Cool teal tones wash over every surface in the butler’s pantry

of “Swan House” in Atlanta, massive covered silver platter …

This has such an “Upstairs Downstairs” look about it,

very “Gosford Park”…

If you haven’t already seen this film, its kitchen scenes are my favorite…

You’ll want to soak up every “British Country Manor” interior feature…

and then scurry down to your scullery to order your cooking staff to

whip up these gratifying doses of high grade chocolate. Or if you’ve

benevolently given the staff a few days off, try it yourself.

Molten Chocolate Puddings

5 1/4 oz dark chocolate

3 1/2 oz unsalted butter

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup caster (superfine) sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

thick (double) cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 355°

Place the chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the chocolate is melted

and smooth. Place the eggs, yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Gently fold in flour

and chocolate mixture and spoon into 4 lightly greased 1-cup capacity ovenproof dishes. Bake

for 12-15 minutes or until the puddings are puffed. Top with the cream to serve. Serves 4.

These individual ramekins were purchased from

Sur la Table several years ago when I first tried this recipe…

You’ll want to get at the 8 ounce size.  Incredible dessert.

Double Chocolate Cookies

4 1/4 oz dark chocolate, chopped

4 oz unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted

1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 3/4 oz dark chocolate, extra, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 320°

Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir

until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Set aside. Beat butter and sugar for 8-10

minutes or until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat another 3-4

minutes. Stir the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and melted chocolate. Add the

extra chopped chocolate and stir to combine. Roll tablespoons of the mixture

into rounds. Place on baking trays lines with baking paper, allowing room for

the cookies to spread, and flatten slightly. Bake 10-12 minutes until slight cracks

have formed. Cool on wire racks. Makes 16.

*

Both recipes by Australian based author, food stylist, editor,  Donna Hay

who will soon be launching an online shopping site…

Vintage wide teal silk ribbon on blue striped grain sack, scrap of discolored Bella Notte

quilted toile I over-dyed teal and backed with Belgian linen to make a extra long pillow.

This is the time of year I want to back away from the crowds, simplify, order the necessary

gifts online, pull out the recipe books and sewing machine…and stay calm.

Wishing you as much peace and joy, warmth and kindness

as humanly possible in this holiday season.

*

Southern Accents Nov-Dec ‘06

Donna Hay magazine

]]> http://matrioskadventuresinitaly.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/chocolate-covered-grapes-with-rum-and-pistachio/ Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:00:51 +0000 matrioskasadventures http://matrioskadventuresinitaly.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/chocolate-covered-grapes-with-rum-and-pistachio/ http://comfycook.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/dipped-in-chocolate-gems/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:33:52 +0000 chayacomfycook http://comfycook.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/dipped-in-chocolate-gems/

This recipe originated from Dorie Greenspan.  As it sometimes happens, the recipe takes over and the results are not you think they will be nor would the originator of that recipe.  Dorie, forgive me.

The cookie was supposed to be a normal cookie, one that had height to it.  Mine turned out to be almost like a lace cookie, but a little more dense.  I took advantage of that.  After a day of eating these gems, as they were, and loving every bite, I realized, I could turn them into an imitation of the lace cookie by partially dipping this into melted chocolate.

I had a success.  I am not sure exactly what they taste like but I keep thinking I am eating a lace cookie.  I think the taste is stronger than the traditional lace cookie and I think it is better.

Dipped in Chocolate Gems                                                                                     

1 1/6 cups gluten-free flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 plus 2 tablespoons margarine at room temperature
1/2  cup Brownulated sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 egg beater egg
1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

1 cup melted chocolate chips (I didn’t add anything.  I was so anxious to see what would happen, I just took the chips and used them alone.)

Method:

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. 

Mix with electric mixer in a large bowl, the margarine on medium speed until smooth and creamy.

Add the brownulated sugar and corn syrup and beat for 2 minutes or so to blend.

Add the egg and beat for 1 minute more.

Add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. 

The dough will be a smooth, very soft dough.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap.

 Freeze for 30 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Put the sugar in a small bowl.

Divide dough in small balls.

Roll each ball in the bowl of sugar.

Place them on the baking sheet.  

If you do not have a large sheet, use two baking sheets. 

These cookies spread a lot so leave at least two inches between each one.

Dip the bottom of a glass into the sugar and use it to press down on the cookies until they are between 1/8 inch thick.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 – 12 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and, if the cookies have spread and are touching, use the edge of a metal spatula to separate them while they are still hot.

Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature. 

 When they are firm, dip one side of the cookie into a small bowl of melted chocolate and place on wax paper to set. 

When firm remove from wax paper and EAT.   You won’t be able to stop.

