Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Zucchini is such a wonderful little squash.  It's so easy to grow - perfect for the first time gardener - and you can do almost anything with it.  (I mean cooking-wise.  Sheesh.  Get yer heads out of the gutter.)  This is a great veggie that goes well with, or in, just about anything.  Case in point, how many vegetables can you combine with chocolate to make something tasty?

My mom used to make chocolate zucchini bread a lot, but since I couldn't find her recipe, I scoured the net for one that sounded close.  I decided to start with this one posted on cooks.com. 

I've usually made chocolate zucchini bread with cocoa, but this recipe called for melted chocolate, which sounded like an interesting change, so I thought I'd try it.

Of course, I did modify it a smidgy, and below is my version.  The first change I made was in the preparation of the zucchini.  The recipe says to "Peel, seed and grate..."  Peeling, I can understand.  But removing the seeds?  Seeding a zucchini is sort of like ... coring a carrot.  Difficult and pointless.  I chose not to "peel" or "seed" before grating.  Zucchini "au natural" gives the bread a little more texture, and I like it that way.  I also cut back a bit on the oil and added some yogurt.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts

Put chocolate into pan to melt.  I don't have a double boiler, so I improvise with a small pan inside a larger pan.  Boil water in the larger pan, just enough to boil but not enough to touch the bottom of the smaller pan.  Chocolate pieces go in the smaller pan. 

While the chocolate is melting, beat eggs in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add sugar, oil and yogurt and mix well.  Stir in grated zucchini, melted chocolate and vanilla.  Just ignore the fact that it looks like mud and grass.  :)

Sift dry ingredients together and then stir into the other mixture.  Add chopped nuts if desired. 

Pour into 2 greased bread pans (9 x 5 x 2 inches) and bake at 350 for 60 - 70 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.  The top will split and pull away from the sides of the pan a bit. 

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans.

This bread is full of texture and taste.  My favorite is served warm, but it also freezes well and can be popped out of the freezer when you need it for an afternoon tea party or quick dessert.

Enjoy!

National Coffee Day!

Isn't it wonderful that National Coffee Day - one of them, at least - falls on Chocolate Friday? That means we can celebrate MOCHA!  Again.  Heheh. 

Also, in honor of the day, I offer these icons for your use and viewing pleasure.  (Please don't just link to them, or you'll drain my batteries.  If you want one, copy and send it to your server, please and thank you very much.)

Now ... for MOCHA!

So, here's something I didn't know.  Mocha has, in the past, referred to a type of arabica coffee, grown near the port of Mocha in Yemen.  Apparently from the 15th through 17th centuries, Mocha (the city) was famous for being the major marketplace for coffee. Wiki says: "Even after other sources of coffee were found, Mocha (also called Sanani (meaning from Sana'a) or Mocha Sanani) beans continued to be prized for their strong, chocolate flavor - and remain so even today."

Now, lest anybody think I'm just waxing on useless minutia ... I am.  BUT ... Wiki also says: On the April 2003 Australian version of the TV show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" the one million Dollar question was "Mocha, a choice variety of coffee, takes its name from a seaport in which country? A: Somalia, B: Yemen, C: Oman, D: Djibouti". 

See?  You never know when you might need some trivia like this. 

Anyway, supposedly the coffee itself, sans human intervention, actually has a chocolate flavor.  I'm ordering me some!  Today!  I found several places online to buy, but I'll start with Peet's.  We'll see if they really do. 

Now, of course, "mocha" generally means coffee with chocolate added.  Either espresso and chocolate syrup, or down-home style made with a hefty spoonful of Nestle's cocoa.  Or, in a pinch, a handful of chocolate chips in the bottom of the cup will do nicely. 

Topped with whipped cream, or maybe a dollop of ice cream, and you've got a delish dessert drink.  Add a splash of tequila and kahlua for a Mexican Mocha for an after dinner treat. 

No matter how you mix it up, chocolate and coffee are two of my favorite things that go really well together.  In a cup, or used to flavor a dish or dessert, give me chocolate and coffee together and I'm a happy girl.

