Now, with less swears and more chocolate

In January, I came to the realization that somehow, this blog had not featured chocolate in over nine months. Admittedly, I am more of a fruit person, but I love good chocolate and did not intentionally give it the silent treatment. My bad.

I've been sitting on this post for a while, for reasons of sheer vanity. I couldn't get a decent shot of the sorbet before it started to melt on me. I meant to re-shoot it, but it disappeared before I had the chance- as is standard practice around here when it comes to things that taste good.

But, I'm also trying to turn over a new leaf with The Pie Lady. Some of the goals I've set include using the term 'fuck' less frequently, post weekly, and to stop ignoring chocolate. So I will bravely set my ego aside and assure you that while it looks a little melty, this sorbet is fucking amazing (I've already said it once. fuck it.)

I have met my monthly chocolate quota.
PS to those interested- this stuff is rich and indulgent, but not that bad for you.
And trust me on this one- You will think you are eating chocolate ice cream.



Dark Chocolate Sorbet

I like to serve mine with big sprigs of mint, because chocolate-mint is one of those flavor combos that makes my toes curl.

3 T corn syrup
2 1/4 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

7 oz bittersweet chocolate (good quality), finely chopped
2 1/2 oz coco powder (dutch process)
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla
2 T brandy

Combine the chopped chocolate, salt, and coco in a large bowl.
Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a pot and bring to a full boil.

Slowly pour 1/3 of the hot sugar syrup into the bowl of chocolate and whisk thoroughly. Continue adding the syrup and whisking in 2 more additions. The mixture may seize up when you first add the syrup, but it will come together.
Stir in the vanilla and brandy. Strain the base through a fine sieve and chill until completely cold. The base will thicken slightly.
Once base is completely cold, churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's instructions.

Bread and Chocolate

baked chocolate truffle, blood orange-port reduction, toasted cocoa nibs, sweet crostini

This is one of those dishes that just evolved into itself, completely by accident. It was inspired by the random grazing of a line cook, and the chocolate bar made by local company, Theo (and only organic, fair trade chocolate company in the country. Seriously. Click that link and buy some chocolate. I highly recommend the coconut curry).

The original idea was for just the baked truffle, the blood orange-port reduction, and perhaps an olive oil gelato- and I still mean to try that one day. But while I was working it out in my head, a question of texture kept popping up. I wanted something crunchy. But something other than the cocoa nibs or standard issue praline/brittle-type situation.

I was fiddling with the truffle recipe- which has the exact same texture as softened butter, when I put out a sample batch for the cooks to nosh on. We were standing around bullshitting and having coffee when one of them tore off a piece of fresh baguette, ripped it open, and smeared the truffle down the middle. Without a word, the rest of us followed suit. It was as delicious as it sounds, and I was mentally bitch slapping myself for not putting a spin on bread and chocolate on the menu until now.

I knew I couldn't serve it the way we had it, which to honest, might be how I like it best. This is where the Theo 'bread and chocolate' candy bar enters in. It's dark chocolate with baguette crumbs mixed it. It's crispy and salty-sweet and if I am ever in a munchy, it's a good place to turn. I sliced up a fresh baguette, moments after it's delivery, brushed it with melted butter, sprinkled it with raw sugar (I'm now using crystal sugar because it's prettier), and baked at 400 for about 8 minutes. Then I smeared one with a thick layer of the truffle and didn't look back.



see instructions for sweet crostini in post. Blood orange-port reduction is equal parts tawny port and blood orange juice, a small handful of sugar, and a piece of star anise. Simmer until reduced and syrupy.