While, I was at it, I took some dried apricots and dipped them in chocolate also.  Yum. 

These are the recipes from our latest Whole Foods Class.  The Quinoa Stuffing and Green Bean dish are adaptations of recipes in November 2009 edition of Natural Health Magazine, chosen as favorites of Dr. Oz.  The Chocolate Pie is my own creation.  The crust did not turn out as a crust but rather a disk, so we just crumbled it into the pie filling and made a crunchy pudding that was fabulous.

Why are these better than the traditional foods?

• No MSG
• Low Sodium
• Low Saturated Fat (good fats)
• Made fresh by You!
• No refined sugars
• Gluten Free and Dairy Free (the cream gravy is made with spelt flour so there is gluten there)

Crunchy Creamy Green Bean Casserole

Celeste Davis (Dairy Free & Delicious)

Serves 6

Spray a glass 9 x 13 baking dish with Grapeseed oil.

Beans

1 lb frozen green beans

8 oz. Baby bella mushrooms, clean & broken into pieces

2-3 Tblsp Grapeseed Oil

1 Tblsp minced garlic

White Pepper to taste

2 Tblsp White Spelt Flour

½ cup unsweetened So Delicious Coconut milk (refrigerated section, not canned)

Topping

1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds

½ cup cooked quinoa

½ tsp Onion powder

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1. In a skillet put 1 Tblsp Grapeseed oil & sauté garlic for 1 minute, add mushroom pieces and sauté for 5 minutes, salt and pepper with white pepper to taste.
2. Add green beans to skillet (if the skillet is dry add a splash of Grapeseed oil, stir beans into mushroom and garlic and cook for 1 minute.
3. Put mushroom/bean mixture in the glass baking dish.  Do not rinse the skillet or scrape out the  pan, you are going to use the pan drippings.
4. In the skillet add 1 Tblsp Grapeseed Oil and 2 Tblsp of spelt flour, whisk together over medium high heat until well blended.
5. Slowly add coconut milk, stirring constantly until all the milk is used and the mixture is creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes, it will make a creamy gravy like consistency.
6. Pour coconut milk sauce over the bean/mushroom mixture and stir gently to coat.
7. FOOD PROCESSOR:  Put S blade in, add pumpkin seeds, onion and garlic powder and 1-2 tsp Grapeseed oil, pulse quickly about 10 times, Add ½ cup cooked quinoa and pulse 1-2 times until well blended.
8. Sprinkle pumpkin seed/quinoa on top of green bean mixture.
9. Bake at 450 for about 10-15 minutes until quinoa is crunchy and sauce is bubbly.

*********************************************************************

Kale, Quinoa & Pomegranate Stuffing

Celeste Davis, serves 12

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, Spray 9×13 glass dish with Grapeseed oil.

½ lb Kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped in FP with S blade

6 cloves (2-3 Tblsp) minced garlic

½ cup water

1 tsp better than boullion vegetable base

Celtic sea salt & white pepper to taste

1 ½ cups pecans

1 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1 Tblsp fresh sage (1 tsp dry)

1 Tblsp fresh thyme (1 tsp dry)

2 cups cooked Quinoa

1 Tblsp earth balance, melted

1 egg, lightly beaten

2/4 cup apple or grape juice

½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1. Cook Quinoa according to package directions and put in glass bowl.
2. Chop onion in FP w/ S blade, pulse for fine but coarse chop.
3. Saute onion and 1 Tblsp garlic, add sage & thyme and sauté until onion is golden and caramelized, 3-4 minutes, put in bowl w/ Quinoa, stir.
4. In same pan, Saute kale & 1 Tblsp garlic in 2 Tblsp Grapeseed oil 1-2 min.
5. Add water & better than boullion
6. Cover and cook on medium high for 3 minutes.
7. Uncover and cook until liquid is evaporated, watch and stir.  Season w/ salt & pepper, set aside.
8. Put cooled Kale in FP w/ S blade.  Add pecans and pulse until pecans are coarse chop but still chunky.
9. Add Kale/pecan to Quinoa/onion
10. Mix earth balance, egg & apple juice, pour over Quinoa mixture and stir well.
11. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Garnish with pomegranate seeds.

