Lessons From a Pound of Chocolate

Have you tried the recipes featured in this month's issue of Viking? Writer Cecilie Sandberg and photographer Nancy Bundt collected recipes from the member kitchens of Norway’s association of historic hotels and inns. Their cookbook, “En smak av Norge: Oppskrifter fra hele landet” (A Taste of Norway: Recipes from Around the Country, Schibsted 2010) is currently only available in Norwegian, but the authors have shared three festive dessert recipes with Viking.

My first attempt at testing the recipe for sjokoladeterte (chocolate tart) was an unqualified disaster. Lesson number one: Don't let chocolate get too hot! I jury-rigged a makeshift double-boiler out of two saucepans, and after the chocolate was melted I removed the pans from the heat, but I forgot to remove the pan of chocolate from the hot water. When I added the cold milk to the chocolate, the mixture seized and the butter, cream, and an entire pound of dark chocolate was wasted. Ouch! I wish I had watched this video on working with chocolate before I started.

I should also add that we made the tart twice; once using Ghirardelli chocolate and once using a more budget-friendly brand. In this case, our staff agreed that the name brand was worth the extra expense. Lesson two: Don't pinch pennies on the chocolate if you can avoid it.

You'll find this recipe, plus recipes for caramel baskets and pineapple orange cheesecake, in the April issue of Viking. Happy baking and god appetitt!

Amy Boxrud is editor of Viking magazine. She lives with her family in Northfield, Minn., where she’s a member of Nordmarka 1-585.