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Jones, Catherine
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La Belle Cuisine

François Payard's Chocolate Mousse
with Flambéed Bananas

Initially we were hesitant to include this recipe as, unfortunately, our files
contain no annotation of its source. We can only imagine it must have come
to us by way of either Chocolatier, Gourmet or Bon Appetit. In any case,
we finally decided it is too good not to share.
The recipe comes from François Payard's tenure at  Restaurant Daniel.
Now, of course, he is the chef and owner of Payard Pâtisserie and Bistro
in New York City, and author of Simply Sensational Desserts (with
Tim Moriarty and Tish Boyle.) It has been our extreme good fortune
to dine at both establishments mentioned above. Excellent!

"Only François Payard's flawless desserts can begin to hold a candle to
the exquisite savory fare served at Restaurant Daniel, the highly touted
New York dining establishment of superchef Daniel Boulud. Payard's
credentials are impeccable; he trained at France's Ecole Lenotre and
was executive pastry chef at Manhattan's Le Bernardin. He also served
as executive pastry chef in some of France's most touted restaurants
such as La Tour d'Argent and Lucas Carton..."
 

8 ounces Valrhona Extra Bitter Chocolate,
coarsely chopped
3 large eggs, at room temperature
8 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 cups heavy cream

Place coarsely chopped chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot,
not simmering, water. Melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. (Choco-
late that has been overheated may scorch, lose flavor and turn coarse
and grainy. Stir melting chocolate after it has begun to liquefy. Because
of the sensitivity of milk solids to heat, milk and white chocolates should
be stirred almost constantly while dark chocolate need only be stirred
frequently during melting.) Let the chocolate stand for a few minutes
until tepid.
In a 4 1/2-quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, using the wire whip attachment, beat the eggs and egg yolks together until they form a thick ribbon (about 5 minutes). At the same time, place the sugar and the water
in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until
the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high (stop stirring) and bring the
sugar syrup to a boil. Continue cooking without stirring for 4 to 7 minutes,
until the syrup registers 250 degrees F. While continuing to beat the eggs,
immediately pour the hot syrup in a thin steady stream down the side of
the bowl into the eggs. Continue beating on high speed for 5 to 8 minutes,
until cool.
In a 4 1/2-quart bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer, using the wire whip attachment, whip the cream at medium-high speed, until the cream forms
soft peaks but is still pourable. Do not overwhip the cream. Put the tepid
chocolate in a large bowl. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold one-
third of the whipped cream into the tepid chocolate to lighten it. Fold in
the remaining whipped cream, being careful not to overfold the mousse.
Now start folding in the egg mixture, one-third at a time, again being careful not to overfold the mousse. (If it is overfolded, the texture will be grainy.)

Flambéed Bananas

3 bananas, (about 1 1/4 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Meyer’s rum
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium-sized sauté pan. Add the bananas and lightly sprinkle the sugar over them. Sauté gently and flip
them when they are light golden brown. Add the rum and tilt the pan
slightly (over gas heat) to allow the rum to ignite. (If using an electric
stove, hold a lit match in the side of the pan to allow the rum to ignite.)
Let the flame die out and then let the bananas cool.
 

Featured Archive Recipes:
Chef Payard's Chocolate-Raspberry Cake
Chef Payard's Milk-and-Dark-Chocolate
Mousse Cake
Chef Payard's Opera Cake
Daniel Boulud's Chocolate Mousse Trio