Chocolate Mascarpone Cheese Ball With Dried Cherries Recipes

CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE CHEESE BALL WITH DRIED CHERRIES RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. To melt white chocolate, bring an 1 or 2 inches (2.5 or 5 cm) of water in a small saucepan to a boil. Remove from heat; place metal bowl filled with white chocolate over top, but not touching water. Let slowly melt for a few minutes; then stir until smooth. 2. Meanwhile, turn mascarpone into a small bowl; stir with rubber spatula until smooth. Stir in kirsch and vanilla; then mix in melted white chocolate. When smooth, fold in cherries thoroughly. 3. Shave bittersweet chocolate with a chef's knife or coarsely chop. Turn half out in a 6-inch (15-cm) circle on a long piece of plastic wrap laid on work surface. Heap cheese mixture into a ball over top. Sprinkle with remaining shaved chocolate. 4. Lift plastic wrap to help shape into a ball with your hands. Press so most of the chocolate adheres; form into a slightly flattened circle. Wrap in plastic wrap; set on plate. Reshape as needed. To firm, refrigerate for 2 hours or for up to 5 days. 5. A couple of hours ahead of serving, remove cheese ball from refrigerator to come to room temperature. Place on serving plate; scatter with any loose bittersweet chocolate bits so some falls about ball on plate. Serve with chocolate wafers for spreading.

CREPES WITH MASCARPONE AND CHERRIES

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the mascarpone, chocolate chips, 1/2 cup sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Set aside. If making more than 2 hours ahead reserve in the refrigerator but let come to room temperature before serving. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cherries, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, lemon zest and juice and a splash of water. Cook until the cherries have let off their juice and the flavor has concentrated, about 10 to 12 minutes. When done the cherries should be very sweet and the juice should be syrupy.
• To assemble:
• Schmear some of the mascarpone/chocolate mixture, about 1/4-inch thick, onto the lower half of a crepe. Fold the top half over the bottom to create a perfect half circle and press to secure. Fold the crepe in half again, to create a loose triangle. Repeat this process with remaining 7 crepes. To serve, arrange 2 triangles on each serving plate and spoon the stewed cherries over the tops.
• Batter: In a mixing bowl, add the flour and salt and make a well in the center. Add the eggs, milk, club soda and 3 tablespoons of melted butter into the center of the well and whisk together until just combined. The mixture should be like VERY loose pancake batter. If the mixture is a little thick, whisk in a little more milk. Let the batter sit for at least 30 minutes before using.
• Crepes:
• Melt about a 1/2 teaspoon of butter in a small nonstick saute pan. The butter should coat the bottom of the pan, if there is a lot of excess, wipe it out with a paper towel. Keep the paper towel handy in case you need it again (you will).
• Put the pan over medium heat. Fill a 2-ounce ladle, almost to the top, with batter and pour it into the preheated pan, tipping and rolling the pan, as you ladle the batter, to evenly cover the bottom. This will take a little practice, even when you are an experienced crepe maker the first couple always get wasted. Accept it and move on.
• When the edges of the crepe begin to pull away from the edges of the pan and the bottom begins to brown a little, turn the crepe over and cook it for about 1 minute on the other side. Remove the crepe from the pan to a plate and let cool. Stack the crepes as they are cooked between parchment paper squares. Repeat this process, until all the batter is used, wiping the pan with your paper towel or melting a little more butter to the pan, as needed.

CHOCOLATE COVERED DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Place the dried cherries in a coating pan attached to a stand mixer. Spin at low speed. Using a ladle, add the chocolate to the spinning cherries. Add one ladleful at a time until the cherries are coated to the desired thickness. (Use a 50/50 ratio (50 percent chocolate, 50 percent weight of the cherries.) If a thicker coat is desired, use more chocolate and vice versa.
• How to Temper Chocolate(From Dessert Circus, Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make At Home by Jacques Torres):
• Chocolate is tempered so that after it has been melted, it retains its gloss and hardens again without becoming chalky and white (that happens when the molecules of fat separate and form on top of the chocolate). There are a variety of ways to temper.
• One of the easiest ways to temper chocolate is to chop it into small pieces and then place it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time on high power until most of the chocolate is melted. Be very careful not to overheat it. (The temperature of dark chocolate should be between 88 and 90 degrees F, slightly warmer than your bottom lip. It will retain its shape even when mostly melted. White and milk chocolates melt at a temperature approximately 2 degrees F less because of the amount of lactose they contain.) Any remaining lumps will melt in the chocolate's residual heat. Use an immersion blender or whisk to break up the lumps. Usually, chocolate begins to set, or crystallize, along the side of the bowl. As it sets, mix those crystals into the melted chocolate to temper it. A glass bowl retains heat well and keeps the chocolate tempered longer.
• Another way to temper chocolate is called seeding. In this method, add small pieces of unmelted chocolate to melted chocolate. The amount of unmelted chocolate to be added depends on the temperature of the melted chocolate, but is usually 1/4 of the total amount. It is easiest to use an immersion blender for this, or a whisk.
• The classic way to temper chocolate is called tabliering. Two thirds of the melted chocolate is poured onto a marble or another cold work surface. The chocolate is spread out and worked with a spatula until its temperature is approximately 81 degrees F. At this stage, it is thick and begins to set. This tempered chocolate is then added to the remaining non-tempered chocolate and mixed thoroughly until the mass has a completely uniform temperature. If the temperature is still too high, part of the chocolate is worked further on the cold surface until the correct temperature is reached. This is a lot of work, requires a lot of room, and makes a big mess.
• A simple method of checking tempering, is to apply a small quantity of chocolate to a piece of paper or to the point of a knife. If the chocolate has been correctly tempered, it will harden evenly and show a good gloss within a few minutes.

CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE CHEESE BALL WITH DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• 1. To melt white chocolate, bring an 1 or 2 inches (2.5 or 5 cm) of water in a small saucepan to a boil. Remove from heat; place metal bowl filled with white chocolate over top, but not touching water. Let slowly melt for a few minutes; then stir until smooth. 2. Meanwhile, turn mascarpone into a small bowl; stir with rubber spatula until smooth. Stir in kirsch and vanilla; then mix in melted white chocolate. When smooth, fold in cherries thoroughly. 3. Shave bittersweet chocolate with a chef's knife or coarsely chop. Turn half out in a 6-inch (15-cm) circle on a long piece of plastic wrap laid on work surface. Heap cheese mixture into a ball over top. Sprinkle with remaining shaved chocolate. 4. Lift plastic wrap to help shape into a ball with your hands. Press so most of the chocolate adheres; form into a slightly flattened circle. Wrap in plastic wrap; set on plate. Reshape as needed. To firm, refrigerate for 2 hours or for up to 5 days. 5. A couple of hours ahead of serving, remove cheese ball from refrigerator to come to room temperature. Place on serving plate; scatter with any loose bittersweet chocolate bits so some falls about ball on plate. Serve with chocolate wafers for spreading.

CHOCOLATE MASCARPONE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• In a small heavy saucepan, combine 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, the dark chocolate, cream and cheese. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm enough to shape. Shape into 1-in. balls and place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Chill for 1-2 hours or until firm., In a microwave, melt remaining semisweet chocolate; stir until smooth. Dip balls in chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Roll in pistachios. Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in confectioners' sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Shape chilled cream cheese mixture into a ball. Wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Roll the cheese ball in finely chopped pecans before serving.

MASCARPONE SEMIFREDDO WITH CHERRY-PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the cherry-port sauce: Bring port and granulated sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Boil until reduced by one third, about 5 minutes. Stir in cherries. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, until plump, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate until thick, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the semifreddo: Whisk mascarpone, cream, confectioners' sugar, and a pinch of salt until medium-stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate. Spread mixture into a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan; cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until edges beginto harden and semifreddo is very cold, at least 50 minutes. Scoop into 4 serving dishes. Spoon cherry-port sauce over tops. Serve with chocolate wafer cookies.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BALLS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar, maraschino cherries, peanut butter, walnuts, coconut, and salt; shape into 1-inch balls.
• In the top of a double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate chips and paraffin wax.
• Insert a toothpick into each ball; dip into chocolate mixture to coat exterior.
• Place onto wax paper to set. Use another toothpick to push ball from inserted toothpick.
• If a hole remains where toothpick was inserted, add a small amount of chocolate coating to cover.

DRIED FRUIT CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine cream cheese and honey; beat until smooth. Stir in cheese and chopped fruit; mix well.
• Form into a ball and roll in chopped nuts. Chill for at least 3 hours.

CHOCOLATE-COVERED CHERRY COOKIE BALLS

Steps:

• Cut each of 2 cherries into 6 pieces; reserve for later use. Cut remaining cherries in half.
• Mix cream cheese and cookie crumbs until blended. Shape into 12 (1-inch) balls, using a level tablespoon for each. Use your finger to press indentation into center of each cookie ball.
• Insert a cherry half into each indentation; reroll ball to completely enclose cherry with cream cheese mixture. Place on a waxed paper-covered baking sheet. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Microwave chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH for 30 seconds; stir. Microwave 30 seconds more; stir. Continue heating and stirring in 10-second increments until completely melted.
• Dip each ball in chocolate using a fork, letting any excess drip back into the bowl; return to baking sheet. Top immediately with reserved cherry pieces and sprinkles. Refrigerate 15 minutes or until chocolate is firm.