Thursday, March 4, 2010

Bouchons



Bouchon...French for a cork, a stopper, a plug. Also, the highly acclaimed restaurant of Thomas Keller.

Quoting Wikipedia..."According to Le petit Robert this name derives from the 16th century expression for a bunch of twisted straw. A representation of such bundles began to appear on signs to indicate restaurants, and by extension the restaurants themselves became known as bouchons. The more common use of "bouchons" as a stopper at the mouth of a bottle, and its derivatives, have a different etymology".

They do like little corks!


Whatever the derivation of the word bouchons, this recipe belongs to Thomas Keller and is from his cookbook Bouchon. My daughter, who is the Director of Catering for one of Milwaukee's finest restaurants, had the pleasure of meeting and talking to Thomas Keller in person last year when he did an special event here. She said he was a very nice person.

Recipe, great! Kind and nice person attributed to that recipe makes it delightful!

I made these for my son-in-law's birthday this week. They were -

Delicious! Tiny bites of buttery, brownie goodness.



My Bouchon mold. 


Bouchons

Adapted from: Thomas Keller "Bouchon"
Printable Recipe

3 1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (use the best you can afford)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 tablespoons (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and just slightly warm
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped into pieces the size of chocolate chips (again, use the best possible)

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the molds with baking spray and set aside.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in another large bowl if using a handheld mixer, mix together the eggs and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until very pale in color. Mix in the vanilla. By hand, add about one-third of the dry ingredients, then one-third of the butter, and continue alternating with the remaining flour and butter, mixing with a spatula. Add the chopped chocolate and mix to combine.

Put the bouchon molds on a baking sheet. Fill each mold about two-thirds full. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into one of the molds should come out clean but not dry (there could be melted chocolate from one of the chocolate pieces that remain). Transfer the bouchon mold to a cooling rack. After a few minutes, invert the molds and let the them cool upside down. They should release quickly.

To serve, dust with confectioners' sugar and serve with ice cream and berries, if desired.

But I guarantee you, they didn't taste like corks, they were delicious bites of buttery, brownie goodness!

My petit bouchon molds. I think you could use a variety of molds for this recipe - just adjust the baking time.




24 comments:

  1. Oh they do look good! I might try using my mini muffin tin for this!

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  2. So cute! Perfect dessert..did it pass the SIL test???
    I've seen the mix for sale at WmSon along with the pan. I think my Norpro mini chesecake pan would work great with these..it has a slightly higher side. May have to give these a try!
    Beautiful job and photos!!!

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  3. You know, these late-night meetings are making me hungry.

    I suppose it's just the concomitant drawback of an insomniac.


    Susan, I love how the little corks turned out for you! I've been dreaming of bouchons since the first time my eyeballs landed on page 284 of Keller's book, and I have yet to make them.

    So far, I have tried the Fennel Onion Confit and Creme Caramel. Not together, but I liked them both.

    In any case, since you loved these chocolate bites, I'm gonna have to finally cave.

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  4. I have made these from the mix at WS. I have the mold. I will try them again and I will have to order the cookbook!

    Carol

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  5. I've never heard of a bouchon before but it looks like a little bit of bite-sized heaven! At least yours do.

    It's so cool that your daughter met Thomas Keller...I think that would be a dream of mine.

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  6. Yet another winner for Thomas Keller! These little bouchons are so cute and chocolatey! Don't you love the bite size? I have a round financier mold that I should think would work.
    Lucky daughter, Susan- I would love to meet Keller!

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  7. Your bouchons and your moules are so cute..

    I saw a show on him..Loved it..

    What pretty little things they are.
    I love wotking w/ silicone.The good kind.

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  8. I will have to make these for my choc-a-holic daughter and husband. I'm going to try with a mini muffin pan, but what a great excuse to go buy another kitchen item! Love it!
    xoxo Pattie

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  9. I saw the mold while I was browing at WS recently and was very curious about what it was. These little bites look so delicious and would be beautiful on a dessert tray.

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  10. I think these will be a great dessert for my son-in-law's birthday next month :) I have always wanted to make them after seeing them at Williams Sonoma. Thanks for the recipe.

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  11. I love the Bouchons. What an elegant dessert:)

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  12. Yes, Barb, they passed the taste test!

    I would say they were slightly more dense than a regular brownie and very, very good!

    The bouchons moulds are a little tricky to fill, however. I tried piping the filling and also spooning it in but I had small air bubbles but times.

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  13. Lovely, Susan..and more dense than a brownie sounds heavenly!
    I don't have any of his books or recipes..I will have to check it out.
    I do have the molten lava pans that make that shape, but larger..probably too large if it is rich..

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  14. Those little bouchons look decadent, guess with 3 sticks of butter and chocolate they would be!...I will definitely try them, once I find molds that are suitable.

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  15. Bouchons! I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to this dessert. They sound like little bites of heaven!
    XX00

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  16. Woah, buttery is right!! 3 sticks of butter to 3/4 cups of flour? Wow. I've already bookmarked these. There's no turning back hahaha

    Lovely photos!

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  17. Oh, Susan, what an elegant looking dessert. The bouchons sound very interesting. ... Who wouldn't like a dense brownie? I can picture them on creme anglaise with raspberries. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. How nice that your daughter met Thomas Keller. I've noticed on TV cooking shows how revered he is by so many chefs.

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  18. Add to list of things I have to make- bouchons. But first, I need to get a bouchon pan! These sound so delightfully decadent!
    Yvonne

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  19. I've never seen these little tins but I know I could eat a bunch of these bouchons. They are yummy looking.

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  20. A chocolate cork? How adorable is that! Sometimes I just bake because I love the name of the recipe! Sort of like buying wine because of the label. LOL!

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  21. Sounds like Thomas Keller is unlike a lot of Chefs, i.e. not a prima donna with a huge ego! Like the bouchons, it is funny the name! Now I have to search for these molds. Just the right size if you can stop at one!

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  22. Yes, I have also heard wonderful comments about Thomas Keller. I'm sure he made an impression on your daughter. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

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  23. OMG I made these for some friends a few months ago and they went crazy for them! Soooo delicious served warm with some Vanilla ice cream - yummy!
    Stephanie

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  24. Aren't these adorable? I think these would be the perfect thing to keep around for unexpected guests. Or just to go with a cuppa. Or for no reason at all.

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