don't cry over spilled chocolate

I'm not sure if it is helpful or harmful when I have sudden urges to bake at 9 in the evening.

Last night I had an intense craving for a chocolate tart. I wanted something rich yet simple to make, and found a recipe that appeared to meet both requirements.

The recipe called for 150 g chocolate, and my 4-ounce/113 g chocolate baking bar came up a bit short, so I put the chocolate bar on my baking scale and proceeded to add chocolate chips to make up for the difference until I had 150 g total. In the process, the (open) bag of chocolate chips slipped from my hands and fell on the floor, spilling half of the chocolate chips.

Aaaarggghhhh!!!! 

Then A. comes rushing into the kitchen, asking what happened and if I was ok. He's used to hearing random sounds from me when I am in the kitchen, whether it's because I bumped my head on an open cupboard door (for the nth time) or spilled something, or both. And in his typical calm, gentle, grounding self he always says something in response to my P.O.'d state. I really dislike wasting food.

"Maybe it was bad chocolate and it was meant to be spilled," A. says.

But me and my usual stubborn self - I wouldn't hear any of it. "But it WAS good chocolate!!" I say.

And this is usually when he starts telling me a story.

A. always has these short stories and fables. I'm not sure where he gets them, but they must be stories that he's learned from childhood. I've probably heard 3 or 4 different ones (maybe more) over the course of our relationship, which I regrettably haven't written down anywhere - until now.

There he was, on his hands and knees, helping me collect the chocolate chips from the floor, and he proceeds to tell me this story.

Once there was a king who lost a battle and ran away with his horse to go in hiding. After some time, the king was so tired, hungry, and thirsty. He heard some water dripping from above and started collecting it in a bowl. Just as he was about to take a sip, his horse kicked the bowl, knocking all the water out of it. In his anger, he beheaded his horse. He later realized that the dripping liquid was coming from a snake. The snake had been hitting a tree branch above, causing the venom to drip from his mouth. By knocking the bowl over, his horse saved him from getting poisoned. 

Moral of the story: Perhaps things do happen for a reason. (Even spilled chocolate.)

My moral #2: ALWAYS have extra chocolate. 

On to the recipe...

This chocolate tart was inspired by Mimi Thorisson's recipe, as written in her stunning blog, Manger. Seriously - I can get completely lost in her site, in her stories of living with her family and dogs in the countryside in southern France. Her recipes exemplify rustic yet elegant (how she makes that combination possible, I'd love to know) French cooking at its best, highlighting the fresh flavors of the season's produce.

I used her chocolate filling recipe but added some vanilla. I like a nutty crust, so I used almonds as the base instead of making a regular pie pastry crust as directed in her recipe.

Chocolate Tart in an Almond Crust
(adapted from Mimi Thorisson's la tarte au chocolat; crust recipe is my own)

Crust:

• 2 cups almond meal (I get it from Trader Joe's. Alternatively, grind almonds in a food processor. Skin on is fine for texture. I actually prefer grinding the almonds myself for this type of crust as I like the texture, but I was out of whole almonds)
• a pinch of sea salt
• scant 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 1/4 cup whole milk (Please do not sub with skim milk! I always use whole milk in baking and ice creams as a general rule. Go big or go home.)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• tiny pinch of sea salt
• 150 g semisweet chocolate, broken into small pieces (I used one 4-ounce bar of Ghirardelli semisweet baking chocolate plus about 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips to measure 150 g total)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten 
• extra chocolate, for grating on top

