Is there anything more tempting than the flavor of chocolate? This food was once considered the food of the gods and once you have tasted good chocolate you can understand why. However, what most people do not realize is that chocolate can be used to make a variety of foods that range from sweet to savory.
One of the original ways that chocolate was prepared was as a bitter drink. The beans were fermented, roasted and ground, much like coffee beans. They were then brewed into a dark and bitter drink, kind of like chocolate coffee. Today you can still buy organic chocolate beans and you can brew your own cup of choco-cafe.
Chocolate can be made into a number of savory dishes. One Hispanic sauce that utilizes a savory preparation of chocolate is called mole sauce. Mole sauce is used for special celebrations as it takes a long time to prepare. If you do not want to make mole sauce from scratch you can buy it is a jar pre-mixed, however, to get the real mole experience you need to try the homemade version.
Jewish recipes that feature chocolate are usually sweet. Chocolate is used as a dipping sauce and as a topper for sponge cakes and angle cakes. If you want to change the flavor and dimension of your favorite chocolate recipe then try different varieties of chocolate. The flavor produced by a chocolate is going to depend a lot on where the beans are grown and how the cocoa powder is processed.
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Every now and then I get the hankering for something that is sweet and that has a unique combination of flavors, especially during the winter months when each day seems to melt into the next. My search for a new recipe usually begins with the paging through the contents of my old cookbooks, unfortunately this usually leads to a dead end. After all I have paged through my cookbooks hundreds of times before. My next option is to talk with friends and colleagues to see if they have a special recipe hidden away that I might enjoy.
A few days ago a colleague passed on this delicious recipe created by Carol Meyner, M.D. It combines two of my favorite ingredients, chocolate and pistachios. If you are looking for an alternative to brownies and regular chocolate cake then try out this recipe.
Chocolate Pistachio cake
Ingredients
1 18 oz box white or yellow cake mix
1 3 oz box instant pistachio pudding mix
½ cup orange juice (I used amaretto!)
½ cup water
4 large eggs
½ cup oil
1 tsