HOT CHOCOLATE TURTLE SOUP

HOT CHOCOLATE TURTLE SOUP image

Yield 8 people

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

Turtles:
1 c brown sugar
1 c granulated sugar
1 c dark corn syrup
1 stick unsalted butter
2 c evaporated milk
1 t vanilla extract
3 c pecan halves
8 oz semisweet chocolate
Soup:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 c half and half
12 coffee beans, crushed
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/2 t vanilla extract
milk for thinning the sauce
8 scoops butter pecan ice cream

Steps:

Make the turtles: combine the sugars, corn syrup, butter, and 1 cup of the evaporated milk in a suacepan fitted with a candy thermometer and bring to a boil. Slowly add the remaining evaporated milk, stirring constantly, and cook until the mixture reaches 255 degrees. Ladle out 1/2 c of the mixture and set it aside (to be used later as a caramel sauce). Add the vanilla and pecans to the pot and mix well. Spoon the mixture in dollops onto the cookie sheet, trying to get 5 pecans in each one. If you like, adjust the pecans so that they stick out like the legs and head of a turtle. Don't spread them out too much, the pecans should be touching each other or the turtles will be too big. Refrigerate until set. Once the turtles are firm, melt the semisweet chocolate. Set a wire rack over a piece of parchment paper or paper towels. Drop the turtles into the chocolate one by one and fish them out gently with a fork. Place them on the wire rack and let chocolate drip off. Return the turtules to the cookie sheet to set until firm. Store at room temperate in airtight container (keeps for 5 days). Make the soup: Put chopped chocolate in mixing bowl. PUt half and half in coffee beans in saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-heigh heat. Pour the mixture over the chocolate and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the corn syrup and vinalla and whisk together. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a serving pitcher. Chill unless serving immediately. When ready to serve, heat the reserved 1/2 cup caramel sauce in the microwave, adding milk to thin as needed. Heat the pitcher of chocolate soup in the microwave. Put a small scoop of butter pecan ice cream in each of 8 serving cups and drizzle with caramel sauce. At the table, pour the hot chocolate soup over the ice cream. Serve with turtles on the side.