# chocolate sampler plates for sweetest day



## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

O.k. now that I'm a new convert to mixing "untraditional" flavors with my chocolate I'm trying to compose a nice sampler plate for sweetest day at work.

I'm thinking chocolate and cinnamon (since it's fall). Then other complimentery flavors like apples, pears, etc... BUT then I'm worried it will be too comlimentary and not enough of a taste adventure.

I've really wanted to make a petite version of Herme's, Mozart torte (apples, cinn. & choc) with a cinnamon shortbread. But I haven't formulated what other tastes I want to do with this. Any ideas or thoughts???? Or should I seperate his components so that tasting each item totals that over all dessert?





P.S. They really can't give me a count so I need to keep my plate realistic...if they only get a few reservations I'd like to let the chef plate for me (they want to keep my hours to a min. right now).


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Mexican chocolate contains cinnamon and it is delicious. 


For paring idea checkout flavour paring chart in Culinary Artistry and In The Sweet Kitchen. It should inspire you.


If you want fruits and chocolate why not think of the Poire Belle Hélène for inspiration and apply it to an apple and add cinnamon ice cream and cover the whole thing with chocolate sauce or caramel, or both. 

Honey roasted fruits served with a little sauce and / or ice cream. 

Chocolate miniature cranberry tartlet. 

A roasted fig tartlet in a cinnamon graham cracker crust.

Almond tartlets with cinnamon poach pear, or red wine and spices pears. 




P.S. I am very curious about the Mozart torte, could you please tell me more about it.


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Herme's "mozart" consists of 3 layers of shortbread crust with cinnamon, between the layers is a chocolate mousse with apples and cinnamon. The sides are covered with chocolate decorative plates.

I've wanted to make this for a while now........I'm excited to finally do it. But I need to make some changes to fill out the plate, it's being billed as a sampler plate for 2 people. Right now I'm thinking of making it into a petite napoloen using the cinn. crust on the bottom, the choc. apple mousse layered between chocolate sheets.

But then I can't deside about my other components....do any of these sound good to fill my plate or are they too similar? 

Phyllo purse with apple compote.

fritters dusted with cinn.

Carmel Creme Brulee or vanilla bean brulee

Norman Love's Cinnamon truffles

We have a green apple gelatto at work, I could use.

Apple cakelettes

Molton cakes with a touch of cinnamon 




I'm really stumped when it comes to sauce choices: I've been wanting to make a vanilla apple cider reduction but I'm on over kill....... any ideas Isa?


What would you like to eat on the same plate as the Mozart torte?


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## shimmer (Jan 26, 2001)

Chocolate truffles rolled in chili powder is a tad unusual, but delicious. Does it help that chilis are aphrodisiacs? 

 ~~Shimmer~~


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## momoreg (Mar 4, 2000)

All I kept thinking as I read your post is Port wine reduction . I think that too much repetition with apple or cinnamon could make the apple within the cake less interesting. I would keep apple in one place only, and add yet another flavor to marry the fruitiness of the apple with the richness of the chocolate.

Just a humble suggestion...


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## nancya (Apr 30, 2001)

I love chocolate and orange paired.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

A molten cake with a cinnamon truffle in the centre. In the centre of the truffle a piece of crisp apple... 



I’ve been dreaming of a plated trio of apple dessert for a dinner, trying to get an array of different apple texture. I have decided on two of the dessert so far, a Granny Smith sorbet napoleon using three apple chips to separate two layers of Granny Smith sorbet. My second choice is a miniature tarte Tatin. For the last dessert I’m thinking of either a miniature apple strudel or an small stuffed apple in which a cake like batter is baked in the partly emptied apple. Desserts to be served on a white place decorated with cinnamon dots.

All this is to be served with a glass of ice cider, one of the most delicious thing I ever taste. Can you have access to some? Could the ice cider be reduce or incorporated into a sauce? Or Calvados. 


With chocolate, cinnamon and apple might not be easy to find something to compliment the desserts. Caramel sauce, cinnamon crème anglaise, or some kind of nut sauce or bitter chocolate. Or maybe one of those English sauce traditionally served with pudding.




In which of the Hermé book can I find the Mozart torte? It just sounds too good.


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## pjm333 (Nov 6, 2001)

This is a recipe from nick malgerie..apple and cocoa tart
3 1/2 # apples-peeled,cored & grated
2/3 C sugar
1/4 C water
1/2 t cinn
2 T cocoa
1 C chopped walnuts
cook apples sugar & water for 5 min in a sauce pan on medium heat then add remaining indredients and cook on low heat till thick
Line a 1/2 sheep pan with tart dough and add filling , spead evenly..Place a lattice desighn of dough on top of filling, egg wash and bake at 350 for 35 min ++ until golden brown.

