In the far corner of my grandma’s kitchen, below the telephone and in the bottom drawer, is where my grandma stored all her old aprons. Most of them were the ones that tied around the waist, some of them the kind you wouldn’t really cook in they were so nice (like the sheer and frilly organza one), some I think were made by my great-grandmother. Whenever I was at my grandma’s house I’d make a beeline for that drawer and spend hours tying all the aprons around my waist to make a big poufy skirt. I’d twirl and twirl and twirl.

Sometimes my grandma would tell me to choose one apron and come help her in the kitchen. I’d sit on the shiny red vinyl stool at the big wooden island and wait patiently for instructions. I remember one such day when we were about to bake. She’d go in and out of her pantry and place what seemed to me countless ingredients on the island: flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Then, the biggest bar of chocolate I’d ever seen. Mind you, I must have been around four or five years old and at that moment my grandma seemed like Willy Wonka. She saw the look in my eyes (she raised five daughters, she knew the look) and said to me,”That’s baking chocolate, honey, it’s not sweet.” I didn’t listen and the next time she turned her back for another pantry trip I bent down and scraped my little teeth on the big bar of chocolate.

“Eeeeeeew!”

“I told you, dear,” my grandma said sweetly, giggling a bit.

Oh how I loved those days. But apparently I didn’t learn much. On a trip to Mexico I found a bag of cocoa nibs at a sweets shop and bought them. Cocoa nibs are chocolate in their purest form. They’re roasted cocoa beans that haven’t been crushed and transformed into unsweetened chocolate. In a nutshell (or nib), they are definitely not sweet.

Barnaby said to me, just like my grandma all those years ago, “They’re not sweet, you know.” I knew (even though I’d never tasted one), but I popped one defiantly in my mouth anyway. It wasn’t the “Eeeeew!” I experienced in my grandma’s kitchen, but it wasn’t necessarily “yuuuum!” either, at least at first. After chewing it a bit I was able to get past the bitter taste and enjoy the lovely natural cocoa flavors.

Best of all, it made me remember that day spent baking with my grandma and the first time I snuck a taste of baking chocolate.

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Oh how I love palmiers! Their delicate and flaky layers, their bits of caramelized sugar…and to make them even more naughtily delicious, dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts!

Mon dieu. So many French pastries, so little time.

Best of all, these little “palm leaves” are a snap to make (if you’re not making your puff pastry from scratch). In less than one hour you can bring a little bit of Paris to your guests in the form of these petite sweets.

Go to Foodista for the easy recipe.

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When I was a wee little girl I had a nightmare about a monster whose face looked like mint chocolate chip ice cream. Strange, I know. The funny thing is, you’d think the horror would’ve turned me off of mint chocolate chip ice cream for life, but no, it’s my favorite. That nightmare I had about water, however, sure did the trick!

The mint in our garden is going crazy. Nothing else wants to grow, but the mint is flourishing. That’s just mint’s thing: it’s so hearty it could grow in the worst corner of your yard, in the worst soil. My kind of gardening!

If you, too, like mint and chocolate (no need to have had the freaky green monster nightmare) then you’ll love this fresh little dessert. I plucked a few leaves from my plant, dipped them in dark chocolate, then popped them in the freezer for a half hour. They are wonderful on their own or as a beautiful garnish to any dessert.

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Normally this time of year I’d be writing about wine spritzers or something refreshing. Certainly not hot chocolate. But it’s been so cold here in Seattle I would swear it’s winter. Mark Twain once said, “The coldest summer I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco” Well, I’m sure he’d say the same about Seattle right now. Didn’t we just have a heat wave?!

So to take the chill off I cranked the heat up, threw an extra blanket on top of the already-down-quilted bed, and made a big mug of Mexican hot chocolate.

Mexican hot chocolate makes Swiss Miss taste like pond water. Rich dark chocolate that’s laced with cinnamon and coarse sugar, it’s thick, frothy and warms you up like a hug from Granny. In fact, one of my favorite brands, Abuelita, means Little Grandma.

