Inspiration here comes from my many Mexican friends who add chocolate to savory dishes. I thought I’ d return the favor and add chiles to dessert. This frozen chocolate cake has a gentle heat, tamed by the chocolate and its hidden apricot center.

　　

Ingredients

serves 8

　　

For the Chile Syrup

1 cup (240g) water

　　1 1/4 cups (250g) sugar

　　1/2 habanero chile, chopped

　　1/2 Thai bird chile, chopped

　　1/4 vanilla bean, split and scraped

　　1/2 small sprig fresh rosemary

　　

For the Apricots

1/2 pound (227g) ripe apricots

　　Chile syrup

　　1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter

　　Coarse salt

　　

For the Cake

3 extra-large egg yolks

　　1/3 cup chile syrup

　　1 1/4 cups (300g) heavy cream

　　4 1/2 ounces (125g) milk chocolate (preferably Valrhona Jivara 40% cacao), chopped

　　3 ounces (87g) bittersweet chocolate (preferably Valrhona Manjari 64% cacao), chopped

　　

For the Streusel

7 tablespoons (103g) unsalted butter, softened

　　Scant 1/2 cup (94g) sugar

　　Grated zest of 1 lemon

　　Coarse salt

　　1 1/2 cups (187g) all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon (4g) baking powder

　　

To Serve

Chocolate Glazing Ganache (page 183)

　　Devil’s Food Cake (page 192)

　　Chile seeds (optional)

　　

For the Chile Syrup

Step 1

Combine the water, sugar, chiles, vanilla seeds and pod, and rosemary in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and infuse overnight. Strain before using.

　　

For the Apricots

Step 2

Pit the apricots and cut into 1-inch chunks.

　　

Step 3

Warm a sauté pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add a slick of chile syrup and the apricots. Cook, tossing, until the apricots are barely tender. Add the butter and shake the pan until the butter melts and coats the fruit. Add a pinch of salt. Transfer to a strainer set over a bowl and let cool.

　　

For the Cake

Step 4

Put eight 2 x 2-inch ring molds on a small baking pan and freeze them while you make the chocolate mousse.

　　

Step 5

Put the egg yolks in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk and beat at medium speed.

　　

Step 6

Heat the chile syrup in a saucepan to 250°F. Pour the syrup into the beating yolks, avoiding the whisk and the sides of the bowl. Crank the mixer up to high and beat until the bowl is cool to the touch.

　　

Step 7

Whip the cream to medium peaks in a large bowl.

　　

Step 8

Melt the chocolates in a glass bowl in 30-second spurts in the microwave, or melt in a double boiler. After each spurt, let the chocolate sit for a minute or so, then stir it with a heatproof rubber scraper. Let the chocolate cool to 113°F.

　　

Step 9

Fold the yolk mixture into the cream, then fold in the chocolate.

　　

Step 10

Fill a pastry bag with the chocolate mousse and pipe into the molds, filling them about two-thirds full. Use the back of a small spoon to make a well in the center of each ring and bring the mousse up the sides to the top. Fill the centers with the apricots and top with more mousse to fill the molds. Level off the tops. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight.

　　

For the Streusel

Step 11

Put the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat at medium-high speed until creamy.

　　

Step 12

Whisk the flour and baking powder together and add to the butter mixture. Mix at low speed until crumbly. Form into a brick, wrap in plastic, and freeze overnight.

　　

Step 13

Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment and set eight 2 1/2-inch tart rings on it.

　　

Step 14

Grate the streusel on the big holes of a box grater. Put a thin layer, about 1/4 inch, in the bottom of each ring and press it down so it will stick together. Bake until crisp, about 8 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely.

　　

To Serve

Step 15

Glaze the tops of the cakes with a thin layer of the ganache. When the ganache sets, rub the rings briskly between your hands and unmold the cakes, pushing them out carefully.

　　

Step 16

Cut 2-inch rounds of the devil’s food cake to match the size of the chocolate-chile cakes.

　　

Step 17

Place a round of streusel on each dessert plate. Top with the devil’s food and then with the chocolate-chile cake.

　　

Step 18

Garnish with a drizzle of chile syrup and some chile seeds, if you want.

　　

make it simple

Step 19

Though you won’t get the same results, you could replace the apricots with all-fruit apricot preserves. Doctor them up with some salt, a hit of lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of cayenne.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__