Chocolate Krispies

May 29, 2009 at 6:27 am (Recipes)
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blog-krispies

As promised, here’s yet another  recipe that I served up at my Chocolate Intimate Affair party I threw a few weeks ago.  The chocolate is melted, rather than tempered, making this recipe quick and easy.  There’s only 3 ingredients and is suitable for kids to make as well. 

6 oz. dark chocolate (60%-65% cacao)
3 cups rice krispies
raspberries or other fruit, optional

Over a double boiler, melt chocolate.  Take bowl off of the heat and pour in the rice krispies until all of the cereal is coated.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Take a tablespoon and scoop up cereal and mound onto foil.  Gently press fruit onto top of mound. 

Place baking sheet in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to set the chocolate. 

If topped with raspberry, you can store these up to two days covered loosely with aluminum foil.  Makes approximately 45 pieces.

Variation: Try puffed brown rice instead of rice krispies.  It will be less sweet with a chewier texture.

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Spring Mixed Greens with Mangoes and Nibs

May 24, 2009 at 3:57 am (Recipes)
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Fresh mangoes are my absolute favorite fruit.  This simple recipe is quick and easy and full of flavor.  The toasted nibs adds crunch and nuttiness and is an excellent alternative for those who are allergic to nuts.  

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1 package spring mixed greens
1 ripe but still firm mango
 5 tablespoons flavored balsamic vinegar (I used Champagne Pear by Bellindora)
 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup cacao nibs

Take a knife and peel away skin of mango.  Cut down length of mango, on both sides of the seed being careful not to cut into the seed. Take one side of the cut mango and slice into slender pieces. Set aside.

Take a dry pan and over medium heat, roast nibs for 2-3 minutes. Be sure to move nibs around in the pan while dry roasting.

Whisk vinegar and olive oil until well blended. Add packaged greens to a bowl and toss with vinegar and olive oil.  Take half of nibs and toss into salad.  Place salad onto plate and top with mangoes and remaining nibs.

a note about nibs: When you use nibs, be sure to check for foriegn debris and shells.  It is not uncommon to find pieces of shell in a bag of nibs.

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Chocolate-Coconut Soup with Caramelized Bananas

May 19, 2009 at 8:00 pm (Recipes)
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I served up this rich chocolate soup at my Intimate Chocolate Affair party.  This recipe is taken from the book by Maricel Presilla, called “The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural & Natural History of Cacao with Recipes”.   The soup is silky, full of flavor and extremely rich. 

The recipe is adapted by Mary Cech, the pastry chef  who teaches at the Napa Valley branch of the Culinary Institute of America.  Slightly modified version of Mary Cech’s version of the recipe, she calls for fresh bananas instead of caramelized and serves with honey-cocoa wafers.   According to the recipe, the recipes makes 4 servings in standard sized bowls.  I used little sipping cups as a starter appetizer and can serve 8-10 people.

blog-chocolate soup caramelized bananas

 

CHOCOLATE-COCONUT SOUP

The text in red are my notes.

  • 4 ounces  Guittard chocolate ( I used 72% cacao Coucher du Soleil, Mary calls for 70% cacao Onyx), finely chopped.
  • 1 cup canned coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons coconut syrup (such as Monin or Torani) 
  • 2/3 cup sweet dessert wine, such as Beaumes-de-Venise, vin santo, or sweet sherry.  (I used Il Santo Baroncini) 
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter
  • 2 tablespoons sugar

Caramelized Bananas

  • 1 banana
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

To make the soup, combine the chocolate and coconut milk in the top of a double boiler over simmering water and stir until the chocolate is melted.  Add the coconut syrup, wine, butter, and sugar.  Stir until the butter and sugar are smoothly dissolved. 

To serve, instead of ladling into 4 bowls as Mary suggests, I used little sipping cups and served this as an appetizer.  I find that the soup is extremely rich and having an entire bowl would be overwhelming. 

