The Unexpected: Cocoa-nana Bread

I am not a planner.  I do not like to plan things ahead.  Except for work related stuff, which I am paid to do and trained to do, I never good at planning anything. Even vacation, I did not like to do the planning until N asked me several times and got mad at me. I know, this is bad.  But don't you think that things happen outside of your plan is more excited?  Things that come out of a sudden burst of idea, things that do not follow the usual path. Like, when I first started this blog, I just followed my sudden urge to do it. No plan, no preparation, no research. Just go for it. I still feel so amazed and so full of gratitude that there are visitors/readers who like what I posted.

In the rare occasion that I do plan ahead, things usually do not turn out as expected. I was in the mood of trying new baking recipe last Friday night. I wanted something simple and easy to do, but at the same time, N for sure would like it. So, it has to be something chocolaty. N has also been asking for banana bread several times.  Since I got two really ripe bananas on hand, why not combine these two yummy ingredients together. Scanned through Dorie's book, found a recipe exactly what I wanted - a Cocoa-nana bread.  Even the name sounds cute!  So, I prepared to make it on Saturday morning. Although it was the first time I tried the recipe, I trusted Dorie Greenspan.  Besides, what can go wrong with banana bread? I decided that it should be delicious enough to blog about it and on Friday night, I was already planning on how to take the picture. 

I got up very early on Saturday to make the bread because I love having the freshly baked goods smell in the house in the morning. I followed the recipe all through. When the bread came out from the oven, it looked promising.  But, the first bite of it got me wonder if there was anything wrong with my taste buds. The cocoa flavor was so overwhelm and the sweetness of the banana was completely lost to the bitterness of the bitter-sweet chocolate. I had a second bite, but still could not get use to the taste. I was upset and disappointed. I lost all my motivation to take pictures.  But since I had setup my picture setting already, I did take a few shots just to practice my photography skill.  N, being such a picky eater, to my surprise, did not complaint too much though.  Just said it was not great, and then kept eating.  

Curious of what other bloggers think about the recipe, I did some research on the internet. It turned out that this recipe had been tried out by the Tuesdays With Dorie group and several bloggers did not like it either.

It is now Wednesday night, what do you think happen to the bread?  It's not in the trash can. It's been mostly consumed and a small amount left in the fridge.  Strange things happened during these few days.  The cocoa mellowed out and all the flavors melted together, and the bread wrapped in saran wrap is still moist! I had a big piece after I got home from work today.  What a strange loaf of bread!

Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

Midnight Snack

 
I remember the time that I was not really fond of sweet food.  Growing up in Hong Kong, dessert was never an important part of the meal. The sweetest food that my mom ever made was the red beans or mung beans soup. And I kept on asking her not to put too much sugar in, otherwise I would not eat it. But even at that time, when it came to chocolate, I did not treat it as dessert or candy. It is "chocolate".  A special class of food. 

After coming to Canada, my taste palate changed.  After getting married, my taste palate changed even more.  Although I still do not like food that is too sweet, I do love dessert and crave for it very often. And my love for chocolate is even stronger, as N goes for anything with chocolate. But, as much as I love sweets, I am trying to exercise the principel of moderation, not to go overboard with it. 

Out of my craving for sweets, I finally made these brownies again. I first found this recipe in Lori Longbotham's Luscious Chocolate Desserts, one of my favorite chocolate cookbook. There is another version of it with more chocolate in Dorie Greenspan's  Baking: From My Home to Yours. I have yet to try it. I stuck with the original recipe this time because I recalled how much I loved it the last time I made it.  These are not the cakey type of brownies. These are the rich, sweet, fudgy, melt in your mouth brownies. These are the brownies that make you sneak out to your fridge late at night and break all your dietary rules.

Kitchen notes:  

• As mentioned by Lori Longbotham, you should let the brownies cool down completely before you cut it.  They are quite sticky, so use a sharp knife. It is easier to cut it if you chill it first.

• You can serve it at room temperature.  But to me, I like it chilled. The first time I made it, I was not used to the fudgy brownies. I thought I did not like it. But after I put it in the fridge and tried it the next day, it was heavenly.
• I added a touch of espresso powder to enhance the chocolate flavor.

Recipe:  Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

Adapted from Lori Longbotham's Luscious Chocolate Desserts, 
which was in turn adapted from Family Circle magazine.

Ingredients:

1/2    cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2       oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1       tsp espresso powder

1       cup sugar

2       large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2    tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4    cup all-purpose flour

1/4    tsp salt

1       cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 325F.  Butter and flour an 8" square baking pan.
2. Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2" of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth.  Or melt it in the microwave.
3. Remove the bowl from the heat, add the espresso powder, sugar, eggs and vanilla, whisk until well blended. Whisk in the flour and salt just until well blended.  Stir in the walnuts.  Transfer the batter to the prepared floured pan.
4. Bake for 35 to 40 mins, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out sticky, with just a few crumbs clinging to it, but is not wet.  Do not overbake.
5. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.  Chill and cut into 9 pieces.