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a pie dish, measure out the almond meal, sea salt, and brown sugar. Mix together well, making sure to break any lumps of almond meal or sugar. Add the melted butter and mix well until mixture sticks together. Press onto the bottom of the pie dish with your (clean) hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. (You can also mix this in a large bowl and then transfer it into your pie dish, but I try to keep dirtied bowls to a minimum when I can). Bake it in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the crust browns slightly. Take it out of the oven and set aside. Switch off the oven.
2. To make the filling, mix the milk, cream, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring it to a gentle boil, then take it off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir it well to allow the chocolate to melt in the hot liquid. Continue stirring until the mixture is smooth.
3. Have the lightly beaten egg ready in a bowl. When the chocolate mixture is smooth, slowly pour a small amount (about a quarter cup or so - no need to measure) into the beaten egg, and stir it gently. This process of taking a small amount of hot liquid into a cooler liquid (like egg) is called tempering. This is not in Ms. Thorisson's recipe, but I like to take this extra step when I'm mixing eggs with a hot liquid, such as for custards and puddings. It sounds technical, but it's actually quite easy. Instead of pouring the egg into the hot chocolate (which can make the egg "scramble" in the chocolate - not good.), by tempering you are trying to bring up the temperature of the egg gradually without cooking it. Add a small amount of chocolate again, and stir gently once more. Repeat one more time, stirring until the mixture is homogenous. At this time, pour the rest of the chocolate into the egg mixture. Mix until smooth. (So, if you happen to prepare this for a party and you are asked how to make it, you can say "I tempered the egg" and sound really smart :) )
4. Pour the filling over the crust. Return it to the oven (switched off) - at this point your oven should be at about 300 degrees F. Keep the oven turned off, and let the tart bake in the residual heat for 15 minutes. 
5. After 15 minutes, take the tart out of the oven and let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 2-3 hours or until set.
6. Refrigerate the tart for an hour or so for easier slicing. Grate or shave (using a vegetable peeler) extra chocolate on top. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

This chocolate tart is a great base for experimentation. Here are a few flavor variations:

• Toast some coconut flakes and sprinkle it in a circle around the edge of the tart (if you like an "Almond Joy" type of flavor) 
• Use orange extract in place of vanilla in the chocolate. Serve the tart with whipped cream spiked with a little Triple Sec or Grand Marnier and a little bit of orange zest.
• Sub some pistachio in place of some of the almonds. When heating the cream and milk, infuse it with cardamom (open whole cardamom pods, crush the seeds using a mortar and pestle, and let it infuse the cream for 10-15 minutes. Strain the cream before adding the chocolate. Once the tart is done, sprinkle some chopped pistachios in a circle around the edge of the tart.
• Infuse the milk/cream mixture with dried lavender flowers (culinary grade) for 10-15 minutes. Strain the cream before adding the chocolate. Serve the tart with a drizzle of warmed lavender honey.
• Drizzle the tart with salted caramel. 

Now that I've listed all those variations, I'm thinking of which one to try next! Those tend to be my favorite flavor combinations, but I'd love to know what you come up with.

So, I'll no longer cry over spilled chocolate. I may just get slightly teary-eyed though. It is chocolate, after all.

is it only Monday? (and, reminiscing a family lunch in the Philippines)

First working day of the week, and I'm already tired. Is that what happens when you approach your mid-thirties?

I shudder just saying that. Mid-thirties.

I could use some of this in my life right now:

chocolate souffle | Antonio's, Tagaytay, Philippines

And this:

Chocolate and coffee should give me more energy, right? Right. Of course.  ;-)

Looking at these photos, I'm remembering the lovely lunch I had with my family back home. It was in this place called Antonio's, and it is a beautiful, old (but maintained/restored) Spanish-Filipino style house with a lush tropical garden.

My brother and sister-in-law had their wedding reception here - I still regret not being able to go home for that milestone of an event - I didn't have my green card yet at the time, and my family told me not to leave the US and risk not being able to re-enter. So I was happy to be able to finally see the place.

More details...

 I loved being able to see everything so GREEN in December.

And then I remembered, that's what I grew up with 23 years of my life. Funny how being away changes one's perspective so much. I saw these sun-dappled patches with new eyes.

 Glorious sunlight. Yes, this is what December looks like in the Philippines.

More details...

She-and-He labels for restrooms

And A. having a moment with my niece P.

And let's not forget the food...interestingly, this was one of the few non-Filipino meals I had during our trip.

I don't eat a ton of cheese on a regular basis, so the raclette was a treat. The pickled vegetables cut through the richness of the cheese, which was a nice contrast. Of course, you can't go wrong with buttered and toasted baguette. I'm also not a huge fan of kohlrabi, but the soup was quite good.

