way or the other, is the one thing I love – I
LOVE – that has not yet made it in the blog.
This is quite astonishing. I don ‘t even know
why. But this is all history now. Last
Valentine s after watching a million shows on
the history of chocolate the temptation was too
much not to give in and make something
chocolaty. The only think available was the
bitter chocolate that I used when I was making
the mudslide cookies. Well then after all I had
talked about chocolate… but it is never
enough for chocolate.
And although usually you would expect me to
start with the history of chocolate and fun
facts about it, I would just be kidding you and
myself if I think I can do it with in the
limits of the blog page. Sometimes that webpage
can be long, I know, but com’ on for chocolate?
No freaking way.
The ingredients of the show are:
-
1/2 cup of
sugar -
4 oz
bitter (unsweeten) chocolate -
2 tbsp of
butter -
1 tsp
vanilla -
1/4 cup of
milk
Start by
chopping the chocolate with a serrated knife.
This is my
homemade ben Mari or double boiler. It is a
metal bowl, over simmering water. It should not
touch the bottom of the the pot. So to suspend
it, I am using a pair of chopsticks.
Let it
slowly start melting, and turn your
attention to the butter. Cut a tbsp and
divide it in 3-4 equal parts.
Stir them in
the chocolate and continue stirring gently with
a spatula. Silicone will be nice.
Measure 1/2
cup of sugar.
Add 1/4 cup of
milk and…
Stir it in.
Estimate about
a tsp of vanilla extract.
By that time
the chocolate will be melted. Gently stir it a
couple of times to make sure that the pieces
are all melted.
Add the
milk/sugar/vanilla mixture.
Slowly fold
the chocolate to incorporate the addition. A
weird thing will happen. The liquid will
attract and sort of clamp all the solids
together resulting a very thick and paste
concoction. Nothing like real chocolate. Off
course we are making gunush. That ‘s how it
looks like.
Add one more
tbsp of butter and let it slowly melt. This
will restore some of the shine in the chocolate
and some of the fluidity.
Now it is
flavor time. I am using a home made spice mix
with 1 part clove, two parts cinnamon, 1 part
all spice and 1/4 part of star anise.
Lube up a pan.
Cover it with
wax or parchment paper and
And get
whatever mold you find around to use it. I am
using here a star cookie cutter, and the lids
of my spices, which actually gave an extra
flavor to the chocolate. Put the in the
refrigerator or the freezer.
The ganache never really freezes and never
becomes fully solid. The chocolate is amazing.
And easy to make. The best part is that you can
drop a piece in the hot milk to make it hot
chocolate drink.
Leave a Reply