As a bonus while cake is in the oven, you can read 10 Do's and Don'ts of Athens by the author of 'Cooking with Loula'.

No Tiles Needed for this Mosaic, Mosaico Greek Cake from Cooking with Loula  Greek Recipes from My Family to Yours by Alexandra Stratou (Artisan Books-May 3, 2016).

Mosaico

Serves • 8 to 10 

Time • Under 3 hours

I have loved this dessert ever since I was young. I remember sneaking slices off the roll we had wrapped up in the freezer throughout the day. It is something that can either be served as an easy dessert for guests, or made and kept in the freezer to satisfy a sweet craving at any time of the day.

1 cup (2 sticks / 225 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar

3 large eggs

41/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

14 ounces (400 grams) butter cookies, such as petit beurre or animal crackers, broken up into small pieces

Tip: Make sure to put the batter in the freezer immediately once it is ready, as it contains raw egg. Once all your guests are served, wrap any leftovers with parchment paper and put them back in the freezer.

Tip: If you have left the mosaico in the freezer for much more than 2 hours, make sure you take it out of the freezer at least 15 minutes before serving.

1. Beat together the butter and sugar. While beating, add the eggs one at a time, followed by the cocoa and vanilla.

2. Add the cookie pieces and mix with a spoon until all the pieces seem to be surrounded evenly by chocolate—you may think the chocolate is not enough but trust me, it is!

3. Spoon into a cake pan or 9-by-5-inch (23-by-13-centimeter) loaf pan that’s been lined with parchment paper. Press the mixture down into the pan to compact it and make it even, then fold the excess parchment paper over the top to cover the chocolate mixture completely.

4. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving. To serve, take out of the pan and slice into thick pieces. Arrange on a cutting board or on a fancy plate.

(* Excerpted from Cooking with Loula  by Alexandra Stratou -Artisan Books-Copyright © 2016. Photographs by Ioanna Roufopoulou)

All Salami but Chocolate Salami removed from Retailers Shelves this Friday

(* Image courtesy of  Sweet Things, Chocolates, Candies, Caramels & Marshmallows to Make & Give -Kyle Books,  by Annie Rigg )

80's for dessert with 'Tarte Fine au Chocolat from The Book of Chocolate (Flammarion, 2004)...

Tarte fine au chocolat

This chocolate pie with an ultra-thin crust is a French specialty that first became popular during the 1980s. The crust is a classic pâte brisée, and the thinner it is the better. The recipe calls for removing the lightly cooked crust from the pan before filling, but this is a very delicate operation and the pie will be just as delicious served from the pan.

Ingredients

For 6 servings

For the pâte brisée:

1 cup (200g) all purpose-flour

½ cup (100g) sweet butter, softened

2 egg yolks

Pinch of salt

3 tablespoons cold water

For the chocolate filling:

9 oz. (250g) bittersweet chocolate

⅔ cup (150g) light cream

½ vanilla bean

2 egg yolks

2 ½ tablespoons (30g) sweet butter, softened

To make the pâte brisée:

Sift the flour and the salt into a mixing bowl, making a well in the center. Place the cold water, the egg yolks, and the butter in small pieces, into the well and knead gently until the dough becomes workable. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, using the palm of the hand, push the dough away from you to blend the ingredients thoroughly. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Heat the oven to 390⁰F (200⁰C).

Unwrap the chilled dough and roll it out to a thickness of ⅛ inch (3mm) on a floured work surface. Place the dough into a buttered pie or tart pan and pat it well into place. Prick the bottom with a fork. Line the pan with foil or wax paper, fill with dry beans to weight it down, and bake until the crust starts to color, about 10 minutes. Remove the lining and the beans and bake for about 5 minutes more, or until the crust turns a light golden brown; the crust should be lightly cooked. Remove from the oven and let cool. Carefully remove the crust, which will be very fragile, from the pan and place it on a rack.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a large, heat-resistant mixing bowl.

Heat the cream with the vanilla bean, to split lengthwise. When the cream begins to boil, remove the vanilla bean and pour the cream over the chocolate. Stir well, until the chocolate melts and the mixture is well blended and smooth. Add the egg yolks and the softened butter and mix well.

Pour the still-warm filling into the lightly cooked pie crust and cool completely before serving.