********************************************************************

Gluten Free/Dairy Free Choconut Pie

(10 min prep, 5 min cooking, 2 hours in refrigerator)
Celeste Davis

1. Make pie crust
2. Make filling
3. Refrigerate

Filling
In a medium glass dish mix with a whisk until smooth and well blended:
6 Tbs organic Corn Starch
½ cup organic unsweetened powdered Dutch Cocoa
Whisk until it makes a smooth paste:
4 Tbs filtered water
Whisk in until smooth:
½ cup Raw  Agave Nectar
2-4 Tbs Raw organic Tahini (to taste)
2 Tsp organic real Vanilla
1/8 – ¼ tsp Celtic Sea Salt
In a medium sauce pan heat until warm:
2 cups of SO Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk

1 cup of So Delicious Coconut Cream
· Slowly stir Chocolate mixture into milk with a whisk
· Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens
· Pour into finished pie shell
· Cover top with waxed paper, refrigerate

To Serve:
Remove waxed paper, Cover top of pie with Real or Soy Whip Cream, chocolate shavings and some flaked coconut
Enjoy!

Chocolate Macaroon Pie Crust (5 minutes prep, 20 min. baking)
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
This is a pre-baked crust, can be made up to 2 days in advance, refrigerate and cover w/ plastic wrap
Ingredients:
2 oz organic semi-sweet chocolate, melted in oven, stove top or over water (not microwave)
2 Tbs Earth Balance
2 Tblsp Raw Agave Nectar
1 ½ cups unsweetened organic shredded coconut
pinch of salt
· Melt chocolate, combine all, mixing with hands, pat into greased pie plate
· Bake at 350, about 20 minutes, until firm but not dark. Cool and fill w/ chocolate pie filling.

This recipe takes minutes to make and it has no raw eggs which is very important to me. The marshmallows make a difference. It makes 4 to 6 servings

Put the marshmallows, marshmallow fluff, margarine, chocolate and water in the microwave.

Stop your microwave every 30 seconds and stir. I used a low to medium setting.

Meanwhile whip the cream with the vanilla until thick and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.

my grandparents arrived in the United States in 1903. Russian immigrants—he from a big city and she from the country—they settled in a section of Boston to begin exciting new lives as Americans. my grandfather opened a wholesale millinery, and my grandmother continued her career as a seamstress. i didn’t come along until more than half a century later, just a few months after my grandfather had passed away. but memories of my grandmother remain vivid and dear.

beginning at the age of four and for the next few years, my mom would drop me off at Nantasket Beach on the Hull Penninsula, where i would gleefully spend a week every summer with my grandmother. just the two of us. she’d rent a room in a giant boarding house, complete with veranda and rocking chairs, right across the street from the beach. she and her friends would dote on me, taking my hands as we crossed the street to spend the morning sunning and swimming on the South Shore. already in her sixties by that time, grandma was still a very strong swimmer, diving headlong into the surf and briskly doing laps along the beach. as she emerged triumphant from the salty water, she’d wave enthusiastically at me, as if she took great pride in the accomplishment. and, indeed, she should have.

grandma and mom, circa 1930

as we both got older, we’d play baseball in my parent’s yard; grandma would pitch the ball to me, i’d hit it with my trusty bat, then i’d run and get the ball, so we could do it all again. our dog would run alongside, thinking this was a very clever game. on Sundays, my parents would drive us to grandma’s apartment in the city for a visit. sometimes she’d make chicken soup, and we’d all sit around her kitchen table slurping down the golden liquid. sometimes we’d bring babka from our local Jewish bakery, so she could have a special treat. what’s babka? a sweet, moist and buttery yeast-based bread, much like brioche, filled with a blend of rich chocolate, sugar and cinnamon, finished off with a streusel topping. as grandma might say in still-broken English, “so, what’s not to like?”

with my grandmother top of mind, i wanted to re-create the babka of my youth. first i tried a recipe from Gourmet, but something about it wasn’t quite right. what was it? hmmm. no cinnamon. no streusel. the dough didn’t seem elastic enough as i worked with it or delicate enough after it had been baked. so, i went in search of an alternative. i turned to the chocolate babka recipe found in Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook. and that was it: exactly as i remembered it, exactly as grandma loved it.

rather than making loaves, i cut the recipe by 2/3 and made six individual servings in a popover pan, an idea i borrowed from the Bread Farm in Edison, Washington. this perfect babka kept beautifully for several days, maintaining its rich flavor and texture.

Chocolate Babka
a recipe from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook
makes three loaves

INGREDIENTS

for dough
1 1/2 cups warm milk (110F)
2 envelopes (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
3/4 cups plus a pinch of sugar
2 whole, large eggs, plus 2 large eggs yolks, at room temperature
6 cups organic unbleached flour, plus more for work surface
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature, plus more for bowl and pans

for filling
2 pounds semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped (i used Scharffen Berger)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, at room temperature

for topping
1 egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/3 cups organic unbleached flour
1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature

DIRECTIONS

1. in a small bowl, sprinkle yeast and a pinch of sugar over the warm milk; stir until dissolved. let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2. in a medium bowl, whisk together the 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs and yolks.
3. add to yeast mixture, and whisk to combine.
4. in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour and salt, then add the egg mixture; beat on low speed until almost all the flour is incorporated.
5. add the 2 sticks of butter, and beat until completely incorporated, and a smooth soft dough forms, about 10 minutes. (the dough should still be slightly sticky when squeezed.)
6. turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface, and knead until smooth.
7. place the dough in a well-buttered bowl, and turn to coat with butter.
8. cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
9. to make the filling, stir together the chocolate, sugar and cinnamon.
10. using a pastry blender, cut in 1 1/2 sticks butter until combined; set aside.
11. to make the streusel topping, in a large bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar and flour.
12. using a pastry blender, cut in the butter, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; leave in some larger pieces (see top photo), then set aside.
13. in a small bowl, beat the egg with the cream to create a wash; set aside.
14. generously butter three 9-by-5-by-2 3/4-inch loaf pans (check out the online version of the recipe for instructions about the parchment paper; i used a non-stick popover pan, and the babka came lifted out beautifully.)
15. punch the dough down, transfer to a well-floured work surface, and let rest for 5 minutes.
16. cut the dough into three equal pieces.
17. roll out one piece of the dough into a 16-inch square, about 1/8-inch thick.
18. brush edges of dough with the egg wash.
19. crumble 1/3 of the filling evenly over the dough, leaving about a 1/2-inch border on the long sides.
20. roll up the dough lengthwise into a tight log (as if you were making cinnamon rolls), pinching ends together to seal. (ok, this is where i went my own way, cutting the roll into 6 individual pieces and placing in the popover pan.)
21. twist dough evenly down the length of the log, a full five or six times.
22. brush the top of the log (or tops of your babka popovers) with egg wash.
23. crumble two tablespoons of the chocolate filling down the center of the log, being careful not to let the mixture fall off (i didn’t have the dexterity for this feat).
24. fold the log in half, into a horseshoe shape.
25. cross the right half over the left.
26. pinch the ends together to seal, and form a figure eight.
27. twist two more times, and fit into prepared pan.
28. repeat with remaining dough and filling.
29. brush the top of each loaf with egg wash.
30. sprinkle 1/3 of the streusel topping on each loaf.
31. loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until dough has expanded and feels pillowy, about 40 minutes.
32. preheat oven to 350F.
33. bake loaves, rotating halfway through until golden, about 55 minute (20 minutes for babka popovers).
34. reduce oven temperature to 325F; bake until loaves are deep golden 20 to 30 minutes more. cover loaves with foil, if they begin to brown too quickly (10 minutes for babka popovers).
35. transfer pans to wire rack to cool completely.

Vanilla Cupcakes & Chocolate Genache Frosting

I held onto this recipe for vanilla cupcakes when I saw an old Martha Stewart episode with the New York Cupcake shop – Billy’s Cupcake owner Billy Reece. They looked amazing – and once I choose to make vanilla cupcakes – I knew this would be the recipe to go to.

The segment from the show when he show’s how to make the cupcakes is on the page with the recipe – it’s a good tutorial for someone that is looking for guidelines!

From Billy’s Cupcakes (on www.marthastewart.com)

Vanilla Cupcakes

Makes about 30 cupcakes

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with flour.
2. In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts, scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
3. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
4. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if desired. Serve at room temperature.

The changes that I made to make them non-dairy was to substitute the butter with shortening and the milk with non-dairy creamer diluted to milk consistency.

Vanilla Cupcakes - cooling and waiting to be frosted

The cup cakes themselves were pretty good – a moist yellow cupcake – with potential to be my favorite yellow cupcake recipe!  I wasn’t sure why they are considered vanilla cupcakes – there is only one teaspoon in the batter – I will put more next time for more flavor.

For the frosting – I made some genache with some dark chocolate (250 gr) and non-dairy whipped cream (about 1/2 cup) – let it cool then whipped it.  It needed to be a little more sweet, so I added about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar.

It was still too strong – more like a truffle.  I would add some cream cheese or fold in some whipped cream next time – so it’s creamier.

All in all – it was a good recipe and good combination of moist yellow cupcakes and chocolate frosting.

Big A enjoying the batter

I like chocolate. I like beer. Chocolate and beer; chocolate and beer. In this recipe the two come together famously. I made this batter, adding 100 g of chopped dark chocolate before baking and poured into a round 10 inch baking pan. I topped the cake with chocolate ganache and served with whipped cream. The result was adictive. I realized I had a problem when I woke up the next day and devoured a piece for breakfast and promptly gifted the leftovers to friends.

