I'm a Winner: Look at These Blondies

I’m a winner!

What did I win? Some of Rachel’s Butterscotch Blondies with Salted Chocolate Glaze in an auction that Lauren hosted to benefit Steve’s efforts to raise money for cancer research.

Alright, so maybe all I had to do was offer to spend a lot of money for some blondies. But I still won. And had this package waiting for me at home.

Cute, isn’t it? Almost as cute as what was inside.

These bars feature well-distributed butterscotch chips , white chocolate chips, and nicely chopped nuts. And fudge-like chocolate glaze atop it, which offers a nice split of chocolate, sugar, and cream, makes them even more decadent. But what about the bars themselves?

Perfect. A hint of saltiness, a caramel flavor throughout, and a dense, chewy texture that gives way to a pleasant dissolving characteristic at the very end. The components of the bar blend together perfectly, and they were worth every penny I paid for them in the auction.

Rachel, do you have plans to open a bakery? I think it would be a great service to the world. You already have packaging.

Have you ever won baked goods in an auction? Were they delicious?

Costco All American Chocolate Cake: Perfect Birthday Cake

So today's my sister's birthday, and you'd think I would have baked a cake. No, and "I knew she was coming, but..."

The clan is gathering this weekend in Bodega Bay, and I had way too many things to do to get ready for the onslaught. At the birthday party today, we'll have 4 generations. Oldest: The Grand Dame at 90. Youngest: the Princess at 17 months. Common denominator? Chocolate. Which Birthday Cake? Costco All American Chocolate Cake. It's my cake of choice for large parties.

This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's ever tasted the fabulous Costco All American Chocolate Cake. It's huge! It's delicious! It's a deep dark chocolate four layer cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. 7 pounds of heaven! Yes, it really is 7 pounds  (the mystery: if you eat it all, you'll gain 20!). I bought it yesterday, but this cake freezes very well, in case you have room in your freezer for this gigantic cake--for emergency parties. Actually I've been told that many restaurants buy the Costco All American Chocolate Cake, slice it thin, and serve with raspberry or strawberry sauce. Really. Of course these restaurants don't employ any of my pastry chef friends. The restaurants probably charge a fortune, too. The Costco All American Chocolate Cake is a real deal at $16.99.

If you want to get fancy (or fancier) with the cake (it's already decorated with beautiful frosting with chocolate curls down the sides) freeze or chill the cake in order to get the slices really thin. Makes it easier to cut. Then drizzle with raspberry sauce! But if you're like me, fresh is the way to go. Use a good cake slicer. As I said this is a mile high cake. Add candles, and it's the perfect birthday cake!

Happy Birthday, Judie!

E. Guittard Ambanja: Dark Chocolate from Madagascar

Even though the E. Guittard Orinoco was a bit too sweet for my tastes, I figured it was worth giving other Guittard bars a chance. Guittard is, after all, a bean-to-bar chocolatier right here in the U.S. On to the Ambanja Bittersweet, a 65% cocoa dark chocolate bar made with Madagascan beans.

No overwhelming aroma is apparent after unwrapping, but there’s a bit of fruitiness.

The fruity taste, which seems to center on banana, doesn’t come through until the end of a dominant bitter, earthy flavor at the beginning. The texture is quite dry, and it seems that this chocolate would be best used in confection, where added cream can compensate for a dry melt…and where a bit of added sugar could cut back on the bitter taste at the beginning.

I supposed I’ll be looking elsewhere for truly superior chocolate when I trek off to San Francisco next month. It will be my mission.

What’s the driest chocolate you’ve ever had?

Double Chocolate Cheesecake: National Cheesecake Day

Today is National Cheesecake Day. Yet another wonderful holiday I can support. I love all kinds of cheesecakes, and if it's not a chocolate cheesecake itself, it usually has a chocolate crust.

Cheesecake was definitely made in ancient Greece and was said to have been given to Olympian athletes. Alan Davidson, author of the Oxford Companion to Food, wrote, "cheesecake was mentioned in Marcus Porcius Cato's De re Rustica around 200 BCE and that Cato described making his cheese libum (cake) with results very similar to modern cheesecake." From What's Cooking America: here's  his recipe for libum, often given as a temple offering:

Libum to be made as follows: 2 pounds cheese well crushed in a mortar; when it is well crushed, add in 1 pound bread-wheat flour or, if you want it to be lighter, just 1/2 a pound, to be mixed with the cheese. Add one egg and mix all together well. Make a loaf of this, with the leaves under it, and cook slowly in a hot fire under a brick.

Cheesecakes can use many different cheeses from cream cheese, the most popular, to neufchatel, to cottage cheese to marscapone. What's really amazing are the infinite varieties of cheesecakes. From New York to Pennsylvania Dutch to Lactose Free, you can make a different type of every day for years. If you're so inclined :-)  Read more about cheesecake.

