Great Chocolate Expectations
A Case for Cacao, Both Liquid and Solid
Thank you for subscribing to Dishtillery! This is our free end-of-the-month newsletter, focused on seasonal foods. If you like what you read, please tap on the heart, consider gifting a subscription, and/or share Dishtillery with a like-minded friend. Our issues for paid subscribers, “TILL We Meet Again,” “Tidbit,” and “The Maker’s Mark,” will be going out on February 5, 12, and 19. Thanks again for your support. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to bring you recipes and recommendations from restaurateurs, chefs, artisans, winemakers, mixologists, and, of course, us! And if you don’t already, please do follow us on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook.
DISH: The Bittersweet Awareness of Being Food-Intolerant
As the pandemic drags on, the brain fog descends, lower and lower, obliterating all good New Year’s intentions along with short-term memory. The desire to learn – a new language, another recipe – recedes like a hairline. Sometimes it’s so little at a time you don’t notice until it’s largely gone. On other days, you’re pulling out handfuls of motivation.
So where are we at right now? Likely, with the aspiration to do little more than scarf down a pizza on the couch and speed through episodes of Bridgerton. This leaves us not only entertained but also thankful that while we may be feeling confined and restless, at least it’s limited to our homes and not our bodies. Facing quarantine with corsets and stays on would certainly be a final straw.
Still, while there’s a limited appeal to launching or completing big projects right now, there’s plenty of time for self-reflection or introspection. Too much time, in fact. In some ways, you can’t avoid it. But those little a-ha moments can serve you well.
One of those flashes of inspiration was a game-changer for me. I realized, after years of mysterious middle-of-the-night kinds of illnesses and unexplained weight loss, that I’ve been allergic to eggs for who-knows-how-long. The pandemic gave me the opportunity, now that I was no longer dining out, to control my diet and eliminate them. The next time I accidentally ate them, the reaction was so severe that, well, let’s just say that I’m well-equipped with knowledge now. I’ve also gained enough weight that I look normal.
Still, it’s not easy to be allergic or intolerant to eggs. (Physicians like to differentiate between allergies and intolerances because the first one concerns anaphylaxis, which can kill you, as well as hives. Meanwhile, an intolerance just feels like it will kill you.) Chefs love their use. They’re in countless restaurant dishes regardless of culture.
They’re also in almost every baked good, whether you’re making it at home or buying it commercially. A few exceptions that come to mind: Some breads like baguettes or Cuban loaves; Oreos, which are famously vegan; and a chocolate cake (see below) where the leavening ingredient is vinegar.
Our mom used to make this kind of cake, which she discovered during our childhood when Betsy was the one who was allergic to eggs. The idea of using vinegar instead of eggs harkens back to the Great Depression, when eggs were in short supply and super expensive. Much-cheaper white vinegar does the same kind of rising, fluffing work when it interacts with the baking soda. In fact, it’s known as the Chocolate Depression Cake. It’s also called a Crazy Cake or Wacky Cake. Plus, it’s dairy-free, helpful for Betsy back then (allergic) and me now (intolerant).
Yes, both Betsy and I are aware of the extreme irony of being food professionals with a good variety of allergies and intolerances. There’s more, actually. Betsy grew out of her allergy to eggs and dairy, but into ones for shrimp and, oddly, buckwheat. And thanks to my daughter experimenting with ancient grains, I found out that I have a severe allergy to, also strangely, quinoa (and lesser so but relatedly to chickpeas and kidney beans). Sadly, the reason why she experiments at all is because she, like my husband, is intolerant to gluten.
Fortunately for all of us, the Oreos brand has finally come out with its gluten-free version. You can bet those are penciled in at the top of my shopping list. And no matter what new sensitivities the pandemic throws my way, well, those cookies are staying there. Although there’s always a chance that I forget to buy them, pandemic brain fog being what it is.
JK
DISH: Chocolate, An Affair of (for?) the Heart
I have been accused of cherry-picking health data to suit my consumption of food and beverage.
Okay, and?
In the case of chocolate, I stand by my beliefs and my reading, especially when it originates in places like the Mayo Clinic. Maybe science will change over time (yes, the earth turned out to be round, and yes, we should wear masks during a pandemic, despite what was said initially). But chocolate and cocoa earn their reputation on the healthy food scales. Unfortunately, sugar does not. Nor does the dairy that, along with sugar, coaxes so much deliciousness into chocolate. That said, February will celebrate matters of the heart. It is both heart health month and features the day we celebrate the guys, gals, and pals in our lives – often with chocolate. And rightly so.
Here is why you can do it in good conscience.
Cocoa beans appear to bring heart-protective flavanols to chocolate. According to the Mayo Clinic, they could lower cell damage as well as help with blood pressure and vascular function. Dark chocolate offers more flavanols than milk. And as mentioned, it’s the cocoa itself and not the candy, cakes, and cookies that bring the benefits. So even the unsweetened cocoa topping your cappuccino counts, although moderation in dessert or any sweet drink is always recommended.
Meantime please enjoy the photo of this one-pan, as in made in one pan (no bowl!) chocolate cake recipe below. As you can see, I certainly did while I was working on flowers for The Portable Garden’s Valentine’s Day promotions. I pulled this from The New York Times* recommended list for my son to make (with probably too much input from me and his girlfriend 😉). It is rich in cocoa and reminds me of my egg- and dairy-free childhood that Jen reminisces about as she now copes with her egg- and dairy-free pandemic. I outgrew those allergies but not the parsimonious and delicious style of cake my ever-resourceful mom found for me. I would maybe add a few more chocolate chips to the top – and to my son’s credit, he wanted to.
