Ingredients
c. heavy cream
Scant 1⁄4 cup ground coffee
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
c. almond meal or almond flour
3 large eggs
pinch salt
3/4 c. sugar
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
c. uncooked Cream of Wheat
3/4 c. finely chopped toasted cocoa nibs (cocoa beans broken into small pieces)
2 c. whole milk
3 tbsp. sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
2 tbsp. eau-de-vie or grappa
Sugared cocoa nibs
Preparation
Step 1To make ganache: In a small saucepan, combine cream, 1/4 cup water, and ground coffee. Heat over medium heat until hot. Remove from heat; let stand 15 minutes. Strain cream mixture through a fine sieve into a clean 2-quart saucepan. Heat cream mixture over medium heat and bring just to a boil; remove from heat.Step 2Meanwhile, in a food processor with metal blade attached, finely chop chocolate. With motor running, pour hot cream mixture through feed cylinder. Add butter, and process until chocolate and butter are melted. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or plastic wrap, letting foil extend at two sides. Pour ganache into pan. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.Step 3To make cookie batter: Spray eight 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-inch ramekins with cooking spray. Line bottoms with parchment circles, and spray again.Step 4In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook almond meal until lightly toasted and fragrant, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Turn meal onto a plate to cool.Step 5In a medium bowl, beat egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks begin to form. Shift mixer to high and gradually beat in sugar until whites stiffen.Step 6In a large bowl, combine almond meal, egg yolks, melted butter, melted chocolate, Cream of Wheat, and cocoa nibs; stir until blended. Fold in egg whites. Spoon mixture into a large food storage bag and snip a large hole in one corner. Pipe mixture into bottom of ramekins to cover, about 1/2 inch thick.Step 7Remove ganache from the freezer; lift from pan using foil ends. With a 2 1/4-inch round cutter, cut out 8 circles. Place a circle in the center of each ramekin. Pipe remaining batter over and around ganache to cover. Smooth tops. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.Step 8To make milk eau-de-vie: In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk, sugar, and vanilla bean. Bring just to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 15 minutes. Discard vanilla bean, pour milk into a bowl, and refrigerate until cold.Step 9Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until tops feel firm, 21 to 23 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet 10 minutes.
