October 28, 2005
Chocolate Chili Bites
[This is the republication of a post originally featured in October of 2004.]
On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of attending the fourth edition of the Paris Potluck, hosted by Alisa and her husband Jean-Yves. This time around, Alisa had suggested that we follow a theme : no more random assortment of everyone's current food obessions! And as she (and I and pretty much everyone else) had been suffering from terrible Mexican food cravings since moving to Paris, her theme of choice was Mexican, as announced happily in an email with multicolored letters.
As always, I toyed with different ideas for a while, and waited until the very last minute to decide what I was going to make. I asked Alisa what everyone was bringing, and she told me that appetizers and main courses were well covered, so a dessert would round out the menu nicely. I've never been a big fan of the desserts they served at Mexican restaurants in California (much less in Paris, where the Mexican restaurants I've tried are an insult to Mexican cuisine), so I decided to just come up with my own idea of a Mexican dessert.
So. Mexican dessert... Inspiration struck : chocolate and chili are both very Mexican, right? How about adding ground chili to my dear melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cake? And since this is a very rich cake and my petit-four silicon molds are begging to be used, stomping their tiny little feet in my kitchen cabinet, how about baking mini bites of chocolate and chili cake?
And so after a fabulous Mexican food bonanza -- margaritas, three kinds of salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips, two kinds of enchiladas, chicken mole, spicy shrimp, zucchini and corn salad, cactus salad, refried beans, oh how I missed you guys -- desserts were brought to the table : a delicious lime pie, wonderful crepes with pecans and homemade dulce de leche, and a bowl of my Chocolate and Chili Bites.
Those little bites are a delightful rollercoaster in taste. You pick one up, study it with curiosity because you've been told there's chili in there, but it looks harmless enough so you pop it into your mouth. At first, all you're aware of is the moist and intensely flavorful chocolate cake, with its little crusty top. And then, as an afterthought, just when you're starting to wonder well, where did the chili go, there it comes, and a miniature heatwave invades your mouth. And as your palate tingles, you have to laugh at the spicy little trick that's just been played on your tastebuds, and hop gaily onto the rollercoaster again.
Chocolate Chili Bites
- 200g (2 sticks) butter
- 200g (7oz) good-quality dark chocolate
- 250g (1 1/4 C) sugar
- 5 eggs
- a rounded Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 tsp ground chili (I use piment d'Espelette -- adjust to your taste and to the strength of your chili)
(Yields 72 mini bites.)
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (400°F).
Melt the butter with the chocolate in a small saucepan or in a bowl in the microwave. If melting in the microwave, be sure to do it slowly, blending with a spoon between each pass.
Transfer into a mixing bowl, add in the sugar, mix with a wooden spoon and let cool a little. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well with the spoon after each addition. Add a rounded tablespoon of flour and the chili and mix well.
Pour the dough in the petit four molds, and put into the oven to bake for ten to twelve minutes. The top should look set, but the inside should still be on the soft side.
Let the the mini bites cool down enough to unmold them, then turn them out on a rack to cool completely while you cook the other batches. Store in a plastic container, refrigerate, and take out about an hour prior to serving the next day.
More Entries Like This One:
~ Espelette Chili Pepper
~ Chocolate Chili Bites
~ Chocolate Chip Cookies
~ Sticky Chocolate Cake
~ Brownies
Never miss a recipe!Sign up for the Chocolate & Zucchini newsletter to receive monthly news and a digest of recent entries.
Print me!
| 
Comments (21)
Permalink | Posted by clotilde in Chocolate
i have been known to use chipotle (smoke jalapeno chili) in place of the standard chili powder. it ads a mysterious smoky flavor that melds well with the chocolate. this is the most requested dessert from my friends.
Posted by monkey on October 28, 2005 2:41 PMThese little cakes are so cute! I bet it is delicious, too.
Posted by Elvira on October 28, 2005 2:47 PMSympathiques!!!
Posted by Mimosa on October 28, 2005 2:49 PMAs I emailed Clothilde a few weeks ago, I served these at a party that I hosted recently, and they were a huge hit, and very fun to make. I couldn't find petit four molds, but I used silcone mini muffin pans, which seemed to be about the same size, and they came out perfectly, and looked just like the picture above. I've already gotten requests to make them again!
