Taste 13: Ritual Chocolate

It’s fun to unwrap. It has a perfect snap when you break off a piece.  Your taste buds immediately taste chocolate, and then as you let it just slightly melt in your mouth you realize it’s not overly sweet.  It has a smooth mouthfeel with no hint of chalkiness.  It’s such an exemplary bar of chocolate, I could make the sensory pleasure of eating this bar a ritual.

Ritual Chocolate is by far one of the best locally made artisan edibles in Colorado.  Owners Robbie Stout and Anna Davies fell in love with chocolate (and each other…) and started a bean to bar chocolate factory in Denver.  They are one of the very few chocolatiers in the United States that source cacao beans as the first step in the chocolate making process.  So, for my thirteenth taste of how much I care, I introduced him to one of my favorite chocolate bars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I brought him a bar and he looked at it, thought it looked pretty cool, and tore off the top part of the wrapper within a few seconds of having it in his hands.  It would have made a great testimonial video for Ritual Chocolate because he broke off a piece (which made a snap), put it in his mouth, and immediately commented on just how fantastic that peice of chocolate was. By his second bite I was explaining how I had organized a blogger tour of the factory and know the owners, (how their story is so damn cool!), and how there’s a lot of time, effort, and dedication that goes into every single chocolate bar.

When you experience a Ritual Chocolate bar, you’ll understand how chocolate can and should actually taste.  There are a lot of chocolate bars out there, but most pale in comparison. Ritual Chocolate is available in a number of coffe shops and specialty stores in the Denver/Boulder area. Rather than spout out a list of places, I’d like to refer you to their website for info on their chocolate, their story, and where to buy a bar.

Taste 4: Double Chocolate Chilies and Cherries Chocolove Chunk Cookies

For my fourth way to show him how much I care (about his waistline) I pulled out one of my original recipes I created a couple years ago: Double Chocolate Chilies and Cherries Chocolove Chunk Cookies.  The title is a mouthful because once these babies come out of the oven, you will have a mouthful of cookies all night. Warning: eat responsibly.

Local Boulder-based Chocolove makes a Chilies and Cherries bar and it’s one of my favorites.  I’m known to make spicy brownies (coming up soon in this 14-part series), but wanted to branch out a bit on my chocolate baked goods, so one day I got creative and made up this cookie recipe.  I love it.

 

Here’s how I made them:

Ingredients:
  • 10 oz bittersweet chocolate (Ghirardelli sells 10 oz bags of chocolate chips which work well)
  • 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup unbleached flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 bars of Chocolove Chilies and Cherries in Dark Chocolate
Start by melting the bittersweet chocolate in a double boiler.
While it is melting, whip the cream into butter in your KitchenAid stand mixer. Then cream together the butter and sugar (evaporated cane juice). Next, add the eggs and mix well.
When the chocolate is melted, remove it from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes or so before adding it to the mixing bowl. Mix in the melted chocolate and then add the flour, baking powder, and mix well again. Finally add the chopped Chocolove bars.
The batter is going to be wet, so put 2 pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap on the counter and pour half of the batter onto each piece. Carefully form wrapped logs and transfer them to the freezer for 30 minutes or the fridge for a couple hours.

 

Slice the cold batter-logs into disks and roll them into ping-pong-sized balls.  Bake them on a parchment lined tray at 375 for 10-12 minutes.  They’ll still feel delicate in the middle when they’re done, so carefully slide them onto a cooling rack.

 

 

Enjoy!

Olive Oil Pickles

Last summer I had a goal- I was going to learn how to can local produce so I could eat it throughout the year.  I bought some books with great excitement.  That’s about all I did.  I never bought any special canning equipment, and I’m not likely to buy it this year either.  Why?  Not because I’m lazy.  It’s because the first recipe I tried was for Olive Oil Pickles and they turned out so delicious that I olive-oil-pickled everything.  Best decision ever.

Here’s my favorite olive oil pickle recipe from the book The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich.

  • Approximately 1 pound small or medium-size pickling cucumbers
  • 2 small onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 tsp pickling salt
  • 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
  • 2 TB whole yellow mustard seeds
  • Approximately 1.5 cups apple cider vinegar
  • olive oil
If the cucumbers are 2-3 inches long, leave them whole. If they’re larger, slice them thinly.  In a large colander, toss the cucumbers and onions with the salt and let them sit a few hours at room temperature, draining out excess water.
Make sure you drain all of that cucumber water that is drawn out by the salt.  Then start layering cucumbers, onions, mustard seeds, and pepper flakes in sterilized jars.  Cover the cucumbers with vinegar and then pour some olive oil on top to coat the surface.  The olive oil provides a floating barrier against spoilage, so this step is important.  Cover the top of the jar with plastic wrap and then seal it tightly with a lid. Store in a cool, dark place.
Wait a while.  The pickles will be ready in a few weeks, but let them sit a few months.  I’ll open my first jar later in the fall.
Enjoy!

SALT, Still a Personal Favorite

Some of my friends think I’m a little too obsessed with SALT.  I’m certainly not talking about the crystals of flavor we sprinkle on food.  I’m talking about the bistro named after our oldest seasoning.  Why would I be obsessed with a restaurant?  That’s silly.  Silly, yes, but there must be some truth to it because when a friend texted me that the restaurant we had planned to meet at was packed, I suggested SALT without hesitation. 
Let’s go to SALT.
Go to SALT we did, and we enjoyed a plum and goat cheese flatbread.  I’d never had a plum, goat cheese, and mint flatbread, and while plums are in season, you should go try one of these.  The plums are sweet and moist, local goat cheese adds a nice contrast to the sweetness of the plums, and a sprinkle of mint ties it all together.  Good thinking, Mr. Executive Chef Kevin Kidd and staff.
I also enjoyed a unique cocktail- Cool as a Cucumber– created by SALT’s up and coming Tyler Anderson.  This vodka-based cocktail with cucumber and Serrano peppers is fantastic, especially on a hot summer day.

And I could go on and on… like how there are a number of cute men working there… but that has NOTHING to do with the quality of their food nor with why I enjoy SALT so much.  It just continues to be one of the best places in Boulder for food and drink. Period.

Welcome to my kitchen

A Bolder Table is a place where I bookmark my favorite recipes for later along with some occasional musings. It's my personal digital recipe compilation... Let's say it's my cookbook. Thanks for stopping by! -Megan
© 2017 A Bolder Home LLC. All Rights Reserved. | Boulder, CO Personal Chef Services