Here's a Round-up of Cheesecakes you can make today to celebrate!

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Turtle Cheesecake
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
Oreo Cheesecake
White Chocolate Cheesecake
Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake

New recipe today is for Double Chocolate Cheesecake. I first tasted this when Laura-Kate Rurka, aspiring mystery author and major baker and foodie, brought this fabulous cheesecake to one of the literary salons I hold at my home. I remember the cheesecake but not the author who spoke. Priorities? I had to have the recipe, and Laura-Kate complied. Surprisingly she said it wasn't her recipe, but was from Epicurious. However, she adapted it in several ways and made it her own, so I think of it as her recipe. She adapted the recipe by using Medaglia D'Oro espresso powder instead of instant coffee. She also used Guittard Couverture Disks. Although she used to use Valrhona, she said, "I got lazy about chopping all that chocolate.  Anyway, I love those guys at Guittard and they're local."  Totally agree. I've now made this Double Chocolate Cheesecake using several different types and brands of chocolate. It's an easy and fabulous recipe, just give yourself lots of time for the actual baking and setting. I especially like using both cream cheese and sourcream in my cheesecakes, so I appreciate this recipe. Celebrate National Cheesecake Day today!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Ingredients
Crust
1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies
6 tablespoons sweet butter, melted

Filling
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (or espresso granules/it will be more intense)
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (experiment with different chocolate)*
 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons Madegascar vanilla extract
3 large eggs

Glaze
1/2 cup whipping cream
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions
Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap outside of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with double thickness of foil. Spray bottom of pan with vegetable oil spray. Finely grind cookies in processor. Add butter and process until blended. Press mixture onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.

Make filling:
Combine cream and coffee powder in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until coffee powder dissolves. Reduce heat to low. Add chocolate; whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool 10 minutes.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in cornstarch. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat well. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Whisk 1 cup cheese mixture into chocolate mixture. Return chocolate mixture to remaining cheese mixture; whisk until smooth.

Pour batter into crust. Place springform pan in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to baking pan to cone halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cheesecake until softly set and slightly puffed around edges, about 1 hour. Turn off oven. Let cake stand in oven 45 minutes. Transfer springform pan to rack and cool. Cover; chill cake overnight.

Make glaze:
Bring cream to boil in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add 4 ounces chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Pour glaze over top of cake. Using spatula, smooth glaze evenly over top. Refrigerate until glaze is set, at least 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Using knife, cut around sides of pan to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Cut into wedges and serve.

E. Guittard Orinoco: I'm Going to San Francisco Next Month

After a weekend filled with hot weather baking for Daring Bakers and an epic workout-chocolate tasting combination, this week has brought much planning for a technical workshop I’m managing next month. Good folks involved, which makes my job easier.

Most importantly, we have a good location: San Francisco, an area that is home to many chocolatiers, including E. Guittard. With that, let’s talk about their Orinoco bar, a 38% cocoa pure milk chocolate bar.

The bar has a hint of a caramel aroma, and is quite soft with a very fast melt that isn’t quite perfectly smooth, but isn’t excessively grainy.

The flavor is caramel-centric with a hint of creaminess, and is very sweet – nearly as sweet as white chocolate. It is, in fact, a bit too sweet for me, and perhaps would go well with something tart for contrast. I could imagine this working quite nicely with some limes and salt.

Or, I could look for even more outstanding milk chocolate while in the Bay Area next month.

I just might.

Have you had chocolate that you found to be too sweet? What was it?

Chocolate Milk Cocktails: National Chocolate Milk Day

Today is National Chocolate Milk Day! So much controversy about whether or not chocolate milk is a healthy school drink. We always had a choice of plain or chocolate milk when I was in school. Remember those 1/2 pint waxed containers of milk? I always chose chocolate!

I've posted several great chocolate milk recipes over the years including this one for Nicaraguan Chocolate Milk. Give it a try.

Love this retro ad for Chocolate Milk. But moving from the youngsters to the oldsters, here are two very easycocktail recipes for Adult Chocolate Milk Cocktails!

I. Chocolate Milk Cocktail
Glass of Chocolate Milk
Couple Splashes Kahlua
2 or 3 ice cubes

Add Kahlua to chocolate milk and add ice

II. Chocolate Milk Cocktail

1/2 shot chocolate liqueur
1/2 shot milk
dash of amaretto

Put the milk in the bottom, pour the liqueur on top and add dash of amaretto. Do not mix.
Serve in a tumbler.

