Chocolate cream with meringue heart (Chocolate muhallabieh)

February 12, 2011  •  Category:

 

The beauty of some Lebanese home-style desserts is that they are lighter than the average dessert with eggs or butter; take this chocolate muhallabieh for instance; cream is added sparingly to the milk and the dessert is thickened with cornstarch. It is super creamy and chocolaty, but very light.


The pink meringue hearts are for fun and crunch-crunch.

OK. So how do we proceed?

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 cup of whole milk
  • 1/2 cup of cream
  • 1/3 cup of cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup of cocoa, Dutch processed (I like Droste)
  • 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

METHOD:

  1. Place the milk and the cream in measuring jug to get a total of two cups. Pour 1 1/2 cups of that mixture into a saucepan and add the cocoa and sugar. Pour the cornstarch on the remaining mixture in the jug and mix with a fork to dissolve the cornstarch.
  2. Start heating the milk and cocoa mixture while stirring it slowly to dissolve the cocoa and sugar. When the mixture starts steaming, add the cornstarch mixture and keep stirring for several minutes (about 4 minutes total) until the mixture is very thick.
  3. Pour into a sieve placed over a large bowl with a spout. Use a spoon or the whisk to press the pudding mixture through the sieve; this step is to ensure no lumps remain and the pudding is as creamy and smooth as can be. Pour into 2 or 4 ramequins or verrine or goblets. Cover with a plastic sheet and keep in the fridge until serving time. You can serve as is in the ramequins or flip over into a pretty plate. To help dislodge the pudding, surround the ramequin with a hot and wet towel. Serve with meringues or a crumble of caramelized nuts or marshmallows.

Assembly with the cream and meringue:

Pink cream: Whip 1/2 cup of cream with two teaspoons of powdered sugar and a few drops of rose water; add a couple of drops of red food color to the cream. Whip for several minutes until soft peaks form.

Meringue: Place 4 egg whites in a mixing bowl; beat at high speed for a few minutes till frothy; add a pinch of cream of tartar. As soon as the meringue is stiff, start adding one cup of powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time as well as a few drops of red food color. Beat till stiff and still shiny. Place in a plastic decorating bag with a round tip (small size) and pipe on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in a 225F oven for one hour or longer until the meringue is stiff and dry.

Comments

30 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Cherine says:

    Oh my, chocolate muhallabihe, that should be divine!!
    This recipe is a keeper!!!

  2. jantonio says:

    Estoy enamorado de estos postres, no conocía la versión con coco. Precioso.
    Un saludo desde Mallorca.

  3. Rosa says:

    A fabulous dessert! This version of Muhallabieh is so great.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  4. Barbara says:

    Now that is my kind of dessert! That little spoonful at the end made my mouth water. Such a cute idea to serve it with meringue hearts, Joumana!
    Happy Valentine’s Day to you!

  5. Diala says:

    Dear Mrs Joumana,

    I am sure that they are plenty peoply who think the same but when are you going to collect all these wonderful recipes in a beautiful Lebanese cookbook???
    It will be a bestseller !! :))))))
    Don’t forget to put a lots of picture of Lebnen ! ;o)))))))

    Regards,
    Diala

  6. torviewtoronto says:

    beautiful and looks delicious

  7. Claudia says:

    I love when cream is used sparingly – not so heavy. Such a pretty sweet for your sweet. The meringue hearts are a grand idea.

  8. Joanne says:

    What a beautiful dessert! I would certainly be happy if someone made this for me for Valentine’s Day.

  9. deana says:

    I love the shape… like a little onion dome. Great looking dessert and the lightness surely helps…. anything with chocolate and I am a happy girl. I didn’t know chocolate was big in lebanon!!

  10. Sara says:

    Love this dessert! First time I tried Muhallabieh was in Morocco this past Fes! I’m going to try your recipe! Thanks for sharing and happy valentines day! 🙂

  11. Priya says:

    Gorgeous and elegant dessert,Happy V day..

  12. Amanda says:

    Yummy looks delicious & light, I love the idea of pink heart meringue!

  13. lisaiscooking says:

    The colors are so pretty together, and it’s perfect for Valentine’s Day! The pudding with whipped cream and crispy meringues is a great combination.

  14. TheKitchenWitch says:

    That’s lovely! What a welcome departure from the usual heavy, super-rich Valentine’s Day desserts!

  15. Jamie says:

    Funny and wonderful how some desserts find their way into all cultures. This looks and sounds so delicious and wow you have created such a beautiful and romantic dessert!

  16. Susan says:

    This sounds wonderful and I like the fact that it’s lighter than the usual cream dessert. Love the meringue hearts ♥.

  17. Ivy says:

    One of my favourite creams and my children love it with chocolate.

  18. Julie says:

    Superbe dessert pour la Saint-Valentin, ça me paraît délicieux !
    Bonne fête des amoureux demain 😉

    Bises

  19. Oui, Chef says:

    WOW….what a beautiful thing, and I love that it is so light…great dish! – S

  20. Sharon@ Fun and Life says:

    Oh. My. That looks incredible! Such beautiful presentation and great photography too. Sounds very delicious and definitely indulgent! Perfect for Valentine’s :).

    Thanks for dropping by my blog and for your kind comment. You’ve got a great blog here and I had a quick glance around your older posts too. Loving that poached egg on roll – I’ve never managed to poach eggs successfully, they just go everywhere! And have to say I love avocado too, especially with condensed milk (unconventional way of eating it I know haha). Will check back again soon! 🙂

  21. Stella says:

    I love light desserts, Joumana! I feel so much better after eating them than I do heavy ones, so this is muhallabieh is right up my alley. Yum!

  22. Katie@Cozydelicious says:

    This looks fantastic. I love that it is both rich and light. And rose water cream sounds incredible.

  23. Nadji says:

    Une mouhallabieh au chocolat est une première pour moi. Elle ne peut être que délicieuse.
    Je note.
    A très bientôt.

  24. Carol says:

    Looks absolutely delicious! Chocolate that both rich and light, perfection, especially with the meringue hearts! Love it!

  25. SYLVIA says:

    Joumana, this is the perfect recipe for a romantic valentine treat. A velvety smooth homemade muhallabieh with a dose of antioxidant packed chocolate cocoa, It’s impossible to resist, and easy to fall in love with this pudding. You will definitely impress your sweetie. This is too good to serve only once a year.

  26. A Canadian Foodie says:

    Ooooh yeah! Hold that spoon out a little further; I cannot quite reach it – but I want to. It looks like creamy chocolate heaven.
    Happy Heart Day to you, too, sweet, Joumana – the multi cultural cooking QUEEN!!
    🙂
    Valerie

  27. grace says:

    what decadence! this is the perfect romantic treat for any occasion. 🙂

  28. Eve@CheapEthnicEatz says:

    So beautiful, I agree often your desserts are a lot more guilt free lol. Need to make more then. The meringue hearts are brilliant.

  29. domi says:

    Un amour de dessert, sublime !!!!

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