Dear Cooks,

What’s Valentine’s Day without chocolate? (And we’re not talking the waxy kind packaged in tacky red heart boxes and sold in your local pharmacy.) What if, instead, after a delicious meal you whipped up Chocolate Soup topped with Devon Foam and Chocolate-Covered Cocoa Puffs for you and yours to share? That recipe—along with some hundred others—comes from super-star pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini and his new book, Dessert FourPlay. As pastry chef at the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, Iuzzini has perfected the concept of dessert four ways: a perfectly balanced quartet of mini desserts echoing one theme and playing on complementary flavors and textures. Though each can stand deliciously on its own, as part of a foursome they become even more sublime. So go for the Chocolate Soup alone this V-Day, or boldly add to it a Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Chocolate Crumble, Chocolate-Olive Panini with Balsamic Vinaigrette, and Chocolate Peanut Cake with Bitter Chocolate Sorbet and Peanut Caramel. As for what comes after the "fourplay," we can’t be responsible.

Johnny Iuzzini’s Chocolate Soup

Serves 8 on its own or 16 as part of a FourPlay

When I was growing up, chocolate milk was a treat, and the chocolate milk that ended up in a bowl of Cocoa Puffs when I had those for breakfast was the biggest treat of all. This soup is chocolate milk made cool and grown up, with quality ingredients and a contrast of textures. It reminds me of home.

For the Cocoa Puffs:

• 8 ounces (250 g) milk chocolate (preferably Valrhona Jivara 40% cacao), chopped
• 1 cup (7 g) Cocoa Puffs

Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each burst, or melt in a double boiler. Roll the Cocoa Puffs in the chocolate, coating them completely. Lift them out with a fork, letting the excess chocolate drip off, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Store in a cool place.

For the Chocolate Soup (makes about 4 1/2 cups):

• 4 cups (960 g) milk
• 4 teaspoons (7 g) juniper berries, crushed in a mortar or coarsely ground in a spice grinder
• 9 ounces (150 g) bittersweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona Araguani 72% cacao), finely chopped

Put 1 cup of the milk in a small saucepan with the juniper berries. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the juniper infuse for 25 minutes. Have the chopped chocolate ready in a heatproof bowl, and, remember, the finer you’ve chopped the chocolate, the better.

Bring the milk back to a boil, then strain into a measuring cup. Add some of the remaining 3 cups milk, if needed, to make 1 cup. Pour the hot milk over the chocolate, let it sit for a moment, then whisk to melt the chocolate and make an emulsion.

Pour in the rest of the cold milk, and froth the soup with an immersion blender. Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

For the Devon Foam:

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup Devon cream (available at gourmet markets and specialty stores)
• 1/2 cup milk, plus additional if needed

Whisk the heavy cream and Devon cream together in a bowl until thick. Whisk in the milk, then froth with an immersion blender (add additional milk if you need to). Transfer to a pitcher and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

To Serve:

Thin the chocolate soup with some cold milk if it’s too thick to sip, and froth it again with an immersion blender.

Divide the soup among sixteen small glasses (for tasting portions) or among eight coffee cups. Drop in a few of the Cocoa Puffs, then spoon on a layer of the Devon foam. Top with a few more Cocoa Puffs.

Happy Cooking!

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