Recchiuti: Asphalt Jungle Mix

I’m still not ready to admit that I’m back on the east coast. Let’s keep this west coast feeling going a little longer, yes? Ease back east. Today we’ll move out of the Pacific Northwest, down the coast, and over to San Francisco, home to Recchiuti, a shop that churns out chocolate treats of all types under the leadership of Michael Recchiuti himself. It’s difficult to pick out a treat to admire most – the man makes everything from bars to brownies – but after seeing David Lebovitz wax poetic about the wonders of the Asphalt Jungle Mix, it was obviously time to dig in.

The box is a mix of burnt caramel hazelnuts, burnt caramel almonds, dried cherries, and peanut butter bits – all individually covered in chocolate. Tempting as it was to pour these all into my mouth at once, I was civilized and evaluated them separately.

The burnt caramelized hazelnuts are flavorful and nicely toasted, with a balanced sweet and salty caramel exterior that is coated with a nicely-melting chocolate later. The almonds are similarly exquisite, with a slightly more pronounced vanilla flavor in the chocolate emerging.

The dried cherries were actually prepared two ways in this mix: covered in dark chocolate, and covered in dark chocolate as well as cocoa powder. Without the cocoa powder, the coating is just a tiny bit waxy, but the dried cherry inside is juicy and tart. The other preparation – with the cocoa powder – is not at all waxy, and the bitter cocoa powder adds more dimension to the flavor. While the plain chocolate version is nice, the cocoa-powder dusted pieces are nearly perfect.

And about those “peanut butter pearls”? While they, too, are a bit waxy on the outside, I can overlook that to get myself to the creamy milk chocolate covering salty peanut butter mixed with perfectly crisped rice. I’m kind like that.

Here’s the hard part about eating asphalt jungle mix: Figuring out the best combination. Cherry and almond? Cherry and peanut butter? Or just eating it in large handfuls?

I suggest you get some for yourself to investigate. And send me a box while you’re at it.

Have you had any chocolates by Recchiuti? Which ones?

Single Malt Scotch Peanut Chocolate Truffles

I've been a judge at several Scotch and Chocolate pairings. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it.

It's often difficult to decide which chocolates pair best with which Scotch, but since today is National Scotch Day, I thought I'd post a recipe for Single Malt Scotch Peanut Chocolate Truffles. It's the ultimate pairing of not two but three distinct flavors. You can decide on your own chocolate and your own Scotch. Keep the chocolate semi-sweet, so you have some sugar in there. I tend to go very dark, but not in this recipe. Recipe is adapted from one by Florence Fabricant that appeared in the New York Times in 2008.

I love truffles. They're easy to prepare and look and taste great!

Single Malt Scotch Peanut Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients
1 pound-12 ounces dark chocolate (55-65% cacao-needs to be semisweet to offset the salted peanuts & Scotch)
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons honey (original recipe calls for floral honey)
3 tablespoons Single Malt Scotch
6 tablespoons salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Madegascar vanilla extract

Directions
1. Break 8 ounces chocolate into small pieces and place in metal bowl. Heat cream to a simmer and pour over chocolate. Stir until chocolate has melted and is smooth. If necessary, place bowl briefly over low heat to finish melting.
2. Stir in honey, Scotch, peanuts and vanilla. Chill until firm, 2 hours.
3. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop small amounts of chocolate mixture. Quickly roll into 1 inch balls. Place on  platter or baking sheet lined with parchment. Put in freezer to firm up (about 30 minutes).
4. Break up remaining chocolate and place 16 ounces in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on full power 2 to 3 minutes, stirring a few times, until melted. Remove from oven. Stir in remaining chocolate until melted. With two forks hold truffles and gently dip in melted chocolate to coat. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet at room temperature 15 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Daring Bakers July 2011: Fresh Frasiers

In case you live in a media vacuum, which is highly unlikely given that the fact that you are reading this post indicates that you almost certainly have internet access, you probably know that it has been hot on the east coast of the U.S. In DC, we’ve been seeing heat indexes that push 120° F. So what to do this weekend, besides bike 50 miles outdoors (and then obviously swim 5000 meters and pool run 5 miles before going to a chocolate tasting)?

Bake!

Yes, bake during a record-breaking heatwave, because today is the big reveal date for the July Daring Bakers, which involved a challenge from DC’s very own Jana of Cherry Tea Cakes, who was our July Daring Baker’s host; she challenged us to make Fresh Frasiers inspired by recipes written by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson in the beautiful cookbook Tartine.

Before I get into this, I’ll just say that I turned Jana’s recipe upside-down because…I felt like it. I made mini frasiers!

I started out with the chocolate chiffon cake, which I made cupcake size instead of the 8-inch cake size like Jana actually wanted us to make. We’re still cool, right Jana?

Chocolate Chiffon Cake Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 large egg yolks

¼ cup water

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ½ large egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

Line the bottom of six cavities of a cupcake pan with parchment paper. You can just trace the cavities onto parchment paper and cut them out. Easy, but necessary. Prying chiffon cake out of cupcake cavities is not a fun weekend activity.

