Hot Chocolate from the Windy City

With a hint of French Vanilla

On a recent excursion to Hubble & Hudson, a local gourmet food retailer, cooking school and restaurant extraordinaire, I came across wonderful French simple syrup. For the past few months, I’ve been craving Vanilla Steamer beverages and my mission was to simplify the "make it from scratch" process.



I’ve been locally searching for vanilla bean simple syrup, so when I came across the Epicerie De Provence Vanille Sirop I was absolutely elated. Tonight, my husband and I enjoyed an aromatic cup of steamed milk enhanced with a vanilla bean infused vanilla simple syrup. Each drink was topped with whipped heavy cream with a dash of vanilla extract (This was left over from the blueberry crumbles I made last night.)


The recipe is quite simple:
1 cup of milk
1 tbls of Epicerie De Provence Vanille Sirop (or Vanilla Bean Simple Syrup)
Whipped Cream to garnish (optional)


Directions:
Pour milk in a microwave safe mug
Microwave milk for 45 seconds.  Remove from microwave
Add vanilla syrup and froth with a handheld frother
Return to microwave for another minute and frother one last time

With Whipped Cream

Upon frothing the heated beverage, you can see flecks of the vanilla bean. The best part of it all was no additional sweeter was required as the syrup was all encompassing. Although the price point of this delicacy can be a little steep at $12 to $16 per bottle, it is absolutely worth it!

Tribeca Treats: Hot Cocoa Recipe

Easy instructions from Tribeca Treats for hot cocoa on dailycandy.com

Toot, Toot! All a board a Vanilla Steamer!

With all the travel I've been doing lately, it's sad when airport security recognizes me in line.  Every airport has 50 billion Starbucks and I've become one of those sleepy eyed travelers waiting in line for a pick up me up.  However, it is the Vanilla Steamers with whip (whipped cream) I crave, not coffee.  It is eaiser to have these cravings when someone else is footing the bill.  So, when I am no longer traveling, the budget gourmet in me kicks in.

Here is my own spin on Vanilla Steamers:

1 cup Milk
1 tbls Honey
1/2 tbls Vanilla

I've made this two different ways:

Option 1 -

1.  Blend ingredients in a double boiler over low/medium heat until heated through

2.  Pour into a mug 

3.  Use a handeld frother to add volume

Option 2 -

1.  Blend ingredients in a mug

2.  Microwave for 45 seconds and remove from microwave

3.  Use a handheld frother to mix and add volume

4.  Microwave again for 1 minute

5.  Remove from microwave and froth one last time with frother

It's all about the cupcake

Alright chefs-in-the-making.  Scharffen Berger's Chocolate Adventure Contest is back!  This year's theme is chocolate and cupcakes.  An award winning recipe will get you $20,000 prizes.  The contest entry period ends January 2, 2011. 

Instant Crumble Desserts

Everyone knows I love Crumble desserts.  Apple Crumbles, Blueberry Crumbles, Raspberry Crumbles and so on.  All are amazingly delicious and relatively easy to make.  Originally, I was using a pre-made mix with cinnamon, sugar and oatmeal to make my crumbles. 

Howevever, I realized that using a flavored Oatmeals such as Quaker Instant Oatmeal adds a lot of flavor to a Crumble.  So,  I  decided to use one package of an Instant Oatmeal, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tbls of butter chopped into pieces and blended with a fruit of choice.  For this recipe, I used the French Vanilla Instant Oatmeal and one Granny Smith Apple per bag of oatmeal. Fresh whipping cream sweetened with honey was made to enhance to experience.

One Granny Smith Apple per packet of oatmeal.

Peel and cut the apple into small pieces.

Blend, oatmeal, butter pieces and cinnamon together.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Whipped up heavy cream with honey.

The final product.

Absolutely yummy!

Low calorie hot chocolate recipes

Everyone should be able to drink hot chocolate!

Hot Chocolate: Ainsley's Gourmet Express

Watch the BBC's Ainsley Harriott make hot chocolate with cinnamon, cardamon, milk and a bar of chocolate.

Our Independence Brunch!

Wow!  Time flys when you travel like a mad woman!  Many fun adventures occurred since my last post so I have a lot to share.  First and foremost, Happy Independence Day!  For this year's celebration, I am sharing our splendid crepe brunch:

My crepe recipe consists of:

3 Eggs

1 cup Horchata Milk (yes, I am still on that kick)

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

3/4 Flour

Steps:

1.  Beat eggs until frothy

2.  Add remaining ingredients and blend well

3.  Let batter rest for 30 minutes

4.  Heat 10" nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat

5.  Pour 1/4 cup of batter into pan and swirl to coat bottom

6.  Cook until golden around edges. Flip over and cook briefly. Plate

My crepe filling:

2 tbsp Unsalted Butter

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup Strawberries, sliced

Steps:

1.  Add  butter to another skillet over medium-high heat.

2.  Add sugar and cook until bubbly (about 1 minute)

3.  Add Strawberries and stir

4.  Cook through for another 2 to 4 minutes

5.  Remove from heat

6.  Add mixture to crepes.  Fold in half

Topping:

1 cup Strawberries, sliced

1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar (our favorite is Leonardo e Roberto's Traditional Balsamic Vinegar)

1 tbsp Confectioners' Sugar

Steps:

1.  Toss strawberries and vinegar together

2.  Coat mixture with sugar

3.  Chill for 1 hr in refrigerator.  Toss again

4.  Garnish crepes with mixture and powdered sugar

Along with the crepes, I served an pre-made eggs, potatoes, sausage and cheese skillet along with our favorite yogurt (Le Creme Vanilla Yougurt) coated with the balsamic marinated strawberries.

