Hot chocolate mix

My younger son has been asking for hot chocolate lately.  I've been mixing cocoa powder with a little sugar and some warm milk (to make sort of a roux), then adding more warm milk, but this sounds a little easier.

From the Smitten Kitchen:

Decadent Hot Chocolate Mix
Adapted a little from Cook’s Illustrated

Yield: Just under 1 3/4 cups mix, enough for 9 cups

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (8 grams) cornstarch
3 ounces (85 grams) semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until powdery. Keeps at room temperature for up to 2 months.

To use: Heat one cup of milk. Add 3 tablespoons hot cocoa mix. Whisk over heat for another minute or two, until it begins to simmer and mix is completely dissolved. 

Other flavor ideas: 

Mexican Hot Chocolate (with some chile powder, cayenne and cinnamon)

Mint Hot Chocolate (with mint extract instead of vanilla; could also use mint chocolate chips)

Mocha Hot Chocolate (with a couple tablespoons of espresso powder)

Chocolate Truffle Creme Brûlée

Chocolate Truffle Crème Brûlée
YIELD: 6 servings COOK TIME: 1 hour  TOTAL TIME: 4 hours
INGREDIENTS:

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, very finely chopped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
granulated sugar, for topping
DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Place a folded dish towel flat inside a 13-by-9-inch baking dish (this will keep the ramekins from shifting around), and arrange four 6 ounce or six 4 ounce ramekins inside. Bring 3 to 4 cups of water to a simmer and keep warm.
Place chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, warm heavy cream until it begins to steam.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until smooth. Whisk in warm cream, 1/4 cup at a time, until mixture is warm to the touch and about half of cream has been added. Do this gradually, as you want to temper the egg yolks rather than cook them. Pour yolk mixture back into saucepan and whisk until incorporated.
Pour warm cream mixture over chopped chocolate; let sit for 30 seconds, then whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. If you chopped your chocolate fine enough the residual heat from the cream should be more than enough to fully melt it. If not, return to saucepan and stir over very low heat until almost melted, then remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Whisk in vanilla.
Divide mixture evenly among ramekins. Place baking pan in oven, then very carefully pour hot water into the baking dish until it comes about half-way up the side of the ramekins.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until centers are just set but still slightly jiggly. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes, then carefully remove ramekins from water and let cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 or until ready to serve.
About 30 minutes prior to serving, remove ramekins from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Just before serving, sprinkle each custard with an even layer of granulated sugar, then caramelize with a kitchen torch, keeping the flame moving over the surface of the custards, until sugar is golden brown and bubbly. Let sit for 1 to 2 minutes to allow sugar to harden, then serve.

Jacques Torres Chocolate Mudslide Cookies

• ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour (83 grams)
• 1 tablespoons baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and room temperature
• 2¼ cups granulated sugar
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 1¼ cups walnuts, chopped
• 16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• Kosher salt, for sprinkling
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (convection setting) or 325 degrees F. 

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.   Melt together the 6 ounces of unsweetened chocolate and the 16 ounces of bittersweet chocolate.  Cream butter and sugar; add eggs.  Add flour mixture until just mixed, then add melted chocolate.    Fold in chopped chocolate and nuts.  Chill dough for about 15 - 20 minutes.

Drop by spoon until parchment paper lined baking sheets; sprinkle with coarse salt.   Bake at 350 degrees F on the convection setting for 10 minutes or so, or at 325 degrees F on a regular setting for 12-15 minutes.   Allow to cool completely before removing from the sheets.

Horseradish Grill's Chocolate Cake

This has been published in the AJC (at least I'm assuming it's the AJC; I have a clipping with no newspaper info or date on it) and in Nick Malgieri's Chocolate.  It's a rather yummy cake.  I usually make it in a 9 x 13 pan, and only need half of the chocolate butter frosting.

Cake
2 cups sugar (about 400 g)
1 1/2 cups flour (180 g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup double-strength hot brewed coffee
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

Chocolate Butter frosting
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
16  ounces semisweet chocolate
1/4 cup double strength coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat to 325

Stir together sugar, flour, salt, and baking soda.  

Put chocolate in a bowl and pour hot coffee over it.  Let stand until chocolate melts.

Mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, and sour Cream.  Mix it with the melted chocolate mixture.  Fold dry ingredients into chocolate mixture, about a third at a time, then pour into prepared pans (the original recipe recommended buttered and lined with parchment paper).

Bake for 30 minutes or until done.

For frosting, combine cream, butter, sugar, and salt; simmer over low heat.  Once butter is melted, add chocolate.  Let melt, then add coffee and vanilla.  

When making it in a 13 x 9 pan, I usually just pour it over the cake at this point, but the recipe suggests letting it chill for several minutes until it is a spreadable consistency.

Pot De Creme Au Chocolat

Based on my mum's old Betty Crocker Cook book 

1 bar 4 oz sweet cooking chocolate (better: bitter sweet or even chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 c. light cream

2 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Stuff

When I find an interesting recipe, I'll usually try to post the link here so I can try it / try it again if it was good.  I found a copy cat recipe for Mellow Mushroom's pizza dough, but now I can't find it.  I found a couple of similar ones, but I suspect they have too much sweetener in them (honey and molasses).  In any case, a few new things to track:

Brownie Batter Dip

Cast Iron Skillet Brownies

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chocolate chips or coarsely chopped chocolate

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• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and eggs. In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt.
• In a medium cast iron skillet, bring butter and cream to a simmer over medium heat. Add chocolate; reduce to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, until chocolate has melted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and let cool 5 minutes.
• Add chocolate mixture to sugar mixture, whisking until blended (reserve skillet). Fold in flour mixture. Pour batter into skillet, and bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. (for a gooeyer brownie bake for about 35 minutes).

Can also reserve a handful of chocolate chips to sprinkle over the top of the raw batter.

How to temper chocolate in a food processor

(the Rocky Road Bark sounds yummy as well)

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

(okay, so not chocolate, but it has the same first letters. . . )

Chicken

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rinse chicken in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs.  Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all of sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.  

Fried Rice                                                                                             

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)

3 tbs sesame oil

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok.  Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!