Baked Chocolate Truffle
slightly tinkered with version of the recipe from
Susan G. Purdy's Pie in the Skyserves four

4 oz 70% good quality dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp espresso powder
4 oz very soft butter (like, the texture of mayonnaise)
2 room temperature eggs
1/4 tsp sea salt

Pre heat oven to 300 degrees. In a food processor, gind up chocolate until you have fine crumbs. Brush 4 small ramekins with melted butter. Line the bottoms with small circles of parchment paper and brush with more butter. Place ramekins in a tea towel lined roasting pan.
Bring the sugar, espresso powder and water just to a simmer, do not boil. Add to chocolate in a slow steady stream through the feeding tube with the machine running. Once all the syrup has been added, continue to process for about 10 seconds. Scrape the bowl down, then turn machine back on. Add the butter, a few tablespoons at a time, through the feeding tube with the machine running. Continue to process for about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and process a few seconds more.
Whisk the eggs and salt together. Slowly add to the chocolate mixture, pulsing every few seconds just to combine. You do not want to add much air at this point.
Divide the mixture between the ramekins and fill roasting pan with enough hot water to submerge them halfway. Cover pan with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5-7 more minutes. Truffles will be set, but still look moist.
Always serve at room temperature.

Hallmark Holiday

Valentine's Day Dessert Plate For Two

Pardon my not visiting your blogs lately. Cupid has had me by the short and curlies.

Valentine's Day is not something I've ever given two shits about as a wife. But as a pastry chef, it's a different story. I am usually buried in my regular prep to prepare for the incursion of two-tops we'll be hit with that night, as well as the dessert special- usually chocolate, that is expected. Then, that evening, I come back to the restaurant to plate desserts.
I know I am making it sound pretty miserable, but it's actually a really fun, high energy event. I work my ass off in the kitchen, then change into my chef whites and plate- which is something I relish doing, but rarely have the chance.
Later, I have a shot or two with the cooks, and go home to eat pizza with Trevor (our Valentine's day late night pizza delivery/bottle of wine/movie rental is a much beloved tradition).

There were a few added kinks this year, mostly self-inflicted.
One is the fact that now I have two restaurants to worry about instead of one. Two dessert specials, and going back and forth between two restaurants to plate desserts.
Another hindrance- I decided to change the entire menu a few days before Valentine's day. This means that rather than spend the weeks leading up to the big day perfecting a kickass dessert special, I was working out recipes for the new menu.
Then, I convinced myself that I wanted to make truffles for the special.
Truffles.
??????

Yeah, I decided to mix tempering chocolate, with pms and a time crunch.
I don't recommend it.
But, I have said this before and I'll say it again. For some reason, I work best under pressure. Thanks to two awesome assistant bakers who rocked the shit out of the regular prep load, a nice 70 degree kitchen, and the energy giving powers of vitamin B 12 injected smoothies from the joint next door, all went off with out a hitch.

The final plate ended up being a chocolate sampler for two. Dark chocolate sorbet with vanilla bean crema and roasted coco nibs, fresh fruit (blood oranges, red currants), and assorted truffles and confections:
white chocolate-grapefruit truffle with hazelnuts, milk chocolate-Bailey's truffle with pecans, dark chocolate-single malt scotch truffle (which was heart shaped), dark chocolate-pistachio-sour cherry mendiants, and not pictured because it was still cooling at the time: marcona almond brittle

I did the same special at both restaurants to ease the feeling of panic- the dining public will never know.
The big star of the plate was the sorbet, which I promise to blog ASAP, as it's too easy and too delish not to share. The single malt scotch and dark chocolate truffle was my personal fave. But I wont blog it as I ripped it off from the Scharffenberger book, and grabbing the camera to snap a few shots while dipping truffles was completely out of the question.

I slept for 16 hours yesterday and I'm fully recovered. I'll be back to lurk on your blogs now.
Oh yeah- tomorrow is my 5 year wedding anniversary, so there is a possibility of a first ever restaurant review to come....
if I can remember the camera. And it probably wont be a review per se, as that is not my style (I never burn bridges)- but more of a "look at the pictures of this food I ate, it was yummy" type posting.

December Royal Foodie Joust!

Mayan Chocolate Boca Negra with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Yaaaay! It's jousting time again! This monthly battle of the foodies is hosted by the lovely Jen, also known as the Leftover Queen. It's participants, which include members of Jen's Leftover Queen Forum, are all to create a dish including 3 required ingredients. The winner gets bragging rights, a nifty graphic for their blog, and best of all- picks the 3 ingredients for the next month's joust. Ley of Cilantro and Lime, kicked ass and took names with her paneer, which was created with mushroom, cheese, and herbs as her required props. Ley blessed us with ingredients that both provide a challenge, but go beautifully together: Chocolate, Chiles, and any sort of grain. I heart you Ley, because this means I will get to make one of my all time favorite chocolate treats- baked pudding or "boca negra." It's 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour barely squeeze me into the guidelines.



