Chocolate Stout Cake

I think my tallest cake ever.

So you guys all voted in a landslide victory last week for a beer-related cake of some sort and I would hate to disappoint you.

But let me just warn you. This recipe is evil. It’s easy to make given it’s crazy tallness and is, hands down, one of the richest things I’ve ever made. Trust me. That’s quite a statement. But seriously, packed into this delicious dark thing is a pound of butter, a pound of chocolate, a pint of cream, some sour cream, and almost two bottles of delicious oatmeal stout.

This cake, you see, is for professional chocolate lovers only.

Chocolate Stout Cake (Adapted from a Bon Appétit recipe)
Serves 10-12 depending on slices.

- 2 Cups rich stout beer. I used an oatmeal stout.
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 Cups cocoa powder
- 4 Cups all-purpose flour
- 4 Cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/3 Cups sour cream
- 1 3 ounce bar chocolate (for optional garnish)

Frosting:
- 2 Cups heavy cream
- 1 pound bittersweet chocolate

Helpful Equipment:
- Digital Scale
- Wire Racks
- Round Cake Tins

Making the Frosting. I was a bit skeptical of this frosting recipe. Only two ingredients? No powdered sugar? What’s the deal?

Well, the deal is that it’s really easy to make and very rich. The end frosting is super-thick and is about as choco-packed as a frosting can be.

To make it, just add the cream and chocolate to a medium saucepan and put it over fairly low heat.

A really simple frosting.

Cook this, stirring continuously, until the liquid is steaming (but definitely not boiling) and the cream and chocolate are completely incorporated in a nice smooth mix.

Nice and creamy.

Pour this into a bowl and move it to the fridge to chill out and harden slightly. It probably needs to chill for 90 minutes or so. Give it a stir every once in awhile just to keep it nice and smooth.

Easy breezy frosting though.

Making the cake. If you’ve never made a layered cake before, have no fear. I’ve only made like two in my life and I was able to get it right (with one small mess-up).

There’s only a few ingredients, but there are a lot of all of them!

A stout cake.

To start the batter, combine the stout and butter in a sauce pan over low heat. I realize this is a strange way to start a batter, but it works like a charm. So go with it.

Butter beer!

When the butter is melted whisk in all the cocoa powder until the mixture is smooth. It’ll be pretty thick because it’s a lot of cocoa powder. Once the cocoa powder is combined, turn off the heat to let it cool for a bit.

Meanwhile, whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, salt, baking soda) and the eggs and sour cream in a very large bowl.

Once the sour cream and eggs are combined, slowly whisk in the warm chocolate stout mixture.

Once that and the egg mixture is thoroughly combined, whisk in the flour in a few batches. Try not to over-mix the batter but make sure there’s no flour showing.

This will be a thick and very rich batter.

If you’re me, have a spoonful of it before you proceed.

Pretty easy batter actually.

Baking the Cakes. You need three round cake tins to make these cakes. I only have two so I had to re-use one which is fine.

The key things to remember about baking these guys are:

1) Butter and flour the pans really well before you pour in the batter so the cakes don’t stick.

2) Weigh your batter with a scale if you can to make sure it’s evenly distributed.

3) Bake them at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

If you don’t have a scale, you can eyeball the cakes, but weighing the batter will ensure that each cake is the same. You’ll want to fill up the tins about 3/4 full.

If you care about even cakes...

When the cakes come out of the oven, cool them on a wire rack if you have some and once the pan is cool enough to touch (5 minutes maybe), carefully remove the cake out of the tin. I did this by flipping the tin onto a plate.

If you mess this up, it’s not a bit deal. Just do your best to get the cakes out cleanly. Using a butter knife to go around the edges really helps.

I kind of mutilated my first one…

OOPS!

Frosting the Cake. The important thing about frosting layered cakes is to slice off the top of each cake to get them as level as possible. I use a serrated bread knife for this which works like a charm.

The only other thing to remember about frosting the cakes is to make sure they are completely cool before frosting them.

Once the cakes are level and cool, slap on about 1/4 of the frosting per layer and go to town. That leaves 1/2 of the frosting for the edges and top.

Thick and heavy...

The layers should stack pretty evenly and the frosting holds everything together.

This is a pretty serious cake people.

Not shabby!

Finish the frosting by getting all the sides and top really well covered.

As an added touch, I shaved some fresh chocolate and sprinkled it on top. I figured that would distract from my sub-par frosting job.

BAM.

This was by far the most decadent thing I’ve ever made. It was rich and moist and completely out of this world chocolatey. I don’t even like chocolate, but I couldn’t stop eating it.