Chocolate for Health

This week's Chocolate Friday offering is healthy stuff.   

Personally, I've taken a Vow of Indulgence.  I follow the advice of one of my favorite quotes: "Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it I wash my mouth out with chocolate"   -- Charles M. Schultz

But I know there are others who occasionally need to be relieved of guilt, and/or given a healthy alternative to the decadence of choco-indulgences.  I did this once before for our buddy D who was trying hard to keep his girlish figure.  This time I'm doing it for KeeWee poor KeeWee who is counting every ... whatever it is you count when you're on Weight Watchers.
Note: pic stolen from Kelly's Iblio site

Firstly, I just gotta note that chocolate isn't bad for you.  It's the fats and sugars that chocolate is usually bundled with that cause all the problems.  But chocolate has lots of good stuff in it: antioxidants and polyphenols and flavanoids.  Research has shown that chocolate and cocoa can help your heart, keep your cholesterol down, keep you young, boost your sex life, and even help you grow new hair. 

Ok, I'm exaggerating.  But only a little.

According to this article:

Good quality chocolates are made with cocoa butter, which is comprised of about one-third oleic acid, a fat like that found in olive oil. Oleic acid has been shown to lower both total and LDL cholesterol.

It's important to read the labels, though, because not all chocolate is made with cocoa butter.

Chocolate is also rich in antioxidants. Studies have shown that flavonoids, which are found in cocoa, lower the risks of heart disease, lung and prostate cancer and type- 2 diabetes.

And of course, dark chocolate is the way to go, says What's Cooking America:  "a study by market research publisher Packaged Facts titled Market Trends: The U.S. Market for Gourmet Chocolate reports that the higher cocoa, lower sugar content and antioxidant properties of premium dark chocolate are making it a more attractive treat for health-conscious Americans, especially those counting carbs.

S'wenyway, if you're trying to keep your fat and sugar intake down but still want your choco-fix, here are a few "healthy" recipe sources for you:

• Healthy Fudgy Brownies - from Recipezaar.com made with wheat germ and oatmeal
• Healthy Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe - from BellyBytes.com's Healthy Chocolate Recipes List
• Chocolate Monkey - Heh, it's a sort of chocolate banana smoothie
• Healthy Chocolate Mousse -non dairy - from The Worlds Healthiest Foods
• Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding - from Cooking Light's Chocolate Recipes
• Healthy Chocolate Souffle - low fat and low calorie, from DIY Network

Whew!  That's all I can manage.  Too much healthy stuff and my eyes start to roll back in my head.  You all can live long and healthy.  I think I'll make chocolate pancakes for brekky this morning.  With chocolate syrup.  Yeah, that's the ticket!

Chocolate Friday: ChocoLinkage

Found some interesting stuff on the net this morning. 
I offer these chocolinks for your perusing pleasure:

• The Official Rec.Food.Chocolate List of Frequently Asked Questions - HUGE list of q's and a's about eating, cooking with, and buying chocolate.
• In Honour of Chocolate Friday or Mutilated Cake Galore - feel the love!  This girl knows how to celebrate Chocolate Friday!
• All About Chocolate - Excellent collection of articles about chocolate from Happy News.  I especially enjoyed this one: How to Review and Compare Chocolate Taste.  Interesting stuff, although I mostly just go by those little bells that go off in my head when something tastes really really good to me.  :)
• All About Chocolate - good choco-info from Mr. Chocolate - Jacques Torres.  Geared toward "cooking with". 
• All About Chocolate - From FieldMuseum.org. I loved the section on choco-history.  The image here came from their website.

If you're interested in choco-chitsy-chatsy, check these links:

• Chocolate Forum from Topix
• rec.food.chocolate - newsgroup
• alt.food.chocolate - newsgroup
• CocoaJava Cafe - a LiveJournal community
• Chocolate Review Chocolate Forum - a UK forum
• 70%'s Chocolate Forum

That's enough chocolinkage for today.  Hopefully soon I'll be able to get back to cooking and baking and I'll have some delish chocolate recipes next week!

