Tag Archives: chocolate

Fudgy Chipotle Brownies (Grain-free, Gluten-free)

Posted on July 17, 2012 by | 7 Comments

Most nights, we treat ourselves to a small square of dark chocolate for dessert.  It is not too guilty of  a pleasure, since dark chocolate is packed with cell-protecting antioxidants, known to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.  Of course, that is  exactly what I’m thinking about as I savor my portion and wash it down with the last of the red wine in my glass.  Ha!  My brain, likely high on the released endorphins, is screaming “OMG Chocolate is AWESOME and I feel GREAT!”

As an extra special treat, I whipped up some dark chocolate brownies and made us even more health conscious.  (That’s what my brain is telling me, and who’s to argue?)  We love the warm, smoky spice of chipotle peppers with chocolate, and capsaicin, the substance that makes chile peppers hot, also is overflowing with health benefits.  Don’t you want brownies that fight cancer, inflammation and heart disease, provide pain relief, burn fat, reduce cholesterol, boost immunity, and relieve congestion?  Of course you do!  There is only 1 teaspoon of ground chipotle in the recipe, which produces a subtle warmth.  I recommend using more, or supplementing it with one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, to make a spicier brownie.

This recipe is modified from Elana’s Pantry (Espresso Fudge Brownie), and is gluten-free, grain-free, and depending on your chocolate source, dairy-free.  Use high-quality dark chocolate, at least 70% cacao, to make the most decadent, rich, gooey, delicious healthy brownies.  Remember, these are purely medicinal!

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle, or to taste
  • Optional: one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • additional coconut oil for greasing baking dish

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 8×8-inch baking dish.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and coconut oil, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and silky smooth.  (I use a stainless steel bowl over a saucepan with simmering water.)  Remove from heat and stir in the ground chipotle and/or chipotle pepper.

In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, palm sugar, and vanilla.  Beat together, and let it sit for a few minutes to allow the sugar to break down (it will blend in easier when hydrated).  Pour in the chocolate mixture, a small amount at a time, beating well in between pouring.  Stir in the almond and coconut flours and salt.  Beat until well combined, then pour into the buttered 8×8-inch baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool for at least 1 hour.  Enjoy, to your health!

But it’s medicinal! And yummy! Now, for something to listen to while you “take your medicine” we have a pair of ladies to croon. First up, ex-Atlanta native Kelly Hogan with I Like to Keep Myself in Pain. Hogan called out among her musical friends for songs “you’d like me to sing” and folks like M. Ward, Jon Langford of the Mekons and Andrew Bird, among others, responded. The resulting album is a masterpiece of southern soul, with a crack band (including Booker T. on organ!). One of my favorites of the year.

When she’s not doing her own album, Hogan performs with the sublime Neko Case, as on 2009′s Middle Cyclone. Case exists in a place all her own, each album further solidifying her unique brand of country/rock/folk stylings and of course, that jaw-dropping voice. So, have a medicinal brownie and listen to the ladies!

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Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee

Posted on February 17, 2012 by | 10 Comments

Modified from Bon Appetit (March 1996), via epicurious.com

Isn’t it some sort of rule that you must indulge in chocolate on Saint Valentine’s Day?  If not, there should be!  Indulge we did, in this rich, dark chocolate crème brûlée.  Under the thin, crackly layer of caramelized sugar lies a dense but creamy chocolate-truffle-like pudding.  Not the silky texture you normally associate with crème brûlée exactly, but I don’t think anyone in their right mind would make that complaint.  This dessert isn’t overly sweet, but it is extremely rich and satisfying!

Use the best quality of chocolate you can find, since it is the star of the show.  We topped our crème brûlée with fresh berries, but it also would be heavenly with a dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients: (Makes 4 servings,  approximately 3/4 cup)

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70 % cacao), chopped
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons organic, unbleached sugar or raw sugar (plus additional sugar sprinkled on top, to caramelize)

Preheat oven to 325F.  [You will also need 4 custard cups and a heavy baking pan to make a waterbath (bain marie) for cooking the custards.]

In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the cream and half and half to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low.  Add chocolate and whisk briskly until melted and smooth.  Remove from heat.