And seriously. It’s not that hard to make. It’s a way easier cake recipe than some I’ve seen.

If you want to seriously impress some people or just sabotage a few diets, this is the thing for you.

Chocolate Ravioli

Miss Yunks’ best friend spent a weekend in Washington, D.C. and brought back some treats.

She asked if I’d ever had chocolate pasta, and I had. But, it was dry chocolate pasta swirls purchased in LA. J was offering fresh chocolate ravioli filled with cream. Go ahead, twist my arm. I knew these would be special when I saw the package and read the ingredients. Chocolate pasta filled with chocolate, cream cheese, and ricotta. Yum! You’d think chocolate ravioli would make an exciting dessert. Well, you’d probably be right. I chose to have them for breakfast on a recent snow day as a special indulgent treat. And, because I just happened to have leftover homemade whipped cream, I spooned out a dollop. The filling is very rich, like a chocolate cheesecake enveloped in a chocolate pasta blanket. The whipped cream was absolutely necessary to balance the chocolate. If you get the chance to eat chocolate ravioli, don’t pass it up! Thanks for spoiling me, J!

Chocolate Filled Monkey Bread

Now this is a cookbook that I could learn to love, “Chocolate American Style“. It had more than enough choices for us….like Oreo -Crusted Chocolate Mousse Tart or White Chocolate-Pistachio Biscotti. We settled on Chocolate-Filled Monkey Bread on page 57. You see, our family likes monkey bread. I like making easy monkey bread, and let me tell you, this one is not it. The recipe itself is two pages long….that should have been my first sign. Second it doesn’t have you proof your yeast, you know put it in warm water. How is my yeast suppose to activate unless it is warm first? Third, I had my 17-year-old make it and he promised me that he would type in the recipe for me.

I am simply going to tease you with the pictures and tell you the next time I make monkey bread, it will be my old recipe with canned biscuits. Feel free to add a piece of good milk chocolate in the inside of each of your monkey bread pieces. I thought this would be a great thing to make for the family for Valentine’s morning. Once again, it won’t be this exact recipe, but don’t hold our endeavor against the cookbook. It tasted lovely, it was just a lot of work. I know this hasn’t stopped me in the past, but this one I wanted to cut corners….like use canned biscuits. If you are a homemade bread lover, you will love this recipe in its entirity….but you will have to buy the cookbook to get it. I am such a tease…..and the 17-year-old didn’t want to type it in, who could blame him. He said he would type it in if you want him to….so leave me a comment and if we get enough he will add it.

Chocolate covered Strawberries

Choosing a perfect Valentines gift can be hard for guys. There is always the risk that what he thinks is the perfect gift idea for her will look cheap, thoughtless, too expensive, be the wrong size, colour, smell or flavour, or countless other problems. A lot of the gift ideas found on the net are often expensive, complicated, time consuming, been done to death or boring. So whats a nice guy suppose to do for his girlfriend at Valentines Day?

The best answer is home made chocolate covered strawberries and fruit. Going and buying a box of chocolate is the lazy mans Valentines gift idea. But homemade chocolate strawberries and fruit is different. This delicious, homemade Valentines Day gift shows that a boyfriend is willing to spend the time and effort making a present most girls will love. And unlike many other homemade gift ideas, chocolate covered strawberries don't look cheap, if done right this chocolate treat can look and taste like an expensive treat.

The best part about this Valentines gift is that its extremely easy to make but looks hard, clean up isn't a problem and the actual work doesn't take much time. As long as a guy has a microwave, a microwavable bowl and half an hour he can make this recipe. The price is right to, all the loving boyfriend has to pay for is some chocolate chips, strawberries and other fruit, and some waxed paper.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries Ingredients

• 16 ounces (455 grams) of chocolate chips. These can come in a variety of flavours milk, sweet, semi-sweet, bitter sweet, or white chocolate. Find out what type of chocolate your girlfriend likes the most and try to get that flavour. For added style combine white chocolate for colour with one of the other chocolates.
• 1 pound (½ kilogram) fruit. Strawberries are a classic, but cherries, apples, oranges, and pineapple.
• For brownie points a small bag of shredded coconut, candy sprinkles, M&M mini's or cookie crumbs can be used as well.