L: raclette; R: cream of kohlrabi soup

Salads, below. I made it a point to eat kesong puti (this amazing creamy local cheese) every chance I got. I kind of met my cheese quota at this point already with the raclette I had prior, but what the heck...

L: baked kesong puti with arugula; R: mesclun with gorgonzola

And the rest of our meal... between courses, we had a pineapple sorbet, followed by the main course, which A. and I shared. And yes, I ate chicken. I believe it was a local chicken. Don't worry, I didn't go all Portlandia on the server (and if you haven't seen that video, it is hilarious). That said, in the interest of full disclosure, I did eat chicken during this trip - there were some traditional dishes that you just can't get anywhere else. This one was quite good (but not quiiiite the best) - crispy outside and juicy inside... accompanied by a romesco sauce and the creamiest, most indulgent risotto. Yum.

Quite obviously, there was no shortage of chocolate.

Clockwise from left: chocolate souffle with cardamom creme anglaise, muscovado sugar, coffee from local beans, a trio of panna cotta - chocolate, hazelnut, and vanilla, and another chocolate dessert with pistachios

And on that note... I need to prepare dinner now. Except it's our usual bean-and-vegetable dinner (tonight it's a Greek lima bean stew and caramelized brussels sprouts), and nothing like this decadence... and just a quiet table for two at home, not a long table for 8-10 like the many family meals shared during our trip.

In the meantime, I am wishing for this right now:

(See the word I'm thinking of?)

chocolate zucchini muffins

Summer brings an abundance of zucchini. There were 2 zucchinis (thanks to Fresh Fork Market) in my refrigerator crisper drawer, staring at me. Having already made two loaves of zucchini bread, I decided to adapt my zucchini bread recipe and add chocolate. You can't go wrong with chocolate, right?

For me, most muffins call for chocolate chips or nuts. I like the contrasting textures of the moist crumb and the crunch of chocolate chips or nuts together. So, I searched my pantry high and low for chocolate chips... and unfortunately none turned up. And I already used up my last 2 bars of Green & Black dark chocolate for my fleur de sel chocolate chip cookies yesterday. Really??? No chocolate in this household???

And then I found a box of dark chocolate coated marzipan. It was a gift to us, but neither of us are actually huge fans of marzipan. So in my determined-to-have-chocolate state, I decided to cut up all these chocolate marzipan bars and use the chocolate coating. I initially felt bad about tossing the marzipan interior (I hate throwing food away - that's the Filipino in me), but...voila, I had chocolate "chips"! After this long process, I ended up with about 3/4 cup of chocolate pieces. And I had a little shy of half a cup of walnuts. Score! (But I suggest you just grab a bag of chocolate chips while you are at the store.)

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (makes 23-24 muffins)

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 tablespoon instant coffee powder
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups turbinado sugar (or regular brown sugar)
• 3/4 cup virgin coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed, mixed with 6 tablespoons water (or 3 eggs)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups grated zucchini (grated in a food processor)
• 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, nuts, or a combination

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper muffin liners, or grease and flour the muffin tins. I actually just used one muffin tin and just baked them in two batches (Technically I think that once the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, the batter has to be baked without delay... but I figured this wasn't such a delicate recipe and the second batch can wait a half hour or so before going into the oven. Anyway...)
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, instant coffee, allspice, and cinnamon. I now mix a little bit of coffee into almost any chocolate recipe. Not that you actually taste the coffee, but it just adds even more depth of flavor. Coffee makes chocolate taste better! (Thanks, Ina Garten)
3. Measure out about a half cup of the flour mixture and place in a bowl with the chocolate chips or nuts. Mix together to coat the chocolate chips/nuts. This process (I think the technical term is dredging) prevents the chocolate chips/nuts from sinking to the bottom of the muffins as they bake.
4. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, oil, ground flaxseed mixture (or eggs), vanilla, and grated zucchini. As a side note, for those of you who are wary of coconut oil... you actually don't detect the coconut flavor in here. And virgin, cold-pressed, unrefined coconut oil is actually good for you!
5. Mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, just until combined (do not overmix!). Fold in the chocolate chips/nuts and the remaining flour mixture.
6. Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, divide the batter into the muffin cups (fill about 2/3 of the way up in each muffin cup). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a small knife/cake tester/toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out without any liquid batter sticking to it (moist/dry crumbs are ok).
7. Cool in the muffin pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Well, the cooling process didn't quite happen for me. I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into one of these.

See how incredibly moist and chocolate-y they are?

Not that zucchinis are a bad thing, but you can't even detect them in here. Surely a great way to use up zucchini. I think my next zucchini experiment will be to make them into latkes.



PS: As a side note, my wire rack (middle ground of photo) looks like it's glowing!

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It's December! The time of the year which always makes me nostalgic and long for home and the comforting memories of leisurely days with family, spent sitting around a large dinner table, sharing and enjoying a meal, exchanging stories. There was always an abundance of food and an abundance of laughter - especially with my brother who could imitate and impersonate just about anyone... plus a great-aunt who was also wacky, unconventional, and just delightful. Between the two of them, we would be practically falling off our seat laughing, our bellies aching not just from food but from the uncontrollable fits of laughter.

Every year I debate with myself whether to decorate my home for Christmas or not. Although I know that Christmas isn't about the lights and the ornaments, there's a comfort in going through traditions. Ever since I left home and lived on my own, I always decided not to decorate - as I tend to go out of town and visit family that time of year. But this year though, I decided to put together a few simple things.

A DIY wreath - which cost all of $4!!! Made from materials from the dollar store - $1 for the plain wreath and $1 per pair for 3 pairs of gold accent pieces.

A pillar candle for $1 per pair, on a red saucer. Surrounded by sparkly snowflake ornaments from C&B

Pinecones in a clear glass bowl... always nice to have some natural elements. It's not clear from the photo, but I love this asymmetrical glass bowl. Its free-form shape adds an organic touch.

I love the texture natural materials add to a space.

And last, but not the least...

Spanish-style hot chocolate

Spanish-style hot chocolate...one of my most favorite childhood memories of Christmas. My family and I grew up drinking this chocolate, which my mom made frequently during the holidays, but also throughout the year -- to celebrate a birthday, to welcome friends our houseguests, or to enjoy with Spanish-Filipino style pastries for an afternoon snack. Each time my mom made it, it was always in a big pot for the whole family as well as friends dropping by - expected or not. The smell of chocolate would waft through the whole house, inviting everyone to gather around the table for a leisurely cup of chocolate. Now I've brought the tradition over here and shared it with friends as well.

This chocolate is not for the faint of heart -- it is made with pure unsweetened cocoa.

Here's what you'll need:
A small saucepan, preferably with a thick/heavy bottom, and ideally with a pouring spout.
A heatproof rubber spatula (or anything you can use for stirring)

This recipe makes hot chocolate for 2:

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (the one we always used back home comes in round tablets, about an ounce each)

¼ cup water

3 teaspoons sugar (turbinado or raw sugar is good, but regular sugar is fine as well)

A tiny pinch of sea salt

A tiny pinch of instant coffee or instant espresso

3 tablespoons milk, or to taste

Start by melting the chocolate tablets with water over medium-low heat. Be sure to stir so that it melts evenly – the rubber spatula helps with scraping any chocolate on the bottom of the saucepan so it doesn’t burn.

Once the chocolate is melted, add sugar. Start with 3 teaspoons of sugar to make a bittersweet chocolate drink (my personal preference), or add more to make a sweeter drink. Add sea salt – it sounds unusual, but a little salt brings out all the flavors. Then add the coffee, because a little coffee makes chocolate taste even better.

Add 3 tablespoons of milk, or half-and-half if you want a richer flavor. This makes a dark hot chocolate, but you can always add more milk to lighten it up.

Pour into espresso or demitasse cups. Enjoy by itself, or with churros, biscotti, or shortbread cookies.

thick, bittersweet hot chocolate in demitasse cups

I've also been reading about this "twelve dates of Christmas" in the blogosphere. Might be something for A and I to consider. Unhurried, quality time together to focus on what's important amidst the often frenzied holiday state.

