Chocolate On Chocolate

 

Double Chocolate Decadence

 

 

Chocolate has been calling out to me lately and I can no longer ignore it.  When it comes to desserts, particularly chocolate, I generally subscribe to the maxim that less is not more, but more is more.  In that vein, I’m offering a decidedly decadent double chocolate delight.  Cocoa and buttermilk are incorporated into whipped cream for a subtle tang in the body of this chocolate delicacy and a silky and nutty brown butter-infused sauce is the perfect complement to the base.  Although you have chocolate heaped upon chocolate, this is not an over-the-top sweet dessert.  The cocoa tempers the sweetness with a slight earthy flavor while the brown butter in the chocolate sauce counters with a nutty flavor.  Crown with a cherry and you’ve got an easy, elegant, and indulgent dessert.

 

Brown Butter Chocolate Sauce

5 TB unsalted butter

1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli.)

¼ tsp kosher salt

Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking, until it starts to foam. About 2 – 3 minutes. Reduce to low and continue whisking until the milk solids in bottom of pan turn golden brown.  3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips and salt.  Cover tightly and let sit for about 5 minutes. Stir melted chocolate mixture, scaping up the goody bits from bottom, until smooth.  Keep warm.

    

 

Cocoa Whipped Cream

 2 cups cold heavy cream

6 TB Dutch-process cocoa

2 TB sugar

1 TB vanilla extract

¼ tsp kosher salt

⅓ cup well-shaken buttermilk, room temperature

  

 

Rosie Notes: 

Whenever I’m whipping cream, I chill both my beaters and my mixing bowl.  You’ll get more volume this way because the cold causes the fat molecules to solidify, resulting in a more effective incorporation of air bubbles, giving you a more stable and voluminous whipped cream.

 

I’m using Dutch-processed cocoa as opposed to regular, or natural, cocoa.  The difference is in the pH levels and resulting flavors.  Dutch-processed cocoa is treated with an alkaline solution, neutralizing its acidity.  This results in a darker color and a smoother, less bitter and more mellow chocolate flavor.

 

Pour cream into chilled bowl of a stand mixer fitted with balloon-whisk attachment.  Whip at medium speed about 4 minutes, or until soft peaks form.  Reduce speed to low and add cocoa, sugar, vanilla, and salt, scraping down sides as needed.  Slowly add buttermilk, beating until medium-soft peaks form, about a minute.  The peaks should hold their shape and barely curl over at the tip.

 

 

To Serve:

Makes 6  ½-cup servings.

Spoon whipped cream into serving cups, forming tall mounds.  Make a well in center of each and pour warm chocolate sauce into each well.  Garnish with cherries, if desired.  You could use pitted fresh cherries, maraschino cherries, or Amarena Fabri cherries.

 

Enjoy.

Time For A Chocolate Fix

 

 

 Every now and then, I gotta have chocolate.  This is one of those times.  I always keep chocolate on hand, so when the mood hits, I can go with it.  And I'm going with chocolate fudge today.

 

This is about as simple and easy as they come.  Three ingredients.  Melt 'em and mix 'em.  Pour 'em and let 'em set.  And consume.  

 

Rosie's Fudge 

3 cups chocolate chips (For precise measure, go with 18.6 oz., either bittersweet or semisweet, and I'm using Ghirardelli chocolate.)

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1-2 tsp vanilla

 

Line a 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.

In a medium sauce pan, combine chips and milk over medium low heat until the chocolate is almost all melted.  Stir in the extract.  Stir until fully melted and smooth.

 

Pour into prepared pan, using an offset spatula to smooth and even it out.

 

Cover with plastic wrap and allow the fudge to set completely - 3-4 hours.

 

Lifting the parchment paper, remove fudge from baking dish.  Slice into small squares.

 

 

 

Enjoy. 

 

 

 

 

Rosie Makes Mahi Mahi Tacos.

 

Mahi Mahi On The Menu

We’re talking about one of my favorite little fishies right now.  Mahi mahi, also known as dolphinfish, is a fairly firm and sweet tasting fish.  It’s quite versatile and lends itself to any number of cooking techniques.  Today, I’m going to season it, pan-sear it, and serve it with a fruit salsa my favorite way - in its own edible container – a fried tortilla shell.