More than a cookbook, 'The Book of Chocolate' covers everything from Cacao Plantations to History of Chocolate and Great Names of Chocolate and concludes with The Taste of Chocolate chapter where this recipe can be found.

Any chocolate lover will want The Book of Chocolate on their coffee table...and it retails around $18...

(* Reproduced with permission from  The Book of Chocolate' Flammarion, 2004...Revised and updated edition - October 2015...Originally published in France as 'Le Livre du Chocolat' in 1995)

After sailing 4th of July waters with Dark and Stormy Float, here's a Mesoamerican Cocktail, Spice and Chocolate 'Aztec Margarita' from Boozy Shakes (Ryland Peters & Small, ) by Victoria Glass.

Aztec Margarita

This sophisticated shake makes the most of chocolate and spice
– a classic flavor combination since pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.

6 scoops Chocolate Ice Cream

15 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick

45 ml/3 tablespoons whole milk

45 ml/3 tablespoons double/heavy cream
120 ml/4 oz. gold tequila

60 ml/2 oz. chilli/hot pepper vodka

60 ml/2 oz. triple sec

3 tablespoons Chocolate Fudge Sauce 

3–4 drops of Tabasco

Cinnamon Sugar-rimmed Glasses


25 g/2 tablespoons caster/granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1  ⁄2 lime, cut into wedges

4 margarita glasses

Makes 800 ml/28 oz. and serves 4

Begin by making the Chocolate Ice Cream, or use a good-quality store-bought ice cream.

Place the glasses in the freezer to chill for a few minutes.

For the shake, lightly crush the cardamom pods using a pestle and mortar, and break up the cinnamon stick. Put the milk and cream in a small saucepan, add the spices and simmer until the cream begins to boil. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside until cold, to allow the spices to infuse with the milk and cream. Pass the cold cream through a fine mesh sieve/strainer set over a bowl. Discard the spices and chill the cream until needed.

Next, decorate the glasses. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and place in a shallow bowl wide enough to fit the margarita glasses. Rub a lime wedge around the edge of each chilled glass before upturning them into the cinnamon sugar. Twist to coat the edge, then set aside. 

To make the shake, put the chilled infused cream, tequila, vodka, triple sec, Chocolate Ice Cream and Chocolate Fudge Sauce in a blender with 2 drops of Tabasco. Pulse until smooth and frothy. Taste and add more Tabasco if desired. Blitz again and pour into the prepared glasses. 

( * Recipe from 'Boozy Shakes' by Victoria Glass- Ryland Peters & Small, $16.95; www.rylandpeters.com
, Photography by Gareth Morgans)

We are deep in the molasses with this second recipe from Real Sweet, More Than 80 Crave-Worthy Treats Made with Natural Sugars (William Morrow, March 2015 ) by Shauna Sever.

Dark, Fudgy Muscovado Brownies

Makes Twenty-Five 1½-Inch Squares

Dark muscovado sugar pulls double duty in this insanely rich, fudgy brownie—the sugar’s deep molasses flavor marries fabulously with bittersweet chocolate, and its moist quality (along with a gooey hit of brown rice syrup) contributes a chocolate truffle-esque chew. If there ever was a mysterious “bad boy” version of a brownie, this would be it.

6 tablespoons (3 ounces/84 grams) unsalted butter

6 ounces (168 grams) bittersweet chocolate (60% to 70% cacao), chopped

3 tablespoons (⅝ ounce/18 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder

¾ cup (6 ounces/168 grams) firmly packed dark muscovado sugar

3tablespoons (2¼ ounces/63 grams) brown rice syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

2 large eggs, cold

½ cup (2⅛ ounces/60 grams) whole wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line an 8 × 8-inch metal baking pan with an 8-inch- wide strip of aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on 2 sides. Lightly grease the pan with nonstick cooking spray or butter.

2. In a large heatproof bowl, melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave with 60-second bursts of high power, stirring well after each interval until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Whisk in the sugar, brown rice syrup, vanilla extract, and salt until well blended (a few small lumps of sugar may remain—the rough charm of dark muscovado!). Whisk in the eggs one at a time. Switch from a whisk to a spatula and add the flour, stirring gently just until no traces of flour remain. Set the batter aside to rest for 10 minutes. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

3. Bake until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, with a smudge of chocolate at the end, and the brownie slab has just begun to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the brownies using the foil or parchment “handles” and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

TIP: Using a plastic knife—the humble, disposable kind used for picnics—makes for the cleanest-edged brownies you’ve ever seen.