Stir together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add in all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar the, and all of the salt. Stir to combine. In a small bow, whisk the oil, egg yolks, water and vanilla. Combine with the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Beat the egg whites on medium speed using a whisk attachment until frothy; add cream of tartar and beat on a medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks. Slowly add the remaining sugar and beat on a medium-high speed until the whites hold firm and form shiny peaks. Scoop about ⅓ of the whites into the yolk mixture and fold in gently. Gently fold in the remaining whites just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake cavities.

Bake at 325° F for about 20 minutes; allow to cool. To unmold, run a knife around the sides to loosen the cake from the cavities and remove; peel off parchment paper and slice each cake in half horizontally.

THEN start making some rich pastry cream. This doesn’t involve the oven, but does involve time over a hot stove while triple-digit temperatures lurk outside.

Pastry Cream Ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/16 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 large egg
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/8 teaspoon gelatin
1/4 tablespoon water
1/2 cup heavy cream

Pour the milk, vanilla, and salt into a heavy sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and scald, bringing it to a near boiling point. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer add the cornstarch and sugar. Whisk to combine Add the eggs to the sugar and cornstarch and whisk until smooth. When the milk is ready, gently and slowly while the stand mixer is whisking, pour the heated milk down the side of the bowl into the egg mixture. Pour the mixture back into the warm pot and continue to cook over a medium heat until the custard is thick, just about to boil and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pass through a fine mesh sieve into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool for ten minutes stirring occasionally.

Cut the butter into four pieces and whisk into the pastry cream a piece at a time until smooth. Cover the cream with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap onto the top of the cream to prevent a skin from forming. Chill.

In a small dish, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and let stand for a few minutes to soften. Put two inches of water into a small sauce pan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat. Measure 2 tablespoons of the chilled pastry cream into a small stainless steel bowl that will sit across the sauce pan with the simmering water, without touching the water. Heat the cream until it is 120° F. Add the gelatin and whisk until smooth. Remove from the water bath, and whisk the remaining cold pastry cream in to incorporate in two batches. Finally, whip the cream until it holds medium-stiff peaks; immediately fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream with a rubber spatula.

Now, we just have to pull together a few more things. First, some ganache balls by mixing an ounce of bittersweet chocolate and an ounce of cream together over low heat, and chill until firm enough to shape into falls. Next, some simple syrup – just heat 3 tablespoons of water and 3 tablespoons of white sugar until the mixture just reaches a boil. And then, pull out about a pint of raspberries.

Nice spread, isn’t it? To make sense of it, take one piece of a mini-cake. Brush with simple syrup and evenly space three raspberries atop the cake.

Pipe pastry cream in between the raspberries. Make sure it looks pretty.

Make it look pretty enough to slap the other half of the mini cake on top. Brush that layer with simple syrup, pipe pastry cream atop the whole assembly, and then top it with a ganache ball.

The end result is beautiful. And delicious. Even if it’s not quite what Jana wanted us to do.

If you’re upset, Jana, I’ll make up for it by giving you one of these. But really, aren’t they just the cutest?

When was the last time you turned a recipe upside-down?

Chocolate Marlow: Retro Ad & Recipe

My friends Janet & Marty are recipe testers for Cook's Illustrated. It got me thinking about some 'new' sources for 'old' recipes, and Cook's fits the bill. I found this recipe (and photo) on their site. It's from Woman's Day Magazine, September 1949 (another great site for retro recipes).

I've never seen White House Evaporated Milk, but any evaporated milk will do. I do remember the A&P. My mother shopped there. Well, there and at the Acme. Remembering all those shopping trips as a child, I must mention that my mother did most of her shopping at Reliables. It was a small Mom & Pop corner grocery store where she would choose her fruits and vegetables, and, occasionally some staples--and they delivered them later the same day. She would then go to the butcher for meat, the chicken store for chicken, the fish store for fish, and the bakery for bread--fresh every day! Kind of the way I shop, today! I think of it as so European, but it's really just full circle back to my mother's generation.

Eggs were delivered twice weekly by the eggman who raised chickens on his farm in New Jersey. As far as milk, well, of course, it was left at the backdoor every morning. Maybe I don't really remember this, maybe I just heard about it from my grandmother who lived with us, but I have images of the milkman coming up the back alley in his horse drawn truck. Probably not, but such a great visual!

Anyway, here's a recipe that can be easily updated for a quick dessert.  Use really good chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, homemade marshmallow or marshmallow creme, whipping cream instead of evaporated milk, and it will be fab. Rotary egg beater? I no longer have one, but I do have a whisk--and, of course, a KitchenAid. Recipe says to freeze with temperature control set at coldest setting! That's pretty funny, too! Anyway, as far as recreating this recipe, in a pinch, use what you have or follow the directions! Easy and quick. A little research on my part turned up several Marlow recipes including strawberries. Must have been a popular dessert in the 40s & 50s. Unfortunately, this will not be 8 cents a serving any more.

