Chocolate Silk: Variations on a Theme

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What would you say if I told you that I had a recipe for a luscious, elegant dessert that you could be proud to serve at your fanciest dinner party? And, what if I told you that this luscious and elegant dessert is so versatile that it can be made in several different flavor combinations? Are you curious yet? What if I also told you that this same luscious and elegant little dessert can be ready to serve in five minutes flat? Unbelievable, right? Well, believe it. It's called Chocolate Silk, and it's creamy, dreamy and delicious!
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The ingredients in the basic Chocolate Silk recipe are ricotta cheese, cocoa powder, sugar and cream. After that, you can pretty much add any other flavoring you want. I've given you a few suggestions below, to jump start your imagination.
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My mother used to make a version of this dessert for me when I was little. Instead of cocoa powder and sugar, she just mixed a cup of ricotta with a packet of Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix and a little milk. In her mind, it was a healthier snack option because it was made with cheese. Not as sophisticated as Chocolate Silk, but I loved it anyway!
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Years later, when I was pregnant, I developed gestational diabetes. I used to make this dessert with sugar free Swiss Miss and lowfat milk. It wasn't quite as rich and creamy, but it was still a very satisfying treat. Thank God for that! Who wants to deal with a dessert-deprived pregnant woman!
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The versions shown in the pictures are the original Chocolate Silk and the Mocha Silk. Other variations I've tried are Chocolate-Orange Silk, Chocolate-Raspberry Silk and Chocolate-Hazelnut Silk. Anything that goes well with chocolate will work in this dish. Throw caution to the wind! Experiment! Go crazy!
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Chocolate Silk
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1 32 oz container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar, depending on your taste
1/4 cup heavy cream
dark chocolate shavings and whipped cream for garnish
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Combine all of the ingredients, except the garnishes in the bowl of a food processor. Process a minute or two until the mixture is smooth, like silk.
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Ladle in pretty glasses or cups and garnish, if desired.
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Serve and enjoy!
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Variations:
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Mocha Silk
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Follow original recipe above, adding 2 tablespoons of instant espresso powder to the mixture before processing.
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Try chocolate-covered roasted coffee beans as a garnish.
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Chocolate-Orange Silk
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Follow original recipe for Chocolate Silk, adding 1 tablespoon of orange liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier) to the mixture before processing. You could also swirl in a bit of candied ginger chips too.
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Try candied orange zest or ginger chips for a garnish.
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Chocolate-Raspberry Silk
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Follow original recipe for Chocolate Silk, adding 1 tablespoon of Framboise liqueur to the mixture before processing.
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Garnish with fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings
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Chocolate-Hazelnut Silk
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Follow original recipe for Chocolate Silk, adding 1 tablespoon of hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico) to the mixture before processing.
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Melt a few tablespoons of Nutella in the microwave and drizzle on top.
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Garnish with toasted, chopped hazelnuts.

Enjoy!

Comments

Anonymous said…
OMG, I adore those cups!
Jen Yu said…
mmm, chocolate with raspberry or hazelnut... sounds delicious! those cups are awesome :)
Amanda said…
Wow--this looks delicious. And I know I can make this sugar-free for me. Ricotta is super-expensive around here, though. Can I substitute fine-curd cottage cheese?
JEP said…
Ricotta is a good healthy ingredient:) Yum!
Susan @ SGCC said…
Cedar- Thanks. They are cute little guys, aren't they. They have little Italian sayings on the inside too.

Jen- Thank you. The raspberry is my personal fave, but I was out of Framboise. I love those little cups too!

Mrs. W- Thanks. You can use Splenda in this, and it is good. I've done it. Ricotta is a bit sweeter than cottage cheese, so you'll have to adjust for that. Otherwise, it should work fine.

Jep- I love ricotta. When I have time to go to an Italian specialty store, I buy the homemade ricotta. It is awesome!
Anonymous said…
Nice! I appreciate all the options you gave with the recipe for Chocolate Silk. Thanks!
Are those the freakin' cutest cups you've ever seen? Love all of your variations too. Thanks, Susan!
Susan @ SGCC said…
Sharona May- You're very welcome. I'm glad you like my variations.

Susan- Thanks! I'm glad you like the recipes. I just love those little cups too. My aunt gave them to me. I think she got them in NYC.
MMMM...I could even throw some fresh berries over top if I wanted to make it VERY healthy.
Unknown said…
wow that looks great, I will try it this weekend for my friends.
Thanks for sharing:-)
X M
Helene said…
Looks delicious...makes me want to add a few ice cubes and make me a "frapochocolatesilk"
Susan @ SGCC said…
Bellini Valli- Fresh berries would be great. That's why I like this one. You can add just about anything to it.

Toothfairyrecipes- Thanks! I hope your friends like it.

Tartelette- Lol! You crack me up. :)
Brilynn said…
Infinitely variable indeed! And those cups are adorable!
Susan @ SGCC said…
Brilynn- Thank you! I love the cups too. They remind me of talking heads!
Cakelaw said…
Yum - any dish with "chocolate" and "silk" in the title wins my heart any day!
Amanda said…
I made some of this (made it sugar free and added a little cream cheese)... yabba dabba doo, it's awesome!

So delish in fact that I did a post about it here, giving you full credit, of course.

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