(* Recipe reproduced with permission from 'Real Sweet' by Shauna Sever, published by William Morrow, March 2015, Photographs by Leigh Beisch)

From 2015 money resolutions to dessert with financier, il n'y a qu'un pas...

Bake finance with  this recipe from Farm, Fork, Food, A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm (Kyle Books, October 2014) by Eric Skokan of Black Cat, a Boulder (Colorado) farm to table bistro.

Pistachio financier with pear & chocolate

Financier is the most regal of cakes, made with nut flours and lots of butter. As if it needed more, I’ve paired it here with poached pears and freshly grated bitter chocolate.
The combination is stunning. Financier is best eaten fresh, still warm from the oven. Try freezing the leftovers, if you like (there rarely are any, though.)

Serves 8

3 cups raw pistachios
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
2 cups white wine
2 pieces star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 cardamom pods
4 pears, peeled
1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or chocolate chips
pinch of ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cardamom
pinch of ground cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
unsweetened chocolate, finely grated

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a cake pan.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pistachios, flour and 1½ cups of the sugar and the salt. Process until very smooth.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Stop the mixer and add the pistachio mix. Mix on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between each. Stop and scrape down the bowl if needed. The batter should be light and fluffy.

Transfer to the prepared cake pan and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.

In a medium stainless-steel saucepan over medium heat, combine the wine, spices, the remaining ½ cup sugar and the pears. Cook until the pears are just tender, about 10 minutes.

Let the pears cool in the poaching liquid.

In a small saucepan over very low heat, combine the chocolate, the ground spices and half of the cream. Warm, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is fully melted, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, beat the remaining cream with a whisk to stiff peaks.

Add the whipped cream to the cooled chocolate and stir well. Slice the cake with a sharp knife. Divide among eight dessert plates and top each slice with a dollop of the chocolate sauce. Slice the pears in half and divide the pieces among the plates.

Sprinkle the grated chocolate on top of the pears and serve immediately.

(Recipe reproduced with permission from Farm, Fork, Food, A Year of Spectacular Recipes Inspired by Black Cat Farm -Kyle Books, October 2014- by Eric Skokan, Photography: Con Poulos)

Who said you had to wait until February?

Love is a New Year's Treat from Sweet Things, Chocolates, Candies, Caramels & Marshmallows to Make & Give (Kyle Books, October 2014) by Annie Rigg.

Praline Hearts

I like heart shapes and so for these truffles I set the praline ganache into a shallow pan and stamped out heart shapes in assorted sizes before coating in either milk or dark chocolate.

If you had plastic or silicone heart-shaped molds, you could use those—follow the instructions for creating a chocolate shell on page 51 for the Easter eggs and then fill with the ganache.

Or if you have no inclination to make heart shapes, simply chill the ganache and roll into balls following the instructions for making truffles on page 16.

Makes 20–25

3/4 cup blanched hazelnuts
1⁄3 cup superfine sugar
3 oz dark chocolate (64 percent cocoa solids), chopped
5 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt

To coat

5 oz milk chocolate,
chopped
5 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon crystallized
roses or sugar sprinkles

Equipment

8 x 12-inch baking pan
heart-shaped cutters in assorted sizes
disposable piping bag

Preheat the oven to 325°F and line the baking sheet with nonstick parchment paper.

Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for 4 minutes until pale golden. Set aside.

Place the superfine sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan with 1 tablespoon water. Melt the sugar over low heat without stirring and use a clean pastry brush dipped in hot water to dissolve any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan. Once the sugar has dissolved bring the syrup to a boil and cook steadily until it becomes an amber-colored caramel. Add the hazelnuts to the pan, stir to combine, and then turn out onto a sheet of nonstick parchment paper. Leave to cool completely.

Break the praline into chunks, chop in a food processor until finely ground, and then continue to blend until you have a slightly granular paste, almost like peanut butter. Set aside while you prepare the ganache.

Place the dark and milk chocolate in a heatproof bowl with the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and set it over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted into the cream and the ganache is silky smooth.

Remove from the pan and cool for a few minutes before folding in the hazelnut paste. Spoon the ganache into the prepared pan and spread level with an offset spatula. Leave to cool and then cover and chill until firm.

