Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Chocolate Espresso Slice



Ingredients
2 tsp instant espresso coffee
2.5 cups custard
2 tbs Kahlua or similar liqueur
2.5 cups thickened cream
1 cup pecan nuts, lightly toasted
10.5 oz good-quality cooking chocolate

Directions:
Dissolve the coffee in 2 tablespoons of boiling water, then set aside to cool. Place custard in a bowl and add the dissolved coffee and the Kahlua.
Whip half the cream and fold into custard mixture with half the pecans until combined. Pour into a shallow container and freeze until frozen at the edges. Beat with an electric beater, return to container and refreeze. Repeat 2 or 3 times. (Or place in an ice-cream maker and churn for 20 minutes.)
Draw four 8 x 4 inch rectangles on a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Melt 9 oz chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water and use a palette knife to spread evenly onto rectangles. Refrigerate to set.
Whip remaining cream and remove ice-cream from freezer. Set aside to soften. Carefully remove chocolate sheets from the paper and lay on a freezer-proof serving dish. Spread with a third of the cream then cover with small scoops of the ice-cream. Top with another sheet of chocolate. Repeat, finishing with a chocolate sheet. Cover with foil and return to freezer until ready to serve.
Refrigerate remaining chocolate until firm, then use a vegetable peeler to make curls. Transfer slice to fridge 1 hour before serving to soften slightly. Garnish the slice with the chocolate curls and remaining pecan nuts.

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