
- 5 tablespoons superfine sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Put ¼ cup of water in small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it.
- Place the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk lightly. Add the sugar and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the milk into a saucepan and bring just to a boil.
- Gradually whisk the hot milk into the yolks.
- Then return the mixture to the saucepan.
- Cook the custard over medium-low heat, scraping the bottom of the pan constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook the custard sauce until it reaches 165°F.to 170°F on an instant read thermometer (Another test method is to dip a metal spoon into the custard. Run your finger down the middle of the custard, and if the trail stays it's ready).
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave.
- Stir the softened gelatin into the custard, whisking until the gelatin is dissolved.
- Whisk the custard into the chocolate. Pour the mixture into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Do not refrigerate at this point or you won't be able to fold in the whipped cream.
- While the custard is cooling, pour cream into a chilled bowl and beat to soft peaks.
- Oil molds with vegetable oil. Use 6 small 5 oz. molds or one 3-1/2 cup mold.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the custard and pour into the oiled mold.
- To serve: Unmold the Bavarian cream a short time before serving. Garnish with your choice of whipped cream, grated chocolate, orange, raspberries or other fruit.
- Be very careful when whisking the hot milk into the yolks. If you put too much hot liquid too quickly into the yolks, you will have scrambled eggs. Just pour in a small amount at first.If you see any bits of cooked egg strain the mixture through a medium sieve.
Oh Cathy, does this look tasty! I too had jello molds when I first got married….and, I actually have a few still hiding in the back of the cupboard….I must give this dessert a try. Thanks for sharing your mom’s treasured recipes!
Kate recently posted..Shrimp and Pasta Salad
Oh yummmm!
How lovely to have this gift from your mom.
Marilyn recently posted..A is for Apple and Autumn
I didn’t realize that jello moulds were practically obsolete. I have one so I had best be happy with that. This is such a decadent recipe with an ease of preparation we enjoy.
bellini recently posted..Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake to Usher in the Season and a Terroir Dinner
Love the retro molds. Sorry about the computer problems; we’ve all been there.
Debra recently posted..Fudgy Salted Caramel Brownies
Sorry you lost your first post – that has happened to me before – frustrating!
However, your Bavarian Cream sounds like a fun and delicious recipe. How fun that it is one of your mom’s old recipes. I love that. My girls would go nuts for this one. The molds are cute, too.
This reminds me – I have a vintage cookbook that I was reading the other day and it is an old diet from the 50’s or so that is completely made up of recipes using gelatin. Lots of molded dishes and that is pretty much all you eat. I guess the protein in the gelatin keeps you full? Not completely sure, but it was pretty funny. Your post made me thin of that – although your Bavarian Cream would be a wonderful diet!
Becki’s Whole Life recently posted..The Perfect Cookie Dough
I do love many molded desserts but don’t know if I could build a diet around them. Vintage cookbooks are so much fun to read to see what foods go in and out of style. I remember a grapefruit diet from back when that everybody tried. This Bavarian Cream is one of my favorite desserts – definitely not diet food.
Cathy recently posted..Chocolate Bavarian Cream
This looks mouthwateringly delicious! Can’t wait to make a few.
I hope you enjoy this recipe, Jeff. Thanks so much for stopping by to visit.
Cathy recently posted..Chocolate Bavarian Cream
Very pretty Cathy! Lovin’ the little molds:@)
Happier Than A Pig in Mud recently posted..Bourbon Whiskey Meatballs-Crock Pot or Oven
How wonderful to visit the chocolate boutique. Those little molds are all about presentation – that is one of my lessons I have learned about food blogging. They are just so darn cute, you just know they are going to make everything taste even better. And your plate looks vintage also – very pretty.
I am sorry about your computer issues.