BK
DISH: Recipe
Cheater’s Chocolate
Not everyone can bake. But everyone can make chocolate bark. Pick your fave flavors of chocolate or use up leftovers. This could not be easier. Tempering the chocolate helps prevent it from looking chalky, but in all honesty, small batches of bark disappear before that happens anyway. The toppings are all super-flexible and, if you’re having fun, could include all kinds of pastel cake toppings. This is good on ice cream or all by itself.
8 ounces chocolate (semi-sweet or dark), chopped
1/3 cup pistachios, chopped
1 teaspoon maple syrup
8-10 apricots, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup cranberries
Flaky sea salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast pistachios 5-7 minutes until starting to turn brown. Toss with maple syrup and a big pinch of salt. Toast 2-3 more minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, melt 2/3 of the chocolate in the microwave in 20-second increments, stirring each time until most of it is melted. Add the last third and stir frequently until smooth. (I saw Ina Garten do this and it works.) Spread on the parchment. Top with fruit and nuts. Let sit until firm. Do not refrigerate.
Note: The maple glazed nuts are so good, consider making extra to eat them just as they are.
Second note: Add a pinch of cayenne to the syrup and then toss with nuts. Oh, la la!
BK
TILL: Together Forever
If you can’t decide how to indulge yourself while sitting on the couch and binge-watching whatever show brings you comfort – chocolate? wine? something on the rocks? – think about laying in a couple of bottles of ChocoVine.
A product from Royal Dutch Distillers, ChocoVine is exactly what it sounds like, but also a little unexpected. The French Cabernet Sauvignon is tempered with the liquid sweetness of chocolate and some cream. While the fluid looks more like chocolate, it drinks like alcohol, with a comforting 14 percent alcohol content. The first on the market to combine Dutch chocolate and French wine, the brand now has four flavors: Original, Dark Chocolate, Chocolate & Raspberry, and Whipped Cream. Serve it chilled from the fridge or over ice, but definitely don’t drink it warm. Either way, the drink might be a bit more light-bodied than you expect from its pour. Know this going in: It’s not a heavy liqueur.
Speaking of pours, feel free to add some to a chocolate shake (smoothie if you’re “healthy”) or to a brownie recipe. Make a chocolate trifle with it. Throw some in chocolate fondue or add a drop to the chocolate bark recipe above (not too much or it won’t set). There’s plenty you can do cooking-wise with ChocoVine and just a little bit of imagination. And because the bottles cost between $10.88-12.99 (buy online to have them delivered or find them retail in Walmart, Specs, Kroger, Total Wine, and elsewhere), you can afford to experiment.
DISH: Recap and Coming Soon
This past month, Betsy has again been in the digital world teaching food, drink, and flower skills on her own and with @Alicestable, which collaborates with Harry & David. You can hire her for classes by contacting her through Dishtillery or by email at betsy@theportablegarden.com.
This past month, Jen’s poetry appeared in the Michigan Quarterly Review’s 60th anniversary issue, Permafrost, and Autumn Sky Poetry Daily. A new review of her most recent poetry book, The Burning Where Breath Used to Be, was featured on Sundress Reads. Her chapbook of poems about Judge Judy was long-listed in the Steel Toe Books open reading period. You can hire her for writing by contacting her through Dishtillery or by email at kavetchnik@gmail.com.
Coming Soon:
Betsy’s new website for The Portable Garden goes live on Monday 2/1/21. Get Valentine’s Day gifts and classes there.
Jen’s article about serving and eating caviar at home is forthcoming in Indulge. Her piece about how to cook and eat more fish in the winter – without the stink! – will be out in Allrecipes.com during February as well.
On 2/7/21, Jen will read poetry with Michael Hettich in the Performance Poets of the Palm Beaches series at 3 pm. Email performancepoets20@gmail.com to receive the Zoom link.
Up soon in an edition of Dishtillery: A discussion on coffee – villain or victim? Let us know what you think!
BTW, the first Friday of February is National Wear Red Day. It’s also a day we publish our weekly Friday, paid-subscribers’ issue of Dishtillery. Just sayin’. You can get it free monthly, but every week for $5 per month/$50 per year.
DISH: Poetry
I’ve read this villanelle at a lot of friends’ weddings. It’s one of my favorites, and perfect for February.
Love Is Not a Feast
Love is not a feast but an appetite for one:
The waft of roast meat under the nose
when starvation has been the rule of thumb.
Think vinegar, awakening what was dumb
with disuse the palate of soft words and roses.
Love is not a feast but an appetite for one.
Oyster hors d’ouevres, fleshy pearl on the tongue.
Ice curling into seductive poses.
When starvation has been the rule of thumb,
it’s said little leads to satiation:
The eyes close but the mouth opens.
I say love is not a feast but an appetite for one,
turning ascetics into gluttons
who strip at the mere sight of mangoes;
when starvation has been the rule of thumb
five-course meals are mere samples of joys to come.
So sample freely—gorge—and don’t look for losses.
When starvation has been the rule of thumb,
love is not a feast but an appetite for one.
You can find this and other food poems in Brie Season (Kelsay Books, 2014).
JK