Whisk together egg yolks, vanilla and 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar in a medium-sized bowl.  Using a small measuring cup, dip out some of the hot chocolate mixture and slowly drizzle it into the egg yolks while whisking.  Repeat one or two times until the egg yolks have warmed up, taking care not to “cook” the yolks.  (You want to avoid clumps of egg.)  Then slowly whisk in the warm egg yolk mixture back into the hot chocolate mixture in the pan until well combined.  Strain using a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup.

Divide the custard equally among four 3/4-cup custard cups.  Place the cups in the baking pan, and add enough hot water to the pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups.  Bake in oven until custards are set, around 50 minutes.  Remove from the water, and chill for at least 2 hours.

Sprinkle each custard with a thin layer of sugar.  Use a blowtorch to slowly liquify the sugar on the surface of the custards – sugar will brown, bubble, then melt.  Be careful not to burn the sugar.  (Alternatively, custards can be placed under a broiler until sugar is golden brown and bubbling – watch carefully!)  Chill the custards for at least 1 hour before serving.

Can’t believe we haven’t featured one of my favorite songwriters of all time here! Steve Earle said of the legendary Texan: “Townes van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I’ll stand on Bob Dylan’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.” Now, he might not be better than Dylan…but its dang close. First up, Live at The Old Quarter, Houston, Texas. If you’re new to Van Zandt, this is a good one to start. Townes always shined in live performance, and this has all this greatest songs on it- “Pancho & Lefty”, “If I Needed You” and “White Freightliner Blues”. Essential.

Once you’ve enjoyed that and you want to know more about this brilliant, yet tragic figure, watch Townes Van Zandt – Be Here to Love Me. One of the best “rock movies” you’ll see, full of Townes humor and pathos, and loads of his music. He was gone too soon.

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Paleo Magic Cookie Bars

Posted on October 28, 2011 by | 19 Comments

Grain-free and “dairy-optional”

Remember Magic Cookie Bars?  Those gooey clusters of graham cracker crumbs covered with milk chocolate chips, nuts, sweet coconut flakes and drenched with sweetened condensed milk.  Neither do I….ha!  I’ve been in major denial of this particular obsession, but no longer.  Today we have Paleo-friendly, Magic Cookie Bars with no grains, no processed sugar, and no dairy (if you use coconut butter instead of pastured butter).  I’m not saying these bars are “lite” by any means – plenty of richness here with dark chocolate, nuts, and coconut oils – but they are far better for you than the original cookie bar recipe.

These are a great “treat” for Halloween!

Ingredients:

Crust

  • 1/2 cup (heaping) ground almonds or almond meal
  • 1/2 cup (heaping) ground walnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons pastured butter or coconut butter, melted

Toppings

  • 6 ounces dark chocolate chips
  • 3 ounces unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly pulsed in food processor
  • 4 ounces coarsely chopped pecans or almonds
  • 1 15.5 ounce can coconut milk (full-fat)
  • 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
  • 2 tablespoons coconut butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sweetened Coconut Milk

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a heavy saucepan, heat the coconut milk and sugar over medium heat, stirring often, until coconut milk begins to boil.  Lower heat to simmer and reduce by 1/3 to 1/2, stirring often to prevent the sugar from scorching.  (If thicker, caramelized sugar begins to form on sides or bottom, use a whisk to reincorporate it.)  When it reaches the desired consistency, in around 30 minutes, add 2 tablespoons coconut butter and vanilla.  Stir well and remove from heat.  You should end up with a little over a cup of caramel-colored, sweetened coconut milk.

To make the crust, melt the butter/coconut butter in an 8×8 baking dish.  In a small bowl, mix together the ground almonds, ground walnuts, and cinnamon.  Sprinkle nut mixture over the melted butter and  stir until the butter is evenly mixed with the nuts.  Using your fingers, press the mixture down in an even layer, covering the bottom of the baking dish.

Ready for the oven!

Sprinkle the chocolate chips, chopped nuts, and coconut flakes evenly over the crust.  Pour the sweetened coconut milk over everything.  Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.

Here’s the hard part:  Do not eat it now!  Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the cookie bars will set.  Otherwise they will be a mess coming out of the pan – cookie crumbles are much less festive.