CHOCOLATE MARLOW

Christopher Elbow No17: Dark Chocolate with Salt and Macadamia Nuts

The folks working with Christopher Elbow are clearly prepared to indulge those of us who want to use chocolate to relive recent trips to Hawaii. Not only do they make a nice coconut bar, but their No17 bar offers roasted macadamia nuts and Hawaiian red sea salt in a 63% cocoa dark chocolate base.

It’s like they have me pegged. My salt and chocolate obsession is no secret, and macadamia nuts…particularly well-roasted macadamia nuts with a soft texture. Just like those in this bar.

The nuts aren’t quite as well chopped as I normally prefer – I generally dislike bars with mix-ins so large that the bites aren’t uniform – but because the nuts are soft, the bar was nicely blended. Unsurprisingly, with this ratio of nuts to chocolate, the bar had a nutty aroma.

It was apparent immediately that some of the fat from the macadamia nuts resulted in a softer chocolate, and it was also immediately apparent that the salt was well-distributed and concentrated enough to cut through any bitterness of the chocolate. The salt, in fact, was perhaps a bit overwhelming, to the point that the experience was similar to eating a blend of pure cocoa butter and salt.

Which, frankly, sounds kind of delicious. But it’s not chocolate, and I’d like to see more evident chocolate flavor in this bar to declare it to be a top-notch salt and chocolate bar.

Would you eat pure cocoa butter and salt blended together? Or am I the only one?

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake: National Hot Fudge Sundae Day

Today is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day, and given that most of the U.S. is scorching, it's the perfect treat!

The classic Hot Fudge Sundae is a creation of vanilla ice cream,  hot chocolate sauce ("hot fudge"), whipped cream, nuts, and a single maraschino cherry on top. A Hot Fudge Sundae can be made with any flavor of ice cream, but vanilla is preferred!

There are many variations about the origins of the Hot Fudge Sundae. According to Wikipedia, a frequent theme is that the dish arose in contravention to so-called blue laws against Sunday consumption of either ice cream or ice cream soda (the latter invented by Robert M. Green in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1874). The religious laws are said to have led druggists to produce a substitute for these popular treats for consumption on Sunday. According to this theory of the name's origin, the spelling was changed to sundae to avoid offending religious conventions. Since I grew up in Philadelphia, I remember the Blue Laws, although at that time they pertained to alcohol and not ice cream.

In support of this idea, Peter Bird wrote in The First Food Empire: A History of J. Lyons and Co. (2000) that the name 'sundae' was adopted as a result of Illinois state's early prohibition of ice cream consumption on Sundays, because ice cream with a topping that obscured the main product was not deemed to be ice cream. However, according to documentation published by the Evanston, Illinois Public Library, it was the drinking of soda, not the eating of ice cream, that was outlawed on Sundays in Illinois.

Other origin stories for the sundae focus on the novelty or inventiveness of the treat or the name of the originator, and make no mention of legal pressures.
 
You don't really need a recipe for a hot fudge sundae. I gave the ingredients above. However, like anything else, it's all about the quality of the ingredients. Hot Fudge Sundae Cake is a great variation on this traditional treat, and it can be made in a pan in the oven or in a Slow Cooker. See recipe HERE.

Following is a recipe adapted from Betty Crocker for Hot Fudge Sundae Cake in a pan. It's an easy one bowl/pan recipe. What's especially delicious about this cake is that as the cake bakes it separates into a chocolate cake and a dark fudgy sauce. Now that's what Hot Fudge Sundaes are all about! Add the ice cream and you're all set.

Hot Fudge Sundae Cake

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons DARK unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa
1 3/4 cups very hot water

Vanilla Ice cream

Directions
1 Heat oven to 350ºF.
2 Mix flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt in ungreased square pan, 9x9x2 inches. Mix in milk, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth. Stir in nuts. Spread in pan.
3 Sprinkle brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa over batter. Pour water over batter.
4 Bake about 40 minutes or until top is dry.
5 Spoon warm cake into dessert dishes. Top with ice cream. Spoon sauce from pan onto each serving.

Rather have Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcakes? Check out Joy the Baker's recipe and photos.

Want Hot Fudge Sundae Macarons? Barbara Bakes has the perfect recipe!

Cake photo: Betty Crocker

Christopher Elbow No16: Dark Chocolate and Coconut

Even with chocolate tasting events back here in DC, I’m still not totally cool with the fact that I’m not in Hawaii with access to amazing pineapple and kelp.

Shut up. Kelp is amazing.

