Tim Nugent's Chocolate Terrine

I went to the 18th annual Ghiradelli Chocolate Festival in San Francisco for the first time and attended a demonstration featuring Tim Nugent from Top Chef: Just Desserts.  He showed us how to make a luscious chocolate terrine.

 Nugent is a cook first and pastry chef second, a fact which drives his staff crazy because he refuses to be precise.  Pastry chefs are notoriously meticulous about measurements because baking is all about chemistry, though Nugent disagrees.  When making sorbet, he tells his pastry chefs to add "just enough sugar," since fruit's sweetness is quite variable.   This vagueness only brings groans. For a cake, he says "bake it until it's done."  More groans.  According to Nugent, if he ever publishes a cookbook, it's going to be called Till It's Done.

I had never heard of chocolate terrine before the chocolate festival.  After having tasted it, I don't know why it isn't more popular because it is SO delicious! I was curious how Nugent's recipe compared to others online, and saw quite an assortment of variations.  The chocolate terrine from the Bouchon Cookbook by famous chef Thomas Keller, uses 12 ounces of chocolate and 1 cup of butter! 

Nutrition Highlight: Dark Chocolate 

In order to reap the benefits from the flavanol antioxidants in chocolate, the cacao percentage needs to be 60% or more. It's best to eat plain dark chocolate and not the filled bars because those fillings often contain hydrogenated fat.

Brain Boost

A recent study by a Harvard neurologist found that flavanol antioxidants improve blood flow to the brain for those with impaired blood flow.  This is encouraging news, since there are 5.2 million Americans with some form of dementia, and it's projected that there will be 13.8 million by 2050. 

Eating more flavanoid rich foods can help prevent Alzheimer's, one of the more serious forms of dementia. By weight, cocoa is the richest source of flavanols, but apples, green tea, red wine, black beans, and pomegranates are also good sources.

Happy Heart

Flavanol antioxidants have been shown to be great for the heart because they help lower blood pressure.  According to a recent Germany study, eating .22 ounces (2 of the chocolate discs shown above) of dark chocolate a day is enough to help lower your blood pressure.  Cal Poly makes their own chocolate confections from organic, fair-trade chocolate.  They sell their melting discs for $5 a pound. The discs are helpful for portion control and eliminate the mess that comes with cutting a bar of chocolate.

Don't Fear the Fat

Chocolate's high percentage of fat is due to cocoa butter, which is composed of both monounsaturated and saturated fat.  However, since the saturated fat is plant based, research has shown that it has a neutral effect on cholesterol, in contrast to saturated fat from red meat. But remember that moderation is important.  Experts suggest consuming 1 ounce or less of plain dark chocolate per day.

Cue the Cocoa

If you want to get the flavanols of chocolate with minimal calories and no extra sugar, incorporate more cocoa powder into your diet, since 1 T of cocoa powder has only 12 calories.  Opt for natural cocoa because studies show that Dutch processed (alkalized) cocoa is significantly lower in flavanols.

Sprinkle some cocoa on oatmeal, yogurt, or in smoothies, for a breakfast boost. 

Experiment with savory flavors by rubbing a cocoa-spice mixture on salmon before broiling, or add some cocoa to your next chili.  I made a sweet potato black bean chili with cocoa, and the cocoa just added more depth of flavor. (Think mole.)

Cooking Tip

Use an egg separator to separate egg yolks from whites.

It works to move the yolk back and forth between shells for separation, but this process is more time consuming and messy.

Tim Nugent's Chocolate Terrine
Printable Recipe

Nugent prefers pistachio paste because of its milder flavor. The glaze gives the terrine a refined chocolate touch and some extra pizzazz. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, mint, and raspberries for the complete sensory experience.

Base

11 oz 60% or 72% chocolate

7  oz. pistachio paste *recipe follows

2 T. butter

4 egg yolks

2 T sugar for yolks

2 T sugar for cream

1 1/4 cup whipping cream

Glaze:

4 oz chocolate

5 T butter

2 T corn syrup

Whip cream with 2 T sugar.  

Melt chocolate with 2 T butter over double boiler.  Add pistachio paste. Stir.

Separate eggs.  Place yolk bowl over double boiler.  Wear a hand mitt on your left hand to hold bowl.  Beat yolks with 2 T sugar till light (think Hollandaise). Remove from heat each time you stir the chocolate.

Let melted chocolate cool a little.  Fold in a small amount of melted chocolate to egg yolks to temper them.  Add this mixture back to chocolate. Stir just a bit.  Add 1/3 of the whipped cream.  Fold and repeat 2x.  Pour batter into bread pan lined with plastic wrap.  Fold wrap over batter; pat flat.  Refrigerate overnight.

Glaze
Over hot water, melt 4 oz 60% chocolate 5 T butter, 2 T corn syrup. Can also melt the glaze ingredients in the microwave.  Unmold refrigerated terrine.  Pour glaze over and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream, mint, and raspberries.

Pistachio Paste Recipe

250 g pistachios, blanched and peeled
50 g ground almonds (or pre-made almond meal)
100 g  sugar
33 mL (1 oz) of water

To Blanch: Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Pour nuts into a colander and drain.  Use a tea towel and rub the blanched pistachios to remove the skins.

Weigh out 200g of the peeled pistachios and place in a large bowl.

Bring sugar and water to boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir only until sugar dissolves and bring it to a hard ball stage (244º-248ºF). Scrape down the sides of the pan occasionally with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent sugar from recrystallizing.

When sugar has reached hard ball stage, pour in peeled pistachios.

Add ground almonds, mix to combine, and place mixture into food processor and pulse until it forms a paste. The paste will be on the sandier side.