Easy to do Chocolate Pots de Creme

Chocolate Pots de Crème

Cooked rather than baked, this delicate, full-flavored custard is versatile, simple and at once both homey and elegant.

2 cups (500 ml) milk or half milk and half cream
7 oz (200 g) semisweet dessert chocolate (54%)
6 egg yolks, beaten just until blended
1/4 tsp ground cardamom (can be replaced by ground cinnamon)
½ tsp vanilla or ½ a vanilla bean, split
* I use half low-fat milk and half heavy cream.
** You can use anywhere from 6 ½ to 8 oz (180 to 225 g) chocolate.

Prepare 6 small dessert glasses, verrines, tea or demitasse cups. Place the yolks in a large glass heatproof mixing bowl and beat lightly to blend.'

Grate or finely chop the chocolate and place it in a small saucepan with the milk/cream and the vanilla bean if using. Cooking over very low heat, scald the mixture (bring it just up to the boil), stirring to make sure the chocolate is completely melted and combined and does not burn.

Gradually whisk the scalded milk/chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, pouring the hot liquid in a slow stream and whisking constantly, until well blended. Stir in the ground cardamom and the vanilla extract if using.

Lift out the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds out of the pod and stir the seeds back into the custard. Pour the custard into the dessert glasses or cups, straining if necessary. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm.

Serve with plenty of very lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Jamie Schler lives, eats and writes in France. To read more of her work visit Life's a Feast. From the Huffington Post 8.2010

Chocolate Dinner Experience

MENU: White Chocolate Salad with Raspberry Vinnegrette
"Faux" Mole Chicken
Brown Rice topped with Fresh Salsa
Chocolate Martinis
Dove Chocolate Mousse

If you really like Mole Chicken but don't want to spend days making it, here is a great easy way to enjoy it and have similiar taste results.

3 Boneless Chicken Breast
6 Tablespoon of Dove Aztec Sipping Chocolate (see your friendly Chocolatier)
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Jalepeno Pepper (optional)

Stir Chocolate, Olive Oil and spices to mix thoroughly. Put chicken in a large Zip Lock Bag, pour in Marinade and massage into the chicken. Put in fridge for a minimum of one hour.

Line a 13 x 9" baking dish with foil or parchment paper and arrange chicken in the pan,

Top with 12 oz can of crushed tomatos

Bake in a 350 oven for at least 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.
(note: if you want a more "chocolate" taste, remove chicken from dish and stir in 1 oz of melted dark chocolate as a finish)

Serve with Brown Rice topped with fresh salsa

Prepare a mixed salad with apples, nuts, raisins, grapes along with the greens. Dress with Raspberry Vinnegrete and garnish with slivers of White Shaved Chocolate

Dove Dk Chocolate Mousse is a delicious Mix you can purchase from your friendly Chocolatier. It only takes 8 oz of whipping cream whipped, 1 packet of Dove Chocolate Discoveries Mousse Mix and 2 bars of Dove Dark Chocolate Melted. If you want to be really fancy pipe mousse into a Dark Chocolate Dessert Cup and top with Chocolate Curls or a raspberry.

FROM START TO FINISH THIS MEAL ONLY TAKES ONE HOUR INCLUDING THE TIME TO BAKE THE CHICKEN. IT IS FAST AND IMPRESSIVE AND OF COURSE DELICIOUS!!!!

If you need more info on the products used, let me know or go to www.dovechocolatediscoveries.com/daytonchocolatiers

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Red Velvet Whoopie Pies from my friend in Georgia

This recipe comes from my good friend in Georgia, she has beautiful twin girls and knows how much we love chocolate recipes.

Denise - ENJOY!!! Let me know what you think! I think they will be a hit.

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
* 1/2 tsp. baking soda
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 egg
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1/2 cup buttermilk
* 1 1-oz. bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
* 1 recipe Whoopie Pie Filling, recipe below

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium to high 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk, beating after each addition just until combined. Stir in food coloring.

3. Spoon batter in 1- or 2-inch diameter rounds, about 1/2-inch high on prepared baking sheets, allowing 1 inch between each round.

4. Bake 7 to 9 minutes for 1-inch cookies or 9 to 11 minutes for 2-inch cookies, or until tops are set. Cool completely on baking sheets on rack. Remove cooled cookies from baking sheets.

5. To fill, dollop Whoopie Pie Filling on flat sides of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat sides down. Makes 60 one-inch or 42 two-inch cookies.

6. Whoopie Pie Filling: In medium mixing bowl beat 1/4 cup softened butter and half an 8-ounce package softened cream cheese until smooth. Fold in one 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme.

7. To store: Refrigerate in airtight container up to 4 days. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

It's been a long summer

Some days you just know you should update your blog, but the heat and humidity fogs your brain and you just can't seem to get it done. Well today it is a beautiful 79 degree day with very low humidity and my brain seems to have come unfogged!!

The summer brought a lot of new things into my life including a new dog for my grandkids, a trip to Philly for the Chocolate Convention (how fun is that) and more and more team members for our DCD team.

We have discovered the joy of White Chocolate sipping chocolate, had a Chocolate Sea Salted Caramel Recipe place in the top 15 on Epicurous.com and met lots and lots of new people.

www.dovechocolatediscoveries.com/daytonchocolaters is our great website and will open up a whole new world of delicious Dove Chocolate Products but my favorites are by far the White Chocolate yummies.

Also discovered is the wonder of the Quarter Auction. This event is the "new bingo" in and around our area.

Here is how it works. A group of direct sales reps form a group, select a charity and rent a hall. Everyone in the group prepares a select number of "packages" of their products to be auctioned off. The public shows up, pays a few dollars to get in, another couple of dollars for a numbered paddle, and buys raffle tickets or door prize tickets (all this money goes to a selected charity). The "auction items" are all on display in the hall and tables are set up in long rows. When the auction starts the auctioneer displays the Package, gives a description and a retail value. Then states a "bid" of 1, 2, 3 or 4 Quarters. This is where the fun begins.....anyone who really wants the package throws their quarters in a bucket that is passed down the table (sounds like a bunch of slot machines) and raises their paddle in the air. The auctioneer then pulls a numbered chip out of the bucket and if you are lucky enough to have the number YOU WIN. YEAH!!!

When you get 200 "mostly women" in a big room with lots of their favorite products and quarters you just naturally have a great time. They laugh, applaud and even sometimes scream....It's me it's me it's me...... By the way if you didn't throw in your quarter snd they call your number....well...too bad..YOU LOSE

In most scenarios the rep for the products get the quarters from the buckets to offset their expenses. Hopefully the attendees will be so intrigued they will order or book a party from the reps and everyone has a great time.

I don't really know how far from the crazy midwest this even has traveled but it is a great evening, raises money for a charity, helps the reps get their info into many hands and is an all around great time.