Chocolate. August 2017
Maple Chocolate Bacon Skewers
Ingredients:
- 10 pieces of thick-cut bacon
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 3 ounces milk or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped fine
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a metal cooling rack on the baking sheet.
- Thread one piece of bacon onto each of 10 wooden skewers, ribbon-candy style.
- Place skewers on the rack and paint each side liberally with maple syrup.
- Bake for 10 minutes, turn the skewers over and bake for another 10 minutes or until crispy. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
- Heat the cream to boiling, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for 5 minutes, then stir until you have a smooth chocolate sauce.
- Drizzle the chocolate over one side of the bacon skewers, either with a spoon or by putting the chocolate sauce in a plastic zippered bag, cutting off one corner and squeezing the sauce out through the corner. Pop the skewers in the fridge until the chocolate is set, then enjoy!
Chicken Mole Enchiladas
courtesy: Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/easiest-ever-chicken-mole-enchiladas-recipe-2118390
Ingredients
For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a baking sheet, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool, then shred into small bite-sized pieces. For the mole: Reconstitute the dried chiles by soaking them in 1 1/2 cups hot water for 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside. Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet until dry, crisp and golden. Tear into pieces and set aside. In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a blender with the chiles, tortillas, peanut butter and oregano. Pour the chicken stock over and blend until very smooth. Then transfer the sauce to a medium saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. Season the mole with salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup of mole for garnishing the enchiladas, the rest will be used for dipping the tortillas.
To assemble the enchiladas: Fill a medium saute pan half way with oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, dip 1 tortilla at a time and fry just until soft and heated through, a few seconds. Lift out, let the excess oil drip off and then dip the fried tortilla directly into the warm mole (which should be right next to the pan for easy dipping) and transfer to a plate. Working quickly, put 1/3 cup of the shredded chicken in the center, being careful not to over fill. Roll the tortilla like a cigar to enclose the filling and place in a serving dish seam- side down. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and place them side-by- side. Pour the reserved mole over the top. (This recipe can be tightly wrapped and frozen for 3 weeks at this stage. To reheat: Preheat oven to 350degrees F, unwrap and bake until sauce is bubbly and enchiladas are heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.) To serve, drizzle with a little sour cream and sprinkle with queso.
courtesy: Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/easiest-ever-chicken-mole-enchiladas-recipe-2118390
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 5 dried pasilla or anocho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
- 2 (6-inch) corn tortillas, or handful regular tortilla chips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 medium onions, chopped
- Kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
- One 3.1-ounce disk Mexican chocolate, chopped, (the recipe recommends Ibarra brand. I used Abuelita, as recommended by our friends at Mexican Fruits)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil, as needed
- Twelve 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup queso fresco or mild Feta
For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a baking sheet, sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool, then shred into small bite-sized pieces. For the mole: Reconstitute the dried chiles by soaking them in 1 1/2 cups hot water for 15 minutes. Then drain and set aside. Toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet until dry, crisp and golden. Tear into pieces and set aside. In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, season with a little salt and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a blender with the chiles, tortillas, peanut butter and oregano. Pour the chicken stock over and blend until very smooth. Then transfer the sauce to a medium saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in the chocolate. Season the mole with salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup of mole for garnishing the enchiladas, the rest will be used for dipping the tortillas.
To assemble the enchiladas: Fill a medium saute pan half way with oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, dip 1 tortilla at a time and fry just until soft and heated through, a few seconds. Lift out, let the excess oil drip off and then dip the fried tortilla directly into the warm mole (which should be right next to the pan for easy dipping) and transfer to a plate. Working quickly, put 1/3 cup of the shredded chicken in the center, being careful not to over fill. Roll the tortilla like a cigar to enclose the filling and place in a serving dish seam- side down. Continue to fill all of the tortillas and place them side-by- side. Pour the reserved mole over the top. (This recipe can be tightly wrapped and frozen for 3 weeks at this stage. To reheat: Preheat oven to 350degrees F, unwrap and bake until sauce is bubbly and enchiladas are heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.) To serve, drizzle with a little sour cream and sprinkle with queso.
Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake
CAKE
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 1/2 cups butter, softened at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate morsels
- Shortening
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 Tbsp. buttermilk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Prepare Cake: Preheat oven to 325°. Whisk together flour and next 3 ingredients. Beat 1 1/2 cups butter in a medium bowl at medium-high speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yolk disappears. Combine 1 1/4 cups buttermilk and next 2 ingredients. Add flour mixture to egg mixture alternately with buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition. Fold in bittersweet chocolate morsels. Pour batter into a well-greased (with shortening) and floured 12-cup Bundt pan. Sharply tap pan on counter to remove air bubbles.
Step 2
Bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack.
Step 3
Prepare Chocolate Glaze: Combine semisweet chocolate morsels, 3 Tbsp. butter, and 1 Tbsp. corn syrup in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until morsels begin to melt, stirring after 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Stir in 1/2 tsp. vanilla.
Step 4
Prepare Buttermilk Glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp. buttermilk, and 1/4 tsp. vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Add up to 1 Tbsp. buttermilk, if desired. Drizzle warm glazes over cooled cake.
Step 5
Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes: Prepare recipe as directed through Step 1, pouring batter into 2 lightly greased (with vegetable cooking spray) 12-cup Bundt brownie pans, filling each about three-fourths full. Bake at 325° for 26 to 30 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely. Proceed with recipe as directed in Steps 3 and Makes 2 dozen. Hands-on 45 min.; Total 1 hour, 25 min.