Somersize Chocolate

Excerpt

Molten Chocolate Cake with White Chocolate Lava

LEVEL TWO Makes 6 servings

Your friends will be impressed by this one; These divine individual chocolate cakes have a gooey surprise inside-a river of white chocolate lava!

6 ounces or 1 1/4 SomerSweet Dark Chocolate Baking Bars (37 1/2 squares), chopped

11 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons SomerSweet

1/4 cup 100% white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

3 ounces or 2/3 (4.9-ounce) SomerSweet White Chocolate Baking Bar (18 squares), chopped

Perfectly Whipped Cream (below), fresh raspberries, or white chocolate curls (page 65), for garnish

sugar substitutions

1/2 cup sugar

7 ounces dark chocolate

4 ounces white chocolate

Preheat oven to 325°. Butter six small glass custard cups (6 ounces each, 4 inches wide).

In a double boiler, heat the dark chocolate and the butter, stirring until smooth. Set aside.

Place the eggs, egg yolks, and SomerSweet into a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until pale and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the melted dark chocolate and the flour, then beat for 5 more minutes. Pour half the mixture into the custard cups, filling them nearly halfway. Divide the white chocolate among the custard cups, placing it in the center of the batter. Pour the rest of the batter on top. Place the cups into the oven and bake for about 12 minutes, or until the sides seem stiff but the centers jiggle when touched.

Let cups cool for a few minutes before sliding a knife around the sides of each to loosen. Invert each onto a dessert plate. Prick the centers with a fork and split open so the melted chocolate in the center oozes out. Garnish with whipped cream, raspberries, or white chocolate curls.

Perfectly Whipped Cream

PRO/FATS-LEVEL ONE Makes 10-12 servings

My classic whipped cream made with SomerSweet.

Whip the cream with an electric mixer until very thick. Add the vanilla and SomerSweet. Continue whipping until soft peaks form.

Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Tart

ALMOST LEVEL ONE Makes 8 servings

I love the look of this tart. Jam tarts are a traditional favorite...and they're so easy to make. You can use any of my Somersize jams for this lovely tart: strawberry, triple berry, blackberry, blueberry, or sour cherry-all taste great!

For the crust

2 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon SomerSweet

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

sugar substitutions

crust: 3 tablespoons sugar

filling: 2 tablespoons sugar 5 ounces dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 400°. Line an 8-inch springform pan with waxed or parchment paper. Grease parchment and sides of pan with butter. Set aside.

To make crust

Beat together the cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, SomerSweet, and cocoa powder until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

To make filling

Place the unsweetened chocolate and chocolate baking bar into a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small, heavy saucepan until almost boiling and pour over the chopped chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted. Fold in the vanilla, SomerSweet, and butter and stir until smooth. Spread or paint a thin layer of chocolate mixture over the crust to keep the jam from soaking into the crust and making it soggy. Refrigerate until chocolate has set, about 10 minutes.

Spread the jam over the chocolate layer. Pour the remaining chocolate mixture over the jam. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Carefully run a thin-bladed knife or spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the tart. Remove the sides of the pan. Run a metal spatula underneath the tart to loosen the waxed paper. Remove paper before serving. Decorate with melted chocolate in a lattice design, or just drizzle on top.

Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet

ALMOST LEVEL ONE Makes 4 servings

Chocolate sorbet has its own special taste . . . icy and satisfying. Sorbets are softer than sherbets and contain no milk or cream. My Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet is a fabulous, light dessert that will melt in your mouth.

2 (4.9-ounce) SomerSweet Dark Chocolate Baking Bars (60 squares)

1 cup water

1 cup brewed decaffeinated coffee

2 tablespoons SomerSweet

Chocolate Leaves (optional; page 85), for garnish

sugar substitutions

3 tablespoons sugar

10 ounces dark chocolate

Chop the chocolate into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Set aside.

Pour the water and coffee into a small saucepan. Whisk in the SomerSweet and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. With the food processor running, slowly pour the coffee mixture through the feed tube, melting the chocolate. Continue processing until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Scoop into pretty dishes and garnish, as desired, with chocolate leaves.

Excerpted from Somersize Chocolate by Suzanne Somers. Copyright © 2004 by Suzanne Somers. Excerpted by permission of Harmony, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.