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.

Chocolate Oysters

As I mentioned in the last post, I have been enjoying oysters in my kitchen for the past weeks as I scheme up Valentine’s Day chocolate aphrodisiacs with my dear friend Vanessa. She is an incredible singer songwriter that as I am discovering has an incredible gift for all the senses.  Could she be a super taster super ear, super olfactory etc… is there something to that – could Bob Marley have been blessed with the same astuteness for taste? I digress.  Being that the oyster is the mighty, famed symbol of aphrodisiacs how could I not tempt fate and conjure up something with chocolate. The nuances of an oyster are multifarious. There are many varieties and they range in complexity and strength from delicate to pungently powerful.  My preferred choice for oysters are the Kumamotos from the bays of Northern California. These oysters are like inhaling the sweet breath of the sea.  They smell of fresh tidal pools trapped between the mossy rocks.  James Beard once said that oysters are  “one of the supreme delights that nature has bestowed on man. … Oysters lead to discussion, to contemplation, and to sensual delight. There is nothing quite like them.”

Much like chocolate, the oyster is a mysterious love that cannot fully be explained. For this recipe, I have chosen to anoint the oysters with chocolate in its nearly basic form, the cocoa nib.  Mixed with some fragrant ginger and tart green apple, you will discover a variety of texture while your nose uncovers layer after layer.

Oysters with Cocoa Nibs, Ginger and Green Apple

Yields approximately 1/8 cup and can be used on 2 dozen oysters.

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon cocoa nibs
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon tamari
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon granny smith apple brunoise
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Clean and shuck oysters. Find step by step instructions here. (I prefer Kumumoto oysters. You can order them here.) Mix all above ingredients together and let it sit for ten minutes. Spoon onto a perfectly plump and sumptuous oyster, admire her beauty and gently sip the briny, fresh mother of the pearl.

Modena – Strawberry – Cocoa Nib – Shortcake

When you make something that has varied textures and aromas and it tastes delicious, it is rewarding. When that something is also a feast of color, shape and texture and appeals to the tongue’s want for variety of notes from sweet to acidic, it is amazing. When that SAME something happens to have a variety of healthy benefits as well… it is a guiltless bliss. Well, maybe I am going a bit far on healthy, but let’s go with it.

The whole wheat flour in these shortcake biscuits not only adds substance and a nice nutty flavor that balances the cocoa nibs and also adds additional fiber. Cocoa nibs are considered a ‘super food’ with dozens of health benefits, most particularly their antioxidant strength, and they also add a chocolaty crunch. And the honey…. oh the honey! Where to begin? Rare Volcano Island Honey has long been one of my favorites, harvested by my friend Richard Spiegel and his team, following his unique process. As for Manuka Honey from New Zealand, it has natural antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. Most honey has enzymes that create hydrogen peroxide. However, Manuka Honey has a second antibacterial component, which has become known as the Unique Manuka Factor or UMF.  Manuka Honey is used for digestion, on burns and cuts. In some places, it is even used as skincare, reducing wrinkles and making skin glow.  So go ahead, give yourself a honey facial, just smooth all over your face and décolleté, while creating this summertime dessert!

Modena Strawberry Cocoa Nib Shortcake

Serves 4

Shortcake
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tbsp butter, unsalted chilled, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream plus additional for brushing
1 tbsp turbinado sugar such as Sugar in the Raw
3 oz dark chocolate chips, optional

Strawberry Must
2 pints of strawberries, washed and sliced in half
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cocoa nibs
1 tsp orange flower water, optional

Mascarpone Cream
8 oz mascarpone cream
2 tbsp volcano island or manuka honey
1/2 tsp Meyer lemon zest (no white yellow only)

Balsamic Must Garnish
1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar – I recommend Academia Barilla from Emilia Romaga region (OPTIONAL) 

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the chilled butter in with a fork or pastry creamer into butter until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Stir in cream just until dough forms. Gather dough into a ball with your hands and gently knead together once or twice on a lightly floured surface.

Get out your ruler! Roll or pat out dough into a 6-inch square (at least 1/2 inch thick – be precise for a tall lovely biscuit). Brush dough with a bit of cream and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. THEN cut into 4 squares. Bake on a parchment paper lined baking sheet until golden, 17 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Transfer biscuits to a rack to cool.

While biscuits bake, blend strawberries, sugar, cocoa nibs and orange flower water in a bowl, cover and let fruit macerate at room temperature for an hour to make a delicious strawberry juice. These can be made the morning of the event.

Mix mascarpone cream with honey and meyer lemon zest. Cover and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve. Mascarpone can be made the night before.

When shortcakes are cooked and slightly warm. Slice biscuits with a serrated knife. Shortcakes can be made 2 days ahead of time, just be sure to seal in an air tight container

Assembly:
Plate the bottom half of shortcake and put a generous spoon of the strawberry juice on the cake, followed by the strawberries and a drizzle of balsamic must, if you are using. Top with a large dollop (about 2 tbsp) of mascarpone cream and follow with top half of the shortcake.

Tips: Pastry blender utensil will help you cut the butter into the flour a bit easier than a fork. But both methods are fine. 

Always confirm the temperature of the oven with a thermometer. Your oven may run hot or cold and this could cause variation in recipe outcome. You can buy a decent oven thermometer at a hardware store for less than $10.00. You can make sure it is reading correctly (calibrate the thermometer) by hanging it on the edge inside of a pan with one inch of water at a full boil. Let the thermometer steam for a minute and then read it (without touching it!- its hot!). It should read as 100C/212F 

And finally, never use baking soda instead of baking powder or your shortcakes will be overly bitter and salty. I made the mistake by accident and boy was I sorry.

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.