Here you go. Rec: Flourless Dried Fig and Chocolate Cake with Fig Custard Sauce
Can't think of a request right now, but thanks for asking. Let us know how the cake turns out, if you try it.
Flourless Dried Fig and Chocolate Cake with Fig Custard Sauce
Makes 10 to 12 servings
6 oz. moist dried Calimyrna or Black Mission figs (10 to 12 figs), stems trimmed
7 oz. good quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 tbsp Cognac
6 large eggs, separated
1/3 cup plus 3 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
Fig Custard Sauce (recipe follows)
2 cups fresh raspberries, or hulled and sliced strawberries
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly butter th bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan and place it in a larger baking pan. Heat a kettle of water.
Combine the figs and 2/3 cup water in a small saucepan; heat to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the figs have softened and only about 2 tbsp liquid remains, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool. If the liquid has evaporated, ad 2 tbsp hot water. Puree the figs and liquid in a food processor. There should be about 2/3 cup fig paste. Set aside.
Combine the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. Stir occasionally until melted.
Remove the top of the double boiler from the heat; add the fig paste and the Cognac; stir to blend.
Beat the egg yolks and the 3 tbsp sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat he egg whites and salt on medium speed until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until the whites are stiff and satiny but not dry.
Fold the chocolate mixture into the yolks until blended. Then fold the whites, in two additions, into the chocolate mixture until blended.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place the baking pan (holding the cake pan) in the oven. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Lift the foil and take a look at the cake. It should be firm in the center and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven. Lift the springform pan from the water bath and let it cool on a folded kitchen towel. Refrigerate the cooled cake, tightly covered, overnight before removing it from the springform pan.
To remove the cake from the pan, run a spatula around the sides of the pan. Loosen and remove the sides. Run a thin flexible spatula along the bottom of the cake, and slide it onto a flat cake dish.
To serve, cut the cake into thin wedges. Place a wedge of cake in the center of each plate, and spoon about 2 tbsp of the Fig Custard Sauce on the side. Garnish each serving with a few berries.
Fig Custard Sauce
Makes about 2-1/2 cups
12 oz. dried Calimyrna figs, stems trimmed, coarsely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups)
1-3/4 cups whole milk, plus more if needed
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Combine the figs and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Cook, covered, over low heat until the figs are very soft and almost all the water has been absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool slightly. Then place the figs and the milk in a food processor and process until smooth.
Set a strainer over a medium bowl and strain the fig mixture, pressing down hard on the figs to extract as much flavor as possible. Discard the solids in the strainer. Add the heavy cream to the fig-flavored milk. There should be 2 cups: add additional milk if needed.
Beat the egg yolks and the sugar together in a medium bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Combine the yolk mixture and the fig cream in the top of a double boiler. Cook over simmering water, stirring frequently, until the cream has thickened enough to thickly coat the back of a metal spoon. Or a thermometer registers 170 to 180 degrees F, about 20 minutes.
Strain the custard sauce into a medium bowl; stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate the sauce until well chilled, about 3 hours. The custard sauce can be made up to 2 days before serving. It will thicken more as it chills.
Source: Fig Heaven, Marie Simmons
http://www.amazon.com/Fig-Heaven-Recipes-Worlds-Luscious/dp/006053849X/sr=8-1/qid=1159297008/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-1288167-1199944?ie=UTF8&s=books