Cut into bars and serve!  Feel decadent!

Celebration day here at SCHC, for a new Tom Waits record has arrived! His first studio record in seven years, Bad As Me is great, and full of the musical stew that only Tom can make. Featuring an all star group of musicians including Keith Richards, Flea and Marc Ribot, this is primo Waits.

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Berry Cocoa-Crisp

Posted on June 3, 2011 by | 5 Comments

This recipe is gluten free and paleo-friendly!

Summertime has landed here in Georgia like an unwelcome meteor.  With temperatures flirting with 100 degrees and the unrelenting, damp hot towel of humidity outside, I’m ready to keep my cold-loving self indoors until Mother Nature is more accommodating.  It’s not any secret that I don’t like detest summer, but I’ll try to say something good about it.  Bugs…no, thanks.  Um….(insert Jeopardy music…).  Oh!  The baby birds outside the front door are nice!  And lots of fresh produce – there’s something!

I’ve been wanting to make an old-fashioned berry crisp, but there’s the sugar, flour, and oats that I would like to avoid.  I put this recipe together, adding dark chocolate chips and a little sweetness to the berries in the hope that it would meld together.  Then for the crust, lightly processed nuts and coconut do a pretty good job mimicking the traditional crispy oatmeal-sugar crust.  This crisp isn’t overly sweet, but it has a nice complexity of textures and flavors that will satisfy your sweet tooth!

Ingredients:

  • 16 ounces of berries (I used blackberries and blueberries)
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
  • dash or two of cinnamon
  • good squeeze of lemon juice
  • 3/4 cups nuts (I used macadamia nuts, pecans and walnuts)
  • 1/3  heaping cup unsweetened coconut flakes (the large flakes)
  • 1 tablespoon cold butter or coconut butter
  • pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9 inch glass pie plate or baking dish with butter or coconut butter.

Rinse the berries and drain, leaving the berries damp.  Place berries in a medium-sized bowl and add chocolate chips, coconut flour, honey, cinnamon, and lemon juice.  Toss well to coat.

Pour the berry mixture into the plate, making sure the chocolate chips are more or less evenly distributed and not in a clump.

In a small food processor, pulse the nuts and coconut flakes together until coarsely and evenly chopped.  (Or chop coarsely by hand.)  Using your hands, quickly mix the butter into the nut mixture, until evenly coated.

Top the berry mixture with the nut mixture, leaving small gaps for the berries to bubble through while cooking.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until berries are bubbling and the crust is crisp and lightly browned.

Serve warm with heavy cream of your choice (coconut or dairy).

Berries? My favorite berry is…Chuck! Har, groan I know. But this is where it all started- that classic sound and wry lyricism of Chuck Berry, such as on his second album One Dozen Berry’s with “Sweet Little Sixteen”, “Rock and Roll Music” and more. Maybe not as sweet as the Berry Cocoa-Crisp…but nearly as tasty!

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Molten Chocolate Almond Cakes

Posted on May 2, 2011 by | 17 Comments

Source:  5 second rule

Molten Chocolate Almond Cakes

I don’t remember the last time I had chocolate cake.  Giving up wheat flour and cutting down on sugar hardly endorses the consumption of cakes and pies, and we have strayed little from our primal eating pathway to better health.  However, we are on our first week-long vacation since November and we’re at our favorite spot in New Mexico – - that deserves a little celebration!

I spotted this recipe for gluten-free, individual chocolate cakes at 5 second rule, an incredible food blog with a great name.  Not only was I allured by the promise of warm, soft, rich chocolate, but also these cakes are a breeze to make.  I didn’t change a thing in the recipe, except to adapt it to 2 servings.  To make more would be too tempting, because they are indeed rich with a nice crust and gooey center.  We ate them warm from the oven, with a touch of heavy cream.  Heavenly!

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus soft butter for greasing the ramekins
  • 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (such as Scharffen Berger 70%)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • pinch of kosher salt
  • 1/8 cup almond flour
  • Cold heavy cream, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400F with a rack in the lowest position.  Butter 2 8-ounce size ramekins.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, almond extract, and salt.  Beat with a whisk (or electric mixer) for 3 minutes, or until thickened.  Gradually sprinkle the almond meal over the batter and mix until just combined.  Fold the egg mixture into the cooled chocolate.