This dessert is not only really easy to put together, but it is sinfully delicious. I make this when I am looking to impress someone. It may not look like much in the photo, but it's one of those things you need to taste to believe. The texture is fudgy, creamy, and souffle-like. The flavors blend together in perfect harmony- not one of them over powers the other. Instead they all bring out each other's best qualities.

That's not even the best thing about this recipe. Unlike it's cranky cousin, the souffle- boca negra batter can be made in a relaxed state of mind. You can bake off just 2 of them, and refrigerate the batter for another time. It keeps for 2 or 3 days. I'm keeping the rest of mine in the freezer, where it should last for a month. Now, I have a fancy schmancy dessert on hand if I need it. I served mine with some just-churned vanilla ice cream this time, but cinnamon ice cream or whipped creme fraiche are also both deelish.
Mayan Chocolate Boca Negra

12 oz. 70% bittersweet chocolate, chopped- use a good one!
8 oz. unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 oz. Kahlua
1 cup superfine sugar
1/4 tsp orange zest, very finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp mild Chile powder
5 eggs at room temp
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 T sifted flour

baking
Preheat oven to 325 and have ready 6 ramekins that will fit into a roasting pan. Spray ramekins with pan spray. Fill the roasting pan with hot water until the cups are halfway submerged. Set aside.
Combine the butter and chocolate in a large bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water to create a bain marie. Stir chocolate and butter occasionally until smooth and completely melted. Set aside.
In a saucepan, stir together the Kahlua and 1 cup sugar until it dissolves. Heat until mixture boils. Whisk into chocolate. Stir in orange zest, cinnamon, and chile.
In a standing mixer, or using egg beaters, whip the eggs, salt, and 1/3 of sugar until very light and fluffy. They should be as thick as soft peak egg whites.
Whisk eggs into chocolate. They will deflate some, but that's ok.
Whisk in the sifted flour. The batter will be of pouring consistency.
Divide batter amongst ramekins and bake for 20-25 minutes. They do not rise, but the tops will be dry to the touch and shiny- like brownies.
Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, remove them from the water. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or creme fraiche.
Any excess batter can be stored in the refrigerator and baked off at a later time.

Don't forget to head over to the forums during the first week of December to vote for your favorite!
PS- curious about the title of this dessert? It translates into "black mouth"- which completely describes ones appearance after one bite.

Double C-Cup-Cakes: The Boobie Bake-off

a nice pair...sorry, I couldn't resist.
Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

As you can see, I'm getting my blog events out of the way for October. The Boobie Bake-off is hosted by Marye at Apron Strings and Simmering Things and requires that we all bake something pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The super cool part is that readers can donate $1 to vote for their favorite on October 31st. All proceeds will be donated to breast cancer research in the winner's name.

I am so 7th grade. I really wanted my pink entry to look like boobs. I know there is nothing funny about breast cancer, but who says we can't have fun while promoting awareness? Another personal rule I gave myself was to leave food coloring out of the equation. With those guidelines, I came up with a deep chocolate cupcake, topped with a sour cherry-cream cheese icing. I used my "old stand-by" chocolate cake recipe, David Lebovitz's candied cherries, and a cream cheese icing from the top of my head. Turns out, they're really good too. I can't say I was crazy about the way they looked though. Pink, though they were, the texture of the icing is just a tad bit runny. Not so much that it hurt the outcome of the cupcake, but I was hoping for a stiffer consistency so I could pipe it into big rosettes. Sadly, the pretty picture in my head did not match the cupcake before me. Having said that, they were so tasty that I ultimately did not care. Plus, they totally look like boobs.