Chocolate Media

First off, I want to lodge a complaint about the use of chocolate porn in advertising non-edible products - specifically non-CHOCOLATE products.

Funny that I don't object to the use of sex in advertising.  But I DO object to the use of chocolate.  That's a visual that goes right to the core of my brain stem.  Especially the visual of melted chocolate, rippling, and pouring and dripping.  Gawd.

Anybody see the mouthwatering ad for the Verizon chocolate cell phone / mp3 player?  The first ad I saw has apparently been replaced by more tech-slanted ads, so I have to wonder of somebody besides me complained.  Or maybe they weren't getting the right kind of sales.  PMSing women with glazed eyes wandering into the shops, instead of the young and hip?  Didn't they check their demographics BEFORE making the ad?  That original ad sure made me salivate, although I was pretty pissed off when I realized it was an ad for a PHONE! I felt so cheated!!

Anyway, I was hoping somebody might have posted the ad on YouTube but I couldn't find it there.  Found lots of other stuff though:

• Now THIS is excellent use of visuals
• Check this ad for chocolate flavored condoms.  Only slightly naughty, and with a twisted bit at the very end.
• I'm still laughing at this Japanese chocolate ad from the 90's.
• Somebody put together this Hershey Chocolate Factory Tour complete with music. 

There's lots more, just search for chocolate, or chocolate commercials.  Plan to spend some time though, there's something addictive about YouTube, even aside from the chocolate draw.

Diamonds & Chocolate

For Chocolate Friday this week -- diamonds and chocolate! 

No, I'm not starting a wish list.  Although that's not a bad idea.  Heheh.  Hunny, c'mere, have a look at this!  Or maybe I could just whisper it in his ear while he sleeps, a la subliminal brainwashing. 

Diamonds and chocolate, what a great combo!!

Apparently other folx think so too.  Check out this ginormous chocolate thingee shaped like Africa worth $5 million dollarettes! The bottom is decked with more than 2,000 diamonds.  The chocolate is edible, but who would dare to eat such a thing?  What a terrible waste of good chocolate.  Oh yeah, and diamonds too.  But it's a great creative idea, apparently made in commemoration of the jeweler's ties to South Africa, although one article I read said it was more in competition with another jeweler who created a fruitcake covered with diamonds.  Chocolate beats fruitcake for value in my book any day.   

Now these diamonds are not edible.  You've got yer white diamonds, of course.  And you've got yer blue and pink diamonds.  And here you have yer chocolate diamonds.  I gather that they're not as expensive as the white diamonds, which I don't get, because it also appears that colored diamonds are more rare than the white ones.  But according to this article - "you can get a larger champagne or chocolate colored stone than you would get for the same price if you were buying a white diamond".  Weird huh?  If I were a jewelry kind of gal, I would go for the chocolate and champagne diamond combo. 

On a fashion side-note, the same article states ""As chocolate has taken over as the new black in fashion apparel, we are seeing the same trend follow in jewelry".  Really?  I'm so happy! I can wear chocolate and be in style this year.  Oh, they meant the color of chocolate.  Heh.

Ok, moving on to the truly edible.  Here are a few samples of diamond-shaped chocolates you can buy and eat:

Burie Chocolatier offers diamond shaped Belgian chocolates that look pretty scrumptious. 

And Choco.net has chocolate diamonds in a bag that would make great little gifties for weddings or some such thing.

And here's a place you can buy diamond-shaped candy molds if you want to try making your own chocolate diamonds.

I was going to try to make at least one of these recipes but I didn't have time, so I'll just post the links here and hopefully get a chance to make them later:

• Chocolate Diamonds Cake  - found at foodgeeks.com.  I think this is a picture of what it should look like, but ... heh... I'm not entirely sure.  The photo is killer food porn anyway, so go have a look.
• Patty Ann's Chocolate Diamond Cookies - diamond-shaped.  These would make good Christmas cookies.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream!

Happy Chocolate Friday!