To make the caramelized bananas, slice bananas into coins.  In a small bowl, add sugar and bananas and coat well.

Spray  a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium high.  Add the banana mixture. 

Cook the bananas until light golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.  Be careful not to burn the bananas (if you smell them browning or see color in the pan, flip them right away).

Gently flip the bananas over to brown.  This will take about 1 minutes.

 Add soup to a cup and add bananas.  Serve immediately.

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Amy Reiley’s Not Wholly Mole Recipe

October 9, 2008 at 10:23 pm (Chocolate Friends, Recipes)
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Here is one more of Amy Reiley’s sensual recipes taken from her book, Fork Me, Spoon Me. As you can see from the photo, she really gets into her food. If you missed the previous posting of Amy’s Chocolate Covered Brie recipe, scroll down a post.

NOT WHOLLY MOLE

1 cup chopped onion
1 TB vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. allspice
1-1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 lb. tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 TB. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 TB. natural almond or peanut butter
salt to taste

In a large heavy skillet, saute the onions in the oil over moderately high heat and stir until they turn golden brown.  Stir coriander powder into the onions.  Add the chile powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring for 1 minute.  Slowly pour in 1 cup of broth and tomatoes and add cocoa powder, peanut butter, garlic and salt to taste.  Let your sauce simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.  Sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream.  If your sauce gets too thick, thin it slightly by adding chicken broth.  for a creamy sauce, pulse in blender until smooth. 

Simmer chunks of chicken meat or beef in sauce or serve over baked fish, sauteed vegetables, or tofu.

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Amy Reiley’s Chocolate Covered Brie

October 9, 2008 at 3:33 am (Chocolate Friends, Recipes)
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Amy Reiley is the leading advocate for edible aphrodisiacs.  She is a Master of Gastronomy, a title given by France’s Le Cordon Bleu (2004) and was voted as one of the 5 best female wine professionals in the world by France’s Wine Women Awards (2005).    She was at the Los Angeles Chocolate Salon promoting her book, Fork Me, Spoon Me and speaking a bit about chocolate as a sensual food. 

Here is one of her recipes taken from her book. The paragraph before the recipe are Amy’s notes.   Recreate this food with your loved one and enjoy the experience.

CHOCOLATE COVERED BRIE

I’ve noticed that sometimes there is a disparity between the kind of pleasure that women  and men find in food.  This one’s for the ladies.
Both chocolate and cheese, the recipe’s two main ingredients, contain phenylethylamine, PEA, a chemical believed to aid in sexual arousal–good for both men and women.  But soft, ripe brie emits  an aroma that is said to trigger phermone receptors in women, making this dish ladie’s choice.

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp. butter
1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 c. heavy cream
6 oz. wedge of ripe brie
1 pint strawberries washed with stems on
1/2 French baguette

Put garlic on a baking tray and sprinkle chunks of butter on top.  Toast under the broiler until just brown.  Remove from broiler and toss the hard golden chips in the melted butter and set aside to rest. 

Arrange the brie and strawberries on a serving platter.

In a double broiler or a metal mixing bowl fitted onto a small pot of simmering water, gently melt the chocolate chips with the cream over low heat, stirring steadily with a gentle motion. (Note: You can melt chocolate in the microwave, but it burns very easily.  Only try this method if you are sure of your technique.) 

When the chocolate reaches a smooth creamy texture, remove from heat and fold in the hard garlic chips.

Smother the cheese with the hot chocolate and allow the sweet topping to drench a few berries. 

Serve immediately with a hunk of French bread.

 

If you like this recipe, you can get more from her website, Eat Something Sexy.  You’ll find more sensual recipes and information on aphrodisiacs.  Subscribe to her monthly newsletter and get the latest on Amy’s food for thoughts.