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes
Courtesey of David Lieberman at www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes (I did 1 cup)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purposeflour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.
In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
Lightly grease 24 muffin tins (I greased 6 muffin tins and a 10 inch round pan and dusted both with cocoa.  Both the cupcakes and the cake turned out beautifully but the cake required an extra 20 mins to cook). Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.
For Ganache
Melt 200 grams dark chocolate (about 2 cups) with ½ cup cream in a bowl over a pan of slowly boiling water. Spread warm and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Images to follow!

Makes 12 cupcakes

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup, all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup, white sugar
• 1/4 cup, unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp., baking powder
• 1/2 tsp., baking soda
• 1/2 tsp., salt

Wet ingredients:

• 2/3 cup, skim (0%) milk
• 2/3 cup, plain non-fat (0%) yogurt
• 4 egg whites (NO yolks!)
• 1 tsp., vanilla extract
• Extra ingredient for chocoholics: A handful (or less or more) of chocolate chips OR chunks.  [I personally love adding chunks of Belgian chocolate to my recipe]

Other things required:

• Muffin tray
• Cupcake papers
• At least two bowls
• Spoons/spatulas
• A toothpick (or two)
• An oven that works

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine all dry ingredients.
• Combine all wet ingredients. (Separate from the dry) [Chocolate chunks OR chips may be added to the wet ingredients]
• Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients’ bowl – Mix while pouring.
• Line a muffin tray with cupcake papers.
• Fill the cupcake papers with batter (around 2/3 full)…
• Slide into oven.
• Leave to bake for at least twenty minutes (or until cupcake comes out of the container easily when a toothpick is inserted in it)

Et, voilà!

 

microwave the white or milk chocolate chips on high

for 1 minute. Stir and microwave for 30 seconds more

until all chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth (it will

be thick).Use a knife to spread the chocolate over half

of a pretzel rod.Roll through the sprinkles until

chocolate is completely coated with sprinkles. Chill.

This week I went to Borders, one of my favorite book stores in New York City, close to Madison Square Garden.  I was so impressed with the amount of chocolate books they have. They are really expensive, but you get your money’s worth with all those delicious chocolate recipes and photos. In fact, I spent a lot of time there having fun and collecting some material that I would like to share with you.

A Year in Chocolate – 80 recipes for holidays and special occasions, by Jacques Torres, was one of the books that most called my attention. Do you see the illustrations on the cover? Pay attention to what is suggested:

• Happy New Year: time for hot chocolate
• Spring Easter baskets
• Ice Cream sandwiches for Summer
• Halloween: trick or treat?

The world-renowned pastry chef and chocolatier, Jacques Torres, presents us with a calendar’s worth of treats sure to make every celebration of the year more luciously enjoyable. All the holiday classics are in the book. Valentine’s Day bonbons, a molded chocolate Easter Bunny, ice cream sundaes for the Fourth of July and chocolate Caramel Corn for Halloween.

Adapting all his recipes for the home cook, Jacques Torres showcases his favorite chocolate creations – from traditional French pastry to classic American treats.

With 150 ecstasy-inducing photos of the finished dishes, A Year in Chocolate is the chocolate cookbook that has to be on your kitchen table. If you are a professional chocolatier or a chocolate seller, this book is also a good source of inspiration to find creative ways to promote chocolate recipes according to the seasonal sales.

Where to buy:

• Borders Book Store $35.00
• Barnes&Noble $35.00 or $25.20 (member price)
• Amazon.com $23.10

Making Artisan Chocolates, by Garrison Shotts, includes more than 40 recipes for chocolates, truffles, and confections using spices, vegetables, fruits and herbs for flavor. It also features tried-and-true culinary tips, techniques and methods for homemade confections every time.

Today’s chocolates have gone upscale, mixing flavors such as chili peppers, caramel or wasabi with high-quality bittersweet or imported chocolate. But creating such mouth-watering confections no longer requires a cooking degree and Making Artisan Chocolates will teach you all the inside tips, techniques and methods for making designer-quality chocolates at home. Once only available to pastry chefs, the techniques shown in the book will help you create chocolate to rival those found in upscale retail stores and chocolate shops.

Forget milk chocolate candy bars – the recipes in this book combine daring and unusual flavors to create truly unique culinary creations using ingredients such as vanilla beans, mint and fresh raspberries.

Where to buy:

• Borders Book Store $24.99
• Barnes&Noble $24.99 or $21.36 (member price)
• Amazon.com $16.49

This week, Bloggers’ Secret Ingredient is dried fruits which I think is a terrific choice.  Thanks to Lindsey at Sound Eats, we got to explore the world of fruits in another form.  In truth, I often chop up whatever dried fruit, I have, on hand and throw it into a batter of some kind.  I did that again.   Thanks for hosting Lindsey.

