Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Donuts

Fractured Prune

Dynamo Donuts

Psycho Donuts

Sweetwater's Donut Mill

These four chocolate delights are consistently ranked among the top ten donuts in the United States: the Black Forest Doughnut from the Fractured Prune, the Spiced Chocolate Donut from Dynamo, the S'mores Donut from Psycho Donuts and the Grasshopper Donut from Sweetwater's Donut Mill.

Mmmmmm donuts!  

Chocolove

Chocolove 

Most chocoholics have a go-to or staple chocolate bar, one they fall back on time and time again. Chocolove's Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate is the on for me. It's the bar I buy when I can't make up my mind about what kind of chocolate I want. I crave this one after I've been inordinately adventurous, sampling more exotic flavors, and want some familiar comfort. The packaging is nice. It's eye-catching and simple. Some might say it's cutesy with the XOXOX symbol on each of the different colors of outer wrappers. I can't say that the packaging is all that fancy. In fact, it's a little bit understated, but the added love poem on the inside of each wrapper is a nice, classy touch.

I find it strange that this bar has become my go-to chocolate, because when I first tried Chocolove, I felt that all the flavors were too sweet. Then again, I sampled the Toffee in Milk Chocolate bar and a few others that are more naturally on the sweet side than any of the darker chocolates, but even the dark chocolates are on the verge of being too sweet. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's the type of chocolate that appeals to the mainstream, but I'm sensitive to chocolate that's overly sugary. Fortunately, I gave the line of chocolates another try and discovered this highly addictive bar with its dark, chewy dried cherries and crunchy roasted almonds nestled in chocolate that's dark but not excessively so. Because it's only 55 percent cocoa, there's a good chance that both milk and dark chocolate lovers will appreciate this creation.  

It's always a pleasant surprise to discover a chocolate bar that isn't excessively thin. I like chocolate I can sink my teeth into, especially when there are added ingredients such as nuts, fruit or pretzel pieces. It's not so much that Chocolove chocolate is extraordinary; it's that the chocolate is consistently good. Anyone can tell that it's a very high quality chocolate, even though there's nothing overly intriguing about it, mostly because the flavors are straightforward, not complex. This isn't anything to complain about, really. It's great to have a confection that screams true, traditional chocolate when you taste it, and these bars are made with very good Belgian chocolate using classic European techniques.

Of the various bars I have tried, the flavors were all nicely balanced, but there was nothing unique about the combinations. It's hard to go wrong with traditional ingredients. As far as my preference, I keep coming back to the Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate. On very rare occasions, I have ended up with one that contained rather rancid almonds, but I attribute this to improper storage on the part of the store where I purchased the bar, not to the company. I have had too many bars with fresh almonds to make me think it's a problem with the way the bars are made. It's more likely that the bars sit on the store shelves too long or are not rotated properly. The cherries are tart but not sour, so they don't detract from the pure cocoa taste of the chocolate. I'm the type who loves to explore different flavors and textures in my chocolates, so including both fruit and nuts is the perfect combination for me. 

The milk chocolate pretzel bar was a little bit on the sweet side to my taste. The Man thought it was good. He agreed that it was sweet, but he didn't think it was overly so. The pretzel pieces were quite long and made the bar difficult to score evenly. It's not a big problem, but it looked clumsy. I did like the crunch and the saltiness of the pretzels. The texture of the chocolate, while not chalky, wasn't entirely smooth. Overall, it was good but not outstanding. After sampling some excellent Valrhona milk chocolate, it's easy to be critical of other milk chocolates, but I appreciate a very smooth milk chocolate that's not extremely sweet. 


Some of the best things about Chocolove are the high standards of the company and the founder's dedication to social responsibility.

What is your go-to chocolate?

Timothy Moley, the founder of Chocolove

Chocolate in a Main Dish

Here's an interesting recipe originally in Bon Appetit:

Braised Short Ribs with Chocolate and Rosemary

Bon Appétit  | January 2006

by Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes

From Epicurious:
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup diced pancetta (Italian bacon; about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 6 pounds bone-in short ribs
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onions
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 3 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 cups chopped drained canned diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 very large fresh thyme sprig
• 1 bay leaf

• 3 tablespoons shaved or grated bittersweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preparation

Heat heavy large pot over medium heat. Add pancetta and sauté until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown ribs in drippings in pot over medium-high heat until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to plate. Add onions and next 4 ingredients to pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add wine. Boil uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pancetta. Return ribs to pot, cover partially, and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Uncover and simmer until rib meat is tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours longer. Transfer ribs to plate; discard bay leaf. Spoon fat from surface of sauce. Boil sauce until beginning to thicken, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add chocolate, cocoa powder, and rosemary; stir until chocolate melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return ribs to pot. Simmer to rewarm, about 5 minutes.