Fudgy Chocolate Cupcakes adapted from Richard Sax's Classic Home Desserts
Makes 24 small cupcakes or 12 Large

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup plus 3 T cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt

3/4 cup softened butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 packed brown sugar

2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper cups or grease with pan spray. Sift the dry ingredients together onto a sheet of was paper.
Cream the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on med-high speed. Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Lower the speed down to low and add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk in 3 additions. Divide batter amongst the prepped muffin tins and bake for 18-22 minutes.

Candied Cherries adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

1 # sour cherries, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 T lemon juice
1 drop almond extract (but I use 1 tsp amaretto)

Heat everything but the almond flavoring in a large sauce pan. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the juice is syrupy. Cool then stir in almond flavoring.

Sour-Cherry Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. soft butter
5 oz. room temperature cream cheese
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup candied sour cherries, strained and chopped, juices reserved

Cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add chopped cherries and mix. Slowly add about 2 or 3 tablespoons of the sour cherry juice for pink frosting, or omit it for a sturdier frosting.
Smear on cooled cupcakes

Retro Recipe Challenge #9 "The Candy Man"

My retro offering to The Candy Man: Whoopie Pies


When I saw the big picture of Sammy Davis Jr. on dolores' blog announcing the theme of this month's Retro Recipe Challenge, which she is hosting, I knew I was going to have to be in on this one. Not only is the super cool Sammy Davis our spokes model for the event, but the theme is something I am somewhat familiar with. Sugar! Yup, in honor of Halloween, Dolores has picked "the candy man" for October. Rules: The entry must be from a dessert recipe published before 1980.

A while back I picked up Betty Groff's Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook which is filled with all sorts of recipes for RRC's. For full disclosure, the book was actually published in 1990, but contains a collection of non-revised "hand-me-down" recipes from generations of cooks from Lancaster County, home of the Pennsylvania Dutch community. This book is chock-full of good old, hearty farm cooking. Including Whoopie Pies. "Perfect!" declared The Pie Lady.



A Whoopie Pie is basically a fluffy, white frosting-like filling, sandwiched between two discs of chocolate cake. No one really knows exactly who came up with the first one, though it is rumored to have been born in the 20's in Massachusetts. Fillings can range from store bought marshmallow fluff, to light meringue based buttercreams. My whoopie would be the latter.

I followed Groff's recipe, for the most part, to the letter. My only revisions are substituting unsalted butter for any margarine or shortening. Recipes written in times of yore are sometimes a little difficult to follow. It seems like they are rarely as precise as modern ones, so ones sixth "kitchen" sense is required when working with them. This one is no exception. Several key instructions are missing, such as the necessary temperature of your ingredients. That is why these retro challenges are so fun! They're challenging!! Anyhoo- I'm posting the recipe as written, but if you have any questions, feel free to post them as comments and I'll be happy to answer them the best I can.

Whoopie Pies

1 cup shortening or Margarine........(use butter instead, you won't be sorry)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup hot coffee

Filling:

2 egg whites
1 T vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 pound butter

Cream the shortening* and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. In another bowl, sift the flour with the cocoa, salt, and soda. Gradually add this to the creamed mixture alternating with the buttermilk. Mix in the hot coffee. Drop the batter in spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 8 minutes. Store on wax paper until all the cookies have been baked.
For the filling, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Gradually beat in the vanilla, milk, sugar, and flour. Add the shortening and butter (Brittany sez: butter should be @room temp.) and beat until very fluffy. Take one cookie and spread a generous tablespoon on the flat side. Top with another cookie; they should look like yo-yos. They freeze well if wrapped individually.

*or unsalted butter, at room temp.

Final Verdict: Well....the cake part is really good, and stays nice and soft when frozen. I used good cocoa powder, and butter. The filling reminded us of a the middle of a hostess cupcake. To the husband, with his effed up taste in desserts, that was just fine. I would have preferred a simple, but delicious buttercream. I would absolutely make these again using different variations of icings and spreads. They are basically just tasty and portable little cakes which can be filled with whatever your heart desires. Smear them with ganache or nutella for a decadent whoopie. Cut the sweetness of the chocolate with dollops of creme fraiche of whipped cream for a lighter whoopie. The possibilities are endless, which makes me glad that I have leftover cake discs.

Be sure to check out the Candy Man round up On October 31st to see all the cavity endusing entries!