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You are here: Home / Archives for chocolate recipe

Crunchy Cocoa Nib, Mandarin and Roasted Beet Salad

April 25, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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Crunchy Cocoa Nib, Mandarin and Roasted Beet Salad

Crunchy Cocoa Nib, Mandarin and Roasted Beet Salad

By Kate Heyhoe

Cocoa CRUNCH! 

For me, crunch is essential in a salad. So I usually toss in some toasted sunflower seeds, croutons, or for special occasions, cocoa nibs (also known as cacao nibs), which add a savory dark-chocolatey bite. Balsamic vinegar and cocoa nibs dance especially well together – a perfect pairing of sweet, tart and bitter.

Essentials and options: Just three main ingredients are essential to this salad: roasted beets, mandarin oranges, and cocoa nibs – plus the dressing. Mandarin oranges are typically marketed these days as Clementines or Cuties. Other good (and optional) salad add-ons: goat cheese or feta crumbles; toasted walnuts or hazelnuts; toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds; chopped Italian parsley or cilantro; and lettuce or other greens, like arugula, spinach or baby greens.

Dressing: The dressing is a basic balsamic vinaigrette laced with cocoa powder and cinnamon. Taste and tweek, then drizzle. Don’t forget to show off how pretty this dish is before mixing and serving.

Roasted Beets: No roasted beets on hand? Make them a day or three in advance: Rinse 3 to 4 large beets, trim off the leaves, wrap each beet separately in foil, and set in a baking dish (I use a glass baking dish, to catch any juices that may leak). Roast at 400 degrees F. (375 degrees if using convection mode), for about an hour, or an hour and 15 minutes if plump. They should be tender when pierced with a knife tip, but a bit under- or over-cooked won’t hurt them. Let them cool in the foil. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can refrigerate them in their foil for several days, and use them as you wish. Be careful: beets stain, so store them in glass or ceramic (not plastic). Handle with gloves, or coat your fingers with oil before handling.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 cups cleaned greens (lettuce or other greens)
  • 1 to 2 roasted beets; trimmed and sliced
  • 2 to 4 mandarin oranges, peeled and separated into sections
  • 2 ounces crumbled goat or feta cheese (optional)
  • 1 recipe Cocoa-Balsamic Vinaigrette (below)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
  • Sea salt
  • Coarse ground pepper

Cocoa-Balsamic Vinaigrette

  • 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (go for gusto)
  • 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1-1/4 teaspoons cocoa powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons honey

Assemble the Salad

Layer the greens on a platter or salad plates. On top of the greens, arrange the oranges, beets, and cheese (if using). Be artistic.

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients; stir or whisk thoroughly to blend in the cocoa powder and cinnamon. Drizzle over the salad. Sprinkle on the cocoa nibs, salt, and pepper to taste. Voila! Serve as a main dish with hot and hearty bread, or as a side dish.

Serves 2-4

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: beet, cacao, chocolate recipe, cocoa, cocoa nib, dressing, goat cheese, orange, salad, savory, vinaigrette

Chocolate Recipes at Global Gourmet

April 12, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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chocolate-SS04059Ready to overdose on chocolate?

My other website, GlobalGourmet.com, has thousands of recipes and how-to’s from the world’s most brilliant chefs and authors. Dive into chocolate recipes for desserts, cookies, truffles, candy, cakes and more here:

All About Chocolate, with Recipes, at GlobalGourmet.com

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: cacao, chocolate, chocolate recipe, cocoa, recipe

“Fast Money” Chile-Chocolate-Coffee Coins

April 4, 2013 By Kate Heyhoe

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“Fast Money” Chile-Chocolate-Coffee Coins 

Makes 18 (1-inch) coins

by Kate Heyhoe

It takes longer to balance your checkbook than to make these spicy little chocolate coins. They’re laced with smoky chipotle chile, and topped with ground coffee beans and cocoa nibs. If you’ve got some cocoa powder handy, dust the coins with a hit for visual contrast. Each coin gives a small boost of caffeine and theobromine, from the coffee and chocolate.

Equipment is simple: a microwave oven to melt the chocolate, a small glass bowl, wax paper, and some measuring spoons and cups. I use Ghirardelli bittersweet baking chips with 60% cacao, but substitute your favorite brand.

This recipe makes 18 coins, and you can easily double it if you want more. As for variations: cinnamon instead of (or in addition to) the chipotle tastes just as good. Nuts? Sure, why not. Milk chocolate instead of bittersweet? Go for it. Crystallized ginger, dried cherries? Anything goes, but maybe not all on the same coin.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces (1/3 cup) bittersweet chocolate baking chips (60% cacao)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons very coarsely ground roasted coffee beans
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa nibs
  • Cocoa powder for dusting (optional)

Line a small pan or flat surface with waxed paper. Pour the chocolate baking chips and chipotle chile into a small glass bowl (microwave safe). Melt the chocolate in a microwave at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring after each burst. You’ll need to do this 2 or 3 times, until the final stirring turns any last clumps into smooth, melted chocolate.

pouring-chocolate

Using a half-teaspoon measuring spoon, scoop up some chocolate and drop it onto the waxed paper, to create 1-inch chocolate coins. Sprinkle a pinch each of coffee beans and of cocoa nibs over the top of each coin. Use the back of a clean spoon to gently tap the coffee and cocoa nibs into the melted chocolate, just enough so they stick when cooled. If desired, scoop some cocoa powder into a spoon and tap it onto each coin (over a sieve if you have one), just to leave an artistic dusting. Let the coins cool at room temperature until hard, or chill them for 10 minutes in a refrigerator. Peel the solid coins off the wax paper and serve at room temperature.

To store: Place the coins in layers, separated by wax paper, in an airtight container; or refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: baking, chile, chocolate recipe, cocoa nib, coffee, coffee recipe, recipe

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Meet Kate

About Kate Heyhoe

I'm an author and journalist specializing in food and cooking. Caffeine Basics is my ninth book. I've written about the U.S. wine industry, international foods, shrinking your "cookprint," and cooking with kids. Great Bar Food at Home was a James Beard Award finalist, and Cooking Green: Reducing … More

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