Food Friday: Death by Chocolate

It has been HOT and humid here in Southern California. So my general feeling is that it's better to make reservations during this time of extreme weather than to actually cook. But when I saw this recipe I thought I wouldn't mind someone making this for me.

Today's recipe comes from American Buffet. Favorite regional recipes from members of the General Federation of Women's Club. (1993). This cookbook is everything I love, regional recipes and historic women's clubs.

And then there's chocolate....

Thank goodness for Gladys O. Smith for showing us the true beauty of a community cookbook, chocolate recipes.

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Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Candied Bacon

MY NEW FAVORITE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

i now believe i found the perfect flourless chocolate cake.  as stated before in previous posts...most all flourless chocolate cakes are going to be delicious...that's a given, BUT most are very difficult to serve.  i usually end up with little chocolate crumbles on me, the table, the floor.  chocolate mess is not a bad thing, but i like the presentation to look as good as the cake will taste.

THIS IS A SPECTACULAR CAKE

smooth, rich dark chocolate

fudgy, yet light

not overly sweet

a perfect canvas for extras

serves like a charm

gluten free

a definite crowd pleaser

the original recipe comes from Gourmet Magazine, Nov. '97.

i decided in my usual fashion that it needed a little something extra.  i can't help myself.

Guittard dark chocolate

vanilla bean paste

a little espresso

a sprinkle of cinnamon

and, of coarse...a pinch of chipotle

oh...and don't forget

THE CANDIED BACON !

CLASSIC FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE

with a spicy Mexican twist

original from Gourmet Magazine Nov. '97

for the cake...

4 oz dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped small and evenly

(i used Guittard 61% coverture discs)

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar.   i used super fine sugar

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup good cocoa powder, again...i used Guittard

1/2 tsp(slightly rounded) cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder

1 tsp powdered espresso

preheat oven to 375F.  line an 8 inch cake pan OR i used an 8 inch spring form pan.  line the bottom and sides with parchment and lightly butter or grease the parchment.  the sides might not be necessary, but that's what i did.

in a small bowl add the cocoa powder, cinnamon, espresso and chipotle. whisk to combine and set aside.

in another small bowl add the chocolate and butter.  use either the microwave or a double boiler to slowly melt the chocolate/butter until smooth and shiny.

pour warm chocolate mixture into medium mixing bowl with the sugar.  whisk to combine well.  now whisk in eggs one at a time, waiting until each has been fully incorporated to add the next.  add the vanilla.

sift cocoa powder mixture into the chocolate mixture and whisk until WELL combined.

pour into prepared pan.  bake for approximately 25 minutes.  i turned the cake after 15 minutes.  start watching after 20 minutes.  mine took about 23 minutes.  toothpick should come out clean with moist crumbs attached.

allow cake to cool for 5 minutes.  if necessary, run a knife around the edges and invert onto serving platter.

NOTE...since i was going to ganache the cake i inverted onto a piece of parchment on a cooling rack.

let cake cool completely.

for the ganache...

6 oz good dark chocolate, again Guittard 61% coverture discs

6 oz heavy cream

1 tsp clear corn syrup

prepare your cake for ganaching...choose your "nice side", either the top or the bottom.  put cake on an 8 inch round that you will serve off of.  use cardboard or i used the removable 8" bottom from a tart pan.  set cake on a rack over a sheet pan to catch the ganache "fall-off".  you will want to save this for truffles or just a big spoon-to-mouth.

chop chocolate into even small pieces and set aside in a glass bowl.  (i like to wrap a kitchen towel around the bottom to keep the working ganche cozy).  warm cream and syrup in a small sauce pan until just a boil.  pour hot cream over chopped chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.  begin to gently stir from the middle.  take your time, you will see the ganAche magically come together.  now stir to fully incorporate and there are no lumps and it is nice a shiny.

pour warm liquidy ganache over cake...starting with a pool in the middle and spiral out wards.  work fairly quickly so it does not set.  pick up the cake and jiggle the ganAche so that it covers the whole top.  it is a messy job, but you will get the hang of it.

