Gü Chocolate Cookbook. Gü
& Chocolate Dressing
… for CHOCOLATE EXTREMISTS
Coconut Snowball Profiteroles with Coconut Snow
Tempering Chocolate
Chocolate Bubble Wrap
Chocolate Millefeuille with Chocolate Chantilly Cream
Piña Colada Macaroons
Chocolate Macaroons
Chocolate Crème Brûlée
Twelfth Night Cake
Melting Chocolate Bombe
Chocolate Stuffed Crust Pizza
Chocolate & Bacon Croque Monsieur
Whole Chicken in a Cocoa Crust with Vanilla Mash and Dark Chocolate Gravy
List of Recipes
Acknowledgements
About the Gü Chefs
Copyright
About the Publisher
WELCOME TO THE CHOCOLATEY WORLD OF GÜ
Since Gü first entered the world in 2003, we’ve had a healthy obsession with all things chocolate. Our deliciously irresistible chocolate puds have become a firm favourite with dessert lovers worldwide and we’re always looking for ways to bring even more chocolatey pleasure to our fellow chocolate lovers.
Having made a bit of a name for ourselves in hitting the perfect chocolate spot every time, we started getting lots of requests for our recipes and tips, so we thought, why keep such a good thing a secret? Why not share the love? Couldn’t we help you, our fellow chocolate worshippers, to make your own decadent treats at home when you’ve got a bit more time than it takes to open a ramekin or unwrap a brownie?
So here it is – the first ever Gü chocolate cookbook, which our brilliant chefs have filled with some of our iconic Gü classics as well as lots of must-try new creations. From mousses to millefeuilles, sauces to savouries, crèpes to cakes, brownies to blinis, pancakes to profiteroles, fondants to fondues, tarts to toppings, churros to cheesecakes, ice creams to eclairs, even white chocolate parsnips and chocolate-crusted chickens. You name it, we’ve gone there in the name of ‘chocolate research’ (tough work …) and here in the next 200-ish pages are our favourite recipes all using this brilliantly versatile and delicious, humble hero of the store cupboard – chocolate.
We’re so excited to introduce you to the next generation of Gü chocolate decadence and trust you will delight in devouring them as much as we’ve revelled in creating them in the Gü kitchen.
We’d love to know what you think about our new ideas and hear any inspirations for future desserts, so do drop us a line at [email protected] or show us your creations on www.facebook.com/GuUK.
Seek delight. Give it a go. Give in to Gü – you know you want to …
The Gü team
Chocolate is one of the most irresistible of ingredients (well, we would say that, wouldn’t we?), whether it is dark, milk or white chocolate. But when it comes to the quality of chocolate, the best way to judge this at home is by the cocoa solids. The higher the proportion of cocoa solids (made from roasted and ground cocoa beans, sugar and cocoa butter), the more chocolatey the taste.
Before you set about making any of our recipes, read through the ingredients list to make sure you have our suggested chocolate stashed away in your kitchen. We think that for dark chocolate, it’s best to use a minimum of 50% cocoa solids, but often 70% is preferable. We always give you a recommended level of cocoa solid, but if, say, we suggest 50% cocoa solids and you can only find a chocolate that contains 70%, it would be best to reduce the quantity by 10–15% or the end result will be too rich. Likewise, add 10–15% if you are using 50% cocoa solids rather than a recommended 70%. For milk chocolate, the minimum cocoa solids should be 34%.
White chocolate is a slightly different ingredient as it is made up of very little or no cocoa solids. However, a good white chocolate will have a maximum of 30% cocoa butter. So check out those labels.
USEFUL ADVICE
With each of our recipes we have given you a step-by-step method to show you the best way to create our dishes. However, working on the basis that we like to leave no stone unturned, here is some background information for the skills and equipment that we have used so that you can stun your friends and family each and every time you produce a Gü pud, snack or nibble from these pages.
SOME GENERAL INFORMATION
To kick off, we recommend you read these points before you get stuck into cooking.
OVEN TEMPERATURE: An oven takes a good 10 minutes to heat up to an average 180°C/Gas mark 4, so make sure you leave enough time for this to happen. There’s no point in putting your carefully prepared cake mixture in an oven that isn’t hot enough. For recipes like sponge cakes and soufflés, gently close the door on your creation and keep it closed as a sudden blast of air into the oven can affect how well they rise.
MEASURING SPOONS: When a recipe calls for a measure in a teaspoon or tablespoon, bear in mind that 1 teaspoon = 5ml and 1 tablespoon = 15ml (or 3 teaspoons).
INGREDIENTS
The freshest ingredients are always the best and for chocolate to keep at its best, store it in a dark and cool cupboard.
MILK: Always use whole milk. This is what we’ve used for all our testing purposes. Not only does it have the best flavour, but it also adds the necessary consistency. Semi-skimmed or – shock, horror! – fully skimmed milk, will result in a thinner mix so, for example, pastry won’t bind so easily and custard won’t be so rich. Cooking might be an art form, but it’s a science too and we want you to have only the best results.
BUTTER: When you are baking it is always best to use ingredients that are at room temperature as this helps them to bind together better. For butter, it is even more helpful if it has also been softened slightly. If you are cooking on a hot summer’s day, there’s every chance that your butter will be nicely softened already, but on a cooler day, you will have to help things along. The best way to do this is to put the butter in a microwave and heat it at a medium setting for 10–15 seconds at a time. Check the butter between each blast because it can very easily start melting rather than simply softening.
For the majority of our recipes, we suggest you use unsalted butter as we particularly like its rich, creamy taste. Of course, if you prefer to use the salted variety, that is your choice.
EGGS: As with all fresh ingredients, you will want to ensure that the eggs you use are as fresh as possible (with the exception of meringues) and are at room temperature.
All eggs in the recipes in this book are medium sized, unless stipulated otherwise.
WHIPPING CREAM VERSUS DOUBLE CREAM: Our head chef Fred prefers to use whipping cream over double cream because it is lighter and not as rich. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its name, it whips well and yet is also good as a pouring cream. We like versatility. For all our recipes, we’ve specified our preference.
If