I also miss the coconut in anything and everything. Fortunately, I have access to Christopher Elbow’s Bar No. 16: a bar of 63% dark chocolate with toasted coconut.

The cocoanut is nicely toasted, such that the flavor emerges well, and is quite crispy and well distributed. A soggy, disgusting Mounds Bar would run away from this beauty in embarrassment.

The bar itself has an smoky aroma with a hint of red fruit, and is soft with a smooth, slow melt.

In addition to the immediate coconut flavor, some nutty flavors and a faint coffee flavor emerge. The balance between the coconut and chocolate flavors is outstanding, and the contrast of the crunchy coconut and smooth chocolate is also pleasing. It’s a wonderful bar to snack on, but not terribly complex. If you like coconut – good, unsweetened coconut – you’ll like this bar.

Especially if you are pining for Hawaiian cuisine.

Do you like chocolate and coconut together?

Biagio Sample Day: Chocolate is Especially Good after a Six Hour Workout

Yesterday was a great day. Look at this sign that greeted guests at Biagio.

Don’t have to tell me twice. Especially not after the epic “Day of 5s” with Beth, which involved biking 50 miles, swimming 5000 meters, and running 5 miles (in the pool). In one day.

You might wonder what the point of this was. In fact, Alex, a very helpful member of the Biagio team, asked us that very question. Were we training? Not really. Here’s how this whole thing happened.

Beth: Want to swim this weekend?

Me: I was thinking of a long bike followed by a long swim on Saturday.

Beth: How about a 50 mile bike and a 5000 meter swim?

My brain: Crap. I was thinking more like 30 miles on the bike and 3500 meters in the pool.

Me: Yes! Awesome.

Beth: OK. And I’m bringing a super-fast friend on the bike. We are going to do hills.

My brain: This is going to suck.

Me: Sure thing. Hey, how about we also do 5 miles of pool running?

Beth: Why? Because pain is awesome?

My brain: Basically, yes.

Me: Because then we do 5 of everything! Day of 5s!

Beth: OK! I’m in. See you in Georgetown at 6 am on the bike.

My brain: I hate my life.

Me: See you then!

In the end, we did it. And then we tried some chocolate. One that we both enjoyed was this Christopher Elbow White Nib Bar, which was creamy and offered not-too-bitter nibs that offset the sweet white chocolate to offer a balanced bar.

We checked out two John&Kira’s bars, which was exciting for me because I was very interested in their work involving use of urban gardens to grow ingredients for their bars. Their Rosemary Orange Urban Garden bar was immediately heavy on the rosemary and offered some orange flavor at the end. Though the bar was high quality, Beth and I both deemed it to be “strange.”

The John&Kira’s Mighty Mint Urban Garden bar, on the other hand, offered a nice strong flavor of real spearmint that balanced nicely with the dark chocolate.

I picked up that bar, as well as the Elbow White Nib bar, and a few other items from sample day.

My haul included the Pralus San Tome, which Beth picked out as a creamy bar that tasted like an earthy hot chocolate, and the Domori Teyuna, a sweet and creamy 70% cocoa bar made from Columbian beans.

Of course, I’ll be reviewing all the bars I purchased. But first, I need to go, uh, stretch. My legs are unhappy with me.

Have you ever gone to a chocolate tasting after a long workout? Did you eat everything in sight?

Chocolate Tequila Cocktails: National Tequila Day

Tequila is a versatile liquor that goes well in lots of beverages. It even goes well in truffles. See my recipe for Tequila Truffles HERE.

Since today is National Tequila Day, I thought I'd post some recipes using Tanteo Cocoa Tequila. Yes, you can make drinks with tequila and your own chocolate liqueur, but Tanteo Cocoa Tequila is a chocolate-infused Tequila that's delicious. It's made with 100% agave blanco tequila and infused with cocoa beans and jalapeño. I love the extra kick of the jalapeño, and the chocolate blends well with the natural agave. Tanteo Cocoa Tequila isn't overly sweet, either, so it's quite the grown-up chocolate drink! These Chocolate Tequila recipes are from the Tanteo website.

COCOA ROSALITA
1-1⁄4 oz Tanteo Cocoa Tequila
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth
3/4 oz Campari
1 Drop Mole Bitters

Add ingredients into an ice filled mixing glass
Stir and strain into a Champagne coupe glass
Garnish with a flamed orange zest

BLACK SOMBRERO
1-1/2 oz Tanteo Cocoa Tequila
1/2 oz Kahlua
2 oz Club Soda
lime wedge for garnish

Combine the tequila and Kahlua in a cocktail shaker filled with ice
Shake well
Pour everything into a rocks glass
Top with club soda
Garnish with a lime wedge

Have a Great Tequila Day!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread with Pistachios

Right about now you're looking around your vegetable garden and thinking,  "What will I do with all this zucchini?" And don't get me started on that huge one hiding under the leaves! Oddly, National Zucchini Bread Day falls on April 25. That doesn't really make any sense. Oh yes, you can buy zucchini all year round, but it's a summer crop. So, by mid-summer  if you're growing zucchini (even one plant!), you've probably run out of friends to hand zukes off to, and you're thinking of wrapping them up in a blanket, putting them a basket and leaving them on the church steps.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread to the rescue. O.K., to be fair, Zucchini Bread doesn't use up a lot of zucchini, but it's a tasty way of serving up your courgettes! Add chocolate and you're calling my name!

