Mosaico - Mum's chocolate log

    

  Our country cottage is in a small village. There was no shop to buy anything, and we had to visit the nearest town to get supplies. Of course we always would buy goods in advance, but there was one thing that as a kid I was missing in summer and that thing was ICE CREAM!!!.

      As you know, mums don’t like their children to be miserable, so I had a favorite ice cream substitute that my mother could easily make at our cottage with no special equipment. This was her chocolate and biscuits log; she called it mosaico. It is not her own invention; it’s actually a quite popular dessert all mothers used to make since the 70’s. 

     My mother makes this delicious dessert with vegetable margarine, cocoa, eggs and a couple table spoons of brandy to eliminate the egg flavor but, as an adult, I prefer to use less fat and  make it with dark chocolate and whipping cream. I will give you both recipes to decide which one fits better to your taste.

      I like this dessert all year long and specially on Christmas an easy to make dessert is always welcomed. 

  
The traditional version: serves 8

350gr petit beurre biscuits, crushed
250gr softened butter or vegetable margarine
180gr confectioners’ sugar
2 eggs slightly beaten
50gr cocoa powder
2Tsps brandy or liqueur

     In a bowl put the softened butter, confectioners’ sugar and cocoa and with a fork mix them to combine.
      Add the beaten eggs and brandy to the cocoa mixture and mix well until totally incorporated. 
Finally add the crushed biscuits and with a plastic spatula or a spoon mix to cover the biscuits with the cocoa mix. Pour the batter in a cake pan lined with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours before serving. If you like, when the batter has set, about an hour after being left in the freezer, you can roll it carefully to give it a round log shape. 

My version: serves 8

220gr petit beurre biscuits, crushed
400gr dark chocolate
150gr whipping cream (unsweetened)
50gr glucose syrup
2 Tsps  brandy or liquer (optional)
some grated chocolate for decor

     In a bowl put the chopped chocolate and set aside.
In a sauce pan over medium heat pour the whipping cream and glucose syrup and bring to a boil.
Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and with a plastic spatula mix until chocolate melts completely. Add the crushed biscuits and mix with a plastic spatula until biscuits are totally covered with chocolate cream. Pour the batter in a cake pan lined with plastic wrap, let cool down and keep refrigerated- not in the freezer- for 2-3 hours before serving.