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Archive | ground chocolate

Alison Sullivan’s Camino Verde, Ecuador Mousse Cake Recipe

January 28, 2020 by

Prairie chocolate mousse cake

The final night of our 2019 12 Nights of Chocolate event ended with this decadent and creamy classic layer cake, and we think it showcases our Camino Verde, Ecuador Ground Chocolate and Hacienda Azul, Costa Rica cocoa nibs really, really well. It was created by Alison Sullivan, the pastry chef at Prairie in SF; she and chef/owner Anthony Strong regularly use our chocolate on the menu. We love Prairie for more than just their desserts. It’s one of our favorites in the Mission for grilled modern and classic Italian. 

 

Make the Camino Verde, Ecuador Ganache

Melt the chocolate over a water bath using a rubber spatula, stirring frequently while melting. Once melted, remove the pan and bowl from the heat and keep the chocolate warm.

In a separate saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream with the sugar just enough to dissolve it. Add the salt.  

Blend about 2/3 of the cream and sugar into the chocolate. Add the remainder of the cream and work with a spatula to loosen the ganache. Smooth out the emulsion with an immersion blender.  

Blend in the butter in 3 parts. Then blend in the vanilla and the rum.

Cool the ganache to room temperature before using. Cover it with a layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate it at least 30 minutes but preferably overnight (note, however, that the ganache can be made up to four days ahead). If it’s thoroughly chilled, bring it to room temperature for about 30 minutes before using, or heat in a double boiler to pour over as a glaze. Makes 2 quarts.

 

Make the Chocolate Midnight Cake

  • 600g sugar
  • 332g all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 129g cocoa powder
  • 7g baking powder
  • 14g baking soda
  • 4-5 eggs, depending on size
  • 263 ml crème fraiche
  • 176 ml whole milk
  • 356 ml cold coffee
  • 11 ml pure vanilla extract
  • 85g unsalted butter, melted
  • 75g neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the oven racks to fit three half-sheet pans.

Line 3 half-sheet pans  with parchment paper, then spray or lightly oil the parchment. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sift the sugar, flour, salt, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda together twice. 

In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, crème fraiche, milk, coffee, and vanilla. 

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in half of the wet ingredients. Whisk vigorously to combine and beat out any lumps or pockets of dry ingredients. Whisk in the second half of the wet ingredients until thoroughly combined, then whisk in the butter and the oil.

Divide the batter evenly among the 3 pans. Bake the cake for 6 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for 2-3 minutes more. The edges will begin to pull away from the sides, and the center of the cake will spring back to the touch.

 

Make the Roasted Cocoa Nib Syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

On a rimmed baking sheet, roast the nibs until fragrant, about 10 minutes. 

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water and sugar, then bring it to a boil. Keep covered until the nibs finish toasting. 

Remove from the nibs from the oven and add them to the hot syrup. Steep for 15 minutes, then strain and discard the nibs. 

Note that the syrup can be made up to one week ahead.

 

Make the Camino Verde, Ecuador Chocolate Mousse

In a large mixing bowl, melt the chocolate over a hot water bath using a rubber spatula, stirring frequently while melting. Once melted, remove the pan and bowl from the heat and keep the chocolate warm.

In a medium mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip the cream to soft peaks.

In a separate mixing bowl or in a stand mixer with a clean, dry whisk, whip the yolks until pale and doubled in volume. 

Clip a candy thermometer to the side of a medium saucepan. Combine two tablespoons of water with the sugar, stir to combine, and then boil the syrup until it reaches the firm ball stage of 248 degrees Fahrenheit (120 degrees Celsius). 

Pour the syrup in a slow stream into the whipped yolks, being careful not to get any sugar on the whisk.

Whisk the nib syrup into the melted chocolate, then whisk the yolk mixture into the chocolate.  

Carefully fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the chocolate, then fold in half of the remaining cream. Fold in the remaining cream, making sure that the mousse is evenly incorporated.

 

Make the Hacienda Azul, Costa Rica Cocoa Nib Bavarian Cream

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a rimmed baking sheet, roast the cocoa nibs until fragrant, about 15 minutes.  

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and sugar until the sugar dissolves and the milk is steaming. Add the cocoa nibs, stir well, cool to room temperature, and then cover and chill overnight.