Indulge and Enjoy everyone!

Ended up with tea

As usual, I just wasn't in the mood for an off the shelf hot chocolate. So, I opted to try and create a delish hot chocolate made with passion and care by me. My first attempted involved using 1/2 cup of orange juice and 1/2 cup of milk. Unfortunately, the hint of OJ became overwhelming and I couldn't balance it out with Vanilla, Sugar or anything else.

STRIKE 1

My second attempt involved my last cup of heavy cream. I accidentally burnt the chocolate shavings in the double boiler. Immediately, I strained out the burnt chunks to preserve the heavy cream for another try.

STRIKE 2

With the heavy cream from the second attempt to make hot chocolate from scratch, I decided to add a pre-made mixture to the cream. Next, I tried to add a little pizazz with ancho chili. Blah!!!!! It was a hot mess.

STRIKE 3

After cleaning up the messy kitchen, I resigned myself to breaking out the tea kettle for a cup of hot tea.

Recipe: Apple Cranberry Crumble with Hot Chocolate Shavings

Had a little fun in the kitchen creating a fast and easy Apple Cranberry Crumble garnished with homemade whipped cream.

Recipe - 4 servings:
1/3 cup Apple Crisp Mix (from Concord Foods)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled
1/4 cup Dried cranberries
1 bag Plain regular instant oatmeal

3 tsp Hot chocolate shavings (used Fran's Chocolate Shavings for this recipe)
3 tbls Sweet butter/butter
Heavy cream
Sugar


Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Blend the Apple Crisp Mix, hot chocolate shavings and oatmeal in a bowl.

Step 2: Peel and dice apples and add cranberries to a bowl. Add apple crisp mixture and blend.




Step 3: Pour apple mixture in a greased baking dish.

Step 4: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.


Step 5: Serve in decorative dishes.


Step 6: Whip 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Add sugar to taste.


Step 7: Garnish with whipped cream.

Give me a Z for Zippy!

My apologies for obsessing about Horchata. However, I must say a quick Colombian Hot Chocolate made in a blender turned into a family love affair. I selected SOL Chocolate de Mesa con Azucar Morena or Table Chocolate with Brown Sugar from Columbia to make a hot chocolate with Horchata.

Since table chocolate has a grainer texture than our typical American chocolates, I always use a blender for simplified blending. After one square of the SOL chocolate was cut, I heated the Horchata in the microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds. Next, I added the Horchata and the SOL chocolate to the blender and hit the pulse button a few times. Tada! Instant frothy hot chocolate. I poured my frothy blend into a mug and placed it in the microwave for another minute.

Immensely pleased with the combination of zippy flavors, I proceeded to enjoy a second cup. When my husband came in, he indulged in a cup of this Colombian brew.


Horchata and SOL Chocolate de Mesa con Azucar Morena has officially become a household favorite!

Recipe:
1 cup Horchata
1 tablet of Central/South American or Spanish Chocolate (SOL is preferred)

Is it that easy? Homemade marshmallows

Lately, I've been thinking about making my own marshmallows to pair with a few of my favorite hot chocolates. Or, to perk up a poorly tasting hot chocolate conquest (I can never get myself to throw out a bad cup of hot chocolate).

So, I reached out for a little how to lesson...

Heavenly Hot Chocolate with Chef Christopher Brooks

Colonial Inspired Hot Chocolate

Transporting us back to our American chocolate roots, Mars, Inc. launched the American Heritage line of chocolate, coffee and tea. The colonial inspired beverages are served at the only 18th century coffeehouse in America, R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse. Constructed over 240 years ago in Williamsburg, Virginia, the coffeehouse was newly reconstructed on its original site. Founded in the early 1760’s by Richard Charlton, a local wigmaker, R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse was located just steps away from the state capital. Open for ten years, the coffeehouse was a gathering place among politicians, mostly notably our first president George Washington, conspirators and local patrons to dine and converse about the ever changing nation.

Paying homage to a long history of chocolate indulgences, the American Heritage Chocolate is based on an authentic colonial recipe. The handcrafted, all natural and preservative free chocolate product line consists of a Chocolate Block, Grated Chocolate Drink, Chocolate Sticks and Chocolate Sticks in a Muslin Bag. Indulge in hot chocolate the way our American founding fathers did.







