I studied pastry in Paris in the early 1980s, and I took my culinary education very seriously: I religiously sampled every dessert that the city had to offer, which is quite a few. I’m still holding on to a few of those extra pounds today, but more important, I’m holding on to the memory of my favorite of those many desserts—Marquise au Chocolat, that satiny-smooth, deep chocolate confection, usually made in a loaf shape and often edged with tender ladyfinger cake. The dessert is a real mainstay of the classic repertoire, but I’ve noticed it showing up recently on menus of several trendsetting restaurants.

Over the years I’ve been refining and adjusting the recipe for marquise to get it just how I like it. I came to realize that marquise isn’t really one dish, but rather three separate components: a rich chocolate truffle-like filling, delicate ladyfingers, and a coffee-infused cream. Each component has its own quirks and technical challenges, and each component is crucial to the delicate balance of power.

给经典的夫人一个松脆的转折

传统的呼吁vanilla-scen侯爵夫人食谱ted ladyfingers, but I like to add toasted, ground hazelnuts for the subtle flavor and the nubby texture they add to the delicate fingers.

蛋糕面糊是基于经典的法国人饼干, which means the yolks and whites are beaten separately (as opposed to agénoise, in which whole eggs are whipped to the ribbon stage). The ladyfingers get their spongy lift from a bit of baking powder and perfectly whipped egg whites. If the whites are too soft, your batter will be runny and impossible to pipe (as well as pancake-flat after baking). If the whites are too firm, they’ll become grainy and lose volume and you’ll also get flat ladyfingers.

Make a template for easier piping

夫妻夫人是侯爵夫人的外衣，因此他们需要精确地尺寸合适，有吸引力，并且之间没有差距。我学会了不要制作单个夫妻，而是使用模板制作“预制壁板”。在一块羊皮纸上追踪锅的侧面和底部，将作品合并到一个烤盘上。它还消除了我需要在锅上排队多少个夫妻的猜测游戏。下面的照片显示了我如何标记模板和管道。

做作业 - 备模。食谱s always tell you to prepare your pan before starting to make the batter, and in this case, you really need to obey the directions. Once the filling is made, it must go in to the mold immediately or it may start to separate or harden as it cools. I suggest lightly greasing or spraying the mold and lining it with plastic wrap. This keeps the marquise fresh and makes unmolding a breeze.

用新鲜的鸡蛋并在巧克力上挥霍

The chocolate filling uses four yolks that don’t get cooked, so you should scrupulously check for freshness and cracks. If you see any cracks, don’t use that egg and select another one. Once the yolks are separated, keep them chilled until just before mixing. If you prefer not to eat raw egg yolks, you might try精心烹饪贡献编辑雪莉·科里赫（Shirley Corriher）的方法是“对”他们“巴氏杀菌”。将四个蛋黄与1/2杯的奶油和1茶匙的糖混合在一个小锅中的食谱中。用非常低的热量搅拌，不断刮擦以避免肿块。如果蛋黄开始变稠，请从热量中拉动锅，然后将其浸入凉水中。继续这样，直到将蛋黄加热约4分钟。只要温度至少为140°F（非常热的自来水），任何可能存在的沙门氏菌细菌就会被杀死。现在，按照指示使用食谱中的蛋黄。

Select the chocolate carefully for this dessert- 一切后，这是明星。我使用像苦乐参半的优质ValrhonaorCallebaut。Scharffen Berger是您应该寻找的相对较新的高级品牌，并且Lindtis often sold in the grocery store and is fine in a pinch. The extra-smooth texture and slightly bitter tone of premium-quality bittersweet chocolate is a nice contrast to the buttery filling. A quick note here on the difference between bittersweet and semisweet: In general, bittersweet is less sweet than semisweet, but there are no industry standards, so one brand’s bittersweet may be about as sweet as another brand’s semisweet. Just taste and choose what you like—either will work fine in this dessert.

Learn to control the textures

进行填充时，目标是完美混合，光滑，密集但奶油混合物，就像松露的中心一样。获得的方法是将所有填充成分在正确的阶段完全正确。首先融化巧克力并保持温暖。如果将巧克力添加到黄油和糖中时，巧克力太酷，当您加入奶油时，混合物会变硬。鲜奶油本身真的只想被鞭打直到略微变稠 - 您正在寻找身体，而不是在这里体积。

接下来，检查无盐黄油几乎没有柔软。当用拇指按下时，它仍然应该很冷，只会稍微付出。我将黄油和超细糖与桨，而不是电线混合。我希望成分融合，但不要融合。

用一种新的调味料食用

The final component of the dessert is the sauce. You might be tempted to overlook this part, but I find that a little drizzle and pooling of this luscious sauce bring all the elements together.

Tradition calls for a cooked egg and cream sauce,霜安格莱斯。但是我的朋友史蒂夫·亨特（Steve Hunter）建议使用简单的奶油减少味，该奶油淡淡，并用浓缩咖啡粉调味。它可以提前两天进行，结果是如此的壮观，以至于他给了我这个想法以来我再也没有使用过其他任何东西。在减少浓奶油的同时，添加分裂的香草豆是一种更传统的调味料，也同样美味。

Finally, pay close attention to the slicing technique. A well-sliced marquise makes a beautiful presentation. I always say that “the eye is the first to feast” (much to the mirth of the精心烹饪职员。我想我经常说...但是true）。侯爵夫人最容易切成薄片，但我认为它在凉爽的室温（光滑质地，柔和的口味）下味道更好节日晚餐。