When it comes to Valentine’s Day dinner, why keep the chocolate confined to the dessert?
Recently, there has been a culinary reawakening to what the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations knew centuries ago: There are few courses of the meal that can’t benefit from the richness of cocoa or chocolate.
“I really think we got away from it for a while. But I think in the last five years, a lot of restaurant chefs have started to add cocoa to dishes, or cocoa nibs because of their nutty texture, consistency and color,” said Bev Shaffer, a Seville-based cookbook author and corporate chef for Vitamix in Olmsted Falls.
Cocoa nibs are bits of dried cacao beans that have been roasted and crushed.
Shaffer, who is at work on the latest book in her To Die For! series, Chocolate Desserts to Die For!, said there are few savory dishes that can’t be improved by the addition of cocoa powder.
Beef and chicken (think the classic Mexican mole) pair well with chocolate, but so do rabbit and other wild game, she noted.
“I even tossed it with roasted vegetables,” she said. “On roasted yams, sweet potatoes, it really gives a whole different dimension.”
When preparing savory dishes with cocoa, Shaffer said, cooks may be surprised how dishes take on the richness and flavor of chocolate, without the sweetness. In fact, cocoa actually has a high acidic side, which makes it good to pair with other spices.
Shaffer likened cooking with chocolate to baking with chocolate. When unsweetened chocolate is melted for baking, its luxurious shine makes it easy to forget how bitter it really is, until you take a taste and learn the hard way.
So it goes when cooking with cocoa. “You have to remember that the cocoa nibs or cocoa powder are not sweet, so you need to balance it with a little cinnamon or chili pepper to temper the bitterness a bit,” she said.
When serving a cocoa-infused meal for your valentine, pair it with a bold red wine such as a zinfandel or cabernet sauvignon. Go sweeter with dessert, even consider pouring a tawny port.
Here are the recipes you’ll need for a complete chocolate-infused meal.
BERRY SALAD WITH CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC VINEGAR
½ lb. mixed salad greens, such as baby spinach, arugula, mesclun or a combination
½ cup sliced fresh strawberries
½ cup fresh raspberries
½ cup crumbles of high-quality blue cheese, such as Stilton
Walnut pieces, to taste
Chocolate balsamic vinegar (recipe follows)
Wash greens and spin dry. Divide among four salad plates.
Top each salad with berries, walnuts and cheese crumbles.
Drizzle plates with chocolate balsamic vinegar.
Season salads with salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 4 servings.
Lisa Abraham
CHOCOLATE BALSAMIC VINEGAR
1 cup high-quality balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 tbsp. high-quality chocolate syrup (not hot fudge sauce)
Slowly whisk chocolate syrup into vinegar.
Taste and add chocolate to reach desired flavor.
Makes about 1 cup.
Adapted from www. vegalicious.org
COCOA-CHILI MARINATED STEAK
1 (1½- to 2-lb.) steak (such as flat iron, flank or skirt steak)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. ancho chili powder
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ cup olive oil
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except steak and olive oil. Stir to combine well.
Stir in olive oil to make a thick paste.
Spread on all sides of steak. Place in plastic zipper lock bag. Allow to marinate 8 hours or overnight.
Remove steak from marinade.
Grill or broil steak until it reaches desired doneness (about 145 degrees on an instant-read thermometer for medium).
Remove from heat. Cover with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Makes 4 servings.
Lisa Abraham
CHOCOLATE PASTA
12 oz. chocolate pasta
¼ cup heavy cream or more to taste
½ stick butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
Cinnamon, to taste
Boil pasta according to package instructions.
Toss warm pasta with butter and cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a dash of cinnamon.
Makes 4 servings.
Editor’s note: Chocolate pasta is available from a variety of sources online. Locally, look for Chocolato Cabernet Tagliarini ($7.99 per pound) from Rossi Pasta of Marietta, Ohio, sold at the West Point Market, 1711 W. Market St., Akron.
Lisa Abraham
DARK CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE
10½ oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1½ cups granulated sugar
10 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. ground hazelnuts
⅛ tsp. sea salt
Confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom, tapping out excess flour.
In a medium saucepan, melt and combine chocolate, sugar and butter, whisking until smooth. Remove saucepan from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, hazelnuts, and salt. Quickly and gently fold into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Set atop a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper, in case of leakage. Bake for 35 to 46 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan on a wire rack for 25 minutes. Then run a knife around the inside edge of pan, and carefully remove the outer ring of the tart pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
When ready to serve, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
CAKES to Die For! Bev Shaffer
Lisa Abraham can be reached at 330-996-3737 or at labraham@thebeaconjournal.com.
