Simple Cookbook a Bit Too Simple

For your Chocolate Priestess's birthday this year, her local hardware store sent her a gift card for $10 so I had to go spend it.  One of the things I found was this little cookbook from Gooseberry Patch called "Our Favorite Chocolate Recipes" for about $7.  I tried three recipes out of it and today I want to share the results of those recipes and a summary of the problems I found in the book that you can overcome if you have enough experience with chocolate and cooking.

I like that this book is small, 6 X 4.5 inches which means it can go on small bookshelves though it might get lost next to the huge cookbooks in your collection.  It is also spiral bound which I find incredibly helpful when I'm cooking because I don't have to have a special book holder or put something on the pages to hold it open.  It has 127 pages which include two pages about the types of chocolate you may need for these recipes, line drawings which most often are not of the recipe on that page, and an index arranged by the type of food (beverages, breakfasts, cakes, etc) though the book itself does not have neatly arranged chapters.

Sisters and Brothers, let me talk about the recipes in the order I tried them.  The very first one I tried was the "Chocolate Chip Waffles" (p 11) for breakfast one Sunday.  I noticed two problems with this recipe right away.  First, while sugar is listed as an ingredient the directions never say when to add it so I used my judgment and added with the other dry ingredients.  Second, the resulting batter seemed weak to me so I ended up adding in 3/4 cup of more flour.  That might be a factor of how my family likes waffles though -- very thick and crisp.  The waffles themselves were so delicious that I didn't want syrup on them at all.

The next recipe I tried was for the "Cinnamon Hot Chocolate" (p 23) as part of my hot chocolate drinks round of reviews I'll be doing this winter.  This also had a problem in that it required using a double boiler which I have and which frankly I'm not terribly fond of.  The problem is that if you are unfamiliar with how double boiler's work, this book gives you no advice on what  you need to do.  The other directions were very clear and the resulting drink was enjoyed by everyone in my household though this is just my mug of it so you could see the color better.  Often we'll add marshmallows to packaged hot cocoa but the cinnamon was enough of a kick to make this interesting so we didn't bother.  Hint: Make sure your cinnamon stick is fresh for greatest spice experience.

Finally I made the "Chocolate Peanut Candy" (p 115) or what I'd simply call "Peanut Clusters" as one of the items for our forthcoming holiday party.  This used the crockpot and it took a bit longer for all the chocolate ingredients to melt but it worked very well as a one-pot way to make these treats which included three types of chocolate: baking, white, and semi-sweet.  My candies are twice the size the book recommended you make but I know our guests will not complain at all if they must eat more.  It did take about four hours for them to cool and firm up enough to be stored.  While this recipe does not say how to store these or how long they can last, I think I can safely store then in an airtight container with wax paper between layers, at room temp until our party should work.

A note about white chocolate: Make sure what you are getting is white chocolate.  I used Baker's white chocolate for baking in this and for another recipe I'll talk about in a week or so I got a bag of the store brand chips from Kroger.  Here's the thing that annoyed me, actually it more than annoyed me.  A national brand had "white morsels" that were NOT chocolate, no cocoa butter at all in them.  Now they didn't lie because no claim was made on the package but to the average person for supplies for baking and candy making, you could think these were white chocolate just by their look and their location.  Always check the ingredients on the package, don't allow yourself to use something that isn't white chocolate if you plan to serve something with the Sacred Substance in it.

Overall I found the book had very simple recipes and therein is a slight problem. For the experienced cook this shouldn't be a big deal, you draw upon your work with previous recipes of a similar nature to decide what to do.  But for the brand new cook, especially if you are working with chocolate which can burn, seize, or bloom under certain not uncommon conditions and thus get ruined easily, simple isn't always helpful.  If you know an experienced cook who likes chocolate and you have a little money, you might look into this book.

Sisters and Brothers, may you too take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate.

Hot Chocolate Disappoints but Cookie Pleases

Ah, happy December 1st, Sisters and Brothers!  Your Chocolate Priestess has 12 more days to prepare for the biggest party her household hosts every year.  Now, we make 90% of the food we share at this bash but some of you may be looking to buy treats or catering for your own parties.  So I want to talk about some items you might consider.  I have mentioned the Bakehouse in the past and today I want to talk about two chocolate treats I've had there but unfortunately not at the same time.