The next day, strain the milk from the nibs until you have 500 ml (discard the nibs and reserve the remainder of the infused milk for another use).

Bloom the gelatin in ice water and set aside.

Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the yolks. In a medium saucepan, warm the infused milk until just steaming, then slowly stream it into the egg yolks while whisking vigorously to make a creme anglaise. Strain the anglaise back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and steaks across the bottom of the pot.

Add the softened gelatin to the anglaise and mix well. Once completely cool, but before it begins to set, gently fold in the whipped cream. Transfer to a container and chill overnight to set.  Makes 1 quart.

 

Assemble the Cake

Cover a half-sheet pan with parchment paper and add a 2” high extender. 

Pipe a1/2-inch layer of the mousse on the bottom of the pan. Cover with a sheet of Midnight cake.  Top the cake with a ¼-inch layer of the ganache, then add another layer of cake. Layer on a second ¼-inch layer of ganache, then top with a third sheet of cake. Wrap the layer cake and freeze it overnight.

The next day, release the pan extender and cut the cake into logs of desired width and length. Warm the rest of the ganache until it is pourable and pour it over the logs. Finish and decorate as you wish. Move the cake to the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, then let it come to room temperature about 30 minutes before slicing.

To serve, stir the Bavarian cream until it smooths out enough to fall from the spoon in thick ribbons. Spread a healthy amount of the cream onto the center of the plate, then top with a slice of a cake.

Recipe for Nibbuns

December 3, 2019 by

Nibbuns - baked chocolate bunsBreakfast doesn’t get much more decadent than our nib-studded, sugar-coated morning bun with a labyrinth of chocolate custard swirling through the middle. This recipe makes an excellent weekend or holiday project because the dough and custard must both be made a day in advance. You can also make the filling and cinnamon nib sugar ahead of time, but wait to assemble the buns until the day you plan to bake and serve them. The cinnamon and yeasted dough in this bun pair well with coffee notes, spice, and nutty flavor profiles. The nibs in this recipe are ground, which intensifies their impact a little. This recipe is from our book, Making Chocolate: From Bean to Bar to S’more.

Makes 10 to 12 Nibbuns

INGREDIENTS

Bun Dough

  • 1 teaspoon / 3 grams active dry yeast
  • 3 tablespoons / 42 grams / 1 1⁄2 ounces sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1⁄2 cup  / 110 grams / 4 ounces heavy cream
  • 2 ¼ cups / 385 grams / 13 ½ ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon / 1.5 grams kosher salt
  • Pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons / 42 grams / 1 ½ ounces unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing
  • Nonstick cooking spray, for the bowl and the muffin tin

Chocolate Custard

  • 3⁄4 cup / 113 grams / 4 ounces 70% Chef’s Chocolate, Ground Chocolate, or chopped chocolate
  • 1 large egg
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon  / 1 gram vanilla extract
  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons / 150 grams / 5 ounces whole milk
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

Filling

  • 1⁄2 cup packed / 110 grams / 3 1⁄2 ounces light brown sugar
  • ½ cup / 60 grams / 2 ounces cocoa nibs

Cinnamon Nib Sugar

  • 1⁄4 cup / 30 grams / 1 ounce cocoa nibs
  • 1 cup / 200 grams / 7 ounces sugar
  • 4 teaspoons / 8 grams ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of kosher salt

 

DIRECTIONS

Make the Bun Dough

In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, and 1⁄2 cup (110 grams / 4 ounces) of warm water. Set the bowl aside for about 10 minutes, or until foamy.

In a small bowl or cup, whisk the egg with the cream. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and nutmeg.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the yeast liquid and the dry ingredients. Mix on medium speed until the dough begins to come together; then stream in the egg and cream mixture, followed by the melted butter. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic and pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl, about 6 minutes.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it in a large mixing bowl or container that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or lightly greased. The dough will rise significantly; make sure the bowl has enough room for the dough to double in size. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight to develop the flavor and elasticity of the dough.

Make the Chocolate Custard

Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove the bowl from the heat and set it aside.

Whisk the egg and vanilla in another medium bowl to break up the yolk.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and cinnamon just until steaming. Gradually stream a small amount of the warm milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the egg. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan, and cook the custard over low heat, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom as you go, using a heatproof spatula. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot as it will curdle. Cook until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove the custard from the heat and immediately pour it over the melted chocolate. Whisk thoroughly to combine. Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer, and if the custard appears chunky or curdled, use a handheld immersion blender to emulsify it. Pour the custard into an airtight container and refrigerate it for at least 12 hours, or overnight.