Turn the set ganache out of the pan and peel off the lining paper. Using the heart cutters, stamp out truffles in a variety of sizes and arrange on a clean sheet of parchment paper. Chill again while you prepare the chocolate for the coating.

Follow the instructions for tempering chocolate on page 24. Reserve 1 tablespoon of either the milk or dark chocolate for piping, then on the tines of a dipping or dinner fork, dip the hearts, one at a time, into either chocolate and allow any excess to drip back into the bowl. Carefully place the chocolate-coated hearts on clean parchment paper and decorate with crystallized roses or sprinkles.

Spoon the reserved chocolate into the piping bag, snip the end into a fine point, and pipe decorative lines, swirls, or dots over the hearts. Leave in a cool place until set.

Instructions for making truffles:
Using a teaspoon, scoop the ganache into cherry-sized balls and roll in your hands until smooth. Arrange on a parchment-covered tray and chill again for 15 minutes.

Tempering chocolate:
Put 3 ounces of the remaining chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Pop the tempering thermometer into the chocolate. Melt the chocolate, stirring until it is smooth and the chocolate reaches a temperature of 120°F. Remove the bowl from the pan, add the remaining chocolate, and stir to combine. Leave to cool to a temperature of 80°F, stirring frequently to speed up the cooling process.

Return the bowl to the pan of hot water and reheat the chocolate to 88°F. Please note these temperatures are for dark chocolate only.

Instructions for creating a chocolate shell:

Lay the mold on a large sheet of parchment paper and spoon two-thirds of the melted dark chocolate into the mold, filling all of the egg shapes. Tilt the mold from side to side so that the inside of each egg is evenly coated. Hold the mold over the bowl of melted chocolate and use an offset spatula or dough scraper to scrape the excess chocolate cleanly away and back into the bowl, then turn the mold upside down and leave to drain over the parchment paper, elevating slightly by resting the ends on wooden spoons. Allow the chocolate shells to set until completely solid.

Store

Praline hearts will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week in an airtight box between sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper.

(* Recipe reproduced with permission from Sweet Things, Chocolates, Candies, Caramels & Marshmallows to Make & Give -Kyle Books, October 2014- by Annie Rigg)

A salami even vegetarians can enjoy from Sweet Things, Chocolates, Candies, Caramels & Marshmallows to Make & Give (Kyle Books, October 2014) by Annie Rigg.

Chocolate Salami

This Chocolate Salami, also called Salame al Cioccolato or Salame de Chocolate, is traditionally either an Italian or Portuguese recipe, depending on where your allegiance lies. The fruit and nuts are interchangeable subject to your tastes and what treasures you have stashed in your pantry.

Makes 2 salami and serves 20

1⁄3 cup golden raisins
½ cup dried figs, chopped into raisin-sized pieces
2 tablespoons dark rum or amaretto
11/4 cups mixed nuts (pistachios, blanched almonds, and hazelnuts)
7oz dark chocolate, chopped
3oz unsalted butter
1⁄3 cup superfine sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
6oz plain cookies (such as amaretti or graham crackers)
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Store:
Chocolate Salami will keep for up to 1 week, well wrapped and in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the golden raisins and figs in a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the rum or amaretto, mix well, and leave to soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Put all of the nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 4 minutes until lightly golden. Allow the nuts to cool slightly and then roughly chop.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium-sized heatproof bowl and melt over a pan of barely simmering water, taking care not to allow the bottom of the bowl to come into contact with the water. Stir until smooth. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together the superfine sugar, brown sugar, whole egg, and egg yolk until smooth and thoroughly combined. Add to the chocolate and butter mixture and mix well. Stirring frequently, continue to cook over the pan of water until the
sugar has dissolved, the mixture is silky smooth and hot to the touch, and the eggs are cooked—this will take about 4–5 minutes.

Meanwhile put the cookies in a freezer bag and crush using a rolling pin until the pieces are slightly larger than the golden raisins. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of rum. Add the nuts and cookies to the dried fruit. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir with a rubber spatula to thoroughly combine. Leave at room temperature to cool and thicken slightly.

Take two large sheets of parchment paper and divide the mixture evenly between them, spreading it into a log. Roll the paper up and over the mixture, twisting the ends to seal and to pack the mixture into a tight sausage shape. Chill overnight.

Remove the salami from the fridge and unwrap from the paper. Spread the confectioner’s sugar on a baking sheet and roll each salami in the sugar to coat completely. Using a sharp knife, cut the salami into slices to serve.