Preparing the perfect Valentines Gift

1. Wash and dry the fruit by patting them gently with a paper towel. For pineapple and cut apples they can be a little damp, but the drier the fruit the better.
2. Place the chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl. If you have two or more types of chocolate chips put them in separate bowls. Place the chocolate chips in the microwave on high for 10 seconds. If the chocolate isn't completely melted, stir the chocolate chips for a minute to melt the rest. If some of it is still hard put them back in for another 5 seconds. The chocolate should be completely melted before using.
3. Holding a small corner of the fruit dip it into the melted chocolate. Stir it around the chocolate for a second or two to make sure its well covered. As you slowly take the chocolate strawberry out give it a small shake to get rid of any excess chocolate. Carefully place the chocolate covered strawberry on a piece of waxed paper.
4. If using two types of chocolate, dip the strawberries into the lighter coloured chocolate first and let dry. Then dip part of the chocolate covered fruit into the other chocolate. As an alternative using a skewer or small spoon paint the second chocolate onto the fruit, or simply drip lines of chocolate onto the strawberries.
5. Keep the fruit at room temperature or cooler while they dry. If there is room in the fridge they can put them in there. The chocolate should dry within 15 to 25 minutes.
6. Place in a nice box or plate and give them to a beautiful girlfriend for Valentines Day. She should eat the chocolate strawberries on the same day for best flavour.

Optional

For an extra touch of class after the chocolate strawberries are pulled out of the the chocolate sprinkle some cookie crumbs, shredded coconut, or candy sprinkles on the fruit. Larger candy may have to be press onto the fruit to make sure it sticks, but smaller sprinkles will stick to the chocolate very easily.

Homemade chocolate covered strawberries and fruit are easy to make, taste great and look good. So they're the perfect Valentines gift idea for a special girlfriend. Best of all after making the chocolate strawberries simply throw away the waxed paper and fill the bowls with hot water. The melted chocolate will come right off with minimal washing. So this Valentines Day give a gift that comes from the heart that won't waste time or hurt the wallet.

8 Quick Chocolate Getaways Near Manhattan

Short and Sweet: 8 Quick Chocolate Getaways Near Manhattan

On your next quick city escape, instead of trying to cram a lot into a little weekend, consider taking a small bite out of life with one (or more) of these eight chocolate-themed getaways near Manhattan. From body scrubs to factory tours to hotel packages and an all-you-can-eat chocolate extravaganza, these desserty destinations are full of rewarding fun and heart-healthy antioxidants. Each event is as close as the 7 train and as far away as three hours—and as usual, all accessible without a car.

What: Mast Brothers Chocolate Factory Tour
Where: 105A North 3rd Street, Williamsburg
When: Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m.
Why: The Mast Brothers are the only bean-to-bar chocolate makers in NYC. Learn how it all happens in a tour and tasting at their Brooklyn factory for the bargain price of $9.99. You will see the entire chocolate making process, from sifting the cacao beans to conching. Sample five distinct house-made products before purchasing your favorite at the tasting room.
How to get there: L train to Bedford Street Station, a short walk to North 3rd and Berry Street.

What: The Langham Boston Chocolate Bar
Where: 250 Franklin Street, Boston, MA.
When: Saturday 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., September-June.
Why: Indulge your sweeter side at this all-you-can-eat chocolate extravaganza. The theme for this brunch changes each year, and this year it’s the five elements of taste. That means your palate will be ablaze, sampling chocolate delights that are salty, sour, bitter, sweet and savory, all artfully displayed. Whether it’s a classic flourless chocolate cake you crave, or a more avant-garde presentation, like a banana-bacon-chocolate-crusted meringue tart, you will not be disappointed by this eye-popping, mouth-watering buffet. All this, to the sound of live music, costs $40 per adult. If you choose to stay the night, The Langham is a treat of a hotel, so inquire about packages that include the Chocolate Bar when you book.
How to get there: Consult oM’s Public Transportation guide to Boston. The Langham is only a few minutes walk from Boston’s South Station.

What: The Chocolate Room
Where: 86 Fifth Ave., Park Slope; 269 Court Street, Cobble Hill
When: Open daily, from noon to 11p.m., ’til midnight Fri & Sat
Why: This ultra-popular Brooklyn café is a chocolate lover’s paradise and an excellent place to celebrate chocolate’s favorite holiday. Look for the chef to create some scrumptious special items to grace the Valentine’s Day menu, no reservations necessary, but expect crowds.
How to get there: The Park Slope branch is convenient to the Atlantic Ave., Bergen Street, Pacific Street and 7th Avenue at Flatbush subway stops. The Cobble Hill location is near the Carroll Street or Bergen Street stops.

What: The Chocolate Lover’s Package at the Scranton Seahorse Inn
Where: 818 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT
When: Nightly, call or check the website for availability
Why: This intimate seven-room inn is located in the heart of pristine all-American Madison, walking distance to beaches, restaurants and high-end shops. The Chocolate Lovers Package includes a one night stay for two, breakfast with some special chocolate goodies in the morning, house-made chocolate truffles, a gourmet cheese plate and a DVD of the movie “Like Water for Chocolate” yours to view in your room and take with you when you check out. Prices start at $170.
How to get there: Metro-North to New Haven’s Union Station, where you will switch to the Shoreline East to Madison. The Inn is located 2 ½ blocks from the train station. The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle, book when you reserve. Total trip time is two hours.