 

Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

Have you ever dreamt of owning a coffee shop? Aside from being a musician, a photographer, a journalist, owning a coffee shop has been one of my dreams in my adult life.  The warm cozy decor, the earthy aroma of coffee, the sweet treats, the chit chatting with customers, there is just something irresistible about a nice family run coffee shop in your neighborhood.  This afternoon, after the baking in the morning, I made myself a nice cup of coffee, sitting on the patio, served with these delectable chocolate biscotti, watching Yogi, our dog, running around in the yard, I let my dream took over me again. After quitting my job for over ten years in the corporate world, what is my next step? Is there a possibility to realize my dream?

If I have a coffee shop, these biscotti will definitely be on the menu. The chocolate coatings make them a special treats. But it is still delicious even without the coatings.  They are easy to make. All you have to do is to mix the wet ingredients and then dump the dry ingredients into the wet ones and mix them together. Then you have to wait for them to bake twice under low temperature. It is always tempted to try a few pieces after the first bake is done. The most difficult part of the recipe is to peel the hazelnuts. Please see my kitchen notes below . 

Recipe:  Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma website 

Ingredients:

4         oz   semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1         cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 3/4   cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/3      cup unsweetened cocoa, preferably Dutch process

1 1/2   Tbsp instant espresso powder

1         tsp baking soda

1/4      tsp salt

3         eggs

1 1/4   tsp vanilla extract

1/2      tsp almond extract

1         cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

For the chocolate coatings:

4         oz semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped*

1         tsp. vegetable shortening*

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper/wax paper/silpat. 
2. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the chocolate and brown sugar and process until the chocolate is very fine; set aside. 
3. Sift together the flour, cocoa, expresso powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl; set aside. 
4. Add eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract in the workbowl of an electric mixer. Beat the egg mixture on medium speed until blend.
5. Add sugar, beat until blend.
6. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, mix until a stiff dough forms, adding the hazelnuts when the dough is about half mixed.
7. On a floured surface, divide the dough in half. Form each half into a log 12 inches long. Transfer the logs to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them well apart, and pat to even the shapes. Bake until almost firm to the touch, about 50 minutes (logs will spread during baking). Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Leave the oven set at 300ºF. 
8. Using a spatula, carefully transfer the logs to a work surface. Using a serrated knife, cut logs on the diagonal into slices 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Arrange the slices, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.*
9. Turn the slices over and bake until crisp and dry, about 25 minutes more. Turn off the oven and let the biscotti cool completely in the oven with the door slightly ajar.

For the chocolate coatings:*

1. Combine the chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave at 80% power for 30 sec. Take out and stir with a wooden spoon. Microwave for another 30 sec at 80% power.  Take out and stir.  Depend on the power of your microwave oven, if large chunks of chocolate remains, you can keep melting the chocolate at 50% to 80% power for 10-15sec for 2 to 3 times more. But each time, give it a good stir and let the heat retained in the mixture to do the job of melting first before putting in the microwave again.  For 4 oz chocolate, it takes me about three 15sec rounds in the microwave and enough heat is retained in the mixture to melt all the chocolate completely. Be careful, do not over heat the chocolate.
2. Holding one tip of the cooled cookie, using a wooden spoon to coat another tip end of the cookie with the hot chocolate. Let it set on a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 

 * See kitchen notes

 Kitchen notes:

• How to peel hazelnuts? To peel the hazelnuts, toast them at 350ºF for 10 to 12 mins.  Wrap them in a tea towel and wait for the hazelnuts to cool down. Then, you can either rub the hazelnuts with the tea towel or rub them between your palms. You should work closely to a sink so that you can blow away the skin easily. This is not a perfect way. Some skins may still attached to the nuts but they do not affect the taste and texture of the cookies at all. There is another way to peel them by blanching the nuts with baking soda before toasting.  I have not tested that before.  If you have tried that or if you have other better ways, please let me know.   
• The dough is quite sticky.  Use a wooden spoon instead of a spatula to scrape the dough out from the mixing bowl to the work surface. 
• The work surface and your hands have to be heavily floured (but don't be excessive) in order to work the dough easily. 
• The original recipe uses 8 oz of chocolate for the coatings and applies the coatings to one side of the cookie instead of the tip end of both sides.  It is your preference to decide how much coating and where you want it to apply.
• These are the more crispy and crunchy biscotti made without butter. Therefore, be forewarned that they are quite hard in texture. You can slide it thinner to do the second bake. 1/2" is a good thickness.