P. F. CHANG’S CHOCOLATE TORTE

MENU DESCRIPTION: “Served with vanilla bean and raspberry sauce.”

P. F. Chang’s contracts with local bakeries to produce these delicious flourless chocolate cakes in each city where the Chinese bistros are based. The restaurants aren’t built for baking, and this way the chain can ensure a fresh product every day. Now, if you’re a chocolate lover or there’s one nearby, this is the recipe for you. The torte is only five ingredients, and the versatile sauces create the perfect gourmet touch. Any leftover torte and sauce can be frozen, then thawed at a later date to effortlessly impress.

SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ cup butter (1 stick)
• 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (18-ounces)
• 4 eggs
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

VANILLA SAUCE

• • 2 cups cream
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ of a vanilla bean (split down the middle)
  • 4 egg yolks

RASPBERRY SAUCE

• • one 12-ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons Chambord raspberry liqueur

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate chips and stir occasionally until chocolate is completely melted. Be very careful not to overcook the chocolate or it may burn and taste funny. Not funny ha-ha—funny bad. Remove chocolate from the heat when it’s melted.
3. Beat 4 eggs until fluffy in a large bowl, then add sugar and vanilla and mix well until sugar is dissolved.
4. Temper the egg mixture by stirring in just a few tablespoons of the warm chocolate at first. This will keep the eggs from cooking. Slowly add the rest of the chocolate and mix until well combined.
5. Pour the batter into a 9-inch springform pan that has been lined on the bottom and sides with parchment paper (butter the pan before you add the parchment paper—the butter will make the paper stick). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until middle of the cake begins to firm up. Remove, cool, cover and chill the cake until you are ready to serve it.
6. As the torte bakes, prepare vanilla sauce by combining cream with ¼ cup sugar in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Use a knife to scrape the seeds from inside the vanilla bean half, then add the seeds and the bean pod to the pan. Heat mixture, stirring often, just until boiling then turn off heat. Watch the cream closely so that it does not boil over.
7. In a medium bowl whisk together remaining ¼ cup of sugar and egg yolks until smooth. Temper the egg yolks by stirring in a few tablespoons of the hot cream mixture. Pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan and heat it up again, stirring often until it begins to boil. Immediately pour the sauce into a medium bowl that has been set in a larger bowl filled with ice. This ice bath will help to quickly cool the sauce so that it doesn’t curdle. Cover and chill the sauce until you are ready for it.
8. Make the raspberry sauce by pureeing the thawed raspberries in a blender. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water to thin the pureed berries a bit—if your berries have a lot of juice add 2 tablespoons of water; if they have just a little juice, add 4 tablespoons of water. Strain the seeds from the raspberry puree then pour the puree into a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of raspberry liqueur to the pan. Heat until boiling then remove raspberry sauce from heat. Cover and chill it.
9. When you are ready to serve your torte, first spoon some raspberry sauce and vanilla sauce onto a plate. Carefully place the slice of torte on the sauces, but turn it over so that the top of the torte is on the bottom. This is how a flourless chocolate cake is served—topside down. The restaurant zaps the cake for 30 seconds or so in the microwave before serving, so that it is slightly warm. However, you might prefer yours cold.