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Don’t Touch My Roy’s Chocolate Souffle

July 26, 2008 at 6:00 am (Recipes)
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Roy’s of Hawaii, which has several locations across the United States, gets my vote for best dessert of the year.  Roy’s famous Chocolate Souffle is so extraordinary, I refuse to share.  It comes hot to your table, fresh from the oven.  If you can’t wait like me, you’ll most likely to burn your tongue on the gooey sweet lava interior.  You’re forewarned on the dinner menu to order this dessert ahead of time as it’s made to order. I orginally came here for this past Mother’s Day dinner and was just craving to get another bite of this souffle. This dessert comes with a side of ice cream and a stream of raspberry sauce, which balances out the richness of the souffle. 

 

As luck would have it, the recipe for the souffle are on little flyers at the front of the restaurant. Here it is:

8 oz. semi sweet dark chocolate (I suggest trying Valrhona or E.Guittard)
12 tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
4 eggs plus 4 egg yolks 

In a mixing bowl combine sugar and cornstarch.  Have the eggs and yolks mixed together in a separate bowl.  In a saucepan bring butter to a simmer. Add chocolate and mix until smooth.  Continue to mix until chocolate begins to simmer along the edges.  Mix until combined. Add eggs and mix at low speed until mixture is smooth and sugar is dissolved.  Pour into a bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line each metal ring with a strip of parchment paper and spray with pan release.  Place ring on a square of parchment paper then onto a baking sheet.  Fill the ring 2/3rds with the filling.  Bake for 28-30 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and while holding each mold with tongs, slide a metal spatula underneath and transfer to a plate.  Gently lift off the mold and remove the parchment paper. 

Serve immediately with ice cream.                                 Serves 4

UPDATE: 08/16/08.  I had the pleasure of visiting Roy’s of Hawaii in Anaheim and I asked the waiter if he could tell me what chocolate the chef uses for the souffle.  He came back in 5 minutes and told me that they use Guittard.  Also, if you’ve tried the molten lava cake at Morton’s Steakhouse, Roy’s is the better bet.  There’s a slight crunchy ’skin’ on Roy’s dessert whereas Morton’s dessert has a more cakey texture and less chocolate flavor–they  use Callebaut, I asked.

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Shanghai 1930 Chocosticks To Go

April 16, 2008 at 1:40 am (Recipes)
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This recipe is courtesy of famed San Francisco restaurant, Shanghai 1930 who demonstrated this recipe at the 2008 SF Chocolate Salon.

6 Spring roll wrapper (you can use store bought wrappers, about 8″x8″)
6oz. Valrhona Dark Chocolate
3/4 heavy cream
Sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 quart vegetable oil for frying
Raspberry Sauce (see below)

 

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.  Put aside.  Cut chocolate into small pieces.  Bring the heave cream to a boiling point over a double boiler.  Add in chocolate pieces.  Stir with a whisk until chocolate is melted and well blended. Remove from heat.

Divide chocolate into 6 equal portions and form each into a 7″ tube.  Place tubes on sheet pan. Place in freezer overnight. 

Take one spring roll wrapper and place a tub of chocolate diagonally about 1/3 way from corner.  Fold the wrapper over the chocolate tube and keep rolling until about 1/2 way through, then fold in both ends to form a firm and tight spring roll about 7″ long.  Brush the egg wash on the inside of the remaining end of the wrapper to seal.

Preheat vegetable oil in wok or deep fryer to 300 degrees F, the deep fry for about 4 minutes or until golden brown. Drain well on paper towels. Place on serving plate with raspberry sauce.

Serves 6

Raspberry Sauce: 
2 1/2 cups raspberries, washed
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Place berries in a large bowl.  Add sugar and mix  gently.  Add lemon juice and mix again.  Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender.  Puree.  Pour mixture into a fine sieve over a mixing bowl. Push solids through with a spoon.  Keep refrigerated until used. 

