Three Things To Do with Mexican Chocolate

Okay I’m back from a wonderful trip to Solvang, California. Unforgettable!! But I’ll post on that later, once I edit my pictures… Today I’ll post about a couple of things I did before leaving… all three with Mexican Chocolate.
It has a certain spice to it, which gives it …that… Mexican taste!!

The first were these delicious Shortbread Cookies. The recipe itself came from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible” (Hermes House Press). The decorations however came from me, using a mix of Mexican chocolate and butter, and piped to made designs.

Mexican chocolate cookies!!

Ingredients:
8 oz butter softened
4 oz confectioner’s sugar
1tbsp vanilla extract
11 oz all purpose flour
Salt
5 oz pecans (finely chopped)

3oz Mexican chocolate
4-6 oz butter

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Beat butter until fluffy; add 4oz sugar and vanilla.
2. Gradually add the flour and salt to mixture beating after each addition. Until dough is formed.
3. Add chopped pecans and knead until combined.
4. Roll dough out to about 1/3 inch and cut with cookie cutters of your choice
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes and let cool for 10 minutes, then using spatula transfer to finish cooling.
6. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave; pour into piping bag and decorate!

Second thing I made is this cute lava cakes. They are fun to make!!

Mexican Chocolate Cakes

Ingredients:
16 oz heavy cream
11 oz Mexican chocolate (chopped)
3 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
4 oz sugar
4 oz cake flour, sifted
¼ once Mexican chocolate grated
4 oz confectioner’s sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. In a heavy bottomed stainless steel saucepan bring 12 oz cream to boil over medium heat. Stir in 6 oz Mexican chocolate and 1 tsp cinnamon and blend well until melted. Chill the mixture until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 375F. Butter 12 (4 oz) ramekins, completely coating the sides. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and 5 oz chocolate and stir until melted. Set aside. Whip the eggs, egg yolks and sugar with a mixer until they are a light lemon color and tripled in volume. With a rubber spatula, carefully fold in flour and chocolate-butter mixture. Whip with mixer on medium speed until glossy. With a spatula, fold in the grated chocolate and vanilla extract.
3. Transfer the cake batter to a pastry bag with no tip. Using the pastry bag fill the ramekins ¾ full. With a small spoon, place a small portion of the prepared ganache into the center of each filled ramekin. Bake the cakes for approximately 8 – 10 minute. The cakes should be firm around the edges and pull away from the sides. The finished cakes are firm on the outside but soft on the inside.
4. Whip the heavy cream until firm; add confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract. Serve cakes immediately.

And finally a non- baked treat. Gooey chocolate “truffles” Yes, I watched Food Network the other day and saw Good Eats, they made truffles.

So, I decided to try some, the chocolate didn’t set really… (Trying to figure out why?), But, I proceeded in coating the result and made tasty delicious treats!!

Mexican “Truffles”

Ingredients:

6 oz heavy cream
3 oz Mexican chocolate (chopped)
4 oz dark chocolate
4 oz butter

Coating of your choice (I used chopped almonds, shredded dried mango, and cocoa and espresso powder.)

Procedure:

1. Bring heavy cream to a boil, add Mexican chocolate. Let cool.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a separate bowl. Mix with Mexican chocolate spread on a tray lined with parchment paper and let firm in the refrigerator.
3. About 1 hour later, scoop chocolate mixture, form into “balls” (It wont firm really well so don’t worry if they don’t come out perfect)
4. Let cool again for about 30 minutes, then scoop again, and put in desired coating. Enjoy!

I hope you try them all, or at lest one. And if you simply need hot chocolate, grab a gallon of 2% milk, heat and add one tablet of Mexican chocolate. Heat till dissolved. Fiesta time!

The Centennial Pot Pie

Essentially I am vegetarian. I have been for more than two years; not because I have something against meat, but because of the way animals are treated.
However last week while browsing my local farmers market, I realized there was a farm near me, where I could buy organic free- range chicken. And I could see it; I didn’t have to rely on stamped packages flown in from far away.
So I bought one, and then came the hard part. What should I make with it? It had to be something good, but that didn’t kill the chicken flavor. It had to be something I loved, since I would not be having it for a long time. But, most of all it would have to be something I would enjoy making.
I browsed through a simple recipe book, one I bought at Wal-Mart before I entered culinary school, Potatoes and Vegetables, by Parragon Publishing, and there nestled between ham empanadas and potato bread was a pot pie. Simple, traditional, my favorite!
The recipe is a little modified from the original, but the results are to much for words.

Ingredients:
225 g potatoes (diced)
25g butter
225g chicken, (diced and sautéed)
25g all-purpose flour
300ml milk
50g carrots and zucchinis (diced and steamed)
For dough:
225g all- purpose flour
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne
150g butter
125g crumbled blue cheese
2 egg yolks (1 extra)
4-6tbs cold water
Procedure;
1. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside.
2. Melt butter, and sauté chicken, add flour and milk (stirring as you go)
3. Take to quick boil; add potatoes, vegetables, set aside
4. In a bowl, mix flour, cayenne, and butter until it resembles coarse meal.
5. Add yolks and water, until you form paste.
6. Extend the paste in a buttered deep-dish (or 4 individual ones). Cover base and sides.
7. Spoon filling, and extend the rest of flour paste on top.
8. Extend well with a spoon, and wash with the extra egg yolk.
9. Bake and 350F 40 minutes or until cooked and browned.

I didn’t use the chicken legs, wings, or extras in the pot pie. We boiled it Mexican style in a broth, with seasoning and onion. Nobody ate it that day (the pie was just so filing).
So, the next day I got the inspiration to make cream of chicken. It was just as delicious as the pot pie, and very memorable when served with quesadillas and guacamole.

Crème de Poulet
Ingredients:
2lbs boiled chicken (from chicken broth, really soft with no bones)
1.5 qt chicken stock
1/2 onions boiled
2 zucchinis
1/4 head romaine lettuce
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tbsp hot sauce
.1tsp nutmeg
1tsp ground coriander seeds
Salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Slice zucchinis and chop lettuce, then steam for 4 minutes or until soft.
2. Once soft, put in a food processor with a few spoons of chicken broth until a smooth puree forms. Put on a large pot, set aside
3. Then put chicken and boiled onion in the food processor, 4 -6 oz chicken broth and process until smooth puree forms.
4. Combine vegetable and chicken puree, along with remaining broth and bring to a quick boil, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Add spices stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve wart topped with croutons and cream cheese.
Yield: 4 Servings