oh. so. decadent.

ok, i totally see the irony and hypocrisy in writing a post about healthy eating (2 posts ago) and then writing this post, but this is a recipe i've had people ask me to share.  i only make this to take to large gatherings - when i'm sure there will be enough people to eat the whole thing - because this dessert is just so darn rich!  if you're counting calories, this is definitely not the treat for you (fat, sugar, more fat, more sugar).  but if you're in the mood to splurge, this is called Brigadeiro Strawberry Pizza.

before i share this recipe, i should explain that brigadeiro (pronounced bree-gah-day-row) is a wildly popular brazilian treat.  every birthday party, wedding, or celebration of any kind serves up the famous richly chocolate flavored rounds covered in chocolate sprinkles.



hi.  meet the traditional brazilian brigadeiro. 

this dessert pizza recipe uses the brigadeiro recipe as a base, but i spread the mix.  the trick to making the brigadeiro is finding the right consistency.  if you undercook it, it's too runny.  if you overcook it, it's too chewy.  it is vital getting it just right, because that is the novelty of brigadeiro - the crystalized sugars melt in your mouth.  i learned how to get it right every time from a professional caterer i knew, who was kind enough to share her secret with me back when i was a teenager.  she has since passed away, and now i'm sharing the best thing she ever taught me.  so let's get to it...

Ingredients:
1 tube croissant dough (i used the pillsbury brand.  they have the croissant dough that comes pre-cut into triangles, and they also have the dough that is one long rectangular stretch.  that's the kind i used for this.  i can imagine that if i'm saying this is pizza, some people would think this should be done with pizza dough.  i'm sure pizza dough would taste just fine, but i prefer the croissant dough for it's flakiness and flavor)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 stick butter
1/2 bag (which is about 5oz.) ghirardelli's baking cocoa chips - 60% cocoa (the sweetened condensed milk is overpoweringly sweet... you will want a semi-bitter baking cocoa for this)
fresh strawberries, washed, tops removed, and sliced (using an egg slicer works great for that last step)
chocolate sprinkles (i used 'parlor perfect' by betty crocker, because they actually are made of and taste like chocolate - rather than homogenized fat, like most other brands)

these few ingredients are about to be turned into a delicious dessert

first, you work on baking the croissant

stretch dough onto the baking sheet.  roll out any areas that are uneven.
bake according to packaging instructions.

you want to make sure the dough looks evenly golden before removing from the oven. 

crispy and perfect!

place the croissant in the fridge, to cool off.  leave it there until needed.

now onto the brigadeiro:

put sweetened condensed milk, butter, and chocolate in heavy sauce pan over MEDIUM-LOW heat

mix your ingredients continuously, so you will avoid burning the sugar (contained in the sweetened condensed milk)

the mix will start to bubble up...

but you will still notice the butter is still not yet absorbed into the mix all the way
(the edges of the mix are still shiny and have excess of butter on the surface)...



...and the mix is still rather runny at this phase.  keep on stirring...

 as the mix progressively boils, you will notice that the sugar in the mix will be cooking underneath...
when you stir the mix it will look like it's 'crusting' from beneath
{click on the image to have a better look at what i'm referring to}
this is the beginning of the crystalization process that will make this brigadeiro
the perfect consistency.
keep on mixing!

you will notice the mix getting thicker, and becoming homogeneous

finally... THIS IS THE CONSISTENCY YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!
it usually takes about 10-15 minutes to get to this point.
but as the mix boils thicker, you should tilt the pot every few seconds.  this is when you know
the brigadeiro is ready:
when the mix no longer sticks to the bottom of the pot once you tilt it.
instead, it slowly slides down together, like a blob. 
once you see that, let it cook for no more than 1 minute. 
if you overcook brigadeiro the mix becomes hardened once cooled off, and the brigadeiro is ruined.

remove croissant from the fridge, and spread the brigadeiro over the croissant. 
make sure it's a thick layer.



add the chocolate sprinkles



then add the sliced strawberries.
i like to push them into the chocolate when i place them on top.
it infuses the chocolate with a stronger fresh flavor of strawberries.
mmm... delicia!!! :)
(important: refrigerate until serving!)

now go sink your teeth into this indulgence.  Bom Apetite!