Divide the batter between the ramekins and set on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake until the tops are puffed and dry, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out with barely moist bits, 10-13 minutes.  (At high altitude, such as in Santa Fe, the cakes baked @ 415F for around 25-30 minutes.)

Serve warm, drizzled with heavy cream.

Note:  This recipe can be doubled for 6 servings in 4-ounce ramekins.

Note 2:  I used JK Gourmet almond flour, which had good ratings in several places.

One classic deserves another, yes? And it doesn’t get much more so than the man in black, Johnny Cash.  His 1994 album American Recordings introduced Cash to a new generation of fans who likely weren’t born when “Ring of Fire” climbed the charts, and started his “second career”. Just Cash and his guitar, this is a haunting, moving record featuring unlikely song choices from the likes of Nick Lowe and Tom Waits, this is simply one of the greatest albums of his storied career.

Chocolate cake give you a bit of a sugar rush? Feel like some boogie woogie? Knew ya did…and you’ll have your feet moving to Folkways Years 1959-73 from Memphis Slim. A deft pianist and lively singer, this is great stuff, no matter what your taste in music.

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Dark Chocolate Truffles

Posted on February 14, 2011 by | 2 Comments

Adapted from The Craving Chronicles

What would Valentine’s Day be without dark, decadent chocolate?  I’ll tell ya, it would be lacking!  I found this recipe on a beautiful blog, The Craving Chronicles.  Sadly, most of the treats there are off limits to us since we avoiding grains (and sugars, with limited success), but the rest of you should visit there and check out the brownies and other yummy things.

I slightly adapted this to cut out a small bit of sugar, and added an alternative truffle flavor – using Grand Marnier instead of Bailey’s. Also, the original recipe calls for 3 oz of semi-sweet chocolate and 3 oz. of bittersweet chocolate, but that’s not what was in my cabinet.  I listed what I used and it tastes great…so improvise at will.  However, be sure to use good quality chocolate!

Ingredients

  • 1 oz Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), finely chopped
  • 4.0 oz 365 Organic Semi-Sweet chocolate Chips (Whole Foods brand, 49% cacao)
  • 2 oz Scharffen Berger Unsweetened Dark Chocolate (99% cacao), finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 T Coconut Oil, unrefined
  • 1 scant T sugar
  • 1 T dark rum
  • 1 T Grand Marnier
  • 1/2 cup (or so) unsweetened, flaked coconut
  • 1/2 cup (or so) finely chopped walnuts (pulse in food processor) with ~1 T finely grated orange zest added

Combine chopped chocolates and chips in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream, butter, and sugar to a simmer, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate; stir gently until completely melted and smooth.  Divide the chocolate into two small bowls.  To one bowl, add the rum and mix well by stirring.  To the second bowl, add the Grand Marnier and mix thoroughly.  Cover the bowls with plastic wrap and label so you know which is which. 

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Once chilled, and working with one flavor at a time, scoop out about a teaspoon of the chocolate mixture and quickly roll it into a ball with your hands.  That’s what the recipe says, but I must have extra hot hands because the chocolate immediately coated my palms and was just a mess.  So what I ended up doing is scooping the chocolate out and dropping it into a bowl of the coating, rolling it around to cover, THEN rolling it into a ball with my hands before adding the final coating.  This still left me with chocolate-y hands but not nearly as much chocolate wastage.  (As if licking chocolate off your hands counts as wastage.)

For the Rum Truffles, roll chocolate in unsweetened coconut flakes.  For the Grand Marnier truffles, roll chocolate in walnut meal/orange zest mixture.

Store truffles in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone, but most especially to my sweetheart!!!  You make my every day better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Romance! Chocolate! Valentines Day! I’m in the mood for love…how about you?

Don’t even try to have a romantic evening without this guy…

frank

Greatest Love Songs from the greatest American vocalist ever, Frank Sinatra.

And on a more contemporary note, this is one of the greatest albums of love songs I’ve ever heard…

kd

k.d. Lang’s Ingenue. That song “Constant Craving” gives me shivers…and how apt, because I’m craving the cook!

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