Peace, Love and Chocolate Video Debut

I am through the moon with excitement to post my first video on Peace, Love and Chocolate. The feeling of video, recipe and music can be much stronger than the human voice alone and I think this will be my new language for some time to come. How better can one taste online than with seductive mood-wrangling through color, movement and song.  This soft, glowing recipe-in-action happened almost by accident and without any planning and no makeup or fashion styling, aiyei. The energy of a handful of people collided to create this small moving picture.

A month or so ago, Caroline was on her way over to collaborate on some blog posts as we often do. I pulled my big table into the morning light and began collecting some of my favorite items – old bottles, liquor tags, Kentucky antique finds, bar tools and ingredients from my garden. My plan was to create some pretty photographs and share a recipe for Strawberry Nectarine Geranium Cocktails. But, Caroline didn’t show up alone. She brought with her a recent DePaul graduate who studied video, Miss Christina.

I must mention that we discovered this talented gal, Christina, through our Twitter account (@Vosges) when we tweeted a request for someone to take videos of a Yoga + Chocolate event. Her friend who follows @Vosges suggested Christina. Caroline, who helps manage our marketing, met her and made her own video and then decided she should tag along that fateful day to see what might happen at my house.

We went about our normal business – cooking, laughing, sipping, experimenting. All the while, Christina quietly shot video in the most beautiful sun-washed light. I started by concocting a few simple syrups infused with African blue basil and cocoa nibs. The unique basil reminds me of yet another sprinkle of unplanned magic. I sent my sweet husband, Jay, to buy  some organic herbs for our new rooftop garden. I would likely have come home with Italian or Thai basil but he snooped out more rare leaves – African blue basil a robust strong basil with notes of camphor and mini Cuban basil that is a stronger more potent version of sweet basil.

From there, the video was edited, and a seemingly effortless collaboration continued and my first video was born! Stay tuned for an expanding sensory video library both on this blog and at Vosges. Follow us on Vimeo here and track our budding YouTube channel here.

Strawberry Nectarine Geranium Cocktails

2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa nibs
2 large strands with flowers of African blue basil
4 oz Campari
1 fresh nectarine
4 strawberries
4 large ice cubes
1 cup soda water
geranium petals

Make simple syrup by combining 1 part sugar to 1 part boiling water, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Infuse simple syrup with cocoa nibs, basil or experiment with your own herbal tincture! In a rocks glass, muddle fresh, juicy nectarines and strawberries. Add a splash of Campari, large ice cubes and top with soda water. Sprinkle organic geranium petals atop for garnish.

Dark Chocolate, Nicoise Olive, Prosciutto & Buffalo Mozzarella Panini

In the previous post, I explained my newfound love of the real McCoy, fresh (meaning 2 days old or younger) Mozzarella di Bufala. It is not easy to find in the U.S. or should I say close to impossible, so if you are unable to get your hands on this more stringy, elastic and I would say a bit rubbery, fresh cheese there are alternatives. What you typically find in the States is buffalo mozzarella that has been resting in its water for weeks and therefore the consistency becomes softer and softer, closer to a burrata style than an authentic buffalo mozzarella from Campania. Don’t get me wrong, I love burrata and I truly enjoy the mozzarella di bufala that is imported, but it is far from its mother. So, go with a firmer style mozzarella or try your stateside buffalo mozzarella and you will be ok.

Whichever cheese you use, be SURE to place the sliced mozzarella between sheets of cloth towels for at least 10 minutes before using it to help eliminate the excess water in the cheese. Otherwise, the excessive liquid will make your panini soggy. And my friends, there is nothing worse than soggy panini.

Ok, so now let’s get straight to it. The flavors that are so critical here as the threesome of dark chocolate, olive and prosciutto, which bring out the umami depth when they are melded together.

Wrap these sandwiches in parchment and take them to your backyard for a picnic. Pair them with your favorite bottle of Italian Barbaresco, I love GAJA.

Dark Chocolate, Nicoise Olive, Prosciutto & Buffalo Mozzarella  Panini

Yields One Sandwich

Equipment needed: Panini press or waffle iron or clothes iron and cast iron pan (for more on these tricks, click here)

1 ½ oz buffalo mozzarella
2 slices thick Italian country bread,  about 1/2 inch thick and 4-5 inches wide
2 tbsp olive oil
5 nicoise olives, pitted and sliced
1 oz dark chocolate : Vosges Organic 74% OR 66% Enchanted Mushroom Bar OR plain 55% cacao
a sprinkle Murray River Pink Salt
3 slices prosciutto, La Quercia (new prosciutto sulfite free from Iowa)
2 basil leaves

Cut mozzarella and place on a towel to absorb excess water. If you put straight onto the bread you will have a soggy panino. Brush olive oil on all sides of the bread. Place olives, dark chocolate and salt on one side followed by the mozzarella, basil and prosciutto. Press to golden brown and serve immediately.

For more panini making tips, go here.

Holy Basil, Ginger, Lime Tea with Cocoa Nibs

Warmer weather and my craving for all things tart inspired me to mix up this pitcher of fragrant “tea”.   Memories of the floating Thai market wafted back… I inhaled holy basil and kaffir lime.  Although many have tried twists on the usual lemonade and limeade, adding ginger, basil and cocoa nibs will probably come as a surprise.  This would have made one heck of a lemonade stand offering back in the day.

Cocoa nibs are the newest addition to the super food suite and their ultra-healthy benefits beg me  to use them raw in everything I can from brownies to soup.  Cocoa nibs are actually fermented and roasted beans that are broken into small pieces once they are winnowed (thin skin removed).  Depending on the quality of the beans and the process of fermentation and roasting they taste of their pure origin cocoa. 51% of the bean is cocoa butter and the remaining percentage is the dark chocolate-y, cocoa mass.   When soaked in water or in this case, thai lime ginger refreshment, the nibs hydrate a bit so they aren’t as crunchy hard and rather add a nice, surprising texture, flavor and soft crunch.  Even the color is effected the longer you cold steep the nibs the pinker the tea becomes.   Try Valrhona cocoa nibs.  (They are a bit hard to find.  I am planning a PLC blogger shop to help provide readers with needed ingredients!)   Serve with a plate of freshly frozen pineapple slices.

Holy Basil, Ginger, Lime Tea with Cocoa Nibs
Serves 8

1/2 cup lime juice
6  cups of water
1 1/2 cups of sugar, organic agave syrup OR 3 full droppers of liquid stevia
1/4 cup cocoa nibs
1 inch of ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
2 tbsp tamarind pulp (optional)
1 Handful of Thai Holy Basil or Italian Sweet Basil

Put water, lime juice and sugar, agave or stevia in a large pitcher.  Put the peeled ginger in a Vita-Mix blender, my kitchen accessory of choice, with 1 cup of the water mixture. Blend until smooth.  (I HIGHLY recommend you buy a Vita-mix blender.  I am obsessed with this multi-utilitarian dreamboat of a machine and especially it’s lifetime guarantee. Throw anything at it and it will pulverize, puree, boil, your wish is it’s command. From grinding pearls into pearl dust to making ice cream, it truly is the best blender and best piece of kitchen equipment you could own. I digress…)  Add the ginger mixture back to the pitcher.   Add the the cocoa nibs, tamarind (if using) and the entire bunch of basil whole.  Stir.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Sugar will dissolve and flavors will infuse. Stir and serve over ice with holy basil garnish.