When I first started baking 'vegetable' breads, I used old coffee tins for baking pans, but that was a long time ago. Now, I usually make my zucchini breads in bundt pans, and I'm always amazed by the new bundt pan shapes. Yesterday I saw the cutest car bundt pans at Williams Sonoma, and I love my Train Bundt Pan!  Of course conventional loaf pans work, too, since this is a bread. Most recipes say to let the zucchini bread cool before serving. I don't follow that advice since by the time the aroma has filled my kitchen for an hour, I'm ready to devour the Chocolate Zucchini Bread and often do! Since you, too, might make short shrift of this chocolate zucchini bread, you'll want to make two or double the recipe, so others get a chance to taste.

A few comments on zucchini. Depending on where you live, zucchini is also called courgettes or marrows (remember Hercule Poirot throwing the marrow over the fence in the opening of The Murder of Roger Acroyd?) and sometimes summer squash (although in my neck of the woods summer squash is a totally different squash and a different color).

Here are two of my favorite recipes for Chocolate Zucchini Bread: Geeky Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread and  Chcocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread, but I have a third! As you know, you can never have too many recipes for Chocolate to enjoy! This Chocolate Zucchini Bread tastes great toasted with a little cream cheese or mascarpone! And, the secret ingredient: Pistachios!

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD with Pistachios!

Ingredients
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp Madagascar Vanilla
2 Tbsp sweet butter
6 Tbsp DARK Cocoa
2 cups zucchini, grated
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
dash of salt
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup chopped chocolate chunks or dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
2 tsp. flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
In large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
In small saucepan, melt 2 Tbsp butter, add 6 Tbsp cocoa and blend tuntil smooth. Set aside to cool.
Peel and grate zucchini. Add zucchini and cooled cocoa mixture to the large mixing bowl and blend well.
In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the batter. Stir only enough to blend in all the dry ingredients.
In another bowl, coat broken up chocolate chunks (or chips) with 2 tsp. flour.
Fold in flour-coated chocolate chunks and chopped pistachios to the batter.
Spoon batter into two greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pans or into a greased bundt pan.
Bake 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
Cool in  pans for 5-10 minutes.
Remove from pans and continue to cool on a wire rack.

Fresco 214: Pick Your Roast, Pick Your Conche

Despite my disappointment with Moonstruck’s bars – I mean, come on, you screwed up Venezuelan chocolate, that is unacceptable – let’s not brush off all the Pacific Northwest chocolatiers. Some could be quite good. Some really care for their beans. Some, such as Fresco, out of Lynden, WA, care so much about the treatment of their beans that they specify the roasting and conching behind each bar they make on the package?

Neat concept, isn’t it? I first came upon Fresco’s creations at a sample day at Biagio, and was immediately interested in how different roasting and conching profiles affected chocolate. I started out with the 214 bar, which is made from Madagascan beans with a light roast and a medium conche.

The aroma is strong, with clear notes of red fruits and floral.

A citrus flavor is immediately apparent, with lemon being the most prominent, with coffee emerging later and both flavors giving way to cranberry with hints of cherry. The taste is a bit sour, but some added sugar makes this palatable. A slow, buttery melt makes this intense, complex flavor linger, and I very much enjoyed this bar.

Now I must find other Fresco bars to compare the different roasting and conching profiles. It’s all in the name of research.

Have you had a chocolate bar that specified roast or conche types before? Who made it?

Chocolate Fig Bon Bons

Don't you just love the term Bon Bons? Good-Good. Yes! Yes!  Bon bon is the word for candy in French, so bon bon would include all types of candy from hard candy to taffy to chocolate-covered confections.  But I don't live in France, so the  Bon Bons  I'm referring to today have a hearty fig filling covered in chocolate! This is a classic Bon Bon.

Figs: In January I posted two recipes for Chocolate Covered Dried Figs, one stuffed with walnuts. Here's a totally different recipe that uses chocolate & dried figs to make a perfect Bon Bon! As always, I'm all about easy. This recipe is adapted from the Valley Fig Growers site.