Hope you're doing something special with your loved ones this season!

cookies from childhood, all grown up

Last June, I took a quick trip to Portland, Oregon. I stopped at a farmers' market and sampled sweet confections from this bakery. Their tagline goes, "artisan sweets for the soul." How could I resist?

One of the sweet treats I tried from the Two Tarts booth at the Portland farmers' market is fleur de sel chocolate chip cookies. There's something about chocolate and salt together that really hits the spot. Sweet and salty flavors, done just right. Toast with fruit preserves and Irish cheddar. Figs and gorgonzola. Fleur de sel caramels. It's that play between sweet and savory, a delicious contrast, each flavor bringing out the best in the other. 

Recently I started craving for fleur de sel chocolate chip cookies... and so the hunt for a recipe began. I used this recipe, but modified it by using fleur de sel instead of kosher salt. I also sprinkled the tops of the cookies with a touch more of fleur de sel right before baking.

But baking these cookies was more than a delight to the senses. It was a trip down memory lane, baking with my mother back home, when I was little. My first memory of being in the kitchen with my mother takes me back to a vivid picture of me standing on a chair next to my mom as she worked on cake batter on the countertop, with her big bowl and mixer, while I had my own kitchen play set, including a bowl, spoon, and apron. She even put some flour in my bowl for me to "mix", and I enthusiastically "baked" with her, making a mess in the process. But she didn't mind. Maybe she could foresee, back then, how much I would love to cook and bake as a teenager, then as an adult. Maybe she could envision me having so much fun baking and cooking with my nephews when we were on vacation.

Some years later, when I was old enough to actually handle real ingredients (7 or 8 maybe?), I remember making chocolate chip cookies with my mom and older brothers. Oh, what a big deal that was for us! Each of us had a role in the baking process. Later, when I was older, my mom told me how our family was on a tight budget then, with my three brothers and I going to private school and engaging in sports or other hobbies. But I never felt it, never felt deprived. I remember now, we had to ration the Hershey's chocolate bar, back then a precious commodity for us. Hershey's was a huge deal then! So we made the cookie dough separate from the chocolate. My mom gave us instructions to only put two pieces of chopped chocolate on each cookie, to make the chocolate bar go a long way. One of my brothers, of course, tried to sneak in a third or fourth piece of chopped chocolate on a few cookies, trying to remember where those "extra special" cookies were on the baking sheet for him to eat later.

Then I remember, years later, when we first tried US-made chocolate chip cookies. I remember looking at the cookies disbelievingly, because each cookie was studded with chocolate chips. But even as I look back to our childhood memories of chocolate chip cookies, with only two small pieces of chocolate on each one, it didn't matter. What mattered was the experience we had -- learning to take turns, learning to take on roles, learning to help out and cooperate, and learning about the joys of making something from scratch. And having fun, without gadgets and video games (which we never had, growing up, but I didn't mind). It goes to show how valuable the experience is. The experience of family, of being together. What I learned from these experiences back then are my anchors as an adult. And no matter how old I get or how far away I move from home, remembering these moments ground me in what I think is essential in life: nurturing relationships. Nourishing each other, not just through food made with love, but nourishing each other by giving undivided attention, listening, and exercising patience and compassion. The actions I experienced as a receiver, as a child, have become my anchors. Anchors which I hope to pass on to my children in the future. And my children's children.

Now, I look back with fondness as I made these "grown-up" chocolate chip cookies. It's amazing how the simple act of mixing butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and chocolate makes me think about my roots.

And it's funny how, as an adult, I never spent for cable TV service, but I will choose to make a splurge of $10 for something as "basic" as salt. Well, not just any salt, but fleur de sel. Anyway, clearly I know my priorities. :)

Here's what I do: since I don't bake the cookies all in one sitting, I freeze the rest of the dough. But before I freeze them, I mold them using a small cookie scoop for easy thawing later.