Make the Filling

Combine the brown sugar and nibs in a small bowl. Set aside.

Make the Cinnamon Nib Sugar

Place the cocoa nibs in a coffee grinder or small food processor and pulse until they are finely ground. Sift the nibs through a fine-mesh strainer and combine the nib powder with the sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl, whisking thoroughly. Set aside.

Shape, Cut, and Bake the Buns

Generously coat a standard-size muffin tin with nonstick spray. After the dough has risen overnight, remove it from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll it into a rectangle about 1⁄4 inch thick, approximately 12 × 16 inches.

Using an offset spatula or a rubber spatula, spread the chocolate custard in an even layer over the dough, leaving a 1⁄2-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the brown sugar and cocoa nib mixture evenly over the custard.

Beginning at the longer edge of the rectangle, tightly roll the dough to form a log. Slice the log into 2-inch segments. Place one segment into each cavity of the prepared muffin tin, spiral-side up. Allow the buns to rise for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.7°C). Bake the buns for 20 minutes, or until golden brown, rotating the tin 180 degrees halfway through to ensure even coloring.

Allow the buns to cool in the muffin tin for at least 10 minutes. Prepare a small bowl of melted butter, and using a pastry brush, coat each bun with a thin layer of melted butter. Immediately roll each buttered bun in the bowl of cinnamon nib sugar, coating the entire surface thoroughly. Serve immediately.

Recipe for Brazilian Brigadeiros

October 25, 2019 by

Brazilian brigadeiro chocolate confections

Kika is one of our product managers, and you might know her as the Kika of Kika’s Treats, the San Francisco company whose chocolate-covered caramelized cookies used to sit on our shelves. Shortly after our Valencia Street café opened its doors in 2010 she did a pop-up in our pastry kitchen, and we’ve been dreaming of the baked goods and confections she made when she was behind the stoves ever since. Her Brazilian cheese bread? Legendary. Her fresh fig and chocolate ganache galette? We’d do anything for a crumb. But every time we’ve thought about her chocolatey, creamy brigadeiros (pronounced bree-guh-DAY-rows) over the years, we’ve gotten more than a little swoony. (Oh, and by the way, Todd once made his own brigadeiros with cocoa powder he made himself instead of nibs. Have a look at his recipe for Black and White Brigadeiros from the vaults.)

Let us explain.. Brigadeiros are an extremely popular truffle-like confection from Kika’s native Brazil that everyone makes at home for parties or special occasions. They’re as popular as chocolate-chip cookies. Usually they’re overwhelmingly dense and sweet from concentrated sweetened condensed milk and sweet chocolate, but we love Kika’s version because the sweetness is really tame, the texture melts in your mouth, and the flavor truly highlights the chocolate. What’s not to love, really? It’s our single-origin chocolate made fudgey and creamy as it’s ever been. Then Kika rolls each brig with nutty cocoa nibs for crunch (and to keep your fingers from getting too chocolatey!). This recipe quite literally puts our chocolate into your hands, so you can make the shape as elegant as you want it, or just free form it with kids in the kitchen.

Oh, and just a word about Chef’s Chocolate. If you’ve never baked with our Chef’s Chocolate before, it’s super easy to use. Chef’s Chocolate is not cocoa powder. It’s the same 70% cocoa-beans-and-sugar-only chocolate we use for making bars, but it’s ground until into lentil-sized pieces and it’s not tempered (meaning it’s not snappy and shiny). And rather than having to stop and chop it like baking chocolate, it’s designed to go anywhere chocolate chips can go, and melt really fast for any drink or pastry that calls for melted chocolate. This is what we use in our own pastry kitchens for our hot chocolate drinks and pastries. Give it a try, and let us know what you think!

Makes: About 50 one-inch candies

Time: About 80 minutes active time

 

Ingredients

 

Method

Lightly butter a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot, combine 1 tablespoon of the butter, the condensed milk, the chocolate, the corn syrup, and the salt. Place over low heat and stir it constantly with a rubber spatula to prevent burning and sticking, paying careful attention to scraping the bottom of the pot.

