Sunday, May 1, 2011

chocolate, banana and graham cracker icebox cake









My kids love chocolate, bananas and graham crackers so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this one. As I looked at the chocolate at the store, I had two choices- Hershey or Ghiradelli and they were both the same price. I struggled. Do I buy Hershey because I currently live in Hershey or do I buy Ghiradelli from the San Francisco Bay Area where I'm from. I went with Ghiradelli to mix things up a bit. I sampled the chocolate, egg, cream combination before I assembled the cake and it was divine. Don't think for a second you can substitute with pudding or the like.
This served as my oldest daughter's birthday treat. Her birthday isn't today but somehow she gets a birthday dessert today, cupcakes and presents tomorrow, we're going out to pizza the following day then a birthday swim party in a couple of weeks. She's living it up!

chocolate, banana, and graham cracker icebox cake (Martha Stewart Living Magazine, August 2010)
15 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
5 egg yolks
salt
3 cups heavy cream
20 graham cracker sheets
4 or 5 ripe bananas, very thinly sliced lengthwise
garnish: whipped cream

Line a 5-by-10 inch loaf pan with plastic wrap. Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Place yolks and a pinch of salt in another heatproof bowl.
Bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Slowly pour cream into bowl with yolks, whisking constantly; return mixture to saucepan set over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes (mixture should not come to a boil). Immediately strain through a fine sieve set over chocolate; stir until chocolate melts and is smooth. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 4 hours.
Spread 1 cup chocolate mixture evenly into bottom of loaf pan. Top with a layer of 4 graham crackers, trimmed to fit. Spread 1/2 cup chocolate over tops, and cover with some bananas. Spread 1/2 cup chocolate over bananas, and top with a layer of 4 trimmed graham crackers. Repeat with remaining chocolate, bananas, and graham crackers until you reach the top of the pan; finish with graham crackers.
Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Uncover, and turn out onto a serving platter. Remove plastic wrap. Garnish with whipped cream, and cut into slices.

What I have to say- I'll probably leave out the bananas next time and I'll definitely use the chocolate filling for cakes!

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