Boca Java Tropical Kiss has an intense coconut flavor that fades out into lingering Belgian chocolate euphoria.  Usually with black coffee the flavor is not apparant.  This is not true with the Tropical Kiss.  The flavor is a bit more adult, a bit less sweet, maybe somewhat more subtle but it is there in the black coffee.  Add a few tablespoons of cream and sugar and you are back to drinking an Almond Joy bar.

This is a great afternoon coffee with a light snack of carrot cake, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, or coconut macaroons.  It is not  rich enough to be an after dinner coffee, in my opinion.  Not enough richness in the mouth…but as an afternoon pick me up? Perfect.

Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

image:Boca Java

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I love biscotti.  Can I just say that I have been having a blast reviewing this biscotti?

The cioccolati are the basic biscotti with a nice, thick layer of bittersweet chocolate.

Look,  See it?

Here’s what happens.  You dip the biscotti in the hot coffee and give it a little stir.  Some of the chocolate gets melty and adds a chocolate flavor to your coffee.  Then you bite into it and it is warm, and coffee and chocolate, and anise, and almond all at once.

And you realize that life is perfect.

So you repeat the process.

O.k.  Seriously these were my next to last best favorite.  Generous chocolate, crispy texture, great flavor.  On a scale of 1-10 these are a 9.  And that is about as good as a commercial product gets from me.

Highly recommend them.

image:(c) marye audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

So, it seems that drinking half a glass of  wine, eating four (not six, not two…but four) squares of chocolate or drinking a cup of tea increased the ability to remember things…especially in older people.

As usual the findings make me laugh a little.

I mean, how many people are going to drink a half glass of wine just for a minute gain in their ability to rememebr things?

“Oh, GOSH! I HATE wine…but …well…here’s one for the Gipper!” and down it goes.  Forcing yourself to chocle down the chocolate squares is probably only going to be a problem for an anorexic and tea…well …tea is no problem at all.

Anyway, researchers are not totally sure why it helps they only know that it does. Read more here...

SO, be sure to get these importatn nutrients on a daily basis.

By the way, how big of a square of chocolate, do you think?

image:maryeaudet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

So the new computer, Marc and I are sitting in Starbucks even as we speak…yes! It is LIVE from Starbucks..It’s KETTLE & CUP!

I am sipping the peppermint mocha…my second.  We will get to that in a minute.

The first one I ordered was awful…seriously weak. I thought it was just me, but I tasted Marc’s caramel macchiato and it was terrible too.  Uh oh.

I am generally not a complainer but I am working on being a little more…uh…obnoxious confident.  I let them know that they were bad and they gave us new ones.

These are a little better but I am not impressed.

The peppermint mocha is weak and watery..lots of peppermint flavor but weak on the coffee.  There is a powdery texture that coats my tongue after I swallow.  I won’t be finishing this..it isn’t worth the calories, although it is better than the first one…

My thought is that the peppermint should be toned down a touch and the mocha should be intensified a touch for a nice balance..and whatever that powdery thing is?  They need to lose it.

Not recomended at all.

image: maryeaudet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

A nutritionist from Leeds University has come up with   a list of 20 things that lead to a long life.  He says that by eating/drinking these things the body receives more polyphenols, substances which help the body fight disease of all sorts.

Among the items on his list are:

• Coffee
• Tea
• Chocolate
• Blackberries
• Red onion

In fact, I was pleased to note that one of my favorite spinach salads, when served with coffee, whole wheat baguette, and a chocolate truffle, would be made out of most of the ingredients on the list! Unfortunately I would go broke serving it for lunch on a daily basis.
So, prolong your life…eat chocolate…drink good coffee…treat yourself to some tea…and enjoy autumn before it is all over.

Image: marye audet

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I am so not kidding. This was awesome.  Except for the messed up meringue which I will explain in due time….
I love chocolate …and I love chocolate pie but I wanted something a bit different.  You know how you stand at the closet door and stare at your clothes on Sunday morning waiting for either your body to suddenly drop 20 lbs OR an angel to appear and pull something out and hand it to you, saying “Thus sayeth the Lord..wear this and thy thighs will be as tiny reeds“???

Yeah…me too.

Well I stood at the door of the pantry like that waiting for some amazing ingredient jumped out at me.  I looked on the tea shelf and amongst the various teas was a nice darjeeling.