So-simple, Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chunks 1 cup natural style peanut butter (creamy or chunky) 1 cup brown sugar 1 large egg 1 large bar of best quality chocolate, milk or dark or whatever you fancy, broken into chunks approx 1/2″ in size. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream together sugar and peanut butter. Mix in egg. Form into walnut-sized balls. Space about 2″ apart on cookie sheet and press down a little to flatten slightly. Take your high quality chocolate chunks and press into the center of the cookie so it sticks out. Bake for about 10 minutes, until slightly soft but set. Let cool on racks. They are almost candy-like, chewy and moist with a great burst of chocolate! Makes about two dozen cookies.

What: The Art of Chocolate Technique Class
Where: Antoinette Chocolatier, 87 South Main Street, Phillipsburg, NJ
When: The next monthly classes are on Feb. 19, 2011, from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., and again on March 19th.
Why: Spend the day at this cozy, homespun chocolate shop, learning a variety of techniques from the inspirational owner Antoinette, including tempering, truffle making, and hand painting. The class mixes demonstrations with hands-on experience. Lunch is included in the $125 fee. Give yourself time to explore this adorable town, full of quaint stores and restaurants, before catching the bus home.
How to get there: Trans-Bridge Lines bus from Port Authority to the Phillipsburg Mall. Call Akab Taxis at 908- 454-3420 a few minutes before arriving, and they will pick you up and drive you to Antoinette’s in minutes for $8. The entire journey takes under two hours.

What: Chocolate Massage
Where: Body by Brooklyn Spa and Lounge, 275 Park Ave., Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
When: Open daily
Why: Who could ever believe that a place of such peace and tranquility lies so close to the traffic and headaches of the BQE? This former chocolate factory is now home to a full-service, amenity-loaded spa. You will want to schedule the entire day to fully appreciate the Russian Sauna and Hydrotherapy Wet Lounge, before hunkering down for the ultimate luxury of a Chocolate Massage. Warm, chocolate-infused products will be ground, rubbed and smoothed on your deserving body, making you feel like a prized bon-bon.
How to get there: The G train to Clinton-Washington Ave. It is a fairly dreary 10-minute walk north on Washington Avenue until you arrive at the spa. An alternative is to take one of the many trains that go to the Jay St. Metro Tech subway station and switch to the B57 Bus, which drops you a block from the spa.

What: JoMart Chocolates Life Tastes Better with Chocolate-Private Workshop
Where: 2917 Ave. R, Marine Park, Brooklyn
When: Call 718.375.1277 to schedule
Why: You know how to eat it, now learn how to make it in this two-and-a-half-to-three-hour private class taught by a third generation confectioner. Customized Private Workshops include a soupçon of history and a mouth-watering tasting, followed by a hands-on lesson covering subjects from tempering to truffle making, tailored to your specifications. For $375, this might just be the date that wins the heart of your desired chocolate aficionado.
How to get there: Q or B to Kings Highway Station, a 10-minute walk from JoMart.

What: Chocolate-Covered February
Where: Hershey, PA.
When: Special activities and events are scheduled during the month of February
Why: Known as The Sweetest Place on Earth, February is the time for chocoholics to converge here. Special events include Chocolate and Spirits Pairings Classes, Create Your Own Candy Bar, and a Chocolate-Infused Themed Dinner. The Spa At the Hotel Hershey has a fabulous menu of chocolate treatments year-round, including a Whipped Cocoa Bath and a Chocolate Sugar Scrub. The Hershey Lodge and the elegant Hotel Hershey offer special packages all month.
How to get there: Amtrak has more than half a dozen daily trains departing from Penn Station that will get you to Harrisburg, PA. in just over 3 hours. The train station is a 15-minute cab ride from Hershey, but if you are staying overnight, both The Hotel Hershey (717.533.2171) and the Hershey Lodge (717.533.3311) offer a shuttle service for $25 per adult, free for kids up to 18 years of age.

Chocolate Crackles

I’ve been eyeballing these cookies since I first saw a recipe for them in a special Martha Stewart holiday cookie magazine printed back in 2006 and again in her Cookies Cookbook. Every time I’ve looked through my magazine, these Chocolate Crackles have always leapt off the page and said make me. Make Me. MAKE. ME.

