One of the funnier tasks in the restaurant business is in the naming of chocolate desserts.

Many restaurants claim to have the richest chocolate dessert. They all employ over-the-top names such as “Chocolate Thunder”, “Brownie Obsession”, “Fudge Overboard” and “Chocolate Debauchery” (actually, that last one I just made up, but it ought to be a dessert name).

In the Crescent City Grill, we offer Death by Chocolate. Many restaurants serve a dessert named Death by Chocolate in many different forms. However, when you think about it, a menu item with the word “death” in it should be neither appealing nor appetizing. But for some strange reason it is. We might as well have named it Chocolate Overdose. “Yes waiter, I prefer my dessert so blatantly chocolaty it hurts!”

One wonders how all of this chocolate dessert naming started, and then grew so out-of-hand. Here’s my theory: Once upon a time, Restaurant A served a dessert called “A Really Good Chocolate Dessert”. Not to be out done, Restaurant B served, “An Even Better Chocolate Dessert, So Good that it Might Cause Bodily Harm”. Restaurant A retaliated with a dessert named “A Poke in the Eye with a Hot Molten Chocolate Stick”, followed by Restaurant B’s “Dessert So Chocolaty It’ll Definitely Kill Ya”. Having seen Restaurant B cross the dessert-of-death-barrier, Restaurant A rolled out its new and improved version; “Dessert So Overtly Chocolate That It’ll Kill You, Bring You Back to Life and then Kill You Again” And in an endless exhibit of dessert-naming one-upsmanship Restaurant A and Restaurant B have battled back-and-forth in a futile attempt to serve the most deadly and chocolaty dessert ever since.

Where do we go from here? Will restaurants cross the imaginary lines of good taste and start using dessert names like “Lactose-Intolerance Nightmare” and “Diabetic Coma”?

It is my opinion that there are no chocolate desserts richer than, or as chocolaty as, the Purple Parrot Café’s Chocolate Decadence. We have been serving Chocolate Decadence since day one. My original partner, Dean Owens, learned the recipe at a restaurant he managed in Atlanta. We took that recipe, made a few minor adjustments and made it the headliner on our opening dessert menu.

When the Parrot opened I had a 32-inch waist. Chocolate Decadence is one of the main reasons I haven’t squeezed into a pair of 32s since the Reagan administration. For the first few months we were open, I would sit down in the dining room between lunch and dinner with a gallon of ice-cold milk, a slice or two of Chocolate Decadence and gorge. Maybe I should have named it Chocolate Gluttony.

Don’t be intimidated by the size of this recipe. It contains a lot of ingredients, but as long as you can beat egg whites until they are stiff and temper egg yolks you will have no problem. The result is well worth the effort.


Chocolate Decadence

3 pounds semi-sweet chocolate, best quality, chopped fine (may substitute chocolate chips; if so, chopping is not necessary)
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
2 tablespoons Taster’s Choice crystals
1/4 cup hot water (to dissolve instant coffee)
3/4 cup egg yolks
3/4 cup egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Melt chocolate, coffee and Taster’s Choice that has been dissolved in hot water over a double boiler. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg yolks slightly and slowly add the melted chocolate being careful not to cook the eggs. Set aside. Clean a separate mixing bowl and wire whip thoroughly and dry. It is important when whipping egg whites that all utensils be very clean. Place egg whites in the clean bowl and begin to whip with an electric mixer on high speed. When they begin to become foamy, slowly add in sugar and beat until the egg whites are stiff. Set egg whites aside. Beat the whipping cream until it has doubled in volume. Fold the stiff egg whites into the chocolate mixture, do this one-third at a time and mix gently. Once the egg whites are incorporated, use the same technique to fold the whipped cream into the chocolate. Pour the mousse mixture into a brownie-lined springform pan. Place in the refrigerator. It will take about four to six hours for the mousse to firmly set up. This cake is best when made two days in advance. Once it has set, cover tightly with plastic wrap to avoid absorbing refrigerator odors. To serve, use a hot damp knife and cut into 12 to 15 portions.

Brownie Crust

4 squares Baker’s semisweet chocolate (4 ounces)
3/4 cup butter, salted
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
pinch of salt


Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt chocolate and butter together over a double boiler. In a large bowl, cream sugar and eggs together. Slowly add chocolate mixture. Add remaining ingredients, but do not over mix. Line a 10-inch by 16-inch cookie sheet with wax paper. Pour batter onto cookie sheet, making sure it is evenly distributed. Place in preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for five minutes, then turn brownie cake out onto a clean, dry surface and allow it cool a bit more until it is cool enough that you can handle it.
Using the bottom circle of a 10-inch springform pan as your guide, cut a springform-pan sized circle toward one end of the brownie cake. Next, assemble the springform pan and lock into place. Place the round brownie cake circle in the bottom of the springform pan, then cut the rest of the brownie into strips to line the sides of the springform plan. You will probably end up with some odd size pieces, but the cake is moist enough that you can press them together for a solid crust. Allow this to chill while you make the mousse recipe. Makes 12-16 servings.