If you are interested in learning more about the archaeological aspects of this coffeehouse, click here for more information about the reconstruction efforts of the Richard Charlton Coffeehouse provided by The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

A Simple Hot Cocoa Receipe

For a quick and easy hot cocoa beverage:

1 cup milk
2 tsp cocoa powder
2 tsp cinnamon orange sugar or pre-blended sugar mix

Pour milk in a microwave safe mug. Heat in the microwave for 25 seconds. Remove mug and add cocoa powder and sugar. Blend ingredients well. Return to microwave for 60 seconds or until heated appropriately.

Remove mug from microwave. Garnish with whipped cream or chocolate shavings.

To create this recipe, I used Droste Cocoa Powder from Holland and a Cinnamon Orange Sugar from Surfas. The pre-blended sugar provides a simple way of creating a savory chocolate beverage without a lot of hassle.

Recipe Alert: Divine Intervention

Last night I was craving a white hot chocolate. That was extremely odd since I am not a white chocolate fan. As I pulled the ingredients to try a make a creamy white chocolate drinking beverage I couldn't find the white chocolate. I bet you the gremlin called my husband probably got to it when I was on a business trip. If so, he has improved his chocolate sneaking skills as I didn't catch on until it was too late. So, I changed my plans. My goal was to go deep and dark.

Making hot chocolate can no longer can be a messy adventure. We have a new dog now named Wally that we picked him up from a shelter a few weeks back. He is an absolute hoot! So, I must make sure to measure my chocolate/cocoa in the sink because chocolate/cocoa is not good for dogs.My inspiration lead me to retrieve Valrhona Cacao Powder, heavy cream, Mexican Vanilla, lemon curd, nutmeg, cinnamon and fine baker's sugar. I didn't have a clue where this was going to take me. But I was ready to get crackin'.

In the end, I created a dreamy dark drinking chocolate with Valrhona cacao powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla. My husband gave it a "10" and asked why "I didn't make more". Unfortantely, I only had 3/4 cup of heavy cream so this adventure came out to be very positive. Before we shared our lone glass of drinking chocolate, I decided to take a picture of this delectable creation.

Another star in the cocoa lady's hat for this one!
Divine Drinking Chocolate(Click here for a copy of my drinking chocolate recipe)

Recipe Alert: Key Lime Spiced Hot Cocoa

I've been on a roll this week. I believe the trip to World Market Cost Plus over the weekend jump started a hot chocolate creating frenzy. Nonetheless, I picked up a World Market brand of Key Lime Seasoning during my recent shopping trip. This seasoning contains lime juice powder, lime peel, white pepper, black pepper, ginger, thyme, onion, garlic, cinnamon, mustard, mace, nutmeg, cayenne and all spice.

Now, I know many of would think, "why in the world would you make hot cocoa with that?" But of course I think, "why not"? One of my favorite hot chocolates is Xocolatl by Dagoba which contains chilies and cinnamon and another previously popular hot chocolate at our store was Green & Black's Maya Gold Hot Chocolate which contained ground cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and orange peel. Unfortunately, Green & Black discontinued their product last year which left a void in the spicy hot chocolate market.

Nonetheless, this hot cocoa recipe would definitely be one a Xocolatl or Maya Gold connoisseur would like, or at least I hope. If you want a sugary sweet hot cocoa, this is not for you!

Key Lime Spiced Hot Cocoa (Click here for a pdf copy of the recipe)

Yield: 1 Serving

Ingredients:

3/4 c Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 tsp Key Lime Seasoning

3 tsp Cocoa Powder

1- ½ tbls Sugar

Preparation:

1. Heat Milk and Vanilla Extract in a double-boiler over medium/low heat.

1. Whisk in Key Lime Seasoning, Cocoa Powder and Sugar. Bring to a simmer, but do not boil.
2. Continue to stir mixture until smooth and hot.
3. Use a strainer when pouring the hot cocoa mixture in to a mug. Garnish and serve.

Personally, I found this recipe to be quite very savory. The blend of sweetness and spice lingers in your month. Since it is made with cocoa powder, the consistency is lighter which allows you to focus on the various bursts of flavor. After a few sips, I thought to myself, "not bad".

Indulge & Enjoy!

It's all in the measurements

The other half accidently broke my ounce measuring cup a few weeks back. Trying to convert cup measurements to ounces makes me crazy, so a shopping excursion was in order to replace the broken measuring cup.

After a trip to Crate and Barrel, I came home with two new toys: Adjust-a-Cup and Mini Measure. I can't wait to use these new gadgets this weekend on a new hot chocolate recipe.

Orange Ginger Hot Chocolate

Yield: 1 Serving of Orange Ginger Hot Chocolate

Ingredients:

¼ c 90% Dark Chocolate Bar

½ c Milk

¼ c Orange Juice

3 tbls Crystallized Ginger Root

Preparation:

1. Chop the 90% Dark Chocolate into smaller pieces.
2. Place the chocolate shavings into a double-boiler over medium/low heat until it is completely melts.
3. Whisk in Orange Juice, Milk and Ginger. Bring to a simmer, but do not boil.
4. Continue to stir mixture until smooth and hot.
5. Use a strainer when pouring the hot chocolate mixture in to a mug. Garnish and serve.