But I didn’t listen until now. I don’t know why it took me so long, but man, I’m glad I finally did.

They are yummy and soft and just plain pretty. But mostly yummy. Oh and chocolatey of course. Very, very chocolatey.

So really that’s all you need to know, right?

Start out with 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Oh yeah.

Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over another pot of simmering water. Then set aside to let cool.

I transferred it to a heatproof plastic bowl so it could cool a bit more quickly.

And yes, I tested the temp with my finger. And maybe more than once. : )

While the chocolate cools, mix together the flour, cocoa baking powder and salt…

… until it’s all combined and beautiful.

Set aside and beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs. Mix in vanilla.

And then add the melted chocolate.

Add half the flour mixture, some milk and the rest of the flour mixture.

Don’t worry. I’m going to give you a link to the recipe.

Right now. And again at the end, too.

Anyway.

Once it’s all mixed together, divide the cookie dough into four equal parts. Wrap each part in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until firm.

Now, my cookie dough seemed much more like thick cookie batter, so I also placed it in the freezer to get it a little firmer.

When ready to use, unwrap one section at a time.

I divided it into 12 pieces with a knife because I found that if I handled it too much, the “dough” was starting to melt from the body temperature of my hands.

But dividing it this way ended up working out pretty good.

Grab one of the small pieces of dough and quickly roll into a 1 inch ball. Every few you roll, rinse and dry your hands to avoid them sticking to your hands too much.

Roll it in granulated sugar and then roll it in powdered sugar and place on a baking sheet.

Like so.

Here’s the different stages for reference.

P.S. The recipe link only mentions using one of the sugars, but the one in my magazine calls for both. So I’d do it that way.

Wow. It was tempting to just leave them like this.

But then I wouldn’t get to see them do this after they baked.

They are just so pretty.

And so so good.

Breath in chocolate

Breath in chocolate

Check, this is out; it is the ultimate fix for chocoholics, instead of eating it they get to inhale it! Sounds a bit crazy, but Le Whif is a popular craze that is just going to keep growing until someone says that it is no good for the users. Check out this video on YouTube, it is an eye opener.

Chocolate Against Chocolate

Pitting American Chocolate Against French Chocolate

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Not long ago I found myself at the The Chocolate Show in New York, which is also held in Paris and Cairo. I decided that the Chocolate show was the perfect excuse to have a virtual tasting of sorts to compare French and American chocolate. Could American chocolate possibly hold up to the spectacular French chocolate I was partial to? I felt as if I would be biased, so I brought in two consorts, Karen and Kathryn -- hardcore Francophiles and fellow bloggers -- to help me out. Karen brought in an entire team of tasters, and we had ourselves a little chocolate party.

We tested 6 chocolates on a scale of 1-10 based on taste (most important of course), packaging, inventiveness and artistry. If you can't get to Paris anytime soon, this is the way to go.

The verdict >>>

By Doni Belau & Girls Guide to Paris

THE FRENCH

1) Michel Cluizel from Paris is a name you see a lot in the city of lights. They have been making chocolate since 1948 and they clearly know what they are doing. I gave them a 7. Great flavor, an ample line of product, but I’ve never been crazy about their packaging. That’s probably the least important area, but lets face it: when you are buying a gift of chocolate, it has to be beautiful. They've recently opened in NY.

The Bonjour Paris team felt Michel Cluizel’s chocolates were an 8 and judged them to be “really good” and unpretentious. They were among the winners. Nothing was wrong with the packaging and the product was deemed “pure melt-in-your mouth” (calories). Kathryn Reichert mentioned that she "was not optimistic about these, because I have seen them in many places in France and thought of the brand as 'mass-market chocolate.' I was so wrong: the dark chocolate was velvety, rich and thoroughly delicious. Small, individually-wrapped squares mean you can have a quick treat anytime."

2) Boissier has been making chocolate in Paris since 1827, and their packaging was the most spectacular of all those we tasted. Very girly and very classic. I bought a box of chocolate petals in a variety of colors: pink, white, green and chocolate; it was gorgeous – but since the colored petals are made of white chocolate I wasn’t a huge fan. But if you are into the white, this one is for you. I give Boissier petals a 6. The Bonjour Paris team concluded: “Ah – the Boissier Chocolate petals were seductive." The judges deemed them unusual and intriguing; they received a thumbs up and a score of 8. Kathryn said of the Boissier white chocolate petals: “They were lightly-flavored chocolates in small delicate petals. The beautiful presentation means you can enjoy several pieces and not feel like you’ve loaded up on chocolate."

Boissier added up to a 7 with a star for beauty and inventiveness. True, girly chocolates.