So here are my childhood cookies, all grown-up: I do allow the indulgence of mixing in the chocolate chips with the cookie dough. And the fleur de sel adds a grown-up touch.  But more than that, I find joy in thinking that I can also nourish someone else's soul. Even if it's just through chocolate or cookies. But it's something made with love, attention, and fond memories of the moments that really matter.

~

A few notes...

Below are some recipes to try:
David Lebovitz' Salted Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Jacques Torres' Chocolate Chip Cookies, here and here


Here is one of the best articles I've read about chocolate chip cookies. This is serious stuff, folks. And it's why I let chocolate chip cookie dough rest in the refrigerator for 2 whole days before baking.

I prefer to use a good chocolate bar (dark, 70% cocoa), chopped up - rather than chocolate chips, for two reasons. First, I think the quality of the chocolate is better (yes I know I'm a chocolate snob). Second, I like how chopped up chocolate is rough around the edges. All the pieces (big and small) and the tiny bits - the chocolate dust that results from chopping - become more distributed throughout the dough. The result? You're ensured to have a dose of chocolate in every bite.

I told you this was serious business.

lavender honey dark chocolate

I have to admit that when the going gets tough, I reach for chocolate.

To my disappointment, I was out of my usual chocolate bar and was unable to go to the store to get another one. Usually when I am towards the end of one chocolate bar, there's an extra one in my kitchen somewhere... or even in my purse. I think a square or two of chocolate a day is perfectly reasonable, and it's such a treat after lunch or dinner. But there was none to be had.

So I went into my kitchen to look for chocolate, and then I found chocolate tableas from the Philippines that my mother sent me last year (these things last a pretty long time, kept in a cool dark place).

These chocolate tableas are deep, rich, and best of all, heartwarming. It's the kind that takes me back home, to childhood memories of my mother making this hot chocolate for the holidays. She would make it in a HUGE pot, enough to feed our big family and more -- for the guests, both expected and unexpected, but welcomed all the same. The scents would fill the kitchen and waft into the living room as we waited in anticipation for the chocolate to be ready. Memories of my family gathering around a candlelit table, each with a cup of hot chocolate (and some sweet, buttery, brioche-style rolls we call ensaimada, for dunking).

So making this chocolate here, is like a taste of home in a cup. At 11 pm, I decided to make some. The enjoyment is in the process of making it, as much as it is in savoring it. I think part of it has to do with the "slow-food" feel of preparing it. No microwaving here.

Sometimes I make it in the more traditional way, the way my mom makes it. Just the chocolate, melting in a pot with some water, until it's simmering. Make sure you stir fairly constantly, so the chocolate melts evenly and no chocolate get scorched in the bottom of the pan, which would be a tragedy in my world. A little milk --  or a lot, depending on how dark or how milky you want it (I prefer the former). And turbinado sugar, depending on whether the tableas are sweetened or unsweetened.

Or sometimes I make it with a little twist - in the winter I might make it Mexican style with a little cinnamon and cayenne. But this spring, I wanted the flavors of lavender and honey.

I had this bottle of lavender honey which I bought in a cozy local store in Asheville last spring. I'm quite proud that I've been able to ration it. One year later, and I still haven't consumed the entire bottle. I have about a quarter of it left, and I wish I had gotten two bottles.

Lavender honey. There's just nothing like it. The subtle flowery lavender notes in sweet, fragrant honey. It's nature's magic.

So I melted 6 chocolate tableas (might as well make enough to last the week, right?) in a little water, in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan (or you could use a double boiler) over low heat. Once all the chocolate was melted and the mixture was simmering, I added some plain almond milk, about a cup or so. I let it cook until it was heated through, then added a few tablespoonfuls of this lavender honey.

I enjoyed it in a little cup, letting the heat of the cup warm my palms as I placed my hands around it. And believe me, this is rich, and a little teacup's worth of hot chocolate is probably enough. No supersized mugs here. It's something that's meant to be sipped and enjoyed slowly.

Hot chocolate from the Philippines, 
with lavender honey from North Carolina, 

served in a Turkish cup and saucer, 
enjoyed in Northern Ohio,
thinking of family and memories from half a world away. :)

happy Monday

I just received an email this morning from this Filipino food blogger, telling me that I am the winner of his chocolate giveaway contest!