I made a dried apricot and chocolate chip cookie.  This is a thin, almost crispy cookie and the crunch of the apricot against the softer chocolate chip blends well.    It is an easy cookie to make and even the baking time is short.

This makes about two dozen cookies.

1/4 cup margarine

1/4 cup oil

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring

1 cup gluten-free flour mixture

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup diced dried apricots

1/2 cup chocolate chips (My hand slipped and I have a little more than that and it is just fine.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream margarine, oil and sugar using hand mixer.

Using mixer, on medium speed add the egg and vanilla.

Add salt and baking soda.

Stir until you have a smooth batter.                          

Add the chocolate chips and apricots.

Using  a one teaspoon cookie scoop, drop the liquid batter onto cookie sheet.

Space two inches apart.  These do spread.

Bake for 8 minutes until light brown.  If you need more time, check each minute.  Mine barely took the eight minutes.  I might make it 7, next time.

Cookies should rest on baking sheets for a few minutes.

Transfer to wire racks until cool.

Eat and enjoy.  This is for Tasty Tuesday.

Smaller version of the whoopie pies - using a teaspoon drop of dough

I’ve attempted these whoopie pie cookies several times and haven’t had any problems with them – they are easy and quick.  However,  I’ve always wanted to perfect the recipe for the filling. The actual chocolate cookie part was easy enough and I had all the ingredients in my pantry already – I will make them again for sure.  The whoopie pie cookie has been described as Devils Food Cake in a cookie form – and it definitely tastes like it.

Little A & Big A helping with the whoopie pies

I took the recipe for the Whoopie Pies from the Good Housekeeping website:

Chocolate Whoopie Pies:

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

6 tablespoons butter/margarine melted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

Mix everything in a bowl.  use tablespoons to drop batter on a cookie sheet that is lined with baking paper.

bake for 12 minutes at 350 (175) degrees. -

My notes: When you are mixing, make sure the lumps are all out.  I noticed while I was putting the dough on the cookie sheets that there were small lumps of cocoa powder.  Next time I will sift everything.

I also made some changes to the original recipe so that it would be dairy free.  I substituted the milk with some non-dairy creamer thinned with water to imitate milk.  I also did not use butter or margarine – but oil instead.  I did not notice a difference.

I did not use their recipe for the filling this time because I have in the past and it wasn’t exactly what I expected. I was hoping for a Devil Dog type filling.  I am going to continue to experiment to get it perfect!

For the filling, I used the Vanilla Filling recipe from Joy of Baking:

Vanilla Filling:

1/4 cup (55 grams) vegetable shortening

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) (55 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup (115 grams) confectioners’ (powdered or icing) sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (120 ml) light corn syrup

beat butter & shortening, add powdered sugar – beat 5 min.  add vanilla & slowly stream corn syrup in – whip until fluffy.

I made half this amount – so that I could use up some chocolate frosting I had in the fridge for some of them.  Also – instead of making it with butter, I used only shortening so that Little A could eat it.

The kids loved it – and my husband thought it was pretty good.  I was expecting the filling to be a little more like a devil dog – but it wasn’t.  It was more like meringue before you bake it.  I will try again another time with a different filling.  I recently came across a few whoopie pie sites – while on the search for the perfect filling.

Did you know there is a Whoopie Pie Festival?

I’m kinda glad I don’t live near there – I would be tasteing every whoopie pie at the festival!

Also, another site I found with whoopie pies is www.wannahavacookie.com – they look absolutely amazing – and they ship all over the country!!  Their flavors look so good – I think i’m going to try making a pumpkin whoopie pie sometime before Thanksgiving!

Do you remember Nigella’s flourless Brownie?  It was the best.  She has done it again with this flourless cake.   Without any discussion, here is her recipe.   By the way, hubby, the chocolate hater, loved it.  I did not alter this recipe other than not to add anything to it and I did not separate the eggs.

Nigella Lawson’s Flourless Chocolate Cake
Serves 8-12                                                                                                                         

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa solids
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
6 eggs: 2 whole, 4 separated  (  I did not separate the eggs.)
3/4 cup superfine sugar
grated zest of 1 orange (optional)
Whipping cream (optional)  (It did not need any additions.)
Fresh Raspberries (optional)
9 inch springform cake pan

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Line the bottom of the cake pan with baking parchment. Cut away any excess paper otherwise it’ll smoke in the oven and the smell is gross.

3. Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, add orange zest and then let the butter melt in the warm chocolate.
4. Separate eggs into two bowls.
5. Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of the sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, tempering first (tempering means you add a little of the warm mixture to the cooler mixture to raise its temperature and prevent it from curdling as you add the rest of the warm mixture).
6. In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar.
7. Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites.
8. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no longer wobbly.
9. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.
10. When you are ready to eat, place the still pan-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the cake from its pan.
11. Don’t worry about cracks or rough edges: it’s the crater look we’re going for here.
12. (If using) Whip the cream with some vanilla and sugar, whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff.
13. The way I did it was to top the cake with fresh raspberries and heaping dollops of whipped cream. You could also fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, or dust the top lightly with cocoa powder or powdered

For this attempt, I altered the following recipe by Laura Dolson from About.com:

Ingredients:

• 8 oz unsweetened chocolate (the higher the quality of chocolate, the better this recipe will be)
• 1 c cannacream
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 c liquid malitol (can be found at most health food stores)
• 1 c Splenda

Directions:

Heat the cream, vanilla, sweetener and salt until bubbles form. Remove from heat. Add chocolate pieces and let melt, stirring occasionally. Add malitol.

The recipe states that, at this point, you can let it cool to room temperature at which point it can be rolled into balls as the base of truffles (which you can then roll in nuts, coconut, or cocoa powder), or you can use it as the base for a sauce by adding cream until it is the consistency you want.  My experience with this recipe is that, even after sticking it in the fridge, it never fully reached a state of firmness that would allow me to roll it into truffles.  It might work better with less cream, though I have not yet tried it.  I did, however, use the cannache as a delectable sauce over Breyers Carb-Smart chocolate ice cream. 

I did notice that the flavor of cannabis was relatively strong in this recipe.  If you’re sensitive to this flavor, I highly recommend, especially if using this recipe as a sauce, cutting the flavor of the cannabis by using peppermint extract instead of vanilla or adding peanut butter.  The second day of using this sauce, I added peanut butter and it tasted much better.

Yum! Chocolate brownies in the morning...

The title of this blog is significant: I eat chocolate most mornings, right after I get up.  For the runners with a sweet tooth, an old coach told me the best time for sugar is after a run and I run in the mornings (I don’t remember the reason for this and, of course, I can’t find anything to corroborate it.  But Runner’s World suggests eating protein bars, healthy candy bars that can have lots of sugar – and yes, protein too.  But that’s a minor detail.  You can always have your chocolate with some milk).

Regardless, the coach’s advice is good enough for me because I like any excuse to eat chocolate.  I stretch his words slightly, thinking that before a run should be a good time for sugar too because you’ll burn it right off (if you consume it in moderation of course).

This rich, dense double fudge brownie recipe is my favorite chocolate to eat in the morning.  One recommendation: don’t omit the chocolate chips.  The finished product doesn’t taste the same without them.

Double Fudge Brownies
Adapted from King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
¾ cup cocoa (I like Ghiradelli best)
½ cup applesauce
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¼ cup cold coffee
1 tbsp vanilla extract (you can skip this and still get delicious brownies)
4 large eggs
½ cups traditional whole wheat flour
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan (I use a 9½ x 7½ casserole dish and increase the cooking time).

Melt the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl or in a saucepan set over low heat.  Add the sugar and stir to combine.  Return the mixture to the  microwave (or heat) briefly, until it’s hot and starting to bubble (if you’re cooking on the stovetop, be careful here; the mixture can burn easily).    Heating the mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

Stir in the cocoa (followed by the applesauce), baking powder, salt, coffee, and vanilla.  Cool the mixture until you can test it with your finger; it should feel like comfortably hot bath water (mixing in the cold applesauce should cool it enough).  Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth, then add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until a cake tester or sharp knife poked into the center reveals wet crumbs but not raw batter, 30 minutes (50 to 55 minutes for the 9½ x 7½ dish).  The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center.  Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack; cover when cool.  Let sit overnight before serving; this gives the bran a chance to soften, giving the brownies a more pleasing texture (yes, the recipe says this! Who are they talking to?  I cut into mine before their cool).

This month, in Sweet and Simple Bakes, we are baking a scrumptious cookie, White Chocolate & Orange Cookies.  I was going to bake this with gluten until I realized that I could cut down the chocolate, in the recipe, and my husband would enjoy them, also.  I made a different version of these on Sweet and Savory Say it All.   These are two toned cookies.  Take a peek.

Each month Maria and Rosie come up with a new recipe for us to bake along with them.  Please come  join the fun with us here.  You will enjoy the recipes, the participants and most of all the lovely ladies who lead the way, Maria and Rosie.  This is a good cookie to start with.  It is easy and good to eat.