DO NOT go back and try to fix the top, but you can gently add to the sides where the chocolate might have missed while dripping off.

add chopped CANDIED BACON in the middle for appearance or all over for pure indulgence.   NOTE that the bacon does not make for a clean slice, but i'm sure you can work around it.  LOL !

let cake sit  to set undisturbed until serving.  you may refrigerate, but you must take it out of the fridge at least an hour or two ahead so that the condensation from temperature change slowly disappears.

for the CANDIED BACON....

preheat oven to 390F convection.

this can be done the day ahead, but you will need to re-crisp the bacon in the oven before using.  line a cookie sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil.  lay out as many pieces of bacon you can...extra will disappear before you can get it on the cake.  set timer for 15 minutes, but don't go far the first time trying until you get it down.  remove from oven and pour off excess fat into a heat safe glass dish...you might want to save the bacon fat as I DO to use for "bacon-butter".  flip the bacon.  sprinkle the slices with brown sugar, cinnamon and chipotle powder or chili powder or cayenne if you want some heat.  put back in the oven until good and crispy.  remove from oven and let cool on wire rack.  if it is not crispy enough when cooled...put them in the oven on the wire rack and watch carefully...do not let them burn.  save in air tight container with parchment.  if using them later you might want to re-crisp them a bit.

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The Perfect Sandwich Bacon...Genius !

YIKES...

NATIONAL BACON DAY ? !

i almost missed it...although i say,

"EAT BACON EVERY DAY !"

BACON IN EVERY BITE

found at DO IT AND HOW

no need to preheat the oven.  you will render more fat if you start cold.  i use a convection oven at 390F degrees.

cover a large cookie sheet with extra strength aluminum foil for easy clean up.

lay out your bacon in 3 or 4 strips close together.  now basket weave in the other 3 or four strips.   just like you would for a pie.

i set my timer for 15 minutes.  remove from oven.  then i make a spout at one end of the tinfoil and pour off as much of the fat (into a small heatproof bowl) with out tipping all the bacon off the sheet pan.

flip the bacon weave over...CAREFULLY, it's HOT.

FOR SPICY CANDY BACON IN EVERY BITE...

OPTIONAL...sprinkle with brown sugar, chili powder, cumin and chipotle powder.

put back in the oven for ABOUT 10 minutes?...it depends on the thickness of your bacon.  the bacon shown was center-cut and was not very thick.  you might want to check it every 5 minutes....or you might want to flip it again.

if your bacon is not getting crisp enough...remove from greasy sheet pan and put on a rack and back in the oven until done to your liking.

if not using right away, they crisp up very well in the toaster oven.  i used mine the next two mornings for some fabulous breakfast egg and cheese burgers.

NOTE...the four sliced (actually 8 slices) was a little large, but so much fun to eat.

i thought about using it for a plate

please check out this DO IT AND HOW.com.  it's a fabulous "How-To" about so many things,

BUT  there are so many great ways to manipulate and use the ever so versatile BACON...i WILL try them all.  taco shells, mini muffin cups, bowls etc...and don't miss the TURTLE BURGERS!

GENIUS I SAY !...BRAVO

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Spiced Pickled Canned Peaches

PEACHES...

OH HOW I LOVE MY 

SPICY PICKLED PEACHES

i know i'll get some flack from real peach lovers and "true canners" out there, but i mostly do these with canned peaches.  i'm addicted and have to have them in the pantry all year 'round.

here in Newport Beach fresh peaches aren't really fresh...in my opinion.  they arrive unripened, hard as a rock in a big truck and are expected to ripen in the store. fresh peaches tend to be "iffy" or way too pricey at the farmers markets.  it's hard to trust that each one will be juicy and delicious. i have wasted many a seemingly beautiful peach...too hard, too soft, bruised, pithy or just no peach  flavor at all.  i bought 10 and could only use 6.

YES...i have used real peaches for this recipe and, YES they were better, but canned are dependable, quite a bit cheaper...AND SO MUCH EASIER.  i hate peeling peaches...yes, i have tried the dipping in boiling water trick.  i opted for the good ol' potato peeler.

real fresh peaches are fabulous, BUT...

if you want to try this out and don't want to spend the time and money with fresh peaches...i swear you will love these even if they are...

CANNED "CANNED" PEACHES

oh...i almost forgot...

how do you use these spicy pickled peaches?...

one of my favorites is with fried chicken

OR sliced with a juicy cheeseburger

with charcuterie

diced in vanilla greek yogurt

sliced with fresh ricotta and scone.

along side a beautiful cheese platter.

or serve with CRISPY SKIN PORK BELLY !!!