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Jean-Jaques Borne and Weiss Chocolates Demonstration

March 26, 2008 at 8:40 am (Recipes)
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                                         blog-weiss-mindy-and-jean-jacques.jpg                  blog-weiss-samples.jpg

 

Sorry for posting this so late. Chef Jean-Jaques Borne came all the way from France to  demonstrate recipes using Weiss chocolates some months back.  I just found this recipe and decided to share it here.  It’s a bit complicated, but the photo says it all.

 

Marque Foods, a distributor for European chocolates and pastries and the California Culinary Academy together held a Weiss demonstration  and chocolate tasting led by Jean Jaques-Borne.  Chef Borne holds the prestigious honor of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), the highest honor given to French artisans such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs and trades people.   MOF translated means ‘Best Craftsman of France’. He does not work for Weiss chocolates, but he does come from the same town that Weiss Chocolates comes from.  He happens to love the chocolates too. He didn’t speak English, but his love of chocolates was translated through the recipes.

Weiss was founded in 1882. As Jean-Jaques explains, Weiss does not believe in single origin chocolates.   Instead, they use a blending of criollo, forestero, and trinitario beans.  I tried the whole lot of chocolate samples.  They were a bit gritty for my taste.

He demonstrated several recipes including the photo this of L’amroisie (photo below), whiskey truffles, coulant ebene cardamom and ice-cold chocolate tartlelettes. 

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Here’s the recipe for L’Ambroisie.  It’s a bit complicated and a bit incomplete.  Chef Jaques-Borne doesn’t give the recipe for the dark glaze coating or for the Sable Breton biscuits on the sides of the l’ambroisie.   It is a three-part recipe. The writing in red are notes that I took while he was demonstrating the recipe.    

 

CHOCOLATE  MOELLEUX

500 g Couveture 65% Weiss Tribago

400g Butter

100g Weiss Cocoa Powder

400 g Egg Yolks

600 g Egg Whites

450 g Sugar 

 

Mix the yolks with the cocoa powder and the melted butter. 

Whip the whites with the sugar and incorporate the mixture. All in one time.

Immediately after, incorporate the couveture to 45 C.

Fill up circles and cook in 200 C, 10-15 minutes. Extremely important, over 15 minutes will make the Moelleux too dry!

 

 

CREMUEX PRALINE

440 g Milk

60g Sugar To speed up cooking, put 1/2 of sugar in the 440 milk and heat up first.

120 g Egg Yolks

40 g Cream Powder (hot process pastry cream powder) Cream powder in a step above corn starch

50g Butter

8g Gelatin (Gelatin Leaves)

40g Water

270g Weiss Hazelnut/Almond Praline 60/40 (available at Marque Foods)

 

 

Make a French pastry cream with milk, the sugar, the yolks and the cream powder.

Cook 2-3 minutes and add the gelatin beforehand dipped in water.

Once melted, add the butter in pieces.

Smooth if needed with a mixer.

Lastly, add the Weiss praline.

Pour it into inserts.

Put in freezer.

TRIBAGO LIGHT CHOCOLATE CREAM PERFUMED WITH STAR ANISE

 

tribago light choclate cream

 

 

Yield: 6 Entrements of 180 cm

 

400 g Cream

30 g Star Anise (Star anise can be re-used 4-5 times before you throw it away) Star Anise will absorb some cream, which is why you need the extra amount of cream.

270g Sugar

400 g Egg Yolks

920 Couveture Tribago 64%

8 g Gelatin (Gelatin Leaves)

40 g Water

1350g Cream

 

Boil the cream with the star anise and let infuse 15 minutes.

Filter and add some more cream to reach 400g.

Make a creme anglaise cooked at 185 F (85 C) adding the yolks and the sugar.

Add the gelatin beforehand dipped in water.

Pour the Tribago 64% and melt it. It’s good to use an immersion blender to smooth out the ganache.

Smooth well in the mixer and delicately add the whipped cream. Not folding, but whipping so not to incorporate air.

 

Fill up circles using a metal cake ring on a plastic sheet. 

