Surprise Holiday House Guests with Heavenly Bread

The smell of fresh baked bread pressed with cinnamon and a hint of cacao wafts from the kitchen. We can barely wait for the hot babka to cool enough so that we can still melt butter and yet not burn the tongues.

The yeast has done its work, creating airy layers weighted only by cinnamon and chocolate. Sprinkle coarse sea salt on the best butter you can find and slather it atop the sweet, yeasty bread. Tug at the crust of your warm slice and feel the layers effortlessly unravel. The first, warm, sweet, buttery bite will stop time for a moment.

The first time I met a babka was in a Jewish deli in NY called Russ & Daughters where they offer either chocolate or cinnamon varieties. Babka is a sweet, yeast bread that is popular in Eastern European and Jewish bakeries. As I experimented with my own babka formula, I found I liked it best with dark chocolate and cinnamon together. In my particular version I love to use whole wheat flour as the basis for the streusel to add a nutty, coarse texture to the crunchy top.

If you plan to have house guests this holiday, make one of these loaves in the morning and let the smells from your oven awaken them and coax them downstairs.

Chocolate Cinnamon Babka
Yeast Dough
1 1/2 cups warm milk, whole heated to 110 F
2 (1/4 ounce each) packages active dry yeast, Fleishmanns
3/4 cups sugar, plus a healthy pinch of sugar for yeast starter
3 whole large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
6 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for work surface
2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature,
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp vanilla

Chocolate Cinnamon Filling
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus more for bowl and loaf pans
2 pounds 55-62% cacao chocolate, very, very finely chopped (use a Cuisinart to chop ultra fine) not too bitter (red fire would be delicious, banana victoria or really any bar would be great here…) Or omit chocolate and just use cinnamon
2 vanilla beans,
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, Ceylon is using Cassia reduce to 2 Tbsp
3/4 cup sugar

Egg Wash
1 egg
1 Tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk

Streusel Topping
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
¾ cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup oats
2 Tablespoons cinnamon
8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

The most important tip in making a babka is that your eggs are really at room temp, around 70 and not too cold or it can stump the growth of your yeast. The butter needs to be truly at a warm room temperature also along with the milk being at a true 110F. I suggest warming up your house and adjusting your thermometer up a few degrees so it truly is in a warm environment. Yeast is a tricky ingredient. So, let’s get started.

Warm milk in a saucepan when you reach 110F, sprinkle yeast and a healthy pinch of sugar over milk. Allow the mixture to stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar, 3 eggs, and 2 egg yolks. Add egg mixture to yeast mixture, and whisk to combine. (Reminder: make sure your eggs are not cold to touch but at a balmy room temperature.)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Add egg mixture, and beat on low speed until all the flour is incorporated, about 45 seconds. Change to the dough hook. Add 2 sticks butter cut in to tablespoons, and beat on medium-low until flour mixture and butter are completely incorporated, yielding a smooth, soft dough that’s slightly sticky when touched, about 10 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead a few turns until smooth. Butter a large bowl. Place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 -2 hours. Do not pull it out until it truly has doubled in size. (Alternatively, let dough rise in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours; bring to room temperature, 3 to 4 hours, before baking.)

Prepare chocolate cinnamon filling: chop chocolate using a cuisinart, or by chop by hand until very fine. Put the chocolate in a bowl. Cut open two vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds, adding them to the bowl. Add sugar, 1-inch pieces of butter and cinnamon. Using your hands, combine all ingredients, creating a soft mixture. Set aside.

Prepare the streusel : In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, oats and butter. Using a fork or pastry cutter, blend until fully combined with clumps varying in size the more variety the better the texture will be when baked.

Generously butter 3, 9″ x 5″ x 2 3/4″ loaf pans; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Make egg wash by beating remaining egg with 1 tablespoon of cream or milk; set egg wash aside.

Punch back the dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Let rest 5 minutes. Cut into 3 equal pieces. Keep remaining pieces covered with a warm/damp towel while working with other piece. On a generously floured surface, roll dough out into a 16-inch square; it should be 1/8 inch thick. Use flour to smooth out evenly with rolling pin. Brush edges with reserved egg wash.

Take 1/3 of the chocolate filling (reserving 4 tablespoons for center of the babka) and evenly crumble over dough, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Roll dough up like a tightly rolled log. Pinch ends together to seal. Bring ends of log together to form a ring, pinching to seal.

Twist 5 turns. Sprinkle reserved spoons of chocolate filling on right half of the dough then fold left side on top of that and twist 3 more times. This will give you a great marbling effect and it is ok if the dough breaks a bit.

Place twist in your prepared bread pan. Brush top of roll with egg wash. Carefully crumble 1/3 of the streusel on top. Repeat with the remaining 2 pieces of dough and remaining filling.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Loosely cover each pan with plastic wrap, and let stand in a warm place 20 to 30 minutes.
Bake loaves, rotating halfway through, until golden, about 55 minutes. After the 55 minutes, lower oven temperature to 325 F and continue baking until babkas are deep golden, about 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, and transfer to wire racks until cool. Remove from pans; serve with your favorite butter. You can wrap and freeze if desired.

