TIP OF THE DAY: Grilled Chocolate Sandwich

August 12, 2013 at 7:53 am · Filed under Desserts, Recipes

Move over, pain au chocolat and chocolate croissant. We don’t have to go searching for you anymore. We can make the American version of a chocolate sandwich at home—in five minutes.

A few days ago we suggested different uses for grilled bread. We saved the dessert version, grilled bread with chocolate, for today.

As with grilled cheese sandwiches, you can toast the bread on the grill, under the broiler or in a frying pan. Here are two recipes, including a quick variation, courtesy of King Arthur Flour—an exceptional resource for the finest flours and other baking ingredients.

Also as with grilled cheese, grilled chocolate sandwiches are cooked until the bread is toasty and the chocolate is chocolate melted. Make them as a snack or a fun dessert. We enjoy them with a glass of cold milk.

You can also use croissants and sweet rolls, although grilling the uneven tops is challenging. It’s better to microwave them until the chocolate melts.

What chocolate should you use?

The dessert sandwich on pound cake or bread. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

Whatever you like. Some people favor Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate. We personally prefer prestige-grade chocolate and use any of the gourmet chocolate bars we have on hand. You can use flavored chocolate bars and bars with inclusions (e.g. nuts), and even chocolate chips. For fun, you can mix dark and white chocolate, or any variation that inspires you.

GRILLED CHOCOLATE SANDWICH

Ingredients For 20 Sandwich Triangles

10 slices brioche, challah or pound cake*

1/2 cup heavy cream

6 ounces (about 1 cup) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (not unsweetened baking chocolate), broken or chopped into small pieces

2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Optional: 1/4 cup sparkling white sugar (sanding sugar)

Optional garnish (adults): crème fraîche, mascarpone, sour cream, whipped cream

Optional garnish (kids): whipped cream, vanilla ice cream

*In a pinch, you can use firm-textured white bread.

grilled-chocolate-sandwich-kingarthurflour-230

Quick version: butter toast or brioche, add chocolate, grill. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

Preparation

1. BRING the cream to a simmer and stir in the chocolate. Continue to stir until the mixture is shiny and smooth, heating briefly if necessary to melt the chocolate completely. Let cool until thickened.

2. BUTTER one side of each piece of bread. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the chocolate onto the unbuttered side of 5 of the slices, leaving an uncoated rim around the edges.

3. TOP with the remaining bread. Sprinkle the buttered sides of the bread with the optional sparkling sugar.

4. GRILL the sandwiches over medium heat until they’re golden brown on both sides. Be careful if you’re using the sparkling sugar: The sugar tends to burn if the heat is too high. Be sure to wipe the pan between sandwiches. Cut the sandwiches into triangles and serve warm.

NOTE: Any extra filling may be stored in the fridge, tightly covered, for later use. You can warm it and use it as a dessert topping.

QUICK RECIPE: GRILLED CHOCOLATE SANDWICH

Ingredients

2 slices pound cake or brioche per serving

Unsalted butter, softened

Chocolate, broken or chopped

Preparation
1. SLICE the cake into pieces about 3/8” thick. If desired, further cut the slices into more manageable individual pieces (e.g. for children). Butter one side of each slice.

2. SPACE the chocolate on the unbuttered side of the cake slices. Top with another slice of cake, buttered side up. Grill over medium heat, turning once, till both sides are golden, and the chocolate is melting.

3. SERVE plain or with one of the garnishes above.

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