3) No Chewing Allowed French truffles from 1934. These were absolutely divine in a melt-in-your-mouth kind of way. A tad too large, but other than that these were my hands down winner at 9. The packaging is cute and practical – a silver tin that makes the perfect gift. But with a different take, the Bonjour Paris team told me “The truffles (no we did not chew) had a strange texture plus a bitter after-taste. Everyone wanted to be wowed by them – but weren’t.” Sigh. Perhaps they were lost in transportation scoring only 6. KR proclaimed; “No Chewing Allowed: Wow! These truffles were so rich; I ate one and almost swooned. This is chocolate overload in one bite and great, strong flavor, but it may be too much for palates used to milder American chocolate.”

Tough to figure on this one, but I guess No Chewing truffles add up to a 7 as well.

THE AMERICANS

1) Maha Chocolates from San Francisco. I sampled the dark chocolate covered roasted almonds with ginger. I ranked these an 8 although I think I would have preferred them without the ginger. They come in a cute package with a purple label and would make a lovely little hostess gift -- and at $10.95, it’s a great deal. The Paris team didn’t like them as much: “Maha Chocolate with roasted almonds had too many almonds and not enough good chocolate.” Thumbs down, scoring 3. Miss Reichert felt that Maha Chocolate from SF were strong, but not bitter, dark chocolate with nuts – almost too many nuts. She wanted more of the chocolate! But gave them points for nice presentation of several pieces in a small twine-tied bag.

Overall, we’d say Maha scores 6 for taste and higher for artistry & packaging.

2) Two Chicks with Chocolate from New York is a mother/daughter team. They were named one of the ten best chocolatiers in the USA in 2009. I tasted wine flavored chocolates, a cinnamon chocolate and peanut butter bon bon and cranberry one too. They also had pumpkin for fall. These I ranked these lowest at 5. Points for creativity, marketing and a great name but the taste was too simple for my palate. I think my daughter may like them, but for a chocolate connoisseur – I’d have to pass. . But Bonjour Paris had another take finding chocolates from the 2 Chicks the clear taste winners at 9. They were decadent according to the team of tasters. But felt that the box was not up to snuff. The brown color was boring and why did the company opt for the sticker? It looked amateurish. And different still, Kathryn scored 2 Chicks with Chocolate this way: these pieces came in a beautiful little box of four unusually good-looking pieces of chocolate with equally unusual flavor combinations, such as cinnamon and chocolate. Overall, very creamy and flavorful.

Amazing how 3 tasting teams can differ so. Adding things up we give Two Chicks a 7 with 2 (not 3) thumbs down for packaging.

3) Sweet Riot was the last American maker that I tasted. I must admit bias here because I had heard the founder Sarah speak at a recent women’s conference I was at and she is absolutely adorable. It was hard not to like her chocolate. It’s intense and very dark. She’s got bars choc full of nuts and fruit and everything is quite tasty and the company supports fair trade, so their cocoa farmers make a living wage. Conscious chocolate. There is a whole foods kind of sensibility to the product, and their marketing. No fancy looking artistry here –just serious chocolate bars or chocolate bits that they call chocolate peaces. I wasn’t a fan of the packaging as I prefer a more luxurious look – but for an everyday chocolate treat that you can carry in your purse – this fits the bill. Sweet Riot ranked a 6. Karen and her judges had nothing nice to report when it came to the chocolates from Sweet Riot rating only 2. They hated the packaging and thought the chocolates tasted as if there were too many additives.

Showing our cultural differences (Kathryn has lived mainly in the US for the past 15 years and Karen in Paris), Kathryn had this to say about Sweet Riot: "Sweet Riot Chocolate has cool, pop-culture packaging and some different combinations, including dark chocolate with raisins, which simply tasted weird to me. The dark chocolate bar with cocoa nibs was yummy, while the dark chocolate nibs with espresso were a bit too much coffee flavor."

Overall we give Sweet Riot a 5 for taste and a star for packaging -- if you like pop culture, that is.

Bottom line: American chocolate makers have come a long way. But in the end, for me France still wins first prize.

Chocolate Spoons

I always find that when making things that need to be dipped in melted chocolate I almost always melt more than I need. The extra chocolate can always be poured onto a piece of parchment to be reused another time, but especially if I have gone to the trouble of tempering the chocolate it seems like a waste of effort. Instead I try to find ways of using up the remaining tempered chocolate. This often leads me to search the kitchen for stray things to dip (crystalized ginger, dried fruit, pretzels, etc). Another option is to add a few drops of flavoring oil to the remaining chocolate and pour it into small molds to make flavored chocolates. Last night, due to the fact that my truffle centers turned out to be too soft to dip, I found myself with not just a little bit of leftover tempered chocolate but quite a bit. Since it is the holiday season I decided to turn that extra chocolate into more things to put into my gift boxes and chocolate spoons seemed like the perfect thing.