SPICED PICKLED CANNED PEACHES
(i think this makes about 6 pint jars)

7-8  peeled peaches, sliced 3/4 inch thick
OR...THE CHEATER METHOD...
5 jars "DOLE sliced yellow cling peaches in 100% juice", drained and rinsed in filtered water.

PICKLING LIQUID...
2 qts white grape juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup white wine vinegar
7 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 big tsp cardamom
1/2 big tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground chipotle
5-6 dried chili arbol
4 cinnamon sticks
6-7 whole cloves
5-6 cardamom pods

IMPORTANT...if canning..sterilize jars and lids.  put a large stock pot of water on for your water bath.

1...dissolve three(3) crushed vitamin C tablets in 2 qts of cool water.  this is to keep the peaches from turning color
2.... get your pickling liquid together and bring that to a boil.  take off heat and let steep while working on peaches.  TASTE TEST...a pinch here, another sprig there?  more sugar?
3...peel peaches.  i use a potato peeler.  i find it faster and easier than boiling water and dunking each peach in to loosen the skin....
4.....cut peaches into 3/4 inch  slices and put them in the bowl of cool vitamin C water.

NOTE...if using "cheater method"...skip steps 1 , 3 and  4

5...strain the pickling liquid through  double or triple cheesecloth, BUT SAVE SOME OF THE GOODIES.  the cloves, cinnamon stick, chili, rosemary, cardamom pods
6...introduce the peaches into the pickling liquid in a large pot and warm everything together.  i don't think there is any need to bring it to a boil, just get it warm enough so that jars are warm going into the canning bath.   remove from heat.
7...fill jars with peaches and liquid.  arrange some rosemary, cardamom, chili and cloves around to add flavor and look nice.
let come to room temp.  they can even sit on the counter over night.  then refrigerate for at least a week to absorb flavors.
NOTE...i like to have extra rosemary, chilis, cloves, cardamom, etc... that have been cleaned and boiled in the liquid.  i like to make sure each jar has these elements because they will continue to flavor the peaches.
 or i suggest canning them.
i have only "canned" these so i don't know how well the flavors will absorb with the refrigerator method.  canning is a bit of a pain, but it is so fabulous to grab a jar out of the pantry when needed.
besides...i don't have that kind of space in my packed-to-the-brim fridge.

PS... my friend Stephanie used the liquid for a BELLINI-MARTINI and cursed me the next morning.  the martinis were so good she had three... 

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Food Friday: Forest Home Women's Auxiliaries

I was very lucky to have found two great community cookbooks a few weeks ago at a yard sale. The first is today's Recipes From Our Home To Yours. Forest Home Women's Auxiliaries. While there is no date on the cookbook, it looks to have been published in the late 1990s.



A history of the Forest Home Women's Auxiliary can be found on the first page of the cookbook.

The following is one of the recipes from this cookbook. A few changes in ingredients and it would resemble a dish I've had called haystacks. (Basically tortilla chips, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, meat and beans, sorta like a tostada.)

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Ochsenschwanssobucco

Some of you will say, OH, that looks so ugly. Yes it does. Some will say, oh quite gloppy, dark and terrifying. Well sure it is. But if you have your own 12 hour stock on hand, are you just going to add butter and drizzle it on a piece of bland naked meat? I say no. I say brown some oxtails and let it braise as low as long as you can with aromatic vegetables. The effect is not unlike osso bucco, but the depth of flavor is so intense and pure, that it shoots straight into you brain. There MUST be a very strong jammy zin to go with this. And if you have dogs, give them the bones. I have never seen anything better defining contentment as this.

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Aspic or Mellow Meat Jello

The word itself has little to recommend it. Ass Pick. Asp Ick. A-Spic. And the thing itself, in all honesty, has even less appeal. But I had to do it. This was after a 12 hour stock making session, reduction late into the night, and a bourbon-fueled facebook conversation with the most lovely people. It kept me stoked. Pigs feet and every imaginable body part emptied from the freezer. Enough skin to solidify liquid nitrogen. And then there it is. I should have clarified it more. The top is less translucent than it ought to be. The meaty bits a little less generous than they could have been. And it's actually quite mellow. None of the acidic bite of good head cheese. Just a mellow meat jello. I had a few slices so far. NOW what the hell do I do with it??

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