After 10-12 minutes, the mixture will start bubbling and thicken until it streaks across the bottom of the pot. Remove the pot from the heat and pour the mixture into the buttered bowl. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture to prevent a skin from forming. Allow it to cool at room temperature for about 4 hours until it’s cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, lightly chop the cocoa nibs or gently pulse them in a food processor. Reduce them to the size of sprinkles, but be careful not to pulverize them too much. Pour them into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Grease your hands with butter and, using a tablespoon or a melon baller, scoop out rounded balls of the mixture and roll them between your hands. Place 4 or 5 at a time into the large bowl with the nibs. Tilt and shake the bowl until the brigadeiros are fully encrusted in the nibs.

Place each brigadeiro in paper candy cups or onto sheets of parchment paper to keep them from sticking.

Enjoy your brigadeiros right away and keep them away from heat. Store them refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week and let them come to room temperature before eating. Or for longer storage, double-wrap the brigadeiros in an airtight container and freeze them up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and let them come to room temperature before serving.

Alice Medrich’s Chocolate Drops

October 17, 2019 by

Chocolate drop cookies with toasted coconut and pecans

This recipe for chocolate cookies comes to us from Alice Medrich and Renewal Mill. Several years ago Todd was introduced to Alice, and he invited her for a tour and tasting at our Valencia Street factory shortly after it had opened its doors. Since then, Alice has been a kindred spirit in chocolate and she was also part of our 12 Nights of Chocolate event back in 2015. She is a celebrated cookbook writer specializing in chocolate, and we are constantly inspired by her work. She makes us blush when she tells us how she’s enjoyed watching us grow up. For this recipe, Alice is working with Renewal Mill, makers of okara flour, a gluten-free and grain-free ingredient upcycled from the pulp left after making fresh soy milk, and she’s combined it with our single-origin dark chocolate, nuts, and coconut to make this delicate, decadent cookie. Alice writes, “If chocolate mousse married a brownie, these cookies would be their offspring. Note: To measure okara flour, spoon it lightly (don’t pack it) into measures and sweep it level—or better still, use a scale.”

Makes 30-36 cookies

  • 1 cup (100g) toasted pecan halves
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons (22g) Renewal Mill okara flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 8 ounces (225g) Dandelion 70% Chef’s Chocolate, either Camino Verde, Ecuador or Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 ½ teaspoons water
  • About 1 cup (42g) unsweetened dried shaved/flaked coconut
  • Flakey sea salt for topping (optional)

First, toast the pecans. Spread them on a sheet pan and bake in a 325°F oven for 9-12 minutes until fragrant and toasty. Cool them until crisp, then break or chop the nuts into coarse pieces. Set aside.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the okara flour with the baking soda and fine grain sea salt and set aside.

Put the chocolate and the butter in a medium stainless steel bowl. Set the bowl in a wide skillet filled with about one-half inch of water. Heat the water over high heat until it’s just barely simmering, then turn off the heat. Stir the chocolate and butter until they are melted and smooth.  

Remove the bowl from the water. Stir in the sugar, salt, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and the water and stir until well blended. 

Stir in the flour mixture. Stir vigorously for a few seconds to aerate the batter slightly. Add the pecans. For shapelier cookies, refrigerate the batter for a few minutes to firm it slightly before baking.

To bake, scoop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter and place them 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets. Top each scoop with a few crushed flakes of the sea salt if desired, and lots of coconut pieces. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are puffed, slightly cracked, and dry on the surface (though they should still feel soft when touched with a fingertip). Rotate the sheets from upper to lower and front to back about halfway through the cooking time to insure even baking. 

Cool the cookies in the pan on a rack; the cookies will firm a bit as they cool. The cookies will keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Angela Pinkerton’s Torta Caprese With Cacao Nib Gelato And Cherry Confitura

July 9, 2019 by

Pastry Chef Angela Pinkerton (Che Fico, Eleven Madison Park) is a talent, a creative force in pastry, and a friend. She has been there for us several times as a volunteer chef for our annual 12 Nights of Chocolate fundraiser for the SF/Marin Food Bank, and she recently joined us on a chef’s trip to the Dominican Republic to see how cacao is grown, fermented, and dried, and to learn how the chocolate-making process begins. While there, she visited Zorzal Cacao, and the gelato for this dessert takes inspiration from her visit to the origin. Angela tells us that steeping the nibs in cold milk and cream overnight helps extract, “the fruity perfume essence I remember from eating the raw cacao beans during the trip, and the toasty cocoa flavors we expect to enjoy.” Angela currently serves this dessert at Che Fico Alimentari as a memento to what she experienced with us in the DR.