Posted by Jasmine on October 28, 2005 7:59 PMI wanted to agree with monkey: ground chipolte peppers add the most wonderful deep, mysterious, smoky flavor to your chocolate torte, Clotilde. I've also found it works well in the standard chocolate brownie recipe. Just add enough to taste and watch the look on your guests' faces as they try to figure out what's happening on their palates.
Posted by Rebecca on October 28, 2005 8:14 PMChocolate chili bites can only be improved upon with a chocolate chili ganache! There is a fabulous minicupcake recipe (with mouthwatering photos) at this all - cupcake blog by the talented Chockylit http://chockylit.blogspot.com/2005/07/recipe-mini-chili-chocolate-cupcakes.html
Posted by Rosebengal on October 28, 2005 11:31 PMIf the chocolate-and-chilies theme tickles your fancy, look into a Latin-esque 'mole'. I am fortunate to have a Puerto Rican friend who is an accomplished cook...the combustion of chili-fire and chocolate-sweet is unprecedented glory.
Posted by courtney on October 29, 2005 3:10 AMNow I'll have to casually slip her this muffin recipe. . .
Lovelly =) and delicious =)
Posted by Stephanie_B on October 29, 2005 4:47 PMSounds interesting -- a clarification though. I am assuming what you added was chile powder as in ground chile peppers and not chili powder as in chile, cumin, garlic, etc?
The former sounds divine.. I'd think the latter would be a bit much
Posted by Chris Wage on October 29, 2005 5:44 PMHaving lived in both Tucson, Arizona and now Santa Fe, New Mexico chile is a way of life for me. Try chile in hot chocolate as well, it adds a element of mystery and spice! These little cakes remind me of the chile brownies I've made before. BTW, in the Southwest chile is the spelling for any chile pepper; chili with an "i" is used when describing the bean and meat stew.
Posted by Jenny on October 29, 2005 7:16 PMSounds delicious! I live in Arizona, and Mexican food is everywhere here. Chocolate and chili and a common and very tasty combination.
Posted by Michele on October 29, 2005 11:05 PMNormally I find my way around the kitchen alright, but I ran into a little glitch trying to make these. You mentioned the pan, but nothing about greasing it. Since some cookies like peanut-butter cookies don't require greasing, I figured this was also one of those times. Of course, they stuck fast.
I finished the batch using mini-muffin molds, but may I assume in the future that I should have a well-greased pan?
Posted by Flemish American on October 30, 2005 10:04 PMVery tempting! I'll try it...
Posted by ingrid on October 31, 2005 10:49 AMI am looking forward to trying this. I actually use about 1/4t of cayenne pepper in all of my chocolate chip cookies, thie combination of the heat and the sweet makes them addictive!
Posted by Michelle on November 2, 2005 3:10 PMi love your story and illustration of flavor. I laughed while, after i read the final description.
'' people started to wonder where the chilli powder goes !''
yeap. I will try, and let you know the response from friends. But i might keep it secrete that the small dark muffin has chilli powder in it. :)
Posted by enki on November 2, 2005 6:59 PMthese are fantastic and are a perfect ending to the indian meals i cater! thank you!
Posted by kishko on November 11, 2005 5:56 PMI am in the process of making these in my mother's mini-muffin tray, and I've already eaten three, despite the fact that they're supposed to go to a party tonight. What a kick!
Posted by Jenn on December 17, 2005 12:05 AMthey're so tasty!
Posted by maarten on March 21, 2006 3:26 PMWow, that was one tasty dessert. My only regret is that I chickened out a bit on the chili.
They were great enough for me to even document them. =)
Posted by suffe on August 10, 2006 12:36 AMyou write wonderfully. makes the food even more delicious for your words capture the imagination.
Posted by krysel de leon on December 18, 2007 9:40 AMAfter having lived a year in Guadalajara and falling in love with mole (especially Mole Negro & Mole Poblano), I started working ground chipotle powder into my chocolate brownies and chocolate cookies. The surprise on folks' faces when they realize the chili addition is priceless - and they always want more!
I agree that ground chiptole is terrific to use because of it's smokey edge. Sometimes I also add a pinch of Mexican cinnamon or substitute some Mexican chocolate (the kind traditionally used for hot chocolate drinks such as Ibarra) which typically has some cinnamon and almonds in it.
Posted by Laura on May 2, 2008 2:01 AM