CHOCOLATE CHERRY BROWNIES!!!!

There are so many ingredients that make this so much richer and gooey than the typical brownie.  If I had this in a jar like a certain chocolate/hazelnut product I would probably need an intervention!  If you need to make someone jump and skip, gime them some of these brownies in a box with a ribbon and watch the entertainment.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY BROWNIES

Ingredients
butter for greasing pan

2 cups / 10.5 oz / 300 g dried cherries

scant cup / 200 ml / 7 fl oz port wine

1/2 cup / 2 oz / 55g / whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup / 1.5 oz / 40 g unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

10.5 oz / 300g 58% dark chocolate rounds

5 1/2 tablespoons / 2 3/4 oz / 80g unsalted butter

2 cups / 10.5 oz / sifted muscovado sugar

4 large eggs

scant 1/2 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 g creme fraiche or sour cream

1 cup / 5 oz / 145 g chocolate rounds

more cocoa powder, for dusting

A day or two before you want to bake the brownies, place the cherries in a medium bowl and pour over the port. Cover and set aside. Stir every twelve hours until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 325F / 170C and place a rack in the top third. Butter and line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch rectangular baking dish with parchment paper. An important step if you want to eventually get these brownies out of the pan. Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder into a bowl and set aside.

Make a double boiler by placing a stainless steel bowl over a small pan of gently simmering water - the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water. Place the 10.5 oz / 300g of chocolate into this bowl along with the butter and sugar. Stir just until the chocolate has melted and the ingredients come together into a mass. Transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer and allow to cool (cool enough that it won't cook the eggs when you add them). Mix on slow and add the eggs, one at a time, letting each get incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula a couple times along the way. Add the flour mixture and stir by hand until combined, then add the creme fraiche, remaining chocolate rounds, and the cherries with the port. Stir until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about an hour, or until just set. The center of the brownie should be set and not at all wobbly. Allow to cool completely in the pan. You can cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap at this point and the brownies will keep for a couple days. I recommend chilling before slicing if you want small, precise squares. Also keep a tall glass of warm water on hand to wash your knife between each cut. Enjoy at room temperature dusted with a bit of cocoa powder.

Makes one large pan of brownies.

Prep time: 900 min - Cook time: 60 min

ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE?

ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL CAKE



Recipe by Kim Boyce


"Rosemary Olive Oil Cake As Kim notes,you don't need to use a specialty olive oil for this cake. But if you have one with a lot of flavor, the cake will be that much better. This is one of those recipes where I think using regular sugar is the way to go. There was plenty going on with the interplay between the rosemary, chocolate, and olive oil - and I'm not sure adding less refined brown or Muscovado sugar would have been the way to go. The last note I'll make is to suggest chopping up a chocolate bar for this. It's just not going to be the same if you use uniform chocolate chips. Aim for big chunks 1/2-inch in diameter, you'll end up with all sorts of shavings and littler pieces as you are chopping, and having that mix of flecks and the big chunks is pretty great."


Olive oil for the pan

Dry ingredients:

3/4 cup / 3 oz / 80g spelt flour

1 1/2 cups / 7.5 oz / 210 g all-purpose flour

3/4 cup / 4 oz / 115g sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Wet ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup / 240 ml olive oil

3/4 cup / 180 ml whole milk

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

5 ounces / 140 g bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons sugar for top crunch

Preheat the oven to 350F / 175C. Rub a 9 1/2-inch (24 cm) fluted tart pan with olive oil. Alternately, I used a long (4 1/2 x 13 inch) loaf pan, and lined it with parchment paper.

Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring any bits of grain or other ingredients left in the sifter back into the bowl. Set aside.

In another large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Add the olive oil, milk and rosemary and whisk again. Using a spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry, gently mixing just until combined. Stir in 2/3 of the chocolate. Pour the batter into the pan, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate and run a fork along the length of the chocolate so that the batter envelops it just a bit. Sprinkle with the second sugar.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the top is domed, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. My cake, in the alternate pan, took closer to 50 minutes. Also, just when my cake was nearly finished baking, I decided I wanted a bit more color on top. I finished it under the broiler for a minute - which caramelized the sugar on top as well and gave it a bit of crunch. Don't walk away from the cake while it is under the broiler.

The cake can be eaten warm or cool from the pan, or cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic, and kept for 2 days.

Serves 8 -12.

Recipe adapted from Good to the Grainby Kim Boyce.

Prep time: 15 min - Cook time: 45 min

DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!!!!!!

