Chocolate Caramel Crackers

 

Saltine crackers or crackers of your choice
225 gr. unsalted butter, cut into a few large pieces
220 gr. brown sugar
A big pinch of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
180 gr. semi- or bittersweet chocolate chips
120 gr. toasted chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts or a nut of your choice (optional)
Extra sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Line an 28-by-40 cm. baking sheet completely with foil, and then line the base of the foil with parchment paper, cut to fit.

Line the bottom of the baking sheet with crackers, covering all parts.

In a medium heavy-duty saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and stir it over medium heat until it begins to boil. Once it has begun boiling, let it bubble for three more minutes, stirring it well. It will thicken a bit as it cooks. Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, and then quickly pour it over the matzo or crackers. You’ll want to spread it quickly, as it will begin to set as soon as it is poured.

Bake the caramel-covered crackers for 15 minutes, watching carefully as it will bubble and the corners might darken too quickly and/or burn. You can reduce the heat if you see this happening.

Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand five minutes, and then spread them evenly across the caramel. An offset spatula works great here. If you’re using them, sprinkle the chocolate with toasted chopped nuts and/or sea salt.

Once completely cool — I sometimes speed this process up in the fridge, impatient as should be expected in the face of caramel crack(ers) — break it into pieces and store it in a container. It should keep for a week but I’ve never seen it last that long.

             Strawberry Pistachio White Chocolate Bark

 Ingredients 1 bar White Chocolate (100 gr) 

Freeze-Dried Strawberries (20 gr) 

Pistachios (30 gr, weight in shell) 

  Chop pistachios and strawberries (if necessary). Break chocolate into small square or cut into chunks and melt in double-boiler or microwave. 

  Stir in pistachios and strawberries (reserving some) and pour mixture into a lined pan. Spread out and flatten with a spatula.

 Sprinkle remaining pistachios and strawberries on top. Keep in fridge until thoroughly chilled, then break or cut into pieces. 

  You can easily modify this recipe to taste or with whatever you have on hand. For example, replace the strawberries with dried cranberries, raisins or candied fruit. Or replace the pistachios with any type of other nuts. Salted kinds work just as well, as they help to cut the sweetness of the white chocolate.

Chocolate & Caramel Tart

Shortcrust pastry

240 gr. plain flour

60 gr. caster sugar

140 gr. unsalted butter, chilled, coarsely chopped

40 gr. almond powder

Caramel

225 gr. white sugar

80 ml. thickened cream

70 gr. butter, coarsely chopped

Chocolate filling

330 gr. dark chocolate coarsely chopped

180 ml. fresh cream 48%

80 gr. unsalted butter, softened

12 ml. cointreau


For shortcrust pastry, process flour, almond powder and sugar in a food processor to combine, add butter and pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add 2 tbsp chilled water and process until mixture just comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, form into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 190C. Roll out pastry to 5mm thick on a lightly floured surface, line a 26cm-diameter tart tin and refrigerate for 1 hour. Blind bake for 20 minutes (see note), then remove paper and weights and bake until golden (8-10 minutes). Cool in tin on a wire rack.

For caramel, combine sugar and 250ml water in a heavy-based saucepan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook, brushing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush if sugar crystals form, until mixture is deep golden (10-15 minutes). Remove from heat, add cream and butter and stir to combine (be careful as mixture will spit). Pour into pastry base and refrigerate until firm (1-2 hours).

Combine chocolate and cream in a small saucepan, stir over low heat until chocolate melts, remove from heat, add butter,cointreau and stir to combine. Cool to room temperature, then spread over the caramel.

Refrigerate until set (30-40 minutes).



Tip: If you want, add 50 gr. of your choice nuts in caramel filling.

Chocolate Macarons with black balsam.

140 gm. finely ground almond

250 gm. icing sugar

25 gm. cocoa powder

100 gm. egg white - at room temperature


Blend ground almond, cocoa powder and icing sugar in a food processor till fine.

Whisk egg white till they are white and foamy. Turn the speed up to high adn whip them just until they are firm but still glossy and supple - when you lift the whisk, the whites should form a peak that droops just a little. Leave the whites in the mixer bowl or transfer them to a large bowl and working with a rubber spatula, fold in the dry ingredients gently into the whites in three or four additions. It will seem like a lot of dry ingredients to go into a relatively small amount of whites, but keep folding and you'll get everything in. Don't worry if the whites deflate and the batter looks a little runny - that's just what's supposed to happen. When all the dry ingredients are incorporated, the mixture will look like a cake batter, if you lift with your finger, it should form a gentle, quickly falling peak.

Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe into small rounds about 1" in diameter onto parchment paper, leaving about an inch between each round. Rest macaroons for about 20 mins.

Bake at 180C for 10 to 12 mins.

Remove macaroons from the parchment - they should be removed as soon as they come from the oven. You will need to create moisture under the cookies. Carefully loosen the parchment paper , lifting the paper, pour a little hot water under the paper. The water may bubble and steam.Allow the macaroons to remain on the parchment for about 20 seconds, then peel the macaroons off the paper and place them on a cooling rack.

For the ganache place 227 gr.of dark chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat 180 ml. of double cream and 28 gr. butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. Add 20 ml. Black Balsam.Let it for houlf an hour and then sandwich the macarons with the chocolate ganache.



Tips :“Egg Whites are the key element in this recipe. Use egg whites aged several days and bring the whites to room temperature. This is very important to get the most volume out of the whites. Take care to beat them until they are only just firm and still shiny, and don’t be concerned when, as you add the dry ingredients, they deflate - they’re supposed to. Knocking some of the air out of the whites is what will give these macaroons their characteristic smooth top. Keep the whites too firm and you’ll end up with meringue.”

Chile Hot Chocolate with Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream.

1 Bourbon Vanilla bean
Homemade chili powder ground from 2 large dried Pasilla Negro chilies
4 cups whole Milk
280 gr. good semi-sweet/bittersweet chocolate
1 pint heavy whipping cream
80 gr. vanilla sugar

1. Scrape seeds from the interior of the vanilla bean and put them and the pod in the milk in a saucepan.
2. Add most of the pasilla chili powder, holding some back for a garnish.
3. Scald the milk (cook it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until steam begins to rise). Remove the vanilla bean pod.
4. Turn the heat to low, and add the chocolate, stirring frequently until the chocolate is completely melted.
5. Whip the cream. Once it has begun to thicken, add vanilla sugar to taste (you’ll probably want at least a half cup). Continue whipping until you get firm peaks.
6. Whisk hot chocolate until frothy, pour into mugs. Just prior to serving, top each with a dollop of the vanilla bean cream and dust lightly with your reserved chili powder.

Makes 4 servings with extra whipped cream.

Balsamic Chocolate Truffles (with a wink of cherry)

Balsamic Chocolate Truffles (with a wink of cherry)



226 gr. dark chocolate, chopped

100 ml. cream

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

8 dried cherries

100 gr. cocoa powder

Put balsamic and cherries into a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove cherries and discard. Set balsamic aside to cool.

Melt chocolate and cream in a double boiler (or a heat-proof glass bowl over a pot filled with water), making sure the water is hot, not boiling. Place melted chocolate in a small bowl and add the cooled balsamic. Mix well. Cool in the refrigerator about 1 hour. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, until firm but moldable.

Roll mixture into one inch balls and place on a parchment lined tray. Pour cocoa powder into a shallow dish and roll balls to cover. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container up to one week, but don’t keep them all for yourself.