Easy to make, these spoons can be packaged along with cocoa or coffee to make a cute gift for anyone on your list. Stirred into a steaming hot cup of coffee or cocoa they will add richness and holiday flavor and can turn an ordinary beverage into something special. I made some with plain chocolate and crushed peppermints and then added cinnamon oil to the chocolate and made the rest with the cinnamon chocolate. As much as I love peppermint, I think that the cinnamon chocolate may be my new favorite.

Here is how to make them.
Simply dip a plastic spoon in the chocolate. Hold it flat over the bowl of melted chocolate so that the curved side of the spoon stays full of chocolate while the excess drips off the back. Place the spoon on a piece of parchment paper. If desired sprinkle the spoon with crushed peppermint candy while the chocolate is still wet. Let the chocolate harden, and then package in cellophane bags.

Flourless Chocolate

Flourless Chocolate-Chile Cake to Celebrate

Thank you to everyone who entered the Family Kitchen giveaway for a chance to win the latest cookbook by Food Network star Daisy Martinez. Your favorite holiday dishes were inspiring!

Our winner, who has been selected by random, will receive a copy of Daisy’s Holiday Cooking: Delicious Latin Recipes for Effortless Entertaining. The rest of you lucky readers get Daisy’s irresistible recipe for Flourless Chocolate-Chile Cake.

(Drumroll!)

A big, happy congrats to Adelina. We hope this decadent chocolate cake—and other recipes you’ll find in Daisy’s book—will go great with your favorite holiday dish, arroz con pato. Yum!

Daisy’s Flourless Chocolate-Chile Cake
makes 12 servings

1 cup brewed espresso
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
12 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 large eggs, beaten
Cinnamon ice cream and raspberries, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan: Cut a circle of parchment paper the size of the removable bottom of the pan. Fit the parchment circle into the bottom of the pan. Tear off an 18-inch length of aluminum foil. Center the pan over the sheet of foil and crumple and crimp the foil tightly all around the sides of the pan. (The foil will prevent water from seeping into the pan during baking.) Set the pan aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, bring the espresso, brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a simmer over very low heat. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and steep until the syrup is very fragrant, about 20 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Stir in the butter until melted and then stir in the cayenne pepper. Set aside.

4. Pulse the chocolate in the food processor until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a deep bowl. Pour in the warm coffee syrup and whisk until the chocolate is completely melted. Whisk in the beaten eggs until completely blended.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan. Set the pan in a large, deep ovenproof skillet or a roasting pan and set on the oven rack. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the center is set and barely wiggles when you shake the cake pan gently, 50 to 60 minutes.

6. Remove the cake from the water bath. Let the water bath cool before removing it from the oven. Let the cake cool to room temperature. Remove the foil and chill the cake in its pan for at least 8 hours. Remove to room temperature about 30 minutes before serving. Run a wet knife around the sides of the pan, then pop the spring to release. Place a platter on top of the cake and fl ip the pan over. Remove the bottom of the pan, and peel off the parchment. (To cut neat slices of the cake, dip the knife in hot water before and wipe it clean after cutting each slice.) Serve with cinnamon ice cream and raspberries.

Chocolate Candy For The Connoisseur

Chocolate candy must be the most well-liked sort of candy in the world. It definitely is in Europe and America. We eat tons and tons of Mars, Cadburys, Lindt and Nestle chocolate candy every year. The sad thing is that most of the people who admit to liking chocolate have never tasted a decent bar of chocolate in their lives.

To a connoisseur, chocolate candy can come from anywhere in the world although Belgium, Switzerland and France are the countries, whose names come to mind first. Regardless of that, good chocolate candy is also manufactured in Great Britain, Spain, the USA and some parts of Latin America.

This is not surprising as chocolate first made its debut among the Mayans of Central America in at least 300 BC and maybe even as far back as 3000 BC. In 300 AD it was a special drink reserved for royalty and was very bitter. It was so exclusive that it had to be drunk from a golden chalice and that chalice could be used for that purpose only once.

In those days, many more herbs and spices were added to the royal drink called xocoatl. It was also a lot purer in terms of cacao content than practically anything you can buy on the shelves in the supermarket today as well. The nearest we have to that purity is gourmet chocolate.

Gourmet chocolate will usually have been made by a chocolatier, which is similar to what a chef is to cuisine. These manufacturers of chocolate candy are the best in the world, highly skilled and head-hunted by the best chocolate makers. They can command large salaries and become world famous among the aficionados of fine chocolate candy.

