Books and Chocolate

Books and Chocolate: "Give me a stash of books and a sack of melt-in-the-mouth chocolate and you can lock me up in a room and throw away the key. That comes pretty near my idea of heaven, never mind that I might resemble something really not divine by the time you let me out of there! But what are a few extra pounds around the waist in the pursuit of knowledge? I'm kidding!

Pursuit of knowledge? I didn't say anywhere that those books had to be edifying works of literature. In fact while I'm making suggestions I may as well add that crime fiction would do very well, and some gooey nut encased dark chocolate. And do add a box of tissues so that I don't ruin the pages of those books with messy fingerprints.

It happened to me today and I could have wept. Engrossed in the misadventures of a harassed young woman trying hard to find a man (well sometimes you need a break from hardened gumshoes blowing smoke rings in your face) I was also working my way through a decadent block of almond-orange chocolate and as I absentmindedly turned the pages I left an ugly smudge on one of them. Horrors! I hadn't licked my fingers completely clean and the evidence was right there on the pristine pages of a brand new book."

By Feline Prophet @ HubPages

Recipe: Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coffee Liqueur

Photo by Svadilfari @ flickr

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coffee Liqueur

From Denny: OK, have any of you actually ever met a flourless chocolate cake you didn't like? Come on, now, we all LOVE this stuff - and shamelessly! :) This chef makes an awesome version AND it's lighter too. Take a look.


Flourless Chocolate Cake with Coffee Liqueur

From: Chef Ray Johnson of Café Mundo, San Jose, Costa Rica

Yield: 12 servings

Serve this with coffee ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Beaten eggs make this cake lighter in texture than most other flourless chocolate cakes.


Ingredients:


1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

¼ cup coffee liqueur

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

7 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

Powdered sugar


Directions: Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4 –inch-high sides. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper. Stir chocolate, butter, coffee liqueur and vanilla in heavy large saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool to lukewarm.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs and 1 cup sugar in large bowl until thick and pale, and slowly dissolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted, about 6 minutes. Fold 1/3 of egg mixture into lukewarm chocolate mixture. Fold remaining egg mixture into chocolate mixture.

Place prepared pan on baking sheet. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 55 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Gently press down edges of cake. Cool completely in pan. (Cake can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.)

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove sides of pan; transfer cake to platter. Remove parchment paper. Sprinkle cake with powdered sugar and serve.

Recipe: Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Yield: One 9x13 cake

From: Brenda Caruso, Port Allen, Louisiana

This is one of those really easy cakes that does not require a lot of technical ability or knowledge, perfect for a beginner to get their feet wet in the world of baking and easy enough to do with children. And it’s chocolate! It breaks all the baking world’s rules: no need to properly cream the sugar and butter and no waiting to ice a cake after it is cooled down from the oven. This crazy cake gets iced while hot!


Ingredients for Cake:


2 sticks butter

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

2 eggs

½ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda


Ingredients for Frosting:

1 stick butter

6 Tablespoons buttermilk

4 Tablespoons cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 box confectioners’ sugar

1 cup chopped toasted pecans


Directions for Cake: Bring 2 sticks butter, cocoa and water to boil.

Put sugar in large bowl. Pour the hot cocoa mixture over the sugar. Mix in flour, eggs, buttermilk and baking soda.

Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350° F. for about 30 minutes. When cake is done, test with a toothpick and it comes out clean; remove from the oven.

Directions to make Frosting: Melt 1 stick butter and mix with 6 Tablespoons buttermilk, 4 Tablespoons cocoa, vanilla, confectioners’ sugar and pecans to make frosting. Ice the cake while still hot.

Photo by Harris Graber @ flickr

Confessions of a Cajun Traiteuse - More Than Herbs - Part IV

Photo by *L*u*z*a* @ flickr

Confessions of a Cajun Traiteuse - More Than Herbs - Part IV: "When I was a nine year old girl, I found myself sitting in the confessional booth of St. Lawrence Church, in Chacahoula, Louisiana without any sin I was readily willing to own up to. The priest on the other side kept clearing his throat in impatience. I felt the cold knot of dread in my stomach, accompanied by my sweaty palms, and feelings similar to the major anxiety of a prisoner about to be executed.

