Triple Chocolate Terrine (Milk, Semi and White)

This elegant, decadent Triple Chocolate Terrine is a special occasion dessert with layers of 3 kinds of luscious whipped ganache.

3 cups heavy or whipping cream
7 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
4 oz white chocolate, chopped
½ vanilla bean

To Serve:
2 cups Crème Anglaise or raspberry sauce
fresh raspberries
chocolate curls

Line an 8½x4½" loaf pan with aluminum foil (use non-stick if available), leaving some foil above the edge of the pain.

Heat the cream almost to a simmer in a heavy medium-size saucepan. Remove the cream from the bowl, and divide it among three mixing bowls into these amounts: 1¼ cups, 1 cup, ¾ cup (I'd use slightly less to allow for a firmer white chocolate layer).

Stir the semi-sweet chocolate into the 1¾ cups cream, whisking until smooth. Stir the milk chocolate into the 1 cup cream, whisking until smooth. Stir the white chocolate into the ¾ cup cream, and add the seeds from the vanilla bean; stir until smooth. Cover the three bowls loosely and refrigerate until the mixtures are thick but still pourable, 3 hours.

Pour the white chocolate mixture into a mixer bowl, and beat until it forms soft peaks (mixture should be thick and firm). Scrape it into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and chill it in the freezer for 5 minutes.

Repeat the beating process with the milk chocolate mixture and spread it over the white chocolate mixture in the loaf pan. Smooth the top, and freeze for 5 minutes.

Repeat again with the semi-sweet chocolate. Spread it over the milk chocolate mixture, smooth the top, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 3 hours.

Lift up the foil to unmold the terrine. Remove the foil and cut the terrine into ½" thick slices. If the terrine needs to be a little firmer to cut, pop the whole thing into the freezer before slicing for up to an hour. Spoon a pool of chocolate or raspberry sauce onto each plate, and arrange a slice on top.

Makes 16 servings.