Playlist for 11/23/13

This was an interesting little set of music:

1. JJ72 - Oxygen

   by liousq 252,453 views

   JJ72 - Oxygen
2. 3:28

   2

   La Roux - Bulletproof

   by LaRouxVEVO 14,105,762 views

   Music video by La Roux performing Bulletproof. YouTube view counts pre-VEVO: 8,877,218. (C) 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
3. 4:14

   3

   Baby Bitch by Ween

   by gomerrpm21 69,357 views

   Here is the studio version of Baby Bitch. I don't think there's one on youtube yet, so here you go.
4. 2:18

   4

   The Fratellis - 3 Skinny Girls

   by RobotHell 142,745 views

   3 Skinny Girls
   b…
5. 3:33

   5

   Odetta - Hit Or Miss

   by Ben Childs 477,152 views

   Odetta - Hit Or Miss
6. 3:10

   6

   Death Grips - The Fever (Aye Aye)

   by Death Grips 830,853 views

   Subscribe: http://bit.ly/DeathGripsYT
   Facebook: http://bit.ly/DeathGripsFB…
7. 3:24

   7

   Mike Doughty - Super Bon Bon

   by Mike Doughty 15,261 views

   Official Video for Super Bon Bon. Directed by Meg Skaff. From Mike Doughty's album of reimagined Soul Coughing songs, "Circles Super Bon Bon...". Available Now: http://georiot.co/21y…
8. 2:05

   8

   Angel Olsen - "Forgiven/Forgotten" (Official Audio)

   by Jagjaguwar 28,876 views

   Angel Olsen "Forgiven/Forgotten" from the forthcoming release Burn Your Fire For No Witness, out Feb. 18 2014, on CD/ LP/ Digital on Jagjaguwar.…
9. 4:00

   9

   The Beta Band - Space

   by Smarmy Papsmears 6,946 views

   off of their 2004 album Heroes to Zeros on Asteralwerks records
10. 4:58

    10

    Black Grape - Get Higher

    by alfe1805 8,234 views
11. 3:49

    11

    The Czars - Trash

    by toootlewootle 131 views

    from the album Goodbye (2004)
12. 3:43

    12

    Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls Never Know (with lyrics)

    by CRO875 1,109,425 views

    From their new, third album ''Tonight: Franz Ferdinand'' 2009…

Brownie Recipe

From thekitchen.com:

Mascarpone Brownies
(adapted from Food Network Canada)
Brownies
1 cup unsalted butter
3 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (sifted)
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
3 large eggs, at room-temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Ganache
6 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 tablespoons whipping cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter


Preheat oven to 325F and grease or parchment paper a 8x8 pan. Set aside.
In glass mixing bowl melt butter in microwave on full power. Stir in chocolate and mix until combined (a few additional seconds in the microwave may be needed). Note: This may be done over a double boiler, but we've never seen why you should bother with the hassle!
Add sugar to chocolate/butter mixture until combined. Heat for an additional 30 seconds on high, remove and stir until it looks shiny. It will still look a bit grainy.
Add marscapone, vanilla, eggs and mixing until smooth.
Sift flour, salt and cocoa into mixture with a sieve and stir just until combined, making sure to scrape all sides of the bowl. (Mixture will be rather light in texture, instead of dense and heavy like many brownie batters)

Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top to ensure even baking. Bake for 40-50 minutes (ours is usually done around 47 minutes) until tester comes out clean. Use the flat end of a potato masher to lightly tamp down the surface of the brownies while they are still warm. Do not squish, merely flatten any parts that might have raised more than others (typically the edges). This will help the ganache coat evenly. Leave in pan and set on wire rack to cool.

While brownies are cooling, make your ganache to pour over the top (which you will want to do while your brownies are still warm). To do so, simply heat butter and cream on medium power (taking care not to boil) in the microwave and add chocolate. Stir until all lumps disappear. Immediately pour over brownies. Let cool completely (we find placing them in the fridge helps up stay out of the pan until they the ganache is set 100%). Once chilled a knife will cut through them cleanly, make sure to clean your blade for each cut for a more polished look.
The mascarpone keeps things moist and dense without the same thin, underdone taste of a normal fudgy brownie. It also allows the chocolate to shine through without feeling a sugar coma after eating one (although we make no promises that you can eat just one).

Petit Pain au Chocolat

Petit Pain au chocolat

A croissant is fine, but look what happens when you add chocolate!