Torta Caprese with Cocoa Nib Gelato

Time: 90 minutes active time, plus overnight steeping
Serves: 10-12

Make the TORTA CAPRESE

  • 1 ½ cups/180g walnuts
  • 4 cups/342g 70% Camino Verde, Ecuador ground chocolate 
  • ¼ cup/55g cocoa butter 
  • 6 ounces/165g unsalted butter 
  • 6 eggs, separated 
  • 1 ¾ cup/210g powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon/4g sea salt 
  • 2 Tablespoons dark rum or Maraschino (optional)

Grease a 9” round cake pan and line the pan with parchment, then grease the parchment.  Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly toast the walnuts and let them cool. Chop the nuts until very fine. 

In a medium saucepan over a hot water bath, melt the chocolate, cocoa butter, and butter together. Remove from heat and stir the mixture until cools.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and sea salt until light and fluffy. 

In separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Combine the cooled chocolate mixture with the yolks until thoroughly combined, then add the walnuts. 

Carefully fold in the egg whites in three batches; the batter may look broken, but it will smooth out once it’s fully incorporated. Stir in the rum or Maraschino, if using. 

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a crust forms on top. (Note that a cake tester will not come out totally clean, but it shouldn’t have crumbs stuck to it. It will be coated in chocolate, but not gooey).

Cool the cake completely at room temperature. It can be served immediately or wrapped and chilled overnight. To remove the cake from the pan, quickly and evenly warm the pan on top of a burner or with a torch and invert the cake onto a plate. Peel off the parchment before cutting. For best results, slice the cake with a hot, clean knife.

Make the COCOA NIB GELATO

(Makes 1 quart. Note that you will need a thermometer and an ice cream maker.)

  • ¾ cup/100g Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania cocoa nibs
  • 1 cup/225g heavy cream 
  • 1 ½ cups/675g whole milk 
  • ½ cup/50g dried milk powder 
  • ¾ cup/155g sugar 
  • ¼ cup/38g dextrose

Lightly toast the nibs in a 350°F oven for 5-7 minutes just until you can smell the chocolate. Combine the hot nibs with the cream and milk and let them steep overnight. 

Strain the nibs from the milk and cream and heat the milk mixture to 104°F. 

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the milk powder, sugar, and dextrose. 

Once the milk reaches temperature, whisk in the dry ingredients and continue to heat the milk until it reaches 185°F.

Remove from heat and cool the ice cream base in an ice bath, stirring often. You can cure the base in the refrigerator overnight. Spin the base in an ice cream machine following the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze until you’re ready to use it.

Make the CHERRY CONFITURA

  • 4 cups cherries 
  • ¾ cup/151g sugar
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon citric acid 
  • 1 Tablespoon dark rum or Maraschino 
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 

Pre-freeze a metal mixing bowl.

Pit the cherries and cut them in half. In a medium saucepan, combine them with the sugar and then cook over medium-high heat until al dente, about 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the cherries and transfer them to a frozen bowl to stop the cooking. 

Continue to cook the remaining syrup until it thickens, about another 5-7 minutes. Pour the syrup into the bowl with the cherries and stir in the citric acid. Cool the bowl in the freezer for 15-20 minutes or until chilled and thickened. Add the rum or Maraschino and the lemon juice to thin the sauce as needed. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

Make the CANDIED WALNUTS 

(Makes about 1 pint)

  • 2 cups/300g walnuts 
  • 2 cups/500g water 
  • 2 cups/500g sugar 
  • kosher salt to taste

Chop the walnuts into bite-sized pieces, then sift out the dust. Bring the water and sugar to a boil, add the nuts, then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the nuts have become semi translucent and saturated with sugar. 

Drain the nuts from the syrup and spread them in a single layer onto parchment-lined sheet trays. Sprinkle them lightly with the salt and bake in the oven at 300°F for 15-20min until the nuts are dry, brown, and toasted, stirring halfway through to prevent clumps. Cool completely, then store them airtight in a cool, dry place.

