In middle school, we took semesters of both Spanish and French. By 7th grade, we had to choose which language we wanted to study moving forward.
I chose French. And I chose French, because the teacher brought us chocolate and bread, telling us this was how the French ate.
Done. Feed me chocolate, I’ll choose you.
Turns out this is what a lot of Europeans eat. I’ve only spent a handful of days in Europe so I don’t know this for sure, but I found Pan Con Chocolate in my Spanish recipe book and thought why not throw back to French class.
Sea salt, fruity olive oil, rich velvety chocolate, crunchy bread – can’t lose with that combo.
This Pan Con Chocolate recipe is like a marquis – the eggs are separated and the whites get beaten until fluffy.
The results are a silky smooth chocolate dessert that’s rich but not necessarily dense. Since we’re beating air into the egg whites, the chocolate is lighter than a piece of fudge.
If you’re worried about raw eggs – consider buying fresh eggs from the market or even pasteurized. Though I’ve stopped worrying about raw eggs since the risk of salmonella is so low.
We’ll toast the bread to create little vehicles for the chocolate. Take a forkful and smash it on a piece of toast – the perfect after-meal treat.
Pan Con Chocolate
(Start making 2.5 hours before you want Pan con Chocolate)
Line a 4×10 inch pan with plastic wrap. I used a loaf pan.
In a heatproof bowl over a pot of boiling water (the water shouldn’t touch the bottom of the bowl), melt chocolate. Stir constantly, and when the chocolate is melted, add the egg yolks and butter.
The mixture seized up on me, but if you keep whisking, it will thin out and melt again. Let this cool off the heat while you work on your egg whites.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add 2 Tbsp of white sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg white mixtures into chocolate mixture, 1/3 at a time until incorporated.
Pour into the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap (so it touches the top of your chocolate mixture) and let sit in the fridge for 2 hours.
Heat your oven to 350F. Crisp the bread slices in the oven for about 12 minutes until lightly golden brown.
When the chocolate is chilled, remove from oven and slice into pieces. Drizzle nice extra virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkle on coarse sea salt. Serve with toast.
Danielle