New York Chocolate Desserts

Here's a list of some of the best restaurants noted for their chocolate desserts in New York:

From The Sweet Lowdown by Robin Raisfeld & Rob Patronite 

1. The Spotted Pig’s Flourless Chocolate Cake (née Nemesis)
314 W. 11th St., at Greenwich St.; 212-620-0393
This chocoholic’s dream is such a spot-on homage to a signature dessert at London’s River Cafe, where chef April Bloomfield used to work, she was politely requested to call it something else. By any name, it’s irresistible, and the blob of crème fraîche adds an unexpected and necessary tang to cut the dizzying, ultrarich chocolate flavor.
2. Per Se’s Chocolate “S’mores”
10 Columbus Circle, at 59th St.; 212-823-9335
Introduced to the Hershey’s and Honey Maid paradigm by his American wife, Sébastien Rouxel countered nicely with homemade Fluff, homemade marshmallows, homemade graham crackers ground into fine crumbs—and a thick, rich round of chocolate “crémeux.”
3. Craft’s Chocolate Soufflé
43 E. 19th St., nr. Park Ave. S.; 212-780-0880
Thanks to the super-heat-conducting qualities of the little copper pots Karen DeMasco cooks her classic soufflés in, you don’t even have to order them in advance. They’re served with a vanilla malted crème anglaise and a proper old-world flourish.
4. Jean Georges’s Warm, Soft Chocolate Cake
1 Central Park W., at 60th St.; 212-299-3900
A happy accident, this molten masterpiece has been copied all over town. It can be had at nearly all his restaurants but feels most decadent at his flagship.
5. The Bar Room at the Modern’s Hazelnut Dacquoise
9 W. 53rd St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-333-1220
A crispy base, a moussey middle, and a few well-placed milk-chocolate leaves form the elegant architecture of this multitextured, mille-feuille- like dessert.
6. Le Bernardin’s “Egg”
155 W. 51st St., nr. Seventh Ave.; 212-489-1515
Although it’s only a bit player on the Chef’s Tasting Menu, it deserves top billing: a milk chocolate pot de crème topped with caramel foam, touched with maple syrup and a pinch of Maldon sea salt, served in a decapitated eggshell.
7. Thor’s “Snicker Bar”
107 Rivington St., nr. Essex St.; 212-796-8040
A chewy, sticky hockey puck of a thing, chock-full of nuts and garnished with chocolate sorbet. Unquestionably a Frenchman’s idea of junk food.
8. The Chocolate Room’s Chocolate Layer Cake
86 Fifth Ave., nr. Warren St., Park Slope, Brooklyn; 718-783-2900
Utterly homespun and displayed, as tradition dictates, on a pedestal stand under a plastic dome, this old-fashioned favorite has a few things going for it scads of contenders don’t: a moist, tender texture and authentic chocolate flavor.
9. Gilt’s Chocolate/Chili
455 Madison Ave., at 50th St.; 212-891-8100
Chocolate snobs consider it blasphemy to muck up the flavor with fruit or spices. But Oscar Palacios’s lush composition—a clementine-chocolate tart paired with an ancho-chile parfait—could convert a few nonbelievers.
10. Rickshaw Dumpling Bar’s Chocolate Shanghai Soup Dumplings
61 W. 23rd St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-924-9220
Approach these chewy black-sesame-coated deep-fried mochi balls carefully, as if you were defusing a miniature time bomb. Otherwise you’re likely to get a splat of molten bittersweet Callebaut chocolate and Plugrá-butter filling all over your shirt.
Honorable Mentions: Gramercy Tavern’s dark-chocolate pot de crème, Daniel’s warm griotte Black Forest, Payard’s upside-down soufflé, Craftbar’s chocolate gateau, Blue Ribbon Bakery’s chocolate bread pudding, Gotham Bar & Grill’s warm chocolate cake, and Strip House’s chocolate layer cake.

Jcoco Chocolate Review

Jcoco Chocolate 

This week the Man and I sampled Jcoco Chocolate, a chic and fashionable line of American chocolate that, in addition to being sold in eye-catching packages, makes a point of giving back to the community. I was happy to see that the label has a no GMO symbol on it, and the ingredients are all natural. From their website:

Each jcoco box is packaged in vibrant, eye-catching colors, printed on 100% recycled paper, and each contains three individually wrapped one-ounce bars.  They're perfect for sharing with friends or saving to enjoy later. All jcoco flavors are all natural, non-GMO, and Kosher.

It's hard to miss these bars on the shelf. The bright, bold colors of the outer boxes grab your attention right away. The design is clean and classy. Inside each package are three individually wrapped 1-ounce bars, and the artistic inner packaging -- colorful foil surrounded by stylish wrappers -- keeps the chocolate fresh. The swank images on the bars inside are great, fun and more than a little bit cool. I never thought to combine fashion and chocolate, but it seems to work in this case. I mean, chocolate and art isn't a stretch, so why not get a taste of fashion with your chocolate?

