Chocolate marquise

Serves: 10

You will be impressed by the respectful silence that falls when your guests taste a slice of this chocolate heaven. My suggestion for the host or hostess is to have a second helping, even if it’s just a sliver, as your guests, who may not have dared to ask, will then feel free to do the same.

A drizzle of Crème Anglaise takes this marquise to another level.

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Ingredients

• 2 oz. (60 g) meringues
• 15 speculaas or petit-beurre cookies
• 9 oz. (250 g) dark chocolate, maximum 60% cacao
• 1 stick plus 1 tbsp (4½ oz./130 g) best-quality lightly salted butter
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup (125 ml) cold black coffee
• Scant ½ cup (2 oz./60 g) unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

1Line a 10 × 4-in. (26 × 10-cm) silicone loaf pan (or metal pan or disposable aluminum pan) with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhanging to cover the marquise after filling the pan. Roughly crush the meringues between your fingers, chop the cookies into ½-in. (1-cm) pieces, and place both in a bowl. Chop the dark chocolate, dice the butter, and lightly beat the eggs.

2Place the coffee, chocolate, and butter in a large saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat with a wooden spatula until the butter has melted and the chocolate has nearly melted, without letting the mixture boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes. Using a spatula, beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture until well combined. Lightly fold in the crushed meringues and cookie pieces.

3Pour into the prepared pan, spread the top level, and fold the overhanging plastic wrap over the top. Chill the marquise overnight in the refrigerator.

4Turn out the marquise onto a serving plate 15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve with a drizzle of Crème Anglaise.

Extracted from Enjoy: Recipes for Memorable Gatherings by Perla Servan-Schreiber (Flammarion, 2020).