Chocolate Dessert Recipe:
Bitter Chocolate with Orange Sauce

This chocolate dessert recipe is straight from the heart of chocolate country - Costa Rica. One of the highlights of my trip was seeing spider monkey eating from a cacao tree!

I also had the pleasure of staying for two days at the Monteverde Lodge, a gorgeous facility on the edge of one of Costa Rica's most famous reserves. Who would have thought that the food would be so decadent, with a chocolate dessert recipe like none other? Our group enjoyed this so much, we probably ordered at least 10 of them during our short stay! Their chef was gracious enough to provide us with the recipe. We've translated it to English for you, and converted the metric measurements to U.S. equivalents, though you will find nothing is exact. Enjoy!

Monteverde Lodge Chocolate Amargo con Naranja
(Bitter Chocolate with Orange)

600 g (21 oz) bitter chocolate
200 g (7/8 cup) butter
250 ml (1 cup + 1 Tablespoon) sweet cream
50 g (1/4 cup + 1/2 teaspoon) sugar
grated orange peel
6 egg yolks [egg yolks are the same size in metric :) ]
100 g (7/8 cup) plain cocoa
juice from fresh orange

Melt the chocolate and butter in separate double boilers (or VERY slowly in separate saucepans).

In a separate bowl, gently beat the sweet cream with the sugar and some grated orange peel.

In another small bowl, beat the egg yolks.

Mix the cocoa with the melted butter, then mix the cocoa and butter mixture with the melted chocolate. Let cool a few minutes.

Vigorously mix the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture.

Add the cream mixture and mix until smooth.

Line a pan or mold with wax paper, pour in the chocolate mixture, and let cool. Refrigerate until firm.

To make the orange sauce, measure the juice from one or more oranges. For every unit orange juice, add two units water. Cook slowly over low heat, add sugar to taste, and allow the mixture to gain the consistency of a thick sauce.

Carefully spoon sauce onto slices of the chocolate just before serving. You may wish to add some grated orange peel, orange shavings, or cocoa powder as a garnish.

Serves 12.

Our notes: this recipe is VERY rich. You could easily halve it and have enough for 12 small (but reasonable) portions. For the bitter chocolate, you can use a very good dark eating chocolate, or an unsweetened baking chocolate. The darker the chocolate you use, obviously, the more bitter it will be. You can also try substituting different fruits. We made it with passion fruit, and yum!

Please note that the eggs do not get cooked in this recipe. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! Small children especially should not eat raw eggs.

We hope you enjoy this chocolate dessert recipe. If you are fortunate enough to find yourself in Costa Rica, stay at the Monteverde Lodge. You won't be disappointed!