The Man and I picked two flavors to taste: the Black Fig Pistachio and the Jingle Berry.

The first thing I noticed in sampling the bars is that the chocolate is straightforward and basic, which is good when the flavors added are on the surprising side. Too complex a chocolate would compete with the added tidbits in each bar. The texture is softer than some of the other chocolates we have sampled, but it still had a nice snap, just not the very crisp, clean snap of the Amano bars.

Black Fig Pistachio bar.

With the Black Fig Pistachio bar, the figs are cut in large chunks, so it's hard to judge the texture of the chocolate. That said, the flavor is fantastic. It's earthy and deep, and I love the seedy texture of the figs combined with the softer chocolate. It just works nicely. Figs are a better option that any other dried fruit in this bar, because the fig is less potent than something like raisins. This result is a better balance of flavors. With figs, there's an intriguing, subtle fruity flavor, and the sugars aren't so shocking and concentrated. Plus, figs contain more moisture than raisins, so the texture is chewier. Because pistachios have a slightly sweet and salty flavor, it's the perfect nut for this bar. It needs that tiny burst of both flavor and crunchy texture.

Jingle Berry bar.

I was glad I sampled the Jingle Berry bar twice, because the first time I tried it, I got a burst of pine flavor that was overwhelming, like I had just snacked on a Christmas tree. It was definitely a fluke, because the second time I tried the Jcoco bar, the flavors were very well balanced. Depending on where and when pine nuts are harvested, the taste of the kernel can vary wildly. It's possible that in my previous tasting, I was hit with a rare and wild deviant pine nut that snuck into a milder group of nuts. The Man agreed that the pine nuts and Goji berries were a very interesting combination with the dark chocolate. I find goji berries sweet, very slightly sour and even a tiny bit bitter, however, the chocolate, while dark, is not bitter. We felt the combination works perfectly. With so many flavors on the tongue, each one is enhanced. The only thing missing to hit each taste region on the tongue is a touch more salt. I think a teeny little bit of pink Himalayan salt would have been excellent with this bar. Still, it was very good, and it makes a wonderful holiday gift.

Stephen Pan

This is one of my favorite contemporary painters. Stephen Pan is famous for his enchanting ballet dancers as well as his stunning figurative pieces. To view more of his work, check out this link: Stephen Pan.

Playlist 11/16/13

1.  3:10

   1
   

   Natural Self - Feet Keep Moving

   by herbysk 76,503 views

   Natural Self -
   The Art Of Vibration - …
2.  3:49

   2
   

   Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat the Devil's Tattoo

   by Marlon Möltgen 656,957 views
3.  3:12

   3
   

   The Strange Boys - Be Brave

   by RoughTradeRecordsUK 775,250 views

   Video for Be Brave, the new single by Texan garage rockers The Strange Boys…
4.  3:37

   4
   

   Gorillaz Slow Country

   by GorillazMusicStudio 277,034 views

   Album: Gorillaz
   Artist: Gorillaz…
5.  4:29

   5
   

   Ratatat - Lex

   by Louis Gislason 421,230 views

   A good song from the album "Classics"
6.  2:10

   6
   

   The Misfits-Where Eagles Dare

   by IHateFunnerz 309,003 views

   the misfits where eagles dare studio version
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~…
7.  3:49

   7
   

   TV on the Radio - DLZ

   by Robert Fiedler 2,395,423 views

   From the album Dear Science End cuts out. Full version here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XP-ctouKWg
8.  2:57

   8
   

   Where Is My Mind - Maxence Cyrin

   by hmmmcamu 621 views

   cover version by Maxence Cyrin of " Where Is My Mind " by " The Pixies " from the album " Novo Piano " ............ I have uploaded over a 100 [plus] songs on my channel, Please feel free to check them out and I hope you find something you like.
9.  2:14

   9
   

   The Brian Jonestown Massacre - The Ballad of Jim Jones

   by BlurryBigfoot 364,649 views

   My fave BJM song. Never saw it here, thought I would share it.
10.  5:38

    10
    

    Handsome Boy Modeling School - The Truth

    by mrjoesweats 3,202 views
11.  4:54

    11
    

    Emancipator - First Snow

    by unclejemima0 934,887 views

    Shortened version from Chillharmonium 6…
12.  3:58

    12
    

    The Elkcloner - The Green Dune

    by TheElkclonerOfficial 2,467 views

    Music and lyrics by Filip Mitrovic.
    Distribution: EMI Music…
13.  3:33

    13
    

    Dirty Vegas - Days Go By (acoustic)

    by es cotes 879,263 views

    Dirty Vegas - Days Go By (acoustic)