On the other side of the stifling hot creaky booth sat Father Charles prepared to listen to my penitents and mete out my penalties. I certainly wasn't going to tell him I was the girl who stole the cookies and blamed it on her little brother. I wasn't going to admit I'd sassed my mama. Nor, was I willing to concede that my prayers of late, were more along the lines of, 'Please send me a new dress for the first day of school,' when I knew we were supposed to pray for the sick and the poor." 3 videos.

By Jerilee Wei @ HubPages

Chocolate Quiz for your intellectual nourishment

From Denny: These folks over at flyerchocolate.com are real characters.

Take their quiz "for your intellectual nourishment." And I thought I had the corner on being cheeky...! :)

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From their recipe section, salivate over these chocolate darlings:

WARM FLYER CHOCOLATE CHEESE CAKE
by Chef Jen Neil

Provence Restaurant, Cape Coral, FL

Number of Servings: 12

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

5 eggs

2/3 C sugar

10 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 Fine Dark Chocolate with a Touch of Milk

2/3 C butter

1/3 C sifted flour

2 tbs bittersweet cocoa powder

2 oz. favorite liquor

Pinch of salt

Raspberries

1. Using a Kitchen Aid type appliance or egg beaters, combine eggs and sugar in a bowl and whip for approximately 20-30 minutes.

2. Over a double-boiler melt chocolate and butter together.

3. Once egg/sugar mixture is ready, slowly add the flour. Mix thoroughly. Turn machine off and scrape all sides and bottom of the bowl.

4. Mix again and add the cocoa powder, liquor and salt.

5. Spray individual mold, soufflés or muffin tins with a heavy coating of Pam.

6. Fill molds half way; add two raspberries, then continuing to fill the rest of the way.

7. Bake in a 375 oven for approximately 8-10 minutes

8. To serve, invert the cake onto a plate, garnish with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

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FLYER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE


by Chef Claude-Alain Solliard

Seppi's Restaurant, New York, NY

Number of Servings: 8

Preparation Time: approximately 45 minutes, allow at least three hours in refrigerator before eating

16 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 - Fine Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Milk

1 pt. of heavy cream

4 egg whites

1 oz. orange liqueur

double boiler, whisk, spatula, individual serving cups or one large bowl

1. Slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler and stir as needed to prevent burning. Turn heat down or off after initial melting and continue to stir until smooth.

2. Whip the cream to a soft, thick peak.

3. Whip the egg whites to soft peak.

4. Add one-half of the egg whites to the chocolate using a whisk until the egg whites are evenly mixed into the chocolate.

5. Using the spatula, fold in the remaining egg whites and the whipped cream into the chocolate until well-mixed and very smooth. The mixture should now be all the same color and filled with air.

6. Place the mixture into serving cups or the large bowl and then into the refrigerator for at least three hours until it has cooled and set.

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FLYER DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE!

(Flyer Chocolate Cheese Cake With Chocolate Mousse)

by Chef Claude-Alain Solliard

Seppi's Restaurant, New York, NY


Number of Servings: 8

Preparation Time: 45 minutes + baking and cooling time


The Cake

8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese

¾ lb. cottage cheese

¼ cup sugar

2 whole eggs

4 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 Dark Chocolate

2 tsp. vanilla extract

The Crust

1 oz. butter
8 oz. Graham cracker crumbs

The Mousse


4 oz. Flyer Gold Plane 4 Dark Chocolate

6 oz. heavy cream

1. To make the crust, melt the butter in a pan and thoroughly mix in the Graham cracker crumbs.

2. Place the butter and cracker mixture evenly in a 9 in. spring-form or cake pan.

3. To make the cake, slowly melt the chocolate in a double boiler.

4. While the chocolate is melting, add the cream cheese, cottage cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla to a mixing bowl and thoroughly blend with an electric mixer until smooth.

5. Quickly add the melted chocolate and mix in very quickly to avoid clumping.

6. Place the batter in the baking pan with the crust and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

7. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

8. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until cold and top with the mousse.

9. To make the mousse, slowly melt chocolate in a double boiler and stir as needed to prevent burning. Turn heat down or off after initial melting and continue to stir until smooth.

10. Whip the cream to a soft peak.

11. When the chocolate has cooled but not begun hardening, fold in the whipped cream, 1/3 of the cream at a time.

12. Smoothly and evenly spread the mousse over the cooled cheesecake and place in the refrigerator until the mousse has set.