So I await 2 bars of chocolate (sourced from the Philippines... YEAH!) in the mail. One regular dark chocolate bar and one dark chocolate bar with fleur de sel. I love fleur de sel in chocolate... the sweet-salty combination just hits the spot.

The stars must have been aligned just right...

And another freebie... the yoga instructor at our student rec center gave us each a pass for ONE FREE WEEK OF YOGA at this studio! She actually gave it to us some weeks ago, and unfortunately I thought I misplaced it in between my stacks of books and papers... and then yesterday it turned up. What a perfect week for me to find it... because this week is crunch time in the semester.

Hopefully I'll breeze through the week with lots of stretches, deep breaths, and OM's.

It's a great Monday already... have a great week!

choose your poison... responsibly

An interesting article on "chocolate's bitter truth" - the unethical, slave labor practices in making chocolate.

Click here.

Glad they endorsed Green & Black and Dagoba chocolate, because I consume both of these quite regularly!

i dream in chocolate

Imagine smooth, creamy, bittersweet dark chocolate, with a dollop of lightly sweetened creme fraiche, and the slightly chewy bits of candied orange peel... or you can check out this recipe for Chocolate-Orange Pots de Creme (a fancy French name for chocolate pudding).

I LOVE dark chocolate and orange together. Whether it's the subtle flecks of candied orange peel in a chocolate bar, natural orange extract in hot chocolate, or in this heavenly dessert, the combination is just amazing.

Ed. 4.10.10: I have to admit that I REALLY do dream of food. I had a dream in which I was planning a dinner party, back home in my family's garden. I even had the menu planned out. 
Anyway...So I finally made this chocolate pots de creme... and it turned out wonderfully. Deep, intense, but not overly sweet chocolate flavor thanks to this really good bittersweet chocolate. And candied orange peel FROM SCRATCH. Real whipped cream, not the kind from the squirt can. My electric mixer is still in storage so I made whipped cream BY HAND. I'm either a crazy baker or just plain desperate. ;-)
But, it was all worth it. I was in chocolate heaven. And best of all, I was wide awake.

words to live by

Some random snapshots of store signs and other everyday things...

 

 Life is good,

when you...

  

But life is...

 

...when you...

"roam the earth. eat chocolate."

Tagline of Salazon Chocolate Co., maker of my new favorite:

Organic Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Turbinado Sugar

I thought that after two serious, fairly heavy blog entries, a little lightness is in order. Just thought I'd have a little fun on this snowy day... :)

chocolate for breakfast

 

 

Chocolate French Toast from this local restaurant. Three thick slices of chocolate bread (which had chocolate chips baked into the loaf). I order one plate, eat one slice, then take the other two slices home for breakfast for 2 more days. Quite an indulgence for $5.99.

I love this place.

is this heaven or what???

 

This local yoga studio is hosting a yoga + chocolate workshop this February, three weekends from now. The Saturday workshop is entitled "Yoga + Miracles: There's Nothing a Little Chocolate Can't Fix" and the Sunday workshop is "Chocolate-Covered Happiness". Two hours of vinyasa yoga for blissful stretching, followed by chocolate tasting. Sigh...

What could be better??

Find out more about the workshop here, and read more about the concept in this article here.

have yourself a merry little Christmas

A tiny tree.

A candle...
and a prayer/intention for peace.

A snowflake card.

Two kinds of sauteed pears: one batch with white zinfandel, another batch with dried lavender flowers. Absolutely yummy with Haagen Dazs vanilla bean ice cream.



Lavender honey hot chocolate, made with unsweetened, Spanish-style chocolate tablets from the Philippines (thanks, Mom!), dried lavender, raw honey, and soy milk...my attempt to re-create the liquid truffles from my favorite chocolate place in Asheville, NC.

Christmas carols, sung by a choir from Cincinnati, playing in the background.

A celebration of love and friendship.

Have a joyful and peaceful holiday with your family and loved ones!