Bake: Delicious recipes with chocolate - the ultimate dessert ingredient

Michelle Darmody whips up some delicious desserts with chocolate - the ultimate dessert ingredient.

It is hard to imagine life without it and in the run up to Easter chocolate is all around us. It dates back to Mayan times and spread throughout the world on the seafaring boats of explorers and conquistadors. Chocolate is drank in hot drinks and alcoholic liqueurs or used in savoury dishes such as mole, a Mexican sauce that combines chocolate with chill and up to eighteen other spices.

Ireland ranks very high in the chocolate eating stakes, we are among the most ardent consumers in the world. There are three chocolate recipes here that use the ingredient in different ways, which highlights its versatility.

The Chocolate Pots are a good dairy free dessert. The olive oil adds a savoury hint that the sweet praline counteracts. The praline can be used in other desserts as well. It is nice sprinkled over the roulade or even stirred through the mixture for the chocolate salami.

There is a bakery along the North Quays in Dublin called Panem, it has been there since 1996 serving up Sicilian treats. I have been nipping in to purchase a slice of chocolate salami for many years, it is delicious. The version included here has a good strong hint of ginger which spices it up. I like the apricots throughout but you can use another dried fruit such as cranberries or golden raisins if you prefer.

Again showing the versatility of chocolate in the roulade recipe it is paired with crushed raspberries. There is also a generous addition of orange to the mixture. Roulade is a light dessert as it has no flour, it has a meringue like texture.

Do not worry if it cracks as you roll, just keep gently turning it with the aid of the tea towel.

Chocolate and hazelnut pots

For the praline

50g of golden caster sugar

50g of hazelnuts, roughly chopped

For the pots

150g of dark chocolate, broken into small even pieces

100 mls of olive oil

45g of golden caster sugar

4 eggs, separated

Line a baking tray with parchment.

Heat the sugar in a small heavy-based saucepan over a low heat until it turns to a rich caramel. Add the hazelnuts and gently swirl until they are coated. Turn the hazelnuts out onto the baking tray and allow to cool.

To make the pots melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Take it off the heat and stir in the olive oil, set aside.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. I often wipe the bowl and whisk down with clear vinegar to make sure there is no oil on either. This ensures the egg whites whip fully.

Whisk the sugar into the egg yolks until pale. Pour the chocolate into the egg yolk and gently whisk until combined.

Fold in the egg whites until completely combined. Scoop into your pots and allow to set in the fridge for about a half an hour.

Sprinkle with the praline before serving.

Chocolate salami

225g of dark chocolate, broken into small even pieces

140g of honey

250g of butter

200g of digestive biscuits, roughly crushed

200g of ginger-nut biscuits, roughly crushed

40g of dried apricots, chopped

1 tsp of ground ginger

40g of hazelnuts, roughly chopped

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Melt the chocolate, honey and butter in a bowl. Stir the mixture and make sure the three ingredients are well mixed.

Mixing the rest of the ingredients and scoop the mixture onto a lined baking tray. Roll the parchment around the mixture, gathering it up so it looks like a sausage. Place it into the fridge. You might need to shape it better once it has cooled slightly and is more solid. Once you do this place it back into the fridge to set completely. It will take a few hours it is often best to make the salami the day before.

Peel off the paper and dust with icing sugar if you wish and slice as needed.

Chocolate and crushed raspberry roulade

For the roulade

170g of dark chocolate, broken into small even pieces

the zest and juice of a small orange (about 40 mls)

4 eggs, separated

140g of golden caster sugar, divide into two

For the filling

100g of raspberries

50g of golden caster sugar

The zest of an orange

200mls of cream, whipped

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray, that has sides about a centimeter high, with parchment. A small swiss roll tin is ideal.

Add the chocolate, the juice and zest into a heavy based saucepan and melt over a low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the sugar and the egg yolks.

Meanwhile beat the other half of the sugar with the egg whites. Whip until they form stiff peaks. Both the bowl and whisk need to be very clean for this, if any fat or grease gets into the mixture the eggs will not fluff up. I wipe down the inside of the bowl with a bit of light vinegar to get rid of any residue that may be there.

Gently fold the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture making sure to preserve the bubbles. Scoop onto your baking tray.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until it starts cracking on the top.

Turn the roulade onto a clean damp tea towel and leave it to cool.

Mash the raspberries, sugar and the zest together.

Spread the cream on to the cold roulade leaving about an inch around the sides. Spread the crushed raspberry on top and roll gently when it is still in the tea towel, pulling the towel away with each roll.