As a lover of modern art, self-acclaimed excellent baker and collector of cookbooks, I was instantly fascinated with Modern Art Desserts: Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Confections, and Frozen Treats. The book features recipes inspired by artworks of the Iconic Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, Henri Matisse, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol; mastery of Caitlin Freeman, pastry chef at the Blue Bottle café at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s, where she gets her inspiration, then translates the artwork into edible masterpieces.
Now for me to make these delectable yet complicated little masterpieces at home. Maybe I’ll start with something easy like the Kelly Fudge Pop.
Modern Art Desserts: Kelly Fudge Pop
Makes 8-10 fudge pops
Ingredients
8 ounces (227 g) high-quality
bittersweet chocolate (62% to 70% cacao), coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
11/4 cups (10.4 oz / 290 g) heavy cream
1 cup (8.6 oz / 242 g) whole milk
1/4 cup (1.8 oz / 50 g) sugar
4 teaspoons natural (not Dutch-processed) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
Have ready 10 ice-pop molds. If your molds are flexible like the ones we use at the museum, set them on a rimmed baking sheet.
Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl, add the vanilla extract, and set aside. In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the cream, milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking often to break up the lumps of cocoa powder, until bubbles start to form around the edges and the temperature of the mixture registers 180°F to 190°F on a digital thermometer.
Immediately pour the cream mixture over the chocolate and stir with a whisk or blend with an immersion blender until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is a smooth liquid (a thoroughly emulsified mixture will yield the most creamy fudge pop). Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over a liquid measuring cup.
Pour the chocolate mixture into the ice-pop molds and freeze until solid, at least 4 hours or up to 2 weeks; follow the manufacturer’s instructions for inserting the sticks. If you don’t have ice-pop molds, pour the chocolate mixture into ice cube trays; freeze until partially frozen, about 30 minutes, and then insert a toothpick or short wooden skewer into each ice pop. Continue freezing until solid.
Unmold the fudge pops, dipping the molds into warm water to loosen, if needed, and serve.
Recipe Courtesy of Modern Art of Dessert.