To assemble the dish:

Warm slices of the cake in a 425°F oven until hot to the touch, about 3-5 minutes. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the cherry confitura on one side of the cake. Sprinkle on the candied walnuts and top with a scoop of the gelato. Serve immediately.

Homemade Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

May 17, 2019 by

Dandelion Chocolate chocolate hazelnut spread

OK. So I am a fiend for nuts and chocolate of any kind, and when it comes to chocolate and hazelnuts, even more so. I remember the first time I ever tasted brand name Nutella: I was on a school trip to Epcot Center in Disneyworld sometime in middle school and I bought a small packet of it in the little French village. (I know, I know…the stuff is actually Italian, but you’ll have to talk to Walt about the reorg on European food.) It was SO GOOD. Like, really good. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even eat it on bread or anything; it’s quite possible I just squeezed the entire contents of it into my mouth, then went back and tried to squeeze out some more.

Fast forward to my college years and I became a Riot Grrl and completely engrossed in the DIY aesthetic of everything. I was making my own zines, cutting and duct taping my own clothes, and starting to make my own food (beyond instant Lipton Noodles & Sauce from a pouch). I began making my own condiments like ketchup and mustard and mayonnaise, and odd as it may sound, doing so felt like a very revolutionary act. I loved not being held to the confines of Kraft and ConAgra, and I loved the control that being in the kitchen and stocking my shelves gave me.

This passion and food lust led to a career as a food writer and cookbook author, and that afforded me the luxury of being able to make more food my own way. I would find a product at the store, look at all the junk on the ingredient label, and then take pride and pleasure in recreating that recipe in my own kitchen with real food. Nutella, known in Italy as gianduja, and known in North America as chocolate hazelnut spread, was eventually checked off my list.

When Bloom, the chocolate salon inside our 16th Street Factory, was doing its friends and family meals, I tasted Lisa’s bruleed brioche with her take on a homemade “Nutella”. It’s sublimely creamy and entirely decadent. And on the sticks of crisp, sweet, enriched bread, it’s an exercise in rich. For chocolate enthusiasts and anyone with a sweet tooth, it is exceptional.

In our book, Making Chocolate From Bean to S’more, Lisa and the kitchen team stuff this cream inside cookies, which seems like a dessert lover’s dessert. Meredyth was the first to think about making the chocolate hazelnut cream in a melanger, the stone-wheeled grinder that we use to make chocolate. I’m sure this is what gets our in-house version so super creamy; more so than most of us could accomplish at home.

For those of us who don’t own our own melanger, we still have options; a food processor will also do the job. I have a version of the recipe in one of my cookbooks, but lately I’ve been making it even more simply and delicious.

I weigh the hazelnuts, toast them, and remove the skin; this is essential, as the skin is really bitter. While the nuts are still warm, I put them into the food processor with an equal weight of our Chef’s Chocolate. I blend it thoroughly, then add some salt and about ¼ cup good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Then I blend it for a long, long time—five minutes, at least—until it’s super smooth and liquidy. Once it’s scraped into a jar and refrigerated, the texture firms and it becomes quite smooth and spreadable, particularly once it hits warm toast. Try it also spread onto fruit or simply eaten from a spoon :>.

For the real deal, though, follow our kitchen’s recipe below. Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

from Making Chocolate: Bean to Bar to S’more

 

Yield: About 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup / 140 grams / 5 ounces blanched hazelnuts
3/4 cup / 212 grams / 7 1/2 ounces melted 70% chocolate (Karen’s note: Chef’s Chocolate works great here)
1/2 cup / 100 grams / 3 1/2 ounces sugar
1/2 teaspoon / 2 grams kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.7°C). Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely, then chop the nuts coarsely.

In a heavy-duty food processor, combine the hazelnuts, chocolate, sugar, and salt, blending them until completely smooth. The longer the mixture is processed, the smoother it will be; we recommend blending for at least 5 minutes on high speed. Enjoy on toast or waffles, or spread it on your favorite slices of fruit. The mixture can be stored in an airtight container or jar at room temperature for several weeks.

NOTE: At Dandelion, we make our version with a mini melanger. If you have one at home, simply add all the ingredients to the stone grinder, and let it grind for at least 30 minutes.