Break one tablet into 4 cups of milk and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the mixture frequently with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and frothy. Traditionally, Mexican chocolate is beaten to a froth with a whisk-like wooden implement called a molinillo. Since most of us don’t own such an item you can pulse a small amount of the cocoa in a blender, then ladle on top of your beverage, much like a barista does with the foam of your latté. Drink immediately (you won’t want to wait anyway).

If you really need to take the edge off, add a splash of whiskey. A dash of chili powder is pretty good, too.

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I love chocolate. Who doesn’t! I don’t trust anyone who says they don’t like chocolate. They’re either liars or crazy. Or crazy liars.

So the other night at our cooking class, when one couple was assigned the duty of making a chocolate dessert, I quickly sidled up to them and eagerly asked,

“Watcha makin’?”
“Bay leaf and cardamom truffles!” they replied joyfully in unison, clearly as excited as I was.
“Oooo, can I lick the bowl when you’re done?!”

Ok, I really didn’t say that last part, but I was tempted. I did, however, finish the evening licking my fingers like a preening cat. Barnaby kindly wiped the healthy dusting of cocoa powder off of my face. You can’t take me anywhere.

Bay Leaf and Cardamom Chocolate Truffles

1/2 C heavy cream, plus a bit extra
1 1/2 Turkish bay leaves
4 plump cardamom pods, crushed
6 1/2 oz. high quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate (eg. Callebaut, Lindt, Valrhona), chopped
1 T unsalted butter at room temperature
Cocoa powder

In a small pot place the heavy cream, bay leaves and crushed cardamom pods. Bring to a boil, turn of the heat and cover. Let it set for approximately one half hour.

Strain out the spices and, if necessary, add more heavy cream to bring the quantity back up to a 1/2 cup. Heat to a simmer and add the chocolate until melted, add the butter. Transfer to a bowl and let it sit at room temperature until the mixture sets (several hours). The mixture should be thick enough to scoop with a truffle scoop (like a miniature ice cream scooper) or hand roll into balls. To finish, roll truffles in cocoa powder and shake off the excess.

Note: If you’re jonesing and just can’t wait the few hours to set, try the quick-set method. Place in the refrigerator and stir every 10 minutes until thickened.

Check out Feed Me, I’m Hungry!!’s recipe for Matcha Chocolate Truffles (fyi – matcha is a powdered green tea used in Japanese tea ceremonies)

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I’m not talking Rice-A-Roni here, the San Francisco treat I’m referring to is IT’S-IT Ice Cream. When I was a kid we’d often pass the IT’S-IT factory perched on the edge of Highway 101 near the San Francisco airport. I would beg my parents to stop, but alas, it never happened. I still threaten to stop…perhaps some things are best left as a mystery. So, to satiate my desires I hop into the nearest Draeger’s and pick up a box.

The Original IT’S-IT Ice Cream Treat, once named the official food of San Francisco, started in 1928 and has since become a legend. The recipe has never changed; a scoop of vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies then dunked in dark chocolate.

I don’t care how old you are, you’re never too old to beg for one of these.

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I usually crave cheese more than I do sweets, but when my sweet tooth rears its ugly fang it’s usually for some form of chocolate. Specifically cake. I’ll look at Barnaby and ask,” Did you pick up that chocolate cake today?” Knowing full well that, of course, he did not. I just want chocolate cake. I never buy cake, I never make cake. Perhaps that’s some form of perverse self-denial thing, but whatever.

So imagine my glee when our friend Tracy made a glorious one for dessert the other night! The recipe she used, Chocolate Cloud Cake, was from Nigella Lawson’s book Nigella Bites. It’s flourless, dense yet light at the same time (hence the name cloud), and is pure dark chocolatey goodness. My apologies for gobbling it up before photographing.

Here is a simply fantabulous sounding Chocolate Cake with Yellow Beets from A Cat in the Kitchen. Yes, yellow beets! How wonderfully wicked to sneak veggies into a cake. Brilliant.

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