I have successfully navigated the world of homemade ice cream.  Well, ok, not the WORLD of, just one tiny pre-mixed corner.  I have yet to try a "from scratch" recipe, but that's next.  I used the mix that came with my brandy new ice cream maker.  It produced some very tasty chocolate ice cream, a little bit softish, but still quite acceptable. 

Only one thing ... I didn't make enough.  The hubs wants more!

Next go-round, I'm going to try this recipe: (Original base recipe found at Ice Cream Recipes)

Chocolate Chip Cherry Ice Cream
5 egg yolks
1 pint (500ml) milk
1/2 pint (250ml) double/heavy cream
2 oz (50g) sugar
3 tablespoons of cocoa powder
1/2 - 1 cup chopped marascino cherries
1/2 cup minced chocolate chips

Create the custard base: bring milk slowly to a boil in a saucepan.  In a separate bowl, mix together the egg yolks and sugar, until thick.  Add hot milk while stirring continuously.  Pour entire mixture back into the sauce pan and heat gently, stirring until the custard thickens - DO NOT BRING TO THE BOIL OR IT WILL CURDLE. When you can see a film form over the back of your spoon it's time to remove the saucepan from the heat.   Add the cocoa, cherries and chocolate chips and chill.  Mixture should be VERY cold. Once chilled, mix until slushy. Add the cream (whipped) and make sure it mixes in well. Transfer the mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

There's something about the combination of chocolate and cherry flavors that really turns my crank.  Heh, turns my crank, funny girl.  No crank turning involved in THIS process, it's all electric now!  And no rock salt.  I have a friend who swears by the old fashioned method.  She likes to have parties where the ice cream maker gets passed around and all the guests take turns at the crank.  Personally, I prefer the easy way.

I wish I had one of those poll takers, I'd like to know how many people prefer just plain chocolate ice cream.  My top two are chocolate cherry and rocky road.  Of course, chocolate syrup goes well on almost any kind of ice cream. 

So, what's your favorite variation on chocolate ice cream? 

Make Your Own Chocolate Liqueur

To celebrate Chocolate Friday and the end of the month, make your own chocolate liqueur!  And when your friends ask where you were all weekend, you can tell them you got lost in the land of chocolate!

Of course you can buy this stuff.  Godiva offers four variations:  chocolate cream,  dark chocolate, white chocolate and (ohmigod) chocolate cappuccino.  But if you have an adventurous do-it-your-own-self spirit, you might want to try one of these recipes for great at-home chocolate liqueur:

Chocolate Liqueur
From Busy Cooks at About.com

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. chocolate extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup vodka

Combine sugar and water in medium heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool thoroughly. Stir in chocolate extract, vanilla and vodka.  Pour into a clean glass bottle with tight fitting lid and store in a cool, dry place. This can be used as a substitute for Creme De Cacao. Makes 1 pint

NOTE: This recipe calls for chocolate extract, which you can buy online here if your local store doesn't carry it

This next recipe takes longer to produce something drinkable, but it might be worth it. Worth a try, at least, to be able to compare the two.

Chocolate Liqueur
from The Recipe Link

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups vodka
1 vanilla bean, split

Mix sugar, water, and cocoa in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, just until sugar and cocoa are completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Pour into a clean 2-quart glass container. Stir in vodka and vanilla bean. Cover tightly; keep in a cool, dark place for 14 days, shaking container thoroughly every 2 days.

Strain liqueur through a moist paper coffee filter into a clean glass container. Straining will take a couple of hours as residue is very thick. Change filter halfway through. If residue remains, strain again immediately.

Cover tightly; let liqueur age in cool, dark place at least 1 month.

If you don't really want the alcohol, but want the chocolatey flavor, you can substitute chocolate syrup.  And if you want to keep in the "make it yourself" theme, you can find recipes for homemade chocolate syrup here and here.

