http://brieffood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/1506Chocolate.mp3 The first time I received chocolates for Valentine’s Day was when I was 7 years old. A boy in my class presented me with a tiny, heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates, bought from the local drug store. I was instantly smitten, and would go on to judge all my future boyfriends by the chocolates they gave me. Some women require jewelry and romantic candlelight dinners, but give me a box of chocolate truffles and I will be yours for life. Chocolate has been used for medicine, ritual, and for pleasure for over 4000 years – it’s no wonder we all have a special place in our hearts for this heavenly foodstuff. But where does chocolate actually come from? Well, the cocoa beans that form the basis of chocolate are actually seeds from the fruit of the cacao tree, which grows near the Equator. The seeds grow inside a pod-like fruit and are covered with white pulp. To make chocolate, cocoa farmers crack open the pods, scoop out the seeds, ferment and dry them, then ship the beans elsewhere, where they are roasted, ground, and mixed with sugar and various ingredients to make chocolate. I’ve never figured precisely why chocolates and Valentine’s Day go hand-in-hand, until a pastry chef explained that it has to do with decadence, and some sort of chemical that makes our brain happy when we eat chocolate. Combine a box of chocolates with a bottle of champagne and a plate of raw oysters (not necessarily in that order) and sparks are sure to fly. When I was attending college in Connecticut, I once took a train all the way into New York City, just to buy a box of Godiva chocolates. Godivas were considered the ultimate extravagance back in those days, and since I didn’t have a boyfriend then, at least I had good chocolates to eat on Valentine’s Day. But nowadays you can find a gourmet chocolatier in nearly every town, offering unique fillings and flavors. So what’s my favorite chocolate recipe? Hands down it’s gotta be Maida Haetter’s Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies. Maida Haetter was the quintessential pastry chef of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, and her chocolate dessert recipes are still the very best today. Her brownies are absolutely decadent, and take a ridiculous two and a half hours to prepare and bake, but worth every minute. The recipe calls for making a rich brownie batter, AND a chocolate cheesecake batter, and then layering them both in a pan before baking. The recipe makes 16 pretty good size brownies, and I assure you, that you will not want to share them. The making of chocolate has evolved into an industry so large that 40 to 50 million people depend on cocoa for their livelihoods – and chocolate farmers produce 3.8 million tons of cocoa beans per year. That means every time you eat chocolate, you are helping small family farmers in West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America make a good living for themselves and provide a better future for their children. That means I can eat all the chocolate I want, guiltless and carefree, this Valentine’s Day. What’s not to love about that? (A portion of this essay appeared in Jacksonville Magazine in 2015) Music credit: “Once Tomorrow (Instrumental Version)” by Josh Woodward is used under CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo credit: “Box of Chocolate” by Susanne Nilsson is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 Recipes: Maida Heatter’s Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies February 9, 2015 Karen Miller Course DessertsSnacks Serves 16 squares Equipment 9 x 9 inch baking pan Prep time 1h 50m Cook Time 40m Photo credit: “cheesecake brownies” by Ginny is used under CC BY-SA 2.0 Ingredients 4 Ounces unsalted butter 2 Ounces unsweetened cocoa 1 Cup granulated sugar 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1/3 Cup unsifted all-purpose flour 1 Cup toasted pecans 1/2 Cup packed shredded coconut 8 Ounces softened cream cheese 1/2 Cup granulated sugar 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour Instructions Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9-by-9-by-1 3/4-inch pan as follows: Turn the pan upside down. Center a 12-inch square of aluminum foil over the pan and fold down the sides and corners to shape the foil. Then turn the pan right side up. Place the foil in the pan and gently press it into place. Place a piece of butter in the pan, heat it in the oven to melt and then brush it all over with a pastry brush or spread it with crumbled wax paper. Set aside. To prepare the brownie layer, place the chocolate and butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over low heat and stir occasionally until melted. Stir in the salt, sugar and vanilla. Remove from heat and stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and stir well to mix, then stir in the pecans and coconut. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Let stand. To prepare the cheesecake layer, beat the cheese in the small bowl of an electric mixer until it is soft. Add the sugar, two tablespoons cocoa powder, vanilla extract, eggs and flour, one at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Pour the cheesecake mixture in a ribbon over the top of the brownie layer. Smooth the top. Then marbleize the two mixtures slightly as follows: Insert the handle end of a teaspoon almost but not completely to the bottom in one corner of the pan and, with the flat side of the handle, cut through the batter in a wide zigzag pattern. Smooth the top again. Bake for about 40 minutes until a toothpick gently inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool to room temperature. Then place in the freezer for about one hour until firm. Cover with a piece of wax paper and, on top of that, a cookie sheet. Turn the pan and cookie sheet upside down, remove the pan and peel off the foil. Cover with a cutting board or another cookie sheet and then turn upside down again, leaving the cake right side up. Cut into 16 large squares or 32 bars or triangles, wiping the blade with a damp cloth between cuttings. These may be wrapped individually in clear plastic wrap. But if they are not going to kept cold, using a sieve, sprinkle cocoa over the tops before wrapping to prevent sticking. Store these in the refrigerator or the freezer. They may be served frozen.
Comentarios