I am not a huge fan of darjeeling.  It is good, but my tastes run more toward the blended, flavored and pimped up teas of modern times.   But I thought that that delicate floral-fruit taste would go well with chocolate…and I was not disappointed.

By the way, I can make incredible, awesome, TOWERING meringues..however, apparently some days….are…just…not the day for it.  The meringue would not whip up…I think the humidity was about 140 so that may have something to do with it.

You can get a great tutorial on how to make perfect pie crust at Baking Delights..I did a step by step with images.

We raise dairy goats and use raw milk.  This milk is much richer than  the pasteurized homogenized,sanitized stuff you get at the store.  If you do not have access to this then use half & half for the best texture and flavor. Just tell yourself you will only have a thin slice.

1 baked pie crust

3 cups half and half

2 bags of darjeeling or 2 tablespoons of the loose leaf

pinch of salt

3 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup organic cornstarch (no GMOs)

1/3 cup dark cocoa

3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter

 For the Meringue

3 egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

Beat whites an cream of tartar until peaks start to form.  Slowly beat in sugar until  stiff peaks are glossy and hold their shape.

Whisk the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and cocoa together and set aside.  Heat the half and half cream in a microwave safe bowl until it is very hot and bubbles form on the edge.

Place the tea in the hot milk and allow to steep for 5 minutes or so.  Longer will give a stronger flavor but the bitterness from over steeping is covered by the chocolate…strain the tea or discard the tea bags.

Whisking constantly add the hot cream to the dry mixture.  Whisk it until completely smooth.

Beat the egg yolks and add,  whisking the whole time. Microwave on high for about 6 to 9 minutes, whisking smooth every minute.  You can do this on top of the stove too but I like the microwave.

When pudding is thick add the vanilla and butter.  stir until the butter melts.  Pour in the baked pie shell and top with meringue while still hot.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden.  Chill until ready  to serve.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

Have you had chocolate covered espresso beans?

Yeah, me too. Yummy.

I like to think of them as big people’s Raisinettes. They are not too hard to make, and as long as you start with a fantastic espresso bean, and add great chocolate, you are going to have an awesome end product.

Better than anything you have ever tasted. Really.

So, are you ready?

I really suggest a good dark espresso roast in this. A lighter roast will be acidic and somewhat nasty. O.k..really nasty. Don’t do it.

Once you have the perfect espresso bean you need to choose the perfect chocolate to go with it. A 75% /25% mix of good quality bittersweet and milk chocolate is my favorite. Use about one lb of chocolate for one lb of coffee. Chop the chocolate up and microwave on low power, stirring often (every 20 seconds) until melted. Be careful not to overcook.

Now mix in 1/2 of the coffee beans. Stir really well. Here is the tedious part. Take the chocolate covered coffee beans out, one by one with a fork, and lay on a piece of wax paper or silpat. You want them to be individual, chocolate- covered beans, not a huge mass of chocolate and coffee beans. Let them cool, or refrigerate.  Continue to add coffee beans until you have used up all the chocolate.  If you want a thicker chocolate let it set, and then dip them again.  Youc an also use this method to put on two different chocolates, once in dark, once in white..etc.

Once the chocolate has set you can melt white chocolate and drizzle it across the beans.

I bet you are wondering why I posted a picture of chocolate rather than the finished product, aren’t you?

I ate them. All.

Image: (c)Marye Audet 2008. Used by permission. Apron Strings & Simmering Things

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I promised I would make these and post the recipe this past weekend but I didn’t. I didn’t make them, so I didn’t get the picture.  I have the recipe, not a problem. I just like doing my own pictures.

But since it could be awhile before I find a minute to make them, and really it takes only a little longer than that…I thought I would just post the recipe.

Chai Truffles

Bring 1 cup of heavy cream to the boil, remove from heat, and put all ingredients in the cream. Allow to steep for 10-15 minutes.  Strain through a tea strainer.

Heat the cream back up to a simmer, remove from heat, and add  one pound of dark chocolate, chopped.  Stir until smooth.  Chill.

Form truffles with a melon baller or your hands.  Roll in cocoa powder, or dip in melted chocolate.

Makes a bunch but they won’t last long.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

O.k….well…no. Not really. I lied.

But they seem to be wanting to get their fingers in an awful lot of pies lately. What happened to companies justs sticking with one thing and doing it well. What happened to Antitrust laws? Geez.