Not sure what to do with chocolate liqueur?  Here are some recipes to try:

• Godiva Chocolates Drink Recipes
• Drinks Mixer's Chocolate Liqueur Drinks
• Chocolate Honeybee - from Webtender
• Mudslide #5 - from Webtender
• Tatooed Love Goddess - from Webtender

That ought to set you up right for the weekend.

Enjoy!

ChocoFriday: Oddz-N-Endz

It's been a while since I've done a Chocolate Friday!  Bad Christine.  I shall punish myself with a chocolate voodoo doll.  Heheh, what fantastihorrible torture. 

Or maybe I'll torture myself by sending some virtual chocolate.  Seriously, I don't know if sending one of these would be considered a friendly act or really truly torture.  These are some mouse waddling pics!

Some other oddball chocolate stuff I found:

• Apparently somewhere in the Phillipines you can get chocolate toothpaste.  Heh, that's one way to get yer kids to brush.  But doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose?
• Kooki Sushi - Chocolate made to look like sushi.
• Chocolate Cheeseburger and Chocolate Spaghetti from Creative Chocolate.
• Chocolate Cigars - now here's an idea for Father's Day!
• Chocolate Condoms - What?

That's all I have time for today, I'm off to the store for apples and latte!

Choco Biscotto - Bet Ya Can't Eat Just One

Biscotto, in case you didn't know, is the singular of BISCOTTI, which comes from either the Latin word 'bis coctum' which means, 'twice baked', or the Italian bis (twice) and cotto (cooked).  Or both.  The story goes that the earliest biscotti were made in second century Rome.  From The History of Cookies by Linda Stradley: "Back then, 'biscuits' were unleavened, hard, thin wafers, which had a low water content. As they contained very little moisture they were the ideal food to store, as they wouldn't become mouldy quickly."

I'm glad to report that my first attempt at biscotti wasn't a total train wreck.  There were a few mishaps (burnt almonds, no cooling rack) but overall the cookies I produced were tasty and crunchy, although they were a bit thick.  I started with the recipe here, and modified it to make the two chocolate variations below.  The next time I try these, I'll use a little less flour, or maybe I'll just follow this recipe instead and see what the differences are.

These turned out well enough that I plan to serve them at our Mother's Day gathering, with some melted chocolate for dipping, which along with the fudge should throw everybody into choco-sugar-shock in short order, and I can rest easy knowing my job is done.  Heh.

Chocolate Chunk Biscotti
4-6 ounces blanched almonds
2 1/2 cups flour
1-2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp amaretto creamer
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks chopped

Preheat oven to 350° F.  Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast them in oven until lightly golden. Let cool. Coarsely chop half the nuts.

Mix together sugar and eggs, beating well until the color of the mixture is light yellow and fluffy.  Add vanilla, almond extract and creamer (use milk if you don't have the creamer).  In a separate bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder.  Beat flour into egg mixture and then gently fold in the toasted almonds (hold out a few almonds for topping) and the chocolate chips. 

The consistency should be doughy but it will still be a bit gooey.  Remove to a floured surface and knead briefly, then divide 2-4 pieces.  Roll each piece into a cylinder 10 inches long and about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.  Press down to flatten them into an oval shape about three inches across.  Press slivered almonds into top, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Place the rolls on each baking sheet and bake 15 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned and firm to the touch.  Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, and then with a spatula, carefully transfer the rolls to a cutting board and slice each one diagonally into cookies about 1/2-inch thick.  Return the slices to the oven, with one cut side facing up.  Turn them over after about 10-15 minutes.  Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes, or until very firm and crisp.  Cool on wire rack.

Chocolate Cherry Biscotti
See above ingredients (minus the chocolate chips)
1/2 cup finely chopped, well-drained marascino cherries
2 tbsp unsweetened powdered cocoa

Follow the recipe as described above, right up through the addition of the almonds.  Instead of chocolate chunks/chips, fold in cherries and cocoa. 

Since I added the powdered cocoa at the end, it wasn't fully blended, and the result was a sort of marbled look which I liked.  But if you want a darker, more even look, combine the cocoa with the sugar and eggs and beat together to get an even texture/color.

Enjoy!