Toasted Chocolate Bread with Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche Recipe
Photo: Charity Burggraaf
This dessert hits all the pleasure centers: it's bread, it's chocolate, it's cream—it's got to be good. Using spelt bread here is a nice way to incorporate whole grains into a dessert in a subtle way that doesn't scream "healthier choice"—even when it is. You can use potato bread or a basic rustic loaf; my favorite is our homemade spelt bread.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
- 8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 3 Tbsp. vegan buttery spread (such as Earth Balance brand), softened, divided
- 8 slices spelt bread or other rustic bread, cut about 1/2-inch thick
- 1/3 cup Cream Cheese Crème Fraîche (get the recipe)
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, for garnish (optional)
Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat the soy milk over medium heat until it's just boiling. Add the chocolate and turn off the heat, but keep the pot on the burner. Let the sauce stand for about 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. The texture should be thick and rich, just barely pourable.
Keep the sauce on the still-warm burner until you're ready to use it.
In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the buttery spread over medium heat. Working in batches, put the bread slices in the pan and toast until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Add more butter as needed.
To serve, overlap 2 slices of toasted bread on each of 4 plates. Pour about 2 tablespoons of chocolate sauce over the bread, aiming for the center where the pieces intersect and letting the sauce cascade down to the plate. Top each with a dollop of crème fraîche and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
©2013 by Makini Howell. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Plum: Gratifying Vegan Dishes from Seattle's Plum Bistro by permission of Sasquatch Books.
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