Pat.

p.s. you can switch the cocoa & cinn if you want a apple cinn tart..


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Oooooboy, lots of great thoughts from all of you. 

It's still a work in progress but does this sound better? (remember it's for 2 people)

Mozart torte, warm petite molton cake, petite gingerbread cake, cold vanilla ice cream (or should I do a white chocolate creme brulee?), chocolate cinnamon truffle. It's not very daring but I'm still a little chicken to go too far.


I bought a can of edible gold spray color (something new to play with) and I thought I could stencil something onto the plate to tie the items together.

I can do a apple cider reduction or a calvados anglaise to dress the plate. I'd also like to put some salted pecans with my molton cake. It's going to take a bit of effort to get all these items looking good and coordinated on the plate..........

Does this sound better or need more work?


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## anna w. (Nov 27, 2001)

First of all- I LOVE chocolate and cinnamon- one of my favorite combinations and I use it whenever I can. I don't believe there could be an overkill situation . A complimentary taste to go with that and the apples is almond. I have a Mexican Chocolate cake that has a cinnamon cake with almond in it and then layered with chocolate ganache. I also love to put almond extract in my apple pie sometime. Just a thought.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

It's looking great Wendy! :lips: 


Something hot, something cold, something soft.

Something crunchy would be nice. Anyway to add the brulee crunch somewhere?

Looking at old Chocolatier magazine this week I saw a small rectangle of cake wrapped in a sheet of filo served with a nice sauce.

How about a thin round of nut brittle on top of the small gingercake or just a thin tuile sprinkle with nuts and sugar, just for a little crunch.




Godiva makes cinnamon truffle. I couldn't taste cinnamon. Maybe adding a drop or two of cinnamon oil would help.


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Well I did some tastings and I threw out my menu yesterday. I didn't like the repeating flavors after all.

On the menu for tonight:

Mozart napoleon- apple chunks in choc mousse with cin. sables

Pumpkin white chocolate cheese cake on ginger crust

Pear amaretti white choc. studel with a dollop of ice cream on top

Gooey Carmel tart with salted pecans

Very fall "ish", not so much for lovers (but I read the origins of sweetest day and it's not about romance actually).

I'm leaving it up the the last second on this dessert as far as how I'm plating it. I have some pretty leaf tuiles baked off (maybe I'll brush them with gold dust) and/or some piped multi choc hearts.......but even using garnishes is like over kill.......I'm either going to have to sauce the whole plate or forget any sauce....it's just too busy.

P.S. I'm following your advice Momoreg, your right about repetition!


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## angrychef (Jan 15, 2001)

Sounds good Wendy! The pear strudel, what's inside it and are you using phyllo?

I just made a caramel pot de creme with toasted cinnamon pecans, chocolate bread pudding and mini apple cider dumplings on a fall menu. Not as a plated dessert, though.

As of today, I am officially unemployed and mighty relaxed happy .
Moving to Seattle in 10 days.


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## momoreg (Mar 4, 2000)

Nice menu, Wendy.

So what is the origin of sweetest day? And who really observes it? I thought it was just another Hallmark invention.

Angry, I've always wanted to move to Seattle. I hope you find a new spark there!!


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## w.debord (Mar 6, 2001)

Congratulations on being unemployeed Angry......your going to like it! Did your hubby plan the same time away from work too? 
It's really wild and cool that your following your dreams! 


O.k. it figures you'd ask me the origins......well I've already forgotten the city it started in but the rest goes like this. During the 1930's a man seeing how some people (like orphans and homeless people) had so little, thought he would share with people less fortunate. So he handed out candy to the orphans and homeless people to bring some happiness into their day. The people of the city admired the man for sharing and in time word spread and the people in the city desided to participate also and had out sweets to the orphans.... Well at least that's the just of the story I read............

So it's not about romance like valentines day. 

Well dessert turned out fine.....I couldn't do anything clean lined/ elegant with that much happening. So I went the other way and went with abstract hearts all over the plate (including the edges) drawn with ganche, then some I filled with anglaise. Then I used my piped chocolate heart in each dessert with varying heights and sizes. The hearts unified the plate. I had purhased a new product....spray on color, I bought gold. But it was too transparent to show well on a white plate. I'll need to play with that further.

Pear strudel: pears, dark br. sugar, cinnamon, white chocolate, amarettti cookies.


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Just reading your dessert list and I'm hungry and curious. I've been looking for a good caramel & nut tart that could be made in miniature. Could you please share your Gooey Carmel tart With Salted Pecans recipe? It sounds really decadent, just perfect for the hollidays. 


Thanks!


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## joni (Apr 3, 2002)

Echoing the need for a gooey carmel tart recipe please!!!


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## isa (Apr 4, 2000)

Wendy is looking for the recipe Joni...


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