As the weather where I am turns colder you'll be seeing more and more reviews of hot chocolate drinks.  At the Bakehouse in Bloomington, Indiana, I recently ordered the largest hot chocolate they had.  Here you see it in a photo with a molasses cookie.  The presentation was just off in this big travel cup and the product was too hot to allow the cocoa to come through.  I let it cool and still the cocoa taste was rathe weak.  Furthermore the chocolate and the milk started to separate meaning I had to stir it to keep it mixed and when I pay for hot chocolate in a restaurant, I think it should remain mixed without my need to stir, I can get that quality as you've seen from homemade hot chocolate drinks.  The best thing about this was that I could break off pieces of the cookie and dip it and that was nice to enjoy.

A while back I bought two chocolate cookies from the Bakehouse as well and given that some of you may be thinking of buying cookies for your holiday parties, here are my experiences with each one.  The Bakehouse's Chocolate Chip Cookie measures 4 inches across and as you can see is a nice light tan color with visible chocolate chips.  There is no chocolate scent when take a deep breath of the cookie, in fact not a lot of scent at even though this was bought the day it was made.  Sadly this is also the case with the taste which is primarily flour not even sugar though there is a hint of butter and a slight bitterness from the chocolate suggesting they are probably the semi-sweet type.  The chocolate flavor builds up with each bite however making this an acceptable cookie just certainly not the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had.  The cookie itself has a firm, slightly crunch outer ring and then an inner soft center.  The softer part has a stronger sugar, butter, and chocolate flavor than the crisper edges.

The Bakehouse also has a Chocolate Cookie and that is what I thought the Molasses cookie because they don't label their cookies, merely wrap them in plastic and place them in a basket and sometime the counter worker doesn't know what items are; that's a big problem at the Bakehouse.  This measureas 4.5 inches across and has a light, uneven glazing of powder sugar.  This cookies smells very cocoay and sugary and it tastes like a brownie.  Not too sweet or bitter but a nice blend of those flavor in this soft cookie with a crisp crust all around it.  This builds up both a chocolate and sugar rush and since it was the same price as the Chocolate Chip variety, I say choose this cookie instead.

Over all these are not the best chocolate items from the Bakehouse here in Blooomington but I hope my reviews give you some information to consider if you are in the area.  Remember you can use the Search feature on this blog to find related reviews as well.

Sisters and Brothers, may you too take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate.

Gelato Anytime

Your Chocolate Priestess mentioned gelato early this year after a time to the Chicago area and a wonderful little shop called Taviata where we got some plus a few other treats the chocolatier gave us and we bought.  I remember gelato from when I lived in Rome for two semesters or eight months if you like.  Finding it in the midwest was proving difficult and the tiny place that used to me in my town didn't last long.

That's why when I saw this gelato from Ciao Bella in my local coop, I had to get their chocolate flavor and give it a try.  Each flavor, there were about six in stock when I found this, had it's own color scheme and this stood out with purple, orange and white but it didn't scream chocolate.  It happened to be on sale making it about the average regular price for some thing like a Godiva or Ben & Jerry ice cream pint.  So far I've only seen this brand in the Bloomingfoods coop in Bloomington, Indiana, but perhaps you can find it elsewhere.

Each 1 pint container has four servings but be honest with yourself: How often do you make this sort of treat last four servings.  If you do then you are well versed in Moderation.  Frankly it is easier with gelato than other frozen chocolate treats.  Often the cocoa flavor is dulled by the cold but not gelato so the essence of the cocoa seems more intense and you can get a buzz faster.  You will get one faster on this because it tastes smooth, creamy, rich, and differently like darker chocolate.

Gelato is not dairy free however, this isn't sorbet, that is dairy and animal free so it's good for vegans.  This like most ice cream is good for vegetarians and the rest of us because other than dairy there is nothing else from an animal.  Dairy appears to be the only allegen in the flavor as well unless you count cocoa but then why are you reading The Chocolate Cult?

In terms of nutrition this lacks a bit behind ice cream in some categories such as fiber and protein but has less fat over if you are comparing it to regular or rich ice cream.  However, each serving, remember there are four in this container, has the following make up.  240 calories, 8g saturated fat, 45mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium, less than a gram of fiber, 20g sugars, 5g protein, and 10% of the daily Vitamin A, Calcium, and Iron an adult needs. 

Because of the intensity of the flavor, the price, and the Path, Sisters and Brothers, I made this last several evenings over a few months.  Economically I can't say that buying pints is ever the best choice but I wanted to try this for all of you.  Check out your own stores and let me know if Ciao Bella Gelato Company is selling near you.