Steve's Ultimate Chocolate Trifle

I think I might have driven Steve a little nutty with regard to him being in the office on his birthday. But I think he will agree that my badgering was worth it! For Steve's birthday his request was simple, "Something chocolaty". For a few months I've been waiting for the right time to unleash what I think might be the king of chocolaty-ness: A Chocolate Trifle. What's a Chocolate Trifle you ask? Well, it starts with chocolate chip brownies, which are then topped with chocolate mousse, and layered in fresh whipped cream. This process is then repeated twice and when you're finished, you're left with a pristine whipped cream surface on which to sprinkle little curls of decadent Swiss milk chocolate. If this isn't "something chocolaty", I don't know what is.

As sweet as this dessert may be, it is a little bit bittersweet because it will probably be the last I make for Steve on his birthday. I've had the pleasure of working with, and baking for, Steve for the last three years and next Friday will be his last day at SerSol. But today we will not be sad; we will celebrate and stuff our faces with a dessert fit for a king. Here's to you Steve! Thanks for being such a great leader!

Ultimate Chocolate Trifle Recipe

• Double Batch of Ghiradelli's Award Winning Double Chocolate Brownies . This recipe is on the back of the can of Ghiradelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa can. Almost any brownies would work with this recipe except for super fudgy ones. I think these work because they are very porus and not too dry.


• 1 batch of Chocolate Mousse (I used this one but I didn't wait 6 hours.)


• 1 1/2 pints of whipped cream, whipped with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of powdered suger. Be sure to only whip it until very soft peaks form. If you over whip it, just add more cream to soften it up. You don't want it too thick.


• 1/4 cup of milk chocolate curls

Assembly

1. Prepare mousse and refrigerate.

2. Bake the brownies as indicated in the recipe. Cool completely.

3. Prepare whipped cream.

4. Depending on the size of your container, start with a layer of brownies, then top with mousse. If the mousse gets too thick, thin it out with cream. Then top with a layer of whipped cream. Keep layering until you run out of brownies. Whipped cream should be your last layer. Top with chocolate curls.

Serves 25-30