(* Recipe reproduced with permission from Sweet Things, Chocolates, Candies, Caramels & Marshmallows to Make & Give -Kyle Books, October 2014- by Annie Rigg)

Just when you need it, here's a 30 minute cake recipe by Cal Peternell, a chef of Chez Panisse in Twelve Recipes (William Morrow, October 2014)...

...For that special occasion you just remembered as you walked through the door.

PAN CAKE

Maybe you forgot his or her birthday, or maybe you didn’t forget, maybe you never even knew, but jeez, it’s today, really? This cake won’t work for a kid’s birthday—that calls for more . . . of everything—but if you just got home, dinner isn’t even made, and it turns out it is someone special’s day, you just have to bust out a cake, and this one is all from the pantry and requires minimal gear and cleanup. Send him out for a pint of ice cream or suggest she use the shower first—this cake can be in the oven before your celebrant gets back. Thirty minutes later and it’s out and cooling on the counter. Fair warning: this cake is like that guy who never moves out of his parents’ house—born there, no matter how ready it seems, it falls to pieces when you try to get it out. Cut into wedges and lever them out individually, then cover your tracks with vanilla ice cream or plain or chocolate whipped cream (page 267).

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1⁄8 cup unsweetened cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon finely ground coffee beans (optional)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
1⁄3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Put the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, baking soda, and ground coffee beans (if using) in an ungreased 8-or 9-inch round cake pan and stir with a whisk. Make a crater, pour in the remaining ingredients and 1 cup water, and whisk until all the corners are gotten and the batter is smooth.
Put in the oven and start checking for doneness in 20 minutes (see page 252); the cake should be done at around 30 minutes.

Vanilla ice cream really helps pan cake, and so does chocolate whipped cream frosting. Start with 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips, and 1 pint whipping cream. Put all the chocolate and about 1/2 cup of the cream in a medium mixing bowl and heat over simmering water until the chocolate has melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the rest of the cream and 1 or 2 teaspoons sugar. Refrigerate until well chilled and then whip until thick and smooth. Be sure the cake is completely cooled before spreading on. If it’s a warm day and you’re not eating the cake right away, refrigerate it or the chocolate cream will melt right off.

(* Recipe excerpted from  Twelve Recipes by Cal Peternell -William Morrow, October 2014) 

I did not know a thing about Teff before I opened the pages of Flavor Flours (Artisan Books, October 2014) by Alice Medrich ...

According to Wikipedia entry on Teff, this grain cooks similarly than quinoa yet uses less energy to cook because it is smaller in size.

These considerations need not apply I guess when we talk about Teff flour as is case with this baking recipe.

Bittersweet Teff Brownies

Makes sixteen 2-inch brownies

These moist and deeply chocolate brownies have a light, rather elegant melt-in-your-mouth texture. Teff flour has a nuance of cocoa flavor to start with, so it is a natural choice for brownies. If you need something dressier than brownies, bake the batter in a 9-inch round pan and serve wedges with whipped cream—and perhaps a scattering of seasonal berries—and call it dessert. Either way, the recipe comes together quickly and the results remain deliciously moist for a few days.

10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks/140 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
6 ounces (170 grams) 70% chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 scant cup (185 grams) sugar
¾ cup (100 grams) teff flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
3 large eggs, cold
1 cup (100 grams) walnut or pecan pieces (optional)
equipment
Handheld electric mixer
8-inch square pan, bottom and all four sides lined with foil

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl set directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until the mixture is melted and smooth.

3. Remove the bowl from the water and cool the mixture to lukewarm. Stir in the sugar, teff flour, salt, and vanilla, if using. Add all of the eggs and beat on high speed with the handheld mixer for about 2 minutes. The batter will get thicker and a little lighter in color, like chocolate frosting. Stir in the nuts, if using.

4. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out fairly dry and clean (don’t worry; the brownies will be moist even if the toothpick is not).

5. Cool on a rack. Lift the foil ends to transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 squares. The brownies may be kept in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

Variation: Cocoa Teff Brownies

Cocoa brownies have a softer texture than chocolate brownies. Substitute ¾ cup (65 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder for the chocolate. Increase the butter to 13 tablespoons (185 grams), and increase the sugar to 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (235 grams).

(* Excerpted from Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014. Photographs by Leigh Beisch.)