 

Here’s the process:

 I fried the tortillas first.  They can sit in a warm oven while you prepare the salsa and fish.

I’m frying one tortilla at a time because I need to shape each one into a taco.  I use mostly peanut oil for frying, but you could use vegetable or corn oils.  Heat oil to about 400°.  Place tortilla in pan and lightly golden the first side.  Turn tortilla over and use tongs to bend the tortilla so it’s shaped like a taco.   Fry the bottom part until golden brown, then turn over and get the other side of the taco.  Drain on paper towels.  Since these will be sitting for a while, I take the tacos and place in a warm toaster oven.  Hang them upside down using the rack to keep the taco shape.

 I started on the fruit salsa next.  It’s going to be cooked a bit and stay warm while waiting for the mahi mahi, which doesn’t take long at all to sear.  For the salsa, I’m simply giving a guideline for ingredient measurements.  Taste test and adjust to your palate.

 

 

Fruit Salsa

 1 TB unsalted butter

 4 oz. pineapple chunks

 2 TB brown sugar

 1 TB rice vinegar

 4 large strawberries, sliced

 1 tsp orange zest

 1 TB orange juice

 1 tsp minced jalapeño

 1 TB minced red onion

 2 TB chopped parsley and/or cilantro

 Melt butter over medium heat.  Toss pineapple chunks with brown sugar until nicely coated and add to sizzling butter.  Cook until pineapple is brownish and caramelly from the brown sugar.  About 2 minutes.  Add in rice vinegar, strawberries, orange zest and juice, jalapeño, and onion.  Lightly combine and remove from heat.  Stir in parsley/cilantro before serving.

 

 Fruit ready to go.

 Give the pineapple some caramelly attention.

 

 Add in rest of ingredients.

  

  

Mahi Mahi

  To prepare the mahi fillets for cooking, I remove the bloodline first. That’s the dark red line that runs down the middle of the fillet along the spine.  Using a sharp knife, cut it out.  While it’s OK to eat, it tends to have a stronger, fishier taste, which I don’t like.

 

 That dark line going down center is the blood line.

  

 Me no likey.

 

 Remove the blood line.

 

 

 

  Next, I season my fillets.  Onto a plate, evenly sprinkle about a teaspoon or two each of freshly cracked black pepper, onion powder, paprika, thyme, oregano, and red chile pepper flakes, and a few pinches of kosher salt.  Place each fillet in the mixture, pressing into the seasonings, and coating both sides.

 

  

 

 

  

 Let sit a minute or two before slicing.

 To cook the fillets, I use an iron skillet.  Coat it with a film of peanut oil and heat to about 400°.  Throw in a tablespoon of butter, let it sizzle, spit, and melt, then place each fillet in the pan.  Depending on the thickness of your fillets (Mine were about ¾ inch thick.), sear about 2 ½ minutes on the first side (Resist the temptation to move your fish around in the pan.) and about 1 ½ minutes on the flip side.  Remove from pan onto plate to rest a minute.  Slice into strips.

 

 For serving:

Fill tacos with a bed of salsa and lay mahi strips on stop.

  

Or you can go with a more traditional serving and nestle the fish strips on a bed of your favorite coleslaw and top with a tartar sauce.  Those little green balls in the tartar sauce are raw cilantro seeds, or coriander.  They give a nice citrusy tang and fresh pop of cilantro flavor to whatever you add them to.  And you can only find raw coriander seeds on cilantro plants in your garden. 

 For the Tartar Sauce:

  1/3 cup mayonnaise

 1 TB stone ground mustard

 1 TB minced celery

 1 TB sweet relish

 1 TB minced dill pickle

 Combine all ingredients.  If you’d like to give it a few shakes of Texas Pete or another hot sauce, I wouldn’t stop you.

 The next time you make coleslaw, trying adding a few ingredients to up your game a bit.  A splash of buttermilk in the dressing mix would be a welcome addition, as would adding a chopped apple and a handful of craisins to the cabbage mix.  Remember:  always taste test.

 Enjoy.