You will need:

Espresso Bread (recipe below)

White Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies (recipe below)

Frangelico Godiva Custard (recipe below)

Chocolate Espresso Sauce (recipe below)

Preparation:

In a large casserole pan, place about 3/4 of the stale Espresso Bread cubes. Pour the custard over the bread, enough to saturate (this will vary according to your personal taste so start with a portion of the bread).

Place in the refrigerator until all the custard has been absorbed, stirring every once in a while.

Pour custard soaked bread into a 10" round pan or into individual ramekins and top with the crumbled White Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies.

Place in preheated oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until mixture has set. Cool and serve warm or at room temperature pouring sauce over top.

Serves 6

Espresso Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup espresso - warmed but not hot

2 Tbs. sugar

1 ¼ oz. package dry yeast

12 ½ oz. flour

Preparation:

Place the espresso in a medium bowl, making sure it is just warm so it will not kill the yeast. Add the sugar and yeast and allow to proof for about 10 minutes.

Mix in the flour and then transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 8 minutes, adding flour to the surface as needed if the dough sticks. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Transfer the dough into a greased large bowl, cover and allow to proof until it has doubled in size (about 1 hour). Transfer the dough Into a 9" x 5" greased bread pan and allow to double in size again (about 1/2 an hour).

Place pan into preheated oven and bake until bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when you tap on it (about 45 minutes).

Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

After the bread is completely cooled, cut into 1/2" cubes and allow to stale on a baking sheet overnight.

White Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Ingredients:

3 oz. butter

6 oz. semisweet chocolate

2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate

2 eggs

12 Tbs. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ cup flour

½ tsp. salt

1 dash baking powder

6 oz. white chocolate chips

1 cup Hazelnuts - chopped

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a double boiler over medium heat, melt the butter, semisweet and unsweetened chocolate. Set aside and allow to cool.

In a 5-qt. standing mixer whip the eggs, sugar and vanilla until fluffy.

Slowly add the cooled butter chocolate mixture, being sure not to cook the eggs and whip until incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to mixture and mix until incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips and hazelnuts.

Place scoops of dough onto a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven. Bake about 12-15 minutes.

Cool on a rack and crumble cookies into a bowl.

Set aside until ready to use.

Frangelico Godiva Custard

Ingredients:

2 cup milk

1 cup cream

¾ cup sugar

6 whole eggs

3 egg yolks

¾ cup Frangelico

¼ cup Godiva

Preparation:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, add milk, cream and sugar.

Bring to scald (steaming but not to a boil - about 5 minutes).

Mix the eggs and egg yolks in a medium bowl.

Add the hot milk mixture to the eggs slowly while stirring with a wisk, tempering by not cooking the eggs with the milk mixture.

Stir in the Frangelico and Godiva and strain through a fine sieve.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Chocolate Espresso Sauce

1 cup cream

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup corn syrup

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate - chopped

1/3 cup espresso

Mix the espresso, cream, sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepot over medium heat.

Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in the chocolate until smooth.

Store in the refrigerator until ready use.

© D R DeMilo 2004 all rights reserved