A Birthday and Chocolate Marquise

AHHH! Im twenty two! A whole year older. Sadly, it doesnt yet feel much different than twenty one but I just felt like sharing. Anyway, on to dessert. For Friday night dinner, I opted to make a simple chocolate dessert, the Chocolate Marquise. Rich, decadent, fudgy, silky.... too many adjectives to name but this dessert was a winner. It's amazing how just a few simple ingredients meld together to form something brilliant. Eaten in small portions, this dessert received rave reviews. And that was without any whipped cream on the side! That would be gilding the lily and trust me this lily definitely doesn't need any gilding. This recipe comes from Regan Daley's In the Sweet Kitchen, a comprehensive encyclopedia and cookbook of all things sweet. The batter is poured into a loaf pan and baked in a water bath to ensure smooth, even baking. It collapses a bit as it cools to form a dense and yummy cake. Don't worry if that strikes you as unattractive; to serve you'll invert the cake and peel off the foil revealing a picture-perfect top. Be sure to try it, but be forewarned: a little goes a verrry long way!

Chocolate Marquise
adapted from In the Sweet Kitchen

9 oz chocolate- I used a combo of 70% and bittersweet
200 grams butter or margarine
1 tbsp espresso powder dissolved in 3 tbsp hot water
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup minus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a loaf pan with foil.In a large bowl, place the chocolate, margarine and espresso.Melt in the microwave and stir until smooth.Add the sugar,and blend.Add the beaten egg and vanilla, and gently fold it in. You dont want to incorporate too much air.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place the pan in a larger pan and pour hot water into it to come up a couple inches up the sides, creating a bain marie, or water bath.

Bake 70 minutes. This is how it should look. Refrigerate four hours. This is very important as it contributes to that dense fudgy texture. I couldnt photograph the result, or the happy faces, because it was Shabbat. But rest assured, there were delighted faces.