According to a very reliable chef, today is National Strawberry Shortcake Day!  I’ve never been a huge fan of the dessert until…ta da!  I added chocolate to it.  No surprise there!  Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake.   How good does that sound?  This is an adaptation of a recipe from Bon Appetit way back in June 1996.  It’s an oldie, but a goodie!  If anyone’s interested…I have one for a White Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake and a simple Chocolate Chunk Strawberry Shortcake.  Since strawberries are suppose to be in huge abundance this year, maybe another time…I have provided two photos from two different times I made this Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake.  Once was done properly and once was made with a group of drunk dinner guests encouraging me to add more!  You’ll see what I mean! (For the “overdone” version – you need to double the recipe for the filling and the sauce and I added more chopped dark chocolate between the layers.)

Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

Serves 8

Ingredients:
For the Sauce:
2/3 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons (packed) brown sugar
6 ounces dark chocolate (70% or higher cocoa content), chopped
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Biscuit:
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 ounces dark chocolate (70% or higher cocoa content), chopped
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

For the Filling:
2 pounds strawberries, hulled
5 tablespoons sugar
1 1/3 cups chilled whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
For Sauce:
Combine cream and sugar in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until chocolate melts and sauce is smooth. Mix in brandy and vanilla.

For Biscuit:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 1 1/2- inch-high sides; dust with flour. Combine flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add chopped chocolate. Gradually add 2/3 cup buttermilk, stirring with fork until dough forms.

Transfer dough to cake pan; press gently to level top. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons buttermilk, then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake biscuit until cooked through and golden on top, about 25 minutes. Cool biscuit in pan on rack (biscuit will be 1 to 1 1/2 inches high.)

For Filling:
Reserve 8 berries for garnish. Slice remaining berries into large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons sugar and toss to coat; let stand until berries begin to release juices, about 30 minutes. Combine whipping cream, vanilla and 1 tablespoon sugar in medium bowl. Whip to soft peaks. Cover and chill cream until ready to serve.

Rewarm sauce over low heat, stirring often. Cut around pan sides to loosen biscuit. Turn biscuit out onto work surface. Using long serrated knife, carefully cut biscuit in half horizontally. Using large spatula as aid, place biscuit bottom on platter. Spoon sliced berries with their juices over. Drizzle with some chocolate sauce. Spoon all but 1/2 cup whipped cream over; cover with biscuit top. Drop reserved whipped cream in dollops onto biscuit. Garnish with reserved whole strawberries. Cut into wedges and serve, passing remaining chocolate sauce separately.

Double Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Gone Wild!

Dark Chocolate Pound Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze

This is a great recipe and you can eliminate the dark chocolate glaze, but why would you?!  For this bread in the photo, I actually used milk chocolate in the place of the dark chocolate in the cake because I didn’t have enough.  I still turned out stupendously!  I hope you enjoy it for a decadent breakfast, as a dessert or perhaps at tea time.  I promise you everyone will ask for the recipe!  Note:  I have also made this without the glaze and froze it over the holidays.  Make the glaze after you defrost it and proceed with the rest of the directions.

Dark Chocolate Pound Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze

Serves 8

Ingredients For Chocolate Pound Cake:

1½ c. all-purpose flour
4 T unsweetened cocoa powder
½ t baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t sea salt
½ c. unsalted butter
¾ c. raw sugar
4 whole eggs
½ c. sour cream (or substitute whole or low-fat plain yogurt)
3 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Dark Chocolate

Ingredients For Dark Chocolate Glaze:
2 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate
¼ c. simple syrup (ingredients and recipe below)
3 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 T macadamia nut oil (or substitute canola oil)
½ cup heavy cream

Ingredients for Simple Syrup:

1 c. water
1 c. white sugar

Simple Syrup Cooking

Directions for the Simple Syrup:

In a medium saucepan combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Allow to cool. (Save the remaining simple syrup to brush on cakes and cupcakes before icing.  You can also stir in a flavored liquor, champagne or some preserves too!)

Directions for Chocolate Pound Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, then butter and flour the paper. In a bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating at medium speed to incorporate, and scrape down sides of bowl after each addition.

On low speed, mix in a third of the flour mixture, then half the sour cream and chocolate. Repeat, ending with the last third of the flour scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.

Directions for Dark Chocolate Glaze:
In a bowl, combine chocolate, simple syrup, cocoa, and macadamia nut oil. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the ingredients in the bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour the warm glaze through a fine mesh sieve all over the cake and let it drip down the sides. Refrigerate the cake for 1 hour to set the glaze before serving.