If you love ice cream, you are going to LOVE dark chocolate ice cream!  This recipe uses our SINGLE ORIGIN rounds with limited ingredients, so you taste the sugary cream and real chocolate.



DARK CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

Ingredients

• 6 ounces KAROLINA Dark 58.5% Chocolate
• 3 ounces cocoa powder
• 24 ounces milk
• 12 ounces heavy cream
• 12 ounces sugar
• 8 egg yolks

Directions

Add cocoa powder to chopped chocolate
and set aside.
In a saucepan, bring the milk, cream and half the sugar to a boil and remove from heat.
In a stainless steel mixing bowl, whisk together the yolks and the remaining half of the sugar and then pour half of the hot milk mixture onto the yolks while whisking continuously.
Combine both mixtures in the saucepan and cook, while continuously stirring, to 185 degrees or when the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Pour over chocolate and cocoa powder and stir until all the chocolate has melted.
Pour mixture through a strainer to remove any unmelted bits of chocolate and cooked egg and allow to cool completely in an ice water bath before freezing.

Note: depending on the brand and characteristics of the cocoa powder you select, you may prefer to heat the cocoa powder with milk and cream mixture instead



WHERE'S THE CHOCOLATE?

Looking for a chocolate shop near you? The iPhone app has all things chocolate and even a map app to find a shop near your current location!  (Chocomap)

Find Chocolate! iPhone App



 

 

MILK CHOCOLATE & BOURBON TRUFFLES

HAPPY NEW YEAR!



What to do with all of the chocolate and bourbon you have left over from the Holidays?  Make these truffles and freeze for Valentines Day.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces Milk 41% Chocolate
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbls. butter, at room temperature
• 2 Tbls. bourbon
• 1 lb. milk chocolate, melted and tempered

Directions

Finely chop the milk chocolate.
Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the heat and add chocolate.
Whisk together until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.
Add soft butter and bourbon to the chocolate mixture. Whisk together until combined (do not over mix). The ganache should be about the same temperature as the butter when you add the butter (do not add butter to a warm ganache).
Allow the ganache to harden. I normally allow the ganache to sit overnight before using it.
Scoop truffles with a melon baller. Fill the scoop 3/4 full for average size truffles.
Round each truffle between your palms. Chill slightly before dipping or rolling them.

Temper the chocolate:
Slowly melt 10 oz. milk chocolate in a double boiler. Melt over steaming but not simmering water.
Meanwhile, chop the remaining 6 oz. chocolate.
The temperature of the chocolate should reach 120 degrees (slightly hot to touch).
Remove chocolate from heat.
Add a handful of the chopped chocolate to the ganache.
Stir until the chocolate is melted.
Repeat this procedure.
Continue adding chopped chocolate and stirring until chocolate is beginning to set up around the edges of the bowl and the chocolate in the center of the bowl will harden within 1-1/1 minutes when it is tested by dipping a knife into it.
The chocolate is now ready to use. If there are any unmelted bits of chocolate in the bowl, move them to the side of the bowl.
Should the chocolate harden too much to use, place the bowl of chocolate over a pot of hot water just long enough to warm the chocolate (do not return the chocolate to direct heat).
For rolling the truffles:
Place a little of the tempered milk chocolate on each palm.
Dip a truffle into the chocolate (halfway or so) and roll the truffle between your palms until coated with chocolate.
Set the rolled truffle on a sheetpan lined with parchment paper to dry. If the chocolate is properly tempered and you are in a cool room, refrigeration should not be necessary. The chocolate should harden within 1-1/2 minutes. If it doesn't, the chocolate is too warm and not properly tempered.
Repeat this process. Each truffle should have two coats of chocolate.
Yield: 2 dozen medium-sized truffles.

Variations:
Dip the truffles in tempered milk chocolate. Use a dipping fork and remove as much excess chocolate as possible to avoid a "foot" at the base. The dipped truffles may be decorated with white chocolate by drizzling the white chocolate over the truffles or by using a parchment bag to pipe it in a design.
Roll the truffles (as explained above) and then dropping them into cocoa powder, ground nuts, or nibs, coating on all sides. This will change the appearance, texture, and flavor of the truffles.
To achive a spiky appearance, roll the truffles around on a wire rack after the second coating of chocolate.

NOTE: Ideally, chocolates should not be refrigerated. Moisture collects on the chocolate giving it an unattractive appearance and rendering it useless (in its pure form) for melting and reusing. Truffles can be refrigerated in adverse conditions but it is not recommended.