Fine chocolate candy must have a high chocolate content. That sounds as if it should go without saying, doesn’t it? However, to be called chocolate in the US, candy only has to contain 15% authentic chocolate and ‘bakers’ chocolate’ often does not have any at all. In Europe that figure is 35%, which is why most Americans think that European chocolate candy is luxurious.

Good chocolate candy is supposed to break cleanly with an audible ‘snap’ and ought to have a glossy surface. The chocolate candy most liable to have a high cacao content is dark chocolate, which is also often somewhat bitter, reminiscent of the actual taste of cacao before most manufacturers put sugar into the mix. Purer chocolate candy also melts on the tongue and produces a mild feeling of well-being.

Purer forms of chocolate candy have had various reputations over the centuries. It has the reputation of being a pick-me-up and had the reputation of being an aphrodisiac, in all probability for the same reason. This is due to a chemical naturally present in the bean called Theobromine. Theobromine has effects on other animals as well. For instance, it is a proscribed substance for racing horse because it has an huge effect on horses and chocolate should never be given to cats or dogs because it is poisonous to them.

Theobromine and another chemical present, phenethylamine, have been associated with the production of seratonin, which is stimulated by prescribed drugs to fend off depression.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with Gourmet Chocolate Candy. If you have an interest in romantic gifts, please go over to our website now at Romantic Gifts Ideas

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars

Every year I truly look forward to catching up with distant friends and relatives through the annual Christmas Card. The photo cards are my favorites giving me a peek at those who are close to my heart but far from my home. The annual letters are always a special bonus, not only giving the visual peek, but also a few stories and highlights from the year. Saving the letters for a time when I can grab a cup of coffee (and maybe a nice sweet holiday treat!) with a few uninterrupted moments, a few always stand out from the rest...

So far this year I've caught up with friends from Louisville, KY and I am always amazed at how fast the kids grow. Family from Minnesota wrote about their latest adventures in Holland, and the Traveling Taylors from Palm Desert caught us up on their latest cruise. I have to say though, that so far my Father-In-Laws card made me laugh the most. After a summary of their continuing medical maladies he finished up the letter with the following:

In closing, we leave you with the following questions:

Why is last years Christmas card address list in the linen cupboard with the towels? Our cars are old. No keyless entry for us. So how did we get into our locked car in the Home Depot parking lot, but now can't locate the keys to start the car's engine?

I laughed on and off for about an hour at that one, visually picturing my none too patient mother in law exasperatedly questioning him about how he can lose the keys after he got into the car, then my none too mobile father in law trying to get back out of the car after he had spent minutes settling her into the car and then settling himself in as well. Him searching pockets and around the seats for the lost keys all the while fielding her exasperated, "How could you?" questions. I'm looking forward to the live version at our Christmas dinner!

Speaking of Christmas dinner, Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars are the perfect holiday treat! Discovered last year on Joe's blog, Culinary in the Desert, these didn't last long on our New Years Eve table. Last night they were just as well received at a local Christmas party with comments including divine, hedonistic, decadent, and celestial! All apt descriptions of these dense, chocolaty, pepperminty, little squares.

The secret is the crust... crushed Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe Joe's (oreo-like peppermint flavored cookies) provide the perfect pepperminty base to the rich chocolate cheesecake filling and luscious ganache-like topping. A sprinkle of crushed candy canes brings a holiday flair and another welcome dose of peppermint.

Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bars
adapted from Joe - Culinary in the Desert

Crust:
30 peppermint creme-filled chocolate cookies (I used Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon fine salt

Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
16 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup low fat sour cream

4 large eggs, room temperature

Glaze:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Tbs non hydrogenated shortening (I use Earth Balance)
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup low fat sour cream, room temperature
crushed candy canes (about 3, large)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a food processor - add cookies and process until they form crumbs. With the processor running, pour in the melted butter and salt - process just until combined. Press the mixture into a 9" x 13" pan lined with foil - evenly pressing to cover the bottom completely.

Meanwhile, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water (don't allow the bowl to touch the water) - stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove and set aside to cool a bit.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add sour cream and mix well, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix just until incorporated. Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and mix until smooth.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust and smooth the top. Bake until filling puffs slightly around the edges, but is still a bit wobbly in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to begin cooling.

Add chocolate, butter and corn syrup to a small sauce pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Stir the chocolate mixture until melted and smooth, remove from heat and stir in the sour cream. Spread glaze evenly over the warm cheesecake. When the glaze has almost set sprinkle the crushed candy canes evenly over the top. Let cool completely and then refrigerate at least 8 hours.