White Chocolate Orange Cookies                         

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1/2 cup canola oil

2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons orange extract

2 1/4 cups gluten free  flour mix (3 c. rice flour  -  1 c. potato starch  -   ½ c. tapioca starch )  I triple this and store it in a large container.  Whenever, I need it , I take out the necessary amount.  In this case, you would remove 1 and one quarter cups of the mix.  In this way, you always have the mix and can add to it, whenever it gets low.  Of course, you need to keep the three ingredients on hand, at home.)  You can also buy ready made mixes.

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

I do not use guar or xanthan gum anymore other than for bread.  I am not recommending this but it is working for us.  The cakes are even more like “real cakes”.  I wonder if altitude and weather have something to do with   this.                                                  

 2 cups white chocolate morsels  (I cut this down to 1/4 of a cup for my hubby.  If you like chocolate, please keep them in the recipe.)

Method:

Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.

Add egg, and extract, beating until blended.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to sugar mixture, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir in white chocolate morsels.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.  I used my teaspoon scoop.  I used the tablespoon scoop with another recipe and they looked huge in comparison.

Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Cool on baking sheets 2 minutes.

Remove to wire racks to cool.

Eat and enjoy.

Yield:  3 1/2 dozen                

posted by Sam Stern

My self-catering flat at Uni is pretty small and basic. But every Tuesday, 12 or so mates come round for a slap-up dinner. Everyone chips in a couple of quid and we cook together. So far, we’ve had a couple of big roasts with all the trimmings, chicken curry, homemade burgers.  We’re usually eating late so pudding’s not the priority but there’s always chocolate.  To celebrate Chocolate Week, we’ll be making Chocolate Satsumas this week. They’re easy to shop for – take your choice of Divine 70% dark or milk chocolate bars and get hold of some lovely sharp tasting new season satsumas.

Here’s what to do.

1. Buy one good Satsuma (or seedless Clementine) for each person expected.
2. Peel.  Try to get as much of the bitter white pith off as you can but don’t go mad.
3. Put a saucepan of water on to boil then reduce to a very gentle simmer ie the water is just about moving.
4. Sit a bowl into the top of the pan. Don’t let it touch the water.
5. Break up a load of Divine 70% Dark Chocolate and drop it into the bowl.  Judge how much you’ll need by making one for yourself ahead of the event.
6. Let it melt very slowly without stirring.  Once it looks soft and malleable, take it off the bowl. Stir till creamy.
7. Dunk one fruit at a time into the melted chocolate and turn to it’s coated. Maybe use a couple of large spoons.
8. Sit the fruit on greaseproof paper/non-stick baking tray/foil, to set in a cool place.  Special occasion? Melt a bit of white chocolate as above to decorate/write messages.

Awesome.

 We went to my son and his delightful family’s home for the weekend.  We brought some cookies, most , I baked last week and a few from the freezer.  A freezer is invaluable.    Since, I have not been home to blog and I am still not settled, I thought I would show you a few.  I can’t locate my brownie pictures but this is an idea of the fun I had baking.

The first are chocolate chocolate chip cookies.  Following these are chocolate circles decorated for the kids, made from Reeni’s delicious cake.  Recipe to follow in a separate post.  We must have pumpkin so here are some plain pumpkin muffins without any frosting, for a change.  Here comes white chocolate orange cookies.  Yeah for the Blondies and finally is more of Reeni’s recipe with a different topping.

I hope this makes up for the lack of posting.  I will attempt to catch up.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 ounces unsweetened or semisweet melted chocolate
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• .
• Frosting
• 2 tablespoons softened butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon peppermint flavoring
• few drops red or green food coloring
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, melted with 1 tablespoon
• butter or margarine

Preparation:

Brownie with chocolate chips - non dairy recipe

I’m one of those people who collects recipes from all over with dreams of one day trying them all.  Well, I’ve been holding on to this recipe for so long – I think it’s been well over 10 years!  A friend of my mothers used to make these all the time and I knew they were easy I just never got around to making them.  I’ve actually never made brownies from scratch before, I usually just use Duncan Hines Brownie Mix.  Since I had some leftover cake flour from the red velvet cupcakes last week, I decided to try these brownies.

Like I mentioned before, Little A is lactose intolerant and so I’m always looking for recipes that he can eat.  Personally, my favorite part of a brownie is the crust – and since I decided to make them in my cupcake tin – there were lots of edges!!!  The middles sunk down and stayed gooey.  It would be perfect for a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chocolate sauce drizzled on top.  I am definitely going to make these again!!

Brownies baking – yummy gooey centers and lots of edges!!

Brownies with Chocolate Chips:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup cake flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

mix everything together – spray cupcake tins and fill half way.  bake for 25 minutes at 350 (170).

I think the brownies would be fine without the chocolate chips, but they did add a little extra richness.  I used dark chocolate chips and next time I will add some chopped walnuts.