Making Chocolate: From Bean to Bar to S'more by Dandelion Chocolate

Red Velvet Beet Cake Recipe

April 15, 2019 by

Red Velvet Beet Cake recipe from Dandelion Chocolate cookbook

from Lisa Vega, Dandelion Chocolate Executive Pastry Chef and co-author of Making Chocolate: From Bean to Bar to S’more

RECOMMENDED CHOCOLATE PROFILE: earthy, savory, funky

We developed this cake—our version of classic red velvet—to complement the earthy, funky, sometimes grassy flavor profile of our Liberian chocolate. Some of us think it tastes like caramel and cinnamon; others taste iron shavings and a freshly mowed lawn. This chocolate is a customer favorite, and it earned a Good Food Award in 2014, which seems to be how our most polarizing chocolates work. Either way, we like the way the vegetal sweetness of the roasted beets plays off the chocolate, and the striking contrast of vibrant red against the shining, jet-black ganache layers.

YIELD: one 8-inch 4-layer cake

INGREDIENTS:

Cake 
672 grams / 1½ pounds medium red beets
5 large eggs at room temperature
2¾ cups / 570 grams / 20 ounces sugar
½ teaspoon / 2 grams kosher salt
2¼ cups / 226 grams / 8 ounces cake flour, sifted
5 tablespoons / 36 grams / 1¼ ounces ground chocolate, chef’s chocolate, or 70% chocolate finely ground in a spice grinder
butter for the pan

Chocolate Caramel Ganache
2¾ cups / 412 grams / 14 ounces ground chocolate, chef’s chocolate, or chopped 70% chocolate
¾ cup / 150 grams / 5½ ounces sugar
2 cups / 450 grams / 16 ounces heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Make the cake
Prepare the beets: Preheat the oven to 350°F (176.7°C). Wrap each beet in foil, and roast the beets for about 1 hour, until a knife pokes easily through the entire flesh. Allow the beets to cool in the foil, and then carefully peel each beet, discarding the skins. In a blender, puree the cooked beets on high speed with 3 tablespoons water until very smooth, a minute or two. Measure out 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (480 grams / 17 ounces) of the puree, and set it aside. (Reserve the remaining puree for another use.)

Spray or butter two 8-inch round cake pans, line them with parchment, and grease again. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, sugar, and salt on high speed until the mixture becomes pale in color and falls back on itself in ribbons when the whisk is removed,  4 to 6 minutes. Fold in the beet puree until the batter is streaked with color but not completely incorporated.  This will prevent the beaten eggs from deflating too much as you mix the batter.

Sift together the cake flour and finely ground chocolate, then fold them into the batter until just combined. Divide the mixture evenly between the prepared cake pans.

Bake the cakes for 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool completely on a wire rack, and refrigerate or freeze them before slicing the cakes in half horizontally (using a serrated knife) to make 4 cake rounds.

Make the ganache: 
Place the chocolate in a large bowl and set aside. Heat the sugar over medium-low heat in a dry heavy-duty saucepan. Watch it carefully—the sugar on the bottom will begin to melt.  When you see the edges begin to brown, use a heatproof spatula to drag the sugar toward the center to prevent any burning, and continue to stir occasionally until the sugar is completely melted and has turned a medium amber color.

Remove the pan from the heat and immediately start pouring the cream into the caramel in a small, steady stream, while whisking constantly. The caramel will bubble violently and may even seize up slightly, and that’s okay. Continue to whisk, and put the pan back on high heat. As you bring the caramel liquid to a  boil, any seized sugar chunks that may remain should dissolve. Once the liquid reaches a rolling boil, immediately pour it over the chocolate. Let the hot cream sit undisturbed on top of the chocolate for 30  seconds. Then use a whisk to stir slowly at first and then more vigorously as the chocolate and cream combine and the mixture thickens. The ganache should appear shiny and thick, but still be liquid enough to pour. Allow the ganache to fully cool and thicken before assembling the cake.