Anyway. The corporate monster is coming out with a line of chocolate and I bet it is good too. They have flavors based on the Tazo Teas, and their own coffees…

The line is from Artisan Confections Co., and is….SURPRISE! A subsidiary of The Hershey Co. Starbucks will not carry the chocolate but I guess you will be able to pick it up at Krogers and who knows where else.

Do you detect a slightly sneering tone? O.k..do you detect a massive sneering tone? Sorry.

Starbucks tries to promote themselves as a very eco-friendly, socially and ethically responsible company. Hershey’s is definitely a big contributer to the Cocoa Plantations on the Ivory Coast.

I use Hershey’s once in awhile. I hate myself for it but the amount of baking I do, I can’t afford the lovely, and much tastier, Fair Trade stuff.

But I am a firm believer in organics, Fair Trade, and small companies. And once Starbucks jumps in Hershey’s bed, well….sigh. They give birth to yet a bigger conglomerate. Sort of like the Blob, or godzilla in the 1950s movies..there is no stopping it.

Image: Morguefile.com and photoshopped by me.

Post from: Kettle and Cup

I had some things going on this week and life has been busier than usual. I have not checked several of my blogs much, and haven’t been keeping up with the various competitions and challenges like I usually do. I was going through Daring Bakers to double check the post dates on this month’s challenge, and I saw a round up I had to be involved in.  WTSIM (Waiter, There’s Something In My…) is back! Yep, the Passionate Cook has returned with a vengance and the theme is terrine. I got in just under the wire, as the last day to post is the 22. Whew.

Now, if you are looking at the web address, worried that you are losing your mind and you are at Baking Delights by mistake, well you would be wrong. Yep…it is a cooking round-up, yes I could post it on Baking Delights…but this also fits perfectly here. Why? Because one of the ingredients is tea.

Terrine is a French dish, most often made with meat, sometimes with vegetables, less often with a sweet. They are always incredibly rich and meltingly smooth. The one I have chosen to develop is……:::::drumroll::::

Earl Grey & Bittersweet Chocolate Terrine

Smooth, rich, luscious. Think of it as  mousse on steroids. I used a strong infusion of the Mrs. Earl Grey tea that I had gotten at Teavana a few weeks ago. I thought that the combination of flavors would be a good one, and I purposely used as little sugar as possible to intensify the chocolate flavor to an adult level. It works, it works the same way as a Godiva truffle and a cup of espresso work. This is not Jello Instant pudding, folks, nor is it Hersheys.

It is not hard to make. You do have to make it ahead so it can chill for 8 hours minimum.  The txture is amazing..Yu will think it is going ot be cakelike but as you putit in your mouth it melts and disappears, leaving an intense chocolate memory.

Earl Grey & Bittersweet Chocolate Terrine

Serves 8

2/3 c whipping cream divided

8 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

2 Tbs unsalted butter, chopped

3 Tbs strong infusion of Mrs.Earl Grey, or any other Earl Grey Tea.

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 c sugar

Ganache Glaze

1/2 c dark chocolate, chopped

1/3 c heavy cream

Bring heavy cream just to a boil, remove from heat and add chocolate, stir until smooth. Pour and smooth over the cold terrine while still warm.

Method

Preheat oven to 325F.

Cover eggs with hot water, not boiling, and let them come to a slightly more than room temperature.

Bring 1/3 c heavy cream just to the boil and remove from heat. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until chocolate is fully melted and mixed with the cream. Add the butter. Continue to stir while adding the tea.

Whip the eggs and egg yolks for 5-6 minutes, or until nearly tripled in volume. Slowly add sugar and continue to whip. Be sure all the sugar crystals are gone.

Whip the last 1/3 of whipped cream. Fold the eggs into the chocolate, then fold the whipped cream in. Be careful not to deflate but mix thoroughly.

Set a loaf pan in a pan of warm water. Line the loaf pan with aluminum foil. Spoon the chocolate mixture in it and smooth top. Seal aluminum foil over the top, cutting a few vents in it to let steam escape. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes, checking it halfway through.

After 40 minutes it should look somewhat dull on top. Do not overcook! Remove to a rack and allow to cool at room temp for an hour, then put in the fridge for at least 8 hours. Unmold, Smooth the ganache glaze over it, slice, and serve with a dollop of whipped cream…if you dare.

Post from: Kettle and Cup