Another tip: Use a great loaf pan like Rema hot air baking pans.

Gingerbread Black Pearl Semifreddo

There are certain flavors that taste like the holiday season. Warm spices and traditional aromas tickle one’s nostalgia nerves. At Vosges Haut-Chocolat, when creating our limited edition holiday collections, I turned to nutmeg, gingerbread, eggnog, cinnamon and chestnuts along with other doses and spots of this and that.

When entertaining at the holidays, it is always handy to have made-ahead, individually portioned desserts. They can be served at the table or set on a sweets buffet. Semifreddo has long been my favorite creamy, cool dessert. A semifreddo is made with Swiss meringue and whipped cream. Combined and then frozen, the result is nearly cloud-like in its lightness. The cool, soft chocolate cream melts in your mouth delivering the flavors it carries.

It will not surprise you that my semifreddos are always touched with chocolate and a little surprising accoutrement. This version incorporates Black Pearl Bars, which combine dark chocolate with wasabi, ginger and black sesame seeds. To further coax out the warm ginger flavor, I added an extra sprinkle of pulverized ginger.

Any of the exotic candy bar flavors will work, so experiment with your parfum of choice. The Naga bar (sweet Indian curry, coconut and milk chocolate) or the Red Fire Bar (ancho and chipotle chillies with Ceylon cinnamon) would also warm the palate this cozy season.

Gingerbread Black Pearl Semifreddo
6 ounces (2 bars) Black Pearl Bars (or your favorite)
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp ginger powder
2 egg whites
3/4  cup sugar

Directions:
1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl and melt slowly over a double boiler over simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water) and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and just warm. Set aside.
2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowl and place over a pan of low-simmering water. This process of making a meringue is called the Swiss Meringue style.  Whisk continually until the whites are just hot (110-120F) and the sugar is dissolved, about 6-7 minutes.  Be sure all the sugar crystals are melted, otherwise you will have a gritty semifreddo. As you whisk the eggs will get foamy and frothy, Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat the egg white-sugar mixture with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are shiny and glossy,  3 to 5 minutes.
3. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, not firm; set aside.
4. Whisk in 1/2 cup of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate then gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the mixture, followed by carefully folding in the meringue. Pour the chocolate mixture into individual ramekins. Place in the freezer until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.  Remove 30 minutes before serving to “temper” the semifreddo.

A Hot Toddy – don’t you just love the sound of that?

This time of year is a hustle and bustle in the Vosges Haut-Chocolat atelier as we keep our chocolate-making hands busy around the clock sending holiday gifts near and far. It is both exhausting and extremely exhilarating to think of the cheer and gifting going on with our confections. Each day stretches on and unfolds with new challenges like “are we going to make our numbers???” and new heartwarming tales. I never tire of hearing personal anecdotes from customers who have included our truffles in their holiday party planning, along with marriage proposals and significant corporate celebrations. Indeed it is a roller coaster month.

At the end of the day, it is nice to have a ritual of relaxation. I am a Midwestern girl hailing from Ft. Wayne, Indiana so I am no stranger to cold weather and snow drifts. I have always found refuge in an old school, warm whiskey drink while cozying up in my Dinah Washington / opium den. One of my new favorite throw backs to Victorian cocktails is this Earl Grey Hot Toddy.  I like to add a touch of pomegranate for a nice tart contrast to the sweetness of the whiskey and by the way, a nice super healthy addition to boot. There you have a stress relieving, body warming cure-all!  Try this recipe alongside the Mascarpone and Ceylon Cinnamon Snap truffle from our limited edition Holiday Truffle Collection. Imagine an Earl serving it to you with chocolate, hmm I like the sound of that.

Earl Grey Hot Toddy
1 wine glass of Irish Whiskey or my new fav, The Yamazaki Single Malt Whiskey
from Japan
2 wineglasses of fragrant earl grey tea, hot
2 lumps of sugar loaf or 3 heaping teaspoons of manuka honey
2 teaspoons 4x concentrate pomegranate syrup ( I used Jarrow Formulas)
pomegranate seeds for garnish

Dissolve the sugar or honey in the hot tea then add the whiskey and the orange rind muddled. Serve warm with a small grating of fresh Grenadian nutmeg.

Chocolate Parmesan Tapioca with Scallops

I have long been drawn to the possible combination of seafood and chocolate. The match seems unlikely and thus it captures my imagination like wildfire.

I believe that most edibles have a chocolate mate. And, I am fueled by the challenge so the prospect of devising a scrumptious seafood recipe has been at the top of my list. Some sea creatures are hearty enough to stand up to chocolate in a nice way, the flavor is even augmented. But be wary of the oily fish that if combined will cause a raucous of yuck.

This recipe is a study in balance: a soft bed of bubbly, parmesan and chocolate tapioca support the crispy, caramelized scallop topped with jagged shards of bittersweet chocolate, a drizzle of sweetened acidity in the balsamic must, and a sprinkle of crimson smoked paprika.

Serve just one scallop per person as a starter or alongside a crisp arugula salad as a first course. Since taking the photo, I decided that some pickled shallots should be added as a finishing touch – try it and let me know if I am right!

