From: "msmay" >
Subject: Chocolate Noodles
> Have been making noodles for 3 years. Now I would
> like to broaden my horizons. Does any one out there
> have a good recipe for chocolate noodles?

This recipe comes from Fantasy Chocolate Desserts
by Robert Lambert -- a delightful book and, amazingly, still available
(Amazon is your friend -- there are used copies listed for 3.90USD
). The components are easy to make, and can be spread over several
days. Final preparation takes only a few minutes.

Chocolate Tortellini in Pear Broth

Serves 6
Fanned poached pear half with ricotta-and-chestnut-filled chocolate
tortellini in reduced Chardonnay and Armagnac pear poaching liquid.
Chocolate-dipped anisette biscotti on the side.

"I had long despaired the wasting of gallons of delicious but useless
wine broth in which I've poached pears, and sought a way to salvage
it. I had also long considered dessert pasta to be where nouvelle
cuisine scrapes bottom -- but when it met my poaching liquid,
something happened. The bitter chocolate dough with the nutty cheese
filling, the hot aromatic pear broth, fruit and crispy cookie together
became a dessert far more wonderful than the mere sum of its parts --
and a drop-dead visual treat as well."

Notes: Poached pears should be made a day or more ahead to allow the
flavor of the broth to develop.

Components:
4 ounces dark chocolate
12 aniesette Italian biscotti
Broth and 6 pear halves from 2 recipes Poached Pears (recipe follows)
1 recipe Chocolate Tortellini (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons Armagnac or other fine cognac

Assembly:
In a small bowl over saucepan 1/4 full of simmering water, melt
chocolate. Whisk to smooth, and dip one end of each of the biscotti.
Lay biscotti on parchment covered sheet pan and put in cool place to
set.

Drain poaching liquid from pears into large saucepan. You will be
starting with about 8 cups; reduce this to 6 cups. At full boil, this
takes 10 to 15 minutes.

In a large pasta pot half full of rapidly boiling water cook Chocolate
Tortellini for 3 to 5 minutes -- until they are al dente. Drain them,
and add to reduced pear broth along with the Armagnac.

Heat soup bowls. Fan-cut [do not cut completely through the narrow
end so that when slightly flattened, the pear slices fan attractively]
6 pears and lay a pear half at the side of each bowl. Ladle in broth
and tortellini. Serve biscotti on the side.

About keeping: Pasta must be cooked close to serving time; the dough
will lose its texture if it remains in the broth for long, especially
if kept warm.

Also Try: Sprinkle with a dusting of Spiced Ground Orange Peel (recipe
follows).

Poached Pears
Yield: 10 poached pear halves
Notes: No other fruit reaches our markets in such a bewildering array
of varieties, from the delicate juicy Bartletts through the buttery
Comices to the sturdy Boscs and d'Anjous. Any of these can be used
here, although the softer types or very ripe pears of any variety
require greater care in handling to prevent scarring (bruises do not
go away) and a far shorter cooking time. As a general rule pears of
less than out-of-hand eating ripeness are best and the firmer
varieties like Bosc and d'Anjou the most reliable. But all pears beg
to be poached, for two important reasons. Since they brown and bruise
easily, they need the double protection of being kept from the air and
being slightly candied by the sugar. And although the flesh retains
its shape well when cooked, the sponge-like texture has a tendency to
dissipate pears' moisture content; so it is best to cook and store
them suspended in liquid until serving to keep them plump, firm and
juicy.

Although pears are most often poached in red wine, I find the color
unpleasant after they are drained for serving and dry off a bit, and
the color doesn't completely penetrate, which causes problems if you
need to trim, slice or fan the fruit for presentation. A perfect
match is found in wedding the flavors of pear and Chardonnay, and the
mellow golden color the pears assume is very appealing.
For enough poaching liquid to make Chocolate Tortellini in Pear Broth,
double the amounts of wine and cinnamon, and add pear nectar (you'll
still have 4 extra pear halves; use them to top green salads with
toasted nuts and a tart dressing).

2 lemons
5 medium well-shaped pears
1 bottle (about 3-1/4 cups) white wine, preferably Chardonnay
1 stick cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
For Chocolate Tortellini in Pear Broth, include: 3 cups (2 12-ounce
cans) pear nectar

Halve and squeeze the lemons into a medium bowl which you've
half-filled with water, and throw in the rind.

To prepare pears, cut off stems and pare out blossom ends. Peel
pears; a paring knife is fine, but a vegetable peeler gets smoother
results. Halve them, scoop out seed pocket with melon baller, and
remove stem fibers with a v-shaped notch cut from hole to stem end.
Put each half immediately in lemon water as completed.

In a large saucepan heat to boiling the wine, cinnamon and sugar
(and pear nectar, if making Chocolate Tortellini in Pear Broth). Add
pears and, if necessary, some of the lemon water to cover. Bring back
to a simmer, cover and cook until pears can be pierced with a fork at
the seed cavity but are still firm -- from 5 to 20 minutes, depending
on ripeness and variety. If pears are just right at this point,
remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool uncovered before
transferring to a storage container for refrigerating. Or if they
have already started to get soft and can be easily pierced with a
fork, lift out each pear half carefully with a slotted spoon and lay
it out on a sheet pan to cool quickly cool the poaching liquid
separately, before adding it to pears for storage.

About keeping: Will keep several weeks, refrigerated.

Chocolate Tortellini
Yield: 36 tortellini; 6 servings of 6 each
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chocolate extract
1/3 cup sweetened chestnut puree
1/3 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup ground toasted almonds (blanch almonds to remove skins, toast
and grind)
1 egg yolk

Measure flour, cocoa and sugar into food processor; pulse until
combined.
Add egg, water and chocolate extract; process until mixture forms a
ball. With floured hands remove dough. Form into a flat square, wrap
it in plastic and refrigerate at least 1/2 hour, to relax dough before
rolling.

In a small bowl blend chestnut puree, ricotta cheese, ground
almonds and egg yolk. Set aside.

On lightly floured board, roll out dough into an approximately
20-by-20 inch square. With round 2-1/2 inch pastry cutter, cut 36
rounds of pasta. Pull background scraps away and discard.

Place one teaspoon of the filling on each round. Spray surfaces
with a mist of water, fold each in half and pinch edge to seal. Pull
the two points toward each other across the back fold, and pinch
together. Repeat with all 36, transferring each to wire-mesh rack as
completed. Freeze.

When ready to serve, drop tortellini into a large pot of rapidly
boiling water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until al dente.

About Keeping: Tortellini should be frozen, then bagged until ready to
use (or the moisture in the cheese will migrate into the pasta and
ruin it). Will keep 2 to 3 weeks frozen and, once cooked, minutes.

Spiced Ground Orange Peel
Yield: approximately 2 tablespoons ground peel
Notes: This gorgeous, saffron-colored powder is useful in desserts, as
a garnish or even in most savory cooking where a hint of orange is
desired. If you find particularly well-colored oranges, make more --
it will keep until you use it up.

3 to 4 large, well-colored oranges [preferably organic, since you'll
be eating the peel]
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

With vegetable peeler (which allows the precise control of
thickness you need) cut orange part of skin from oranges. Lay strips
on parchment-lined sheet pan with outer skin side up and put in 250F
oven for 30 minutes or until they are crisp when cool, but not
browned. Open a few times to release moisture and let the fragrance
into the kitchen!

When cool combine with cardamom in spice grinder and grind to a
fine powder.

About keeping: Lasts indefinitely if kept in freezer.
--
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