(In the photo shown below) Add the praline frozen insert (bottom layer in Chef Borne’s hands),put a layer of Chocolate Moelleux biscuit (top layer in Chef Borne’s hands). Add some Tribago light chocolate cream and finish with another Chocolate Moelleux biscuit. 

Put in the freezer.  (time not specified)

  

 

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   Turn upside down and decorate.

  

 

dark glazing

(Above photo) After you turn it upside down, Chef Borne shows us a trick to applying the glazing.  He takes a ladel of the glaze and instead of pouring in the center, he pours around the sides and uses an offset spatula to even out the coating.

 

blog-cross-section-lambroisie.jpg

 

(Photo on right) On the cross section of the L’Ambroisie, from left to right:  Dark glaze coating, Tribago Light Chocolate Cream, Praline Cremeux (lightest layer), Chocolate Moelleux (darkest layer), a second layer of Tribago Light Chocolate Cream, and lastly, another layer of Chocolate Moelleux (darkest layer).

If anyone can pull this recipe off, send me a photo!

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Chocolate Pasta with Sweet and Sour Sauce

August 26, 2007 at 4:59 pm (Recipes)
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This is Cooking with Julie’s recipe that I acquired from the Ghirardelli Chocolate Festival. 

 Sauce:
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
3 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 TB flat leaf parsley, chopped
4 oz. pancetta, finely chopped
2 oz. olive oil
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup canned plum tomatoes, pureed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 TB. raisins
2 TB semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 TB granulated sugar

Pasta:
3 cups all purpose unbleached flour
4 extra large eggs
2 tsps. extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
4 TB unsweetened cocoa powder

Heat the olive oil in a heavy enamal pan.  When the oil is hot add the chopped vegetables and pancetta.  Saute slowly for about 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon every few minutes.

Add ground beef and break into small pieces using the wooden spoon.  Cook until the meat through so it is no longer red, add the wine and cook until it is completely evaporated (about 5  minutes), and then add tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.  And simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes.

Prepare dolce-forte: place wine vinegar, raisins, pignolis, chocolate chips and sugar in a small bowl and let marinate for about 20 mintues.  When mean sauce is ready, add dolce-forte to sauce pan with meat sauce.  Stir well to incorporate all ingredients and let simmer 5 more minutes.

Heat water in a pasta pot while you make the chocolate pasta.

1.  Place the flour on the counter make a well.  Add the eggs, oil, salt and cocoa powder to the well.  Using a fork mix all the ingredients in the well together well.  Then slowly begin to incorporate the flour.  When you can no longer use a fork begin to knead by hand.  Until the dough is slightly sticky.  Then knead the dough for about 5 minutes.  The remaining flour that remains unabsorbed should be passed through a sifter and kept serarately to coat dough when kneading in the machine.
2. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and place under an inverted bowl or cotton towel.
3. Securely fasten the machine to your table with the clamp.  Then make sure the pasta machine is on the widest setting.
4.  Remove one piece of the pasta dough and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick and by 3-4 inches wide.  Begin turning the crank and insert the flattened dough.  After passing the dough through the machine fold into thirds, do not flour the interior before folding.  Then press down evenly to flatten.  If it is sticky, sprinkle with a little flour.  Place the open end in the machine and roll again.  Repeat this process until the dough is very elastic.  Then roll one time through each setting until you reached the thinnest setting.
5. Allow the noodle to dry a few minutes then cut into fettuccini noodles and dry on a rack. 
6.  Add about 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling water.  Have a warm bowl for the pasta near by.  Drop the noodles into the pot, when the noodles rise to the top then are done.

 

NB: Always reserve a cup of the pasta water for the sauce in case it is too dry.  Serve with a pinot noir or tempranillo.  If you use a lean grould beef you will have a light sauce.  You can remove some of the fat from the meat by cooking in advance and then allowing it to cool before serving.

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