Chocolate Parmesan Tapioca with Scallops
Servings: 6

2 ¾ milk
½ cup large tapioca
1 tsp kosher salt
3 ½ ounces Resihi Mushroom dark chocolate bar, 65%
1 tbsp cocoa powder
¼ cup coconut
2 egg yolks
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
black peppercorns, freshly milled medium size grain

12 large scallops

Accouterments:
smoked paprika
balsamic must
pickled shallots

Heat milk to warm add tapioca and salt. Continue heating until small bubbles appear on the perimeter of the pan. Cover, turn heat to very low and cook for one hour or until soft. Stir in egg yolks and chocolate an cook until very thick about 15 minutes. Add Parmesan.

Scallops:
Place saute pan on stove high heat, add grape seed or canola oil (any high flash point oil will work). When hot season, season scallops with salt and pepper and sear on each side for 1 1/2 minutes per side.

Serve ¼ cup of tapioca for every 2 scallops. Garnish with a sprinkle of smoked paprika. A drizzle of balsamic must. A sprinkle of Reishi mushroom organic dark chocolate shards and pickled shallot on top.

Hot Spanish Chorizo Meets Chocolate and the Yolk

My first foray with chorizo and chocolate came with this recipe for Bacon Bar and raw and soft Chorizo Stuffed Dates baked with Spicy Oaxaca Red Sauce.  In this latest experiment, I wanted to simplify and break it down as a quick umami seduction.  Ingredients are always important but for this, the right ingredients are CRITICAL. Below are links and exact ingredients and if you follow them… I promise that you will find yourself in a new realm of flavor phenomenon.  The combination of spicy Spanish chorizo atop a slick of tart 74% dark chocolate and a cushion of freshly baked Spanish bread will blow your mind. Seriously, I’m not just talking this up.

Start with this glossy visual — green olive oil beds the river of russet chili oil  that seeps from the chorizo into the dainty caverns of the freshly baked bread, as the dominican chocolate pastilles slowly melt from the heat.  A sprinkle of my favorite Maldon salt atop it all balances the chocolate sweet.  Our rich, Oaxaca dark chocolate bar stands up to the spicy hot chorizo.  And, that bread… the perfect Spanish bread serves as a magic carpet for it all. You must buy the Galician bread and bake fresh.

For high quality Spanish ingredients, delivered right to your door, try La Tienda.  Once you start exploring this site, you may end up with more than just bread and chorizo.  The Jamon Iberico, Croquetas, Zamorano cheese…. I can almost feel the flamenco dancers stomp on my heart.  These Chorizo + Chocolate bites would work well alongside other tapas.  Or, just consider…breakfast.  In my house, we eat chocolate for breakfast. Seriously good.  Yolks and chocolate, why not?!

Chorizo + Dominican Chocolate Tapas

Hot Palacios Chorizo from Spain
Traditional Galician Bread – Barra Gallega
Spanish Arbequina Olive Oil
Maldon Salt
Dark Chocolate – Oaxaca Bar 70% cacao with pasilla and guajilo chillies

Per instructions, finalize the baking of the bread in your oven.  When cooled slice bread in 1/2 inch thick pieces. Drizzle with Spanish olive oil.  Place 2-3 broken bits of chocolate on top of the bread.  Place 2-3 slices of hot chorizo on top of the Oaxaca chocolate, sprinkle with Maldon salt.  Place in the oven at 250 for 8 minutes to melt and heat. Take out of the oven and eat immediately.

arriba!

Fresh Ricotta Cheese with Olive oil and Dark Chocolate

I first experimented with cheese and chocolate while developing the Rooster truffle.   The dark chocolate truffle combines taleggio cheese with organic walnuts and anchors the Collezione Italiano.   Included in the collection are four other savory flavors with Italian inspiration.

Ricotta is a much milder cheese but works just as well with dark chocolate.  Ricotta is a fresh, snowy white cheese with the texture of cottage cheese.   It has a rich but mild slightly sweet flavor and can be used for savory or sweet dishes.  You must use FRESH ricotta for this recipe!  If you have trouble finding it, you can always make your own.

Using quality ingredients is paramount.  One of my favorite things to do is pair the perfect combinations of olive oil , salts, peppers and other ingredients.  Finally, I match them to their chocolate mate.  For this recipe, I crumbled a 65% Venezuelan dark chocolate atop the cheese. 

Serve this Ricotta with an hors d’oeuvre plate.  I included nuts, cherries, a few other cheeses and some black pepper crackers.  The La Panzanella black pepper crackers might just be the best crackers I have ever had in my life!

Fresh Ricotta Cheese with Olive Oil and Dark Chocolate

2 cups (or lbs.) Fresh Ricotta Cheese
3 tablespoons  Extra Virgin Olive Oil (try Barilla)
A pinch  Pink salt (try Murray’s River)
A pinch  White Pepper
1 1/2 ounces  Dark Chocolate (try 65% dark, Venezuelan)

Place Ricotta in a dish.  Stir in salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Chop dark chocolate into fine slivers and sprinkle atop.   Serve with crackers.