Hot Chocolate: Ainsley's Gourmet Express

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

Bellissimo Houston

Minuti Coffee landed in downtown Houston.  Located on 909 Texas, Minuti Coffee serves up Italian coffee, espresso along with an array of other speciality drinks, baked goods, sandwiches and paninis.  The speciality drink that caught my attention is the Cioco Delice.  Made with Molinari chocolate steamed with milk to create a thick drinking beverage the Cioco Delice is, most likely, what many refer to as a European Drinking Chocolate.  Served with a dollop of whipped cream, the Cioco Delice can be enhanced with a dash of Mayan, Hazelnut and Chocolate Truffle flavors.

It appears a trip downtown is in order to investigate this Italian hot chocolate experience.

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!

Forget green beer! Give me an Irish hot chocolate

Today, I celebrated St. Patrick's Day with a mug of Gourmet du Village's Irish Cream Hot Chocolate.  When an instant hot chocolate is desired, I reach for Gourmet du Village or Ghirardelli.  This was exciting since I never tasted an Irish Cream drink before...not even a shot!

After heating up the milk and adding the hot chocolate packet, I stirred the mixture.  A nice creme layer appeared.  Yum.  I proceed to the backyard to sit out and savor my cup of heaven.

The first sip was very fulfilling and the creme layer added lift to the beverage.  I must say, I will keep a few packets of this one in my cupboards.

Penguins need cocoa too

Checkout this iPhone and iPod Touch App called Rocket Downhill Penguin. Help a penguin navigate obstacles on a ski slope by filling him up with cocoa. Can you say cute! A game that requires cocoa as fuel.

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.