What a gorgeous dessert Cathy and how fun that your mother’s recipe box is filled with goodies such as this. I can only imagine how hard it was to find those molds. We’ve become so accustomed to bittersweet chocolate that anything else tastes too sweet. I’m so glad to get read more information on the percent of cocoa in chocolate to determine what is what. I’m new to chocolate dessert making, but not new to loving it 🙂
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Manhattan Fish Chowder – jazzed up with a little shellfish
Wow, so amazing looking. It does look luxurious.
Mom recipes are always a family favorite.
This sounds like a dessert that would make any chocolate lover happy, and I even have the exact mold for it. Next dinner gathering, I do believe I will give this a thumbs up.
Linda recently posted..Company’s Coming
I hope your day turns around. My yesterday was pretty bad, but things are looking up today. I love heirloom recipes from my family. There is something so special about them. This looks divine.
Karen Harris recently posted..Finally Some Salmon I Really Like: Brown Sugar Brined Smoked Salmon
It sure looks much more complicated that the recipe sounds, Cathy! LOVELY photo…hope nobody tries to steal this one *wink*
I have a pretty copper mold..if we lived closer, you could have borrowed it!
We also have a Harry London chocolate factory that I have toured with the grandkidlets & your post brought back fond memories. We need to do that again!!!
Thanks for the treasured recipe…I hope to try it someday.
Rettabug recently posted..A is for Apples!
I love to cook something that my mom made. I can imagine her right there in the kitchen with me. This looks so creamy and delicious!
Karen recently posted..Tuscan Spinach-Basil Pesto Salad
Oh yes! who can resist indeed…certainly not I:D love your moulds, would be so perfect for jelly too!
Jeannie Tay recently posted..Bake Along #52 ~ Hokkaido Milk bread
Sounds delicious.
I have like 10 of those molds. At least i think i still have them but I might have given them away last year after having them for thirty years. And yes, they came from my grandma. And I had no idea what she used them for. And now you show me! And these look so good. Now i have to find those little buggers!
Abbe@This is How I Cook recently posted..Friday Favorites
Good grief this sounds incredible Cathy. And yes, I hate when time is spent on a post and you have to start over. It’s happened to me a couple of times.
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) recently posted..Chicken Hominy Soup with Bacon, Tomato and Chiles
I have those molds too and am looking forward to your recipes. The chocolate Bavarian creams look fabulous.
Penny recently posted..Cranberry-Walnut Pumpkin Bread
Wow! Look how fancy and delicious that looks! Amazing!
Erin @ Making Memories recently posted..Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake
Wow, this looks wonderful! And I’m totally with you on the computer problems ~ nothing frustrates me more than technology that doesn’t work. lol
Eileen recently posted..An adorable chair makeover…
I think molded salads should make a comeback. The molds are beautiful! Somewhere, I think a have a coupe of these. I can see the pattern, Cathy, which looks beautiful. You did your Mutti proud.
Foodiewife recently posted..Perfect Homemade Hot Dog — in about an hour!
Thanks, Debby. I’m going to post some of my favorite molded salad and dessert recipes and maybe, when readers see how delicious they are, the molds will make a comeback. I hope you will look for yours and share a recipe or two.
Cathy recently posted..Chocolate Bavarian Cream
I made this fantastic special dessert & loved it too! I had silicon flower patterns as a mold & these desserts came out beautifully too!
Thanks again, Cathy! 🙂 x
Sophie recently posted..Vegan gingery mixed berry crumble!
20 years ago I had the best Bavarian cream I have ever tasted at a small bakery, I have never tasted anything else like it, we still talk about it, it was amazing. I bet your mother’s recipe is exactly the same. The one I had wasn’t chocolate but I still have to try this because I just know it’s going to be luscious!
I hope this is what you are looking for, Marie. It has a wonderful chocolate flavor and is similar to a chocolate mousse. Isn’t it interesting how some dishes can stick in our minds for years.
Cathy recently posted..Cinnamon Chip Zucchini Bread
Stunning, Cathy, stunning! I’ve been wanting to try making bavarian cream literally for years but still haven’t. It’s one of those things that kind of scares me, to tell the truth. But wow this is so beautiful and tantalizing I have to make it now!
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