Just planning a bit ahead. I’ve got some of my favorite chocolate recipes for you to make for your mother or your wife for brunch this Mother’s Day. You have lots of options including, Caribbean Hot Chocolate (I had this in Puerto Rico and the chef was kind enough to give me the recipe.), Morning Mocha, Chocolate Granola, Chocolate Pancakes and Chocolate Stuffed French Toast. My all time favorite out of all of those is the Chocolate French Toast. Woman cannot live by chocolate alone. Did I just say that? Make sure you have a nice bit of fruit and most definitely a salty side dish whether it be bacon, sausage or ham-pork, turkey or soy. You’ll need it to cut the sweetness and to provide balance to the meal. I have also provided options in the meals for those with special dietary needs.  Should you have any other substitution questions, just drop me an email.  Now go make your shopping list!

Caribbean Hot Chocolate

Caribbean Hot Chocolate

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 oz. dark chocolate, grated
2 c. milk (whole, 2%, skim, plain soy or plain rice)
2 T. raw sugar
½ vanilla pod, split
¼ t. ground nutmeg
½ t. ground cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks (optional garnish)

Mix the chocolate, sugar, egg yolk and half of the milk in a bowl. Add the rest of the milk, vanilla pod, nutmeg and cinnamon to a heavy saucepan over low heat until warm. Add Stir the chocolate mixture into the heated milk until the chocolate has completely dissolved and slightly thickened. Serve with a cinnamon stick for garnish.

Morning Mocha

Morning Mocha

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, grated
2 t. raw sugar
2 T. light cream or whole, 2%, skim, plain soy or plain rice
2 c. hot coffee, regular or decaffeinated
whipped cream. Grated dark chocolate or cinnamon (optional garnish)

Using a heavy saucepan, melt the chocolate over very low heat stirring constantly. Once smooth, add the sugar and the cream, stirring until dissolved. Pour in the hot coffee a little at a time whisking the mixture constantly.

Hot milk may be added before serving. Garnish as desired.

Chocolate Granola

Chocolate Granola

Serves 8

Ingredients:
6 c. oats (not instant)
1 c. flaxseed (ground)
1 c. nuts, chopped (your choice, I like almonds or pistachios)
1/3 c. macadamia nut oil (can substitute canola oil)
2/3 c. honey (may substitute agave nectar or brown rice syrup)
2 t. vanilla extract
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 c. dried berries (I like cranberries and blueberries)

Preheat oven to 300º. Combine oats, flaxseed and nuts in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, heat honey and oil over low heat. Add vanilla and whisk together. Pour over the oat mixture and mix well. Spread the mixture in large or two small jelly roll pans. Bake for 10 minutes and then stir mixture. Proceed to do this two more times for 10 minutes. The last time, only leave the granola in for five minutes. Granola should be golden brown. Remove the pan(s) from the oven and add the chocolate and berries over the mixture coating thoroughly. Cool. Store in an airtight jar.

Chocolate Pancakes

Chocolate Pancakes

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 c. flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t sea salt
3 T raw sugar
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 c milk (whole, 2%, skim, plain rice milk or plain soy milk)
1 whole egg
1 t orange zest
butter for the griddle
optional filling: ½ c. nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans are great), chopped or 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped
optional topping: butter, real maple syrup, chocolate sauce (see recipe)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Sift in cocoa. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, egg and orange zest. Pour milk mixture into the flour mixture. Add any additional filings. Preheat buttered griddle over medium-high heat. Ladle a half cup of the mixture onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles start to form, about two minutes. Flip and cook another two minutes. Serve with toppings of your choice.

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 slices French or Challah bread (1½” thick)
1¾ oz. dark chocolate
2 T. chopped nuts (I like macadamia nuts or almonds)
4 whole eggs
1¼ C. whole milk (or substitute 2%, skim, plain soy or skim milk)
½ t. cinnamon
¼ C. whole milk (coffee or coffee liquor work nicely too)
toppings (butter, pure maple syrup and/or sifted powdered sugar)

Heat griddle to 350º. Make a pocket inside of each bread slice by making a cut in the bottom crust and slicing through the center of the bread almost to the top of the crust. Break dark chocolate into six pieces. Place one in each of the bread pockets. Add 1 tablespoon nuts to each.