Chocolate Fig Bon Bons
 Makes about 25 bon bons

Ingredients
8 ounces Blue Ribbon Orchard Choice or Sun-Maid Calimyrna or Mission Figs, stems removed
2/3 cup (3 oz.) toasted hazelnuts or almonds
8 vanilla wafer cookies, crushed
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup rum
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
5 ounces dark chocolate (65% cacao +)
Vegetable oil

Directions
Process figs, hazelnuts and vanilla wafers in food processor until finely ground.
Add powdered sugar, rum and orange peel; process until mixed.
Dampen hands and shape mixture into 1 1/4-inch balls.
Arrange close together on a baking sheet.
In small, deep, microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate on High 1-2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Add a few drops of vegetable oil if needed to make chocolate thin enough (if needed) to dip.
Dip each ball in chocolate holding between two forks, letting extra chocolate drip off.
Put chocolate dipped Fig Bon Bons on second baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Refrigerate until chocolate is set.
Eat or Store in airtight container up to 1 week.

Moonstruck: 39% Cocoa Venezuelan Milk

Since I (usually) adore Venezuelan-origin chocolate, I picked up a Moonstruck 39% cocoa milk chocolate Venezuelan bar to go along with the dark chocolate one that left me disappointed – of course, before I knew that it would do so. Would the milk chocolate version prove to be higher quality?

The bar had fairly pleasing banana and caramel notes in the aroma; but any hope I had of an enjoyable bar disappeared when I put a piece in my mouth and found a dry, grainy texture that is entirely unacceptable for a milk chocolate. We’re talking sub-Hershey texture here, folks.

The taste was at least a bit redeeming, though there was no dairy flavor. I found this odd, but instead tried to look past the major texture deficiency and appreciate the banana flavor accented by notes of peach and some subtle citrus. The blend of flavors is interesting, but the chocolate is far too dry to make them enjoyable.

Really, Moonstruck? Dry milk chocolate? This is what you’re selling for $3.75/ounce? I’m not OK with that.

What chocolate do you think is most overpriced for what you get?

Moonstruck: 74% Cocoa Venezuelan Dark

As sad as it was to be leaving Hawaii yesterday, it’s not like the rest of the United States is all that bad. There are some really great places all over the country. I’m not quite ready to admit that I’m going all the way back to the east coast yet, so let’s ease ourselves back into mainland mode by starting off with some chocolate made on the west coast. Moonstruck, based in Portland, Oregon, put out this 74% cocoa bar made from Venezuelan beans.

As a long-time devotee to Venezuelan chocolate, with El Rey being my first introduction to such wonderful treats, my ears always perk up when I hear it mentioned, as Venezuelan beans are regarded as some of the best in the world. I was hopeful that Moonstruck had handled the beans well, and unwrapped the bar to find a faint aroma of citrus and cherry.

The bar started off with a dry melt that developed into something grainy and never recovered. The texture was so off-putting that it was nearly impossible to appreciate the flavors, but I did not some cherry, a little bit of citrus, and a tiny bit of coffee, with some banana developing near the end. None of these flavors are strong, and the bar lacks intensity.

Disappointment all around, especially given the Venezuelan origin touted. Definitely the lowest-quality Venezuelan bar I’ve ever had.

Have you have Venezuelan-origin chocolate that was sub-par? Who made it?

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients
1/2 litre milk
25 gm. cooking chocolate
60 gm. butter
3 eggs
3 teaspoons cornflour
100 gm. sugar
300 ml. water (2 cups)

Method
Place grid in cooker body and pour in 2 cups water.
Cover separator tightly and place on grid. Close lid. Place cooker on maximum heat.
Bring to full cooking pressure. Reduce to medium heat and cook for 20 minutes. Allow
cooker to cool gradually and open. Chill pudding and serve.

Chocolate Pudding

Preparation:
Boil milk and let it cool. Make a sauce of chocolate,sugar, cornflour and handful of water
in double boiler. Add sauce to milk. Stir well. Beat eggs and add gradually. Grease
separator with butter and pour mixture into it.

See also,Chocolate Brownie,Chocolate Cake,Chocolate Recipes,Chocolate Sweet,Hot chocolate,white Chocolate Cake , Chocolate Mug Cake

Chocolate Souffle

Chocolate Souffle

Ingredients
125 gms. amul butter
125 gms. chocolate, chopped
100 gms. almonds
4 eggs, separated
125 gms. caster sugar, icing sugar

Method

Chocolate Souffle

Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave oven or in the top of a double boiler over
simmering water, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the almonds.
Beat the egg yolks and sugar and stir in the chocolate mixture.
Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture.
Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin pan hollows, up to the top.
Bake for 15 mins. at 180 C.
Set it aside to cool.

Chocolate Souffle

Dust it with icing sugar.

See also,Chocolate Brownie,Chocolate Cake,Chocolate Recipes,Chocolate Sweet,Hot chocolate,white Chocolate Cake , Chocolate Mug Cake