I am very happy about the recipe I will be sharing with you today. I have many food related memories of my childhood and one of the sweetest memories is of Sunday mornings. My parents and I would often have friends over or go over to some friends’ house for Sunday lunch. My mum would often prepare a dessert, but sometimes we would buy pastries to take to our friends’ place. I LOVED going to the pasticceria – aka the pastry shop, to buy the most amazing and beautiful pastries a child could imagine. I must admit, Italians know how to make pastries and what I LOVE is the fact that they are small in size, so you can sample different ones if you fancy. My friend Paolo from Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu has written a great article on Italian pastries that I encourage you to read. In fact, after reading that very same article I started dreaming about recreating some of my favourites and I am happy to tell you that my first attempt was a success. Today I will show you how to make Fiamme di Cioccolato, my favourite pastry EVER. They are made up of whipped chocolate ganache piped on shortbread discs in a “flame like shape” (thus the name fiamme – aka flames) and then covered in chocolate. Yes, they ARE as divine as they sound! Chocolate heaven. And these tasted exactly like my childhood pasticceria’s Fiamme. Do try them, they are also quite easy to make and will make any chocolate lover really happy! Enjoy!
Fiamme di Cioccolato
Fiamme di Cioccolato - whipped chocolate ganache piped on shortbread discs in a “flame like shape” and covered in chocolate.
Ingredients
- ½ dose of my shortbread recipe
- 200 ml – ¾ cup + 2 tbsp heavy cream
- 200 gms + 200 gms dark chocolate – 1 1/3 cup + 1 1/3 cup chopped and divided
Instructions
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Make ½ dose of my shortbread dough as per this recipe.
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Roll out the dough into a 0.5 cm – ¼ inch thick sheet. Cut into 4 cm rounds using a lightly floured cookie cutter.
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Place the cookies on a tray lined with baking paper and place in the fridge for 15 minutes (this will help the cookies retain their shape when baked).
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Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C – 340°F on the middle rack for 13 to 15 minutes. The cookies should remain pale.
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Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Put the fire off and add half of the chocolate to it. Leave it, without mixing, for 5 to 10 minutes. Then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
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Pipe the whipped ganache on top of the shortbread discs with a star tip so that it resembles a flame (I used a 1M Wilton tip). Put them back in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until hard.
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Let them harden well before serving.
Oh Manuela, how absolutely beautiful and delicious!
Wow! These are just gorgeous! I remember visiting my nonno in Calabria when I was just six and a pasticceria cart would come by after Sunday morning mass and people would buy their pastries. Truely, you are right, the Italians know how to make pastries! I can’t wait to try these! Thanks for sharing!
These look wonderful but what I really want to do is pronounce the recipe name like a native speaker 🙂
Great idea! I love Italian pastries, too. Cannoli and cream puffs are my all time faves. Now I make them gluten-free. I’ll have to make these with my gluten free shortbread recipe. Thanks for the inspiration!
hi dear…luks yumm yumm…hey i want to know u have written that “Heat the cream in a saucepan until almost boiling. Put the fire off and add half of the chocolate to it. Leave it, without mixing, for 5 to 10 minutes. Then put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.” but in the pic its showing that it has been whisked by the whisker…so what exactly we have to do?
thanks in advance 🙂
Hi there! Yes, you need to whip the chocolate mixture right after taking it out of the fridge (after the 30 minutes). This will make it fluffy and lighter in colour. 🙂
oh that mean 1st one is the chocolate added to the cream then the lower one with the finger mark & then the whisk pic? correct….i thought is visa versa :p thanks dear 🙂
I am making these for a dessert tray. How far in advance can they be made! Thanks!
Hi Noreen! They can be made a couple of days before. Just keep them in the fridge and take them out at least 2 hours before serving them. 🙂