In a shallow dish, beat eggs, milk, cinnamon, and milk (or coffee liquor) Dip bread into egg mixture for about fifteen seconds per side. Add butter to the heated griddle. Cook bread until golden brown only turning one time. Top with any of your favorite toppings. Serve warm. (This photo was over the top.  I also put white chocolate and sliced bananas between the layers.  Not actually stuffed in the bread like the dark chocolate and nuts. They are more like condimetns if you will!)

This Chocolate Babka recipe comes from Alan Orloff and was posted on the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen website. Alan has a new release called Diamonds for the Dead. I haven’t had Chocolate Babka since I was little growing up in Sewickley, PA. Funny, whenever I hear chocolate babka I think of Seinfeld.  Remember that episode?  The only thing I changed was the type of chocolate.  No semi-sweet baking chips for this chickie…I’ve never made one before, only bought them at the bakery.  This should be fun!  He uses a bread machine to start his chocolate babka.

Chocolate Babka

Chocolate Babka

Directions:

Put the following ingredients into the bread machine pan in order listed. Run on the dough setting.

1/3 cup milk

1/3 water

2 large eggs (no shell) ha!

1/4 cup oil (cooking, not motor) ha!  I’m using Macadamia Nut Oil

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp yeast

Combine the following for the filling/topping.

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup dark chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt 1/4 margarine in a bowl.

Grease a ten-inch fluted tube or bundt pan. Spoon some of the filling into bottom of pan.

When dough cycle is complete, divide dough into 16 equal segments. Roll each ball into melted margarine, then roll through the filling. Place into pan. Use eight balls for the first layer, then top with the remaining eight balls. Toss in any remaining filling (or eat it–hey, you deserve a treat!).

Cover and let rise for an hour to an hour and a half.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

After dough has risen, bake for about forty minutes, or until golden brown.

I like him.  He has the same sense of humor as me!

For those that don’t like zucchini bread and for those that adore it!  This is the perfect recipe.  Trust me!  With zucchini season coming up, you’ll find yourself enjoying this for breakfast, snacks and dessert!  A dallop of gelato or mascarpone on top for dessert and oh, la, la!  You can toast it too!  Just watch it because the chocolate and cream cheese can melt in your toaster.  I like to just stick it under the broiler until lightly toasted.

Black and White Zucchini Bread Recipe

Black and White Zucchini Bread

Makes 2 Loaves

Ingredients

* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon sea salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil (I use Macadamia Nut Oil)
* 2 1/4 cups sugar
* 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups grated zucchini
* 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
*2 cups chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more)
*2- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease and lightly flour two 8 x 4 inch loaf pans.
2. Sift flour, sea salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini, nuts and dark chocolate until well combined. Pour half batter into each prepared pan.  Layer 1/4 of the cubed cream cheese into each of the pans.  Pour remaining batter into pans. Place the rest of the cream cheese cubes on top of the batter so that half of each cube is submerged.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Enjoy!  It’s pretty awesom when it’s still warm.  If you feel like splurging a bit, serve with a shmear of cream cheese or for pure decadence try Nutella!

Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Bread

Dark Chocolate Buttermilk Bread

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
1 c. raw sugar (you may use regular)
½ c. unsalted butter
2 whole eggs ( I use the Omega, Organic, Cage-Free)
1 c. buttermilk
1¾ c. flour
½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder
½ t. baking powder
½ t. baking soda
½ t. sea salt
½ c. dark chocolate, chopped (70-80%)
½ c. walnuts, chopped (optional)
fresh whipped cream and chocolate sauce (garnish and optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease the bottom of a bread pan.  Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl blending well.  Add eggs and continue to beat.  Stir in buttermilk.  Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Stir until moist.  Stir in chocolate and nuts.  Pour into pan distributing evenly.  Bake for one hour.  Cool on wire rack and serve.

This bread is also delicious toasted under the broil with a spread of butter, cream cheese or Nutella.  Personally, the cream cheese and Nutella together is the way to go!  Not as healthy…but damn good.

Dark Chocolate

Several weeks ago I took a chocolate tasting class taught by my friend, chocolatier and author, Annmarie Kostyk. I didn’t really know what to expect exactly, but I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I actually learned about eating chocolate for good health. I just have to share it here with all of you!

I arrived at Le Flour, a quaint French-inspired corner bakery and cafe located on N.Olmsted in Chicago.  I’d been there before when the bakery hosted a book-signing for the author and now teacher of our Chocolate Tasting class. Although the place was closing for the night, they still had an excellent selection of vegetable pies, fruit pastries and tarts. I couldn’t resist trying a spinach, egg and vegetable pastry just to pass the time before the class began.

