Gelato al Cioccolato

As my my friends know, gelato is my all-time favorite dessert. During the summer of '99 while attending UW, I lived in Siena. My friend Whitney and I would walk up to our local gelateria nearly every night to get our coppa di gelato. Her favorite stracciatella and mine was typically bacio (hazelnut & chocolate) or a mixture of cioccolato (chocolate) and pistachio. We are both chocolate lovers. I created this recipe as an ode to our summer evenings spent walking and nibbling!

4th of July Ice-Cream Sandwiches

My apologies to those of you that follow my blog. I realize I've been neglecting both of my blogs a bit, no posts at all through June. Well June was quite a crazy busy month. I was offered a position in pastry at a lovely new french restaurant in Seattle. Everything has moved so fast...out with the old and in with the new. So I have been working at the restaurant and teaching on my days off so it's left little time for blogging. But I'm here, baking & cooking away. Below is a melting version of the ice cream sandwiches I made for the 4th. We had a BBQ with our family and this was the sweet I served before the Fireworks started. Finally the sun has peaked out here in the PNW, just in time for BBQ's and sticky, messy and gooey desserts!

Gelato vs Ice Cream

Bittersweet Chocolate Gelato is a delectable treat this time of year. The sun is finally peeking out through the clouds here in the Pacific Northwest although we are still at temperatures in the low 60's. Sunshine is always a welcoming nod toward my favorite summertime...really anytime treat! Creamy & decadently mousse-like; the mouthfeel of gelato is much silkier than ice cream.

Chocolate + Butter + Sugar = Buttercream

I whipped up this decadent buttercream for my nieces' 16th birthday! Her favorite cake combination this year is lemon & chocolate. So I made cupcakes using one of Martha Stewart's lemon cake recipes. I scooped out the center of each cupcake and filled with lemon curd then frosted with my Dark Chocolate Buttercream.

For the Dark Chocolate Buttercream, of course I happened to have two 3-ounce Rich 70% Theo Chocolate Bars lying around therefore I broke them into bits and melted in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. After the chocolate was melted I cooled to room temperature. Then creamed together 2 sticks of unsalted butter with a scant 2 cups of powdered sugar and a pinch of sea salt until light and fluffy. Finally, the addition of the cooled melted chocolate for flavoring. This recipe can be adapted to suit your frosting fancy. Leave out the chocolate and cut back on the powdered sugar a smidgen then add a tablespoon of vanilla extract and half of a pod of vanilla bean seeds for a basic Vanilla Buttercream or add a touch of pure maple syrup for a Maple Buttercream, lemon zest or orange zest for a hint of Citrus. This recipe creates enough buttercream to frost at least 18 cupcakes!

Buon Compleanno Miss N!

xoxo Auntie

Something Exciting is Going On Over At Theo Chocolate

As many of you know, I am a Theonista (although I still have yet to fill out my "Who Is Theo?" questionnaire....one of these days!). I've been with Theo Chocolate since T and I moved back to Seattle....which has been a little over a year now. (update 2013: worked for Theo 10/2009-12/2011)  There's always a lot of excitement around this time of year with new creations in our confections kitchen and holiday offerings.

Seven of the west coast's leading chefs spent a day in the Theo Chocolate kitchen collaborating with our Theo chocolatiers to create a confection that portrays the individuality of each chef by using the finest ingredients available as their inspiration.

babycakes

BabyCakes NYC is definitely on our list of bakeries to visit when we travel to New York.....one of these days.

Erin McKenna bakes up a beautiful banana bread loaf. Not just any banana bread, a recipe that is completely vegan & gluten-free. I prefer pouring the batter into muffin tins to create adorable babycakes. The miniature cakes are moist and sweet all the way through. I'm used to my hearty gluten-free muffins, these are light and almost springy. A delicious alternative to my Bittersweet Banana Cupcakes.

This Brownie Isn't Shy: Brownie Testing Take 1

Whether dense, chunky, gooey, cakey, crumby, airy or nutty; Brownies are difficult to resist. I'm in the testing stages right now using Theo Chocolate's 70% Dark Chocolate. This chocolate's cacao beans are sourced from the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. Theo does not hinder their chocolate with the addition of soy lecithin their bars are packed full of cacao butter; as it should be! Therefore there is a depth to the chocolate that is unmatched out in the world. A deep red fruity chocolate with a beautiful balance of sweetness and floral tones. This chocolate pairs up nicely with nuts.

This brownie isn't shy, it's chock-full of chocolate and not your average 50-60% Cacao....this is a whopping 70% chocolate bar brimming over with antioxidants.

Testing Notes:

Rich, good sweetness. A bit too dense. Addition of 1-2 more eggs and perhaps cut the butter down a smidgen. Delicious right from the oven, okay later in the day. Even better after freezing and the following days.

Homemade Nutella

One of my favorite cookies is Emily Luchetti's Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies slathered with nutella. Ahhhhh, the sweet scent of sugared hazelnuts toasting within the buttery dough.
I featured her cookies once before here.

With my most recent batch I cut back the hazelnuts a touch (1/3 Cup) and added one of Theo Chocolate's scrumptious Hazelnut Crunch Bars, in turn I decreased the sugar a smidgen.

Banana Nib Brittle Muffins

Theo Chocolate's Fantasy Flavor Bars add a whimsical element to classic recipes. Today, I baked with Theo's dark and crunchy Nib Brittle Bar. This chocolate bar pairs beautifully with bananas; I chopped it into bits and folded it into my classic Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin batter in place of the ever traditional chocolate chips. If you like your muffins on the sweet side then make sure to add an additional 1/8 cup - 1/4cup sugar, as the nib brittle bar has 70% cacao content versus the typical 60-65% I use for this recipe.


Tasting Notes:
Day 1 & warm from the oven:
Moist, fluffy, oozing chocolate and not overly sweet.
May need to add 1/8-1/4 C more sugar.

Day 2:
Moist, chocolate brittle crunch, not overly sweet.
Although I prefer my banana bread less sweet than other muffins, I may add 1/8 C more sugar in the next testing.

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Bittersweet Fig, Fennel & Almond Frosting

These cupcakes are gluten & dairy free! Perfect for Travis' tummy and any vegans out there.

For the cupcake use Vanilla Almond Cupcake recipe.

This frosting was inspired by Theo Chocolate's Fig, Fennel & Almond Chocolate Bar; a delectable bittersweet chocolate perfumed with fennel and studded with figs & almonds.

Good For All Cake

Gooey globs of chocolate ooze out from within these classic decadent cakes. Bittersweet Molten Cakes are one of Travis' favorites. Typically for his birthday we'll serve with a dollop of vanilla spiked whipped cream or raw milk ice cream and fresh raspberries.

Today I baked with a batch of Theo Chocolate 70% Dark Chocolate and Theo Jane Goodall 70% Dark Chocolate. These little lovelies are a throwback to my CCA days. I made the classic cakes as well as a gluten & dairy-free version. Both beckon for more chocolate.