Using a large offset spatula, spread a thin layer of ganache evenly on top of each cake layer, and layer one on top of another to create a 4-layer cake. Before cutting it, allow the cake to set in the refrigerator, uncovered, for about an hour. The cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Chocolate Almond Figs with Chocolate Labne Crémeux & Port Wine Sauce Recipe

April 15, 2019 by

Chocolate Almond Figs with Chocolate Labne Crémeux & Port Wine Sauce

from Chef Rose Johnson of Private Chefs of the SF Bay

Chef Andrea Lawson Gray is a longtime friend of ours in the SF Bay Area food world; she even participated in our very first 12 Nights of Chocolate. She’s also the founder of Private Chefs of the SF Bay, and she brings us this recipe via one of the chefs in the co-op, Rose Johnson. This chef collective does private catering and dinner parties, and they’ve been kind enough to make ours their chocolate of choice for all of their cooking and baking. Karen S. tried this recipe with our Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania Chef’s Chocolate and thought that the tropical notes went really well with the tangy wine and labneh.

YIELD: two to four servings

INGREDIENTS:

Figs:
10-12 dried figs
2 oz. ground chocolate, chef’s chocolate, or 70% chocolate, finely chopped
10-12 whole almonds, toasted

Crémeux:
½ cup labne or thick Greek yogurt
2 oz. ground chocolate, chef’s chocolate, or 70% chocolate, finely chopped

Port Wine Sauce:
½ cup Port wine
2 Tbs. heavy cream

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut or snip the stems from the dried figs. Use a small paring knife or spoon handle to gently open the figs at the stem end and create a small pocket. Stuff the fig with the chocolate, and top it with a toasted almond.

Place the figs upright and snugly together in a heatproof ramekin, or make one from aluminum foil. Roast the figs until they soften and the chocolate melts, approximately 10-12 minutes.

To make the crémeux, melt the chocolate in a bain marie or in the microwave (stirring at 20-second intervals) until melted. Fold the melted chocolate into the labne. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Now it’s time to make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the Port with the cream and reduce it over medium heat until it’s as thick and syrupy as honey. Pay attention, as it will thicken up fast!

To assemble the dish, spoon some of the sauce onto a plate, then top with the figs. Place a dollop of the crémeux beside each fig, and serve. Be careful; the chocolate inside the fig may be very hot.

Chocolate Mochi Muffins Recipe

April 10, 2019 by

I used to live and work in Kamiyama-cho on the island of Shikoku in Japan. I watched rice grow from every window of my tiny apartment. I taught English in four elementary schools and two middle schools, and in addition to leading an adult English conversation group with the inspiring farmers of my rural community, I also sang in the town choir. I learned a lot in Japan, including a love of taiko drumming, a deepened sense of obsession for Hello Kitty, and an appreciation for food that feels uniquely Japanese. It was at this point in my life that I fell in love with mochi in all forms. I still dream about a particular mochi stuffed with fresh strawberries and whipped cream that I once at in an Osaka train station.

Lately, and here in the SF Bay Area, that mochi love continues. Hawaiian ono mochi rich with butter? Bring it. But the colorful, flavorful hybrid mochi muffins of Third Culture Bakery in Berkeley inspired me to incorporate our chef’s chocolate (also known as ground chocolate) and single-origin cocoa nibs into this decadent treat.

The texture is quite different than a regular muffin; dense, chewy, and rich. The flavor is chocolatey, nutty, and not too sweet, making them perfect for breakfast. Since it’s rice flour, these are also gluten-free.

This recipe was adapted from Snixxy Kitchen.

chocolate mochi muffins

Chocolate Mochi Muffins

Makes: 2 dozen muffins, Time: Under 2 hours
INGREDIENTS
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil, melted, plus more for greasing the pans
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 4 cups mochiko sweet rice flour
  • 2 ½ cups dark brown sugar
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania chef’s chocolate or ground chocolate
  • ½ cup Kokoa Kamili, Tanzania cocoa nibs (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and center the oven rack.
  2. Grease the sides and the top of two 12-cup muffin tins with the coconut oil.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  4. In a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then thoroughly blend in the coconut oil and the butter. Stream in the milk and the vanilla.
  5. Add a tablespoon or so of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until completely combined. In four batches, thoroughly combine the dry ingredients into the wet, making sure the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
  6. Stir the ground chocolate into the batter.
  7. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup almost all the way to the top.
  8. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the cocoa nibs, if using.
  9. Bake both tins together 40-50 minutes until the top is lightly brown and the muffin springs back when poked with a finger. Insert a toothpick into the thickest part of a muffin and make sure it comes out clean of raw batter.
  10. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  11. Enjoy immediately. Store the muffins in an airtight container, or wrap them well and freeze for at least three months.