With just four other students, all ladies, we sat down to an intimate table with individual bags full of chocolate and the latest book produced by our instructor called, The Chocolate Lovers’ Guide and Tasting Journal, of which 10% of profits benefit the UN World Food Programme.

She began the class by explaining what a cocoa pod looks like, where in the world it grows and the difficult process of extracting chocolate from the delicate and valuable cocoa pod. We were told what to look for in our tasting of three different bars of chocolate- different in their quality of ingredients and level of chocolate and sugar content.

First, we talked about setting the mood for tasting chocolate- spending time to really savor the flavor and texture of each bar so we could tell the difference in quality and ingredients. Once we actually tasted the different bars, we knew what to look for, but the fact that chocolate has over 500 flavor components didn’t exactly help narrow it down!

Chocolate that is smooth or gritty is actually of higher quality; ones with a creamy or waxy texture are of lower quality in that they’ve most likely had oil added to them. Once we reached the bar with 85% chocolate, we were at perhaps the most bitter of flavors, but the best quality and a taste one can aquire an appreciation for over time- especially after realizing the health benefits that come along with this amount of real, dark chocolate content.

We entered into a discussion about the health benefits of dark chocolate (at least 70% dark cocoa solids and unsweetened cocoa powder) where I learned some stunning facts:

* cocoa plants are some of the most highly-pesticized plants in the world (along with coffee plants) because of their high susceptibility to insect infestation. There are some great organic products around today who take great care to make sure their bars are produced from organic and fair trade pods only (see below).
* dark chocolate contains many antioxidants, in fact, the concentration of flavonoids in dark chocolate greatly exceeds what you’ll find in most fruits and vegetables
* dark chocolate is naturally high in magnesium, a substance that helps to lessen menstrual cramps, increase flexibility, helps in bone formation, increases brain activity and aids digestion- just a few of the many things magnesium does for the body
* the darker the chocolate, the more polyphenols present- these little guys help promote healthy aging, naturally.
* flavonols in chocolate help promote blood flow to the brain- in essence, that’s why chocolate (pure chocolate) makes you feel good.

You can read more about the health benefits of dark chocolate, which gives the highest amount of chocolate solids in a bar and possesses the lowest percentage of both fat and sugar, in Annmarie’s book.  In it she also discusses the use of chocolate as preventative medicine and gives recipes that help you incorporate it into your regular diet.

For now, you can do what I did and make this super easy, very quick snack just to get you started. I learned about it in the class when she told us that people in France actually have this as an afternoon or after-school snack- and they’re a country with far less heart disease and obesity than us. I guess they know chocolate…

For more great information about the food world, check out My Halal Kitchen!

Chocolate Bread

Ingredients

• 2 slices of thick, rustic bread (Italian or French) to hold and soak up the melting chocolate
• ½ bar (75g or 2.5 oz) of dark chocolate that is 70% or more chocolate
• Butter

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°
2. Cut bread in half to open the inside. Select how large a slice you want and butter it.
3. Cut the chocolate into squares and add the amount of chocolate pieces you want directly on top of the butter (3 pieces should be sufficient- remember it will be melting all over the bread)
4. Place the bread, chocolate side up, on a sheet pan directly into the hot oven. Bake for 5 minutes, watching carefully. Do not let the chocolate bubble. Remove once you see that all of the chocolate has melted.
5. Serve with a glass of warm milk on a cold afternoon- nothing will make you happier!

Chocolate Buttermilk Bread

Makes 1 Loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional if nut allergy, try substituting a dried, non-sweetened fruit)

*optional add 1/3 cup dark chocolate chopped for a denser bread

Directions:
Heat oven to 350*. Grease bottom only of 8×4 or 9×5 loaf pan. In large bowl, combine butter and sugar, blend well. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in buttermilk. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes. Cool and serve.

Tejate

Ingredients
o 3 litres water
o 250 g corn
o 2 kilos ground cinders
o 50 g roasted peeled cocoa beans
o 250 g sugar
o 3 pixtles (apricot tree seeds from the Antilles)
o 10 cocoa flowers

Preparation
Pour the water into an appropriate vessel, add the cinders, mix well and allow to rest.
Then pour the water into another vessel keeping back the cinders residue, add the corn and place the mixture on the heat.
When it is cooked, mix the paste obtained with the cocoa and the pixtles until a smooth, homogeneous paste is obtained.
Then place the mixture into an appropriate vessel and add water.
Beat vigorously until a rich mousse is obtained.
Separately, dissolve the sugar in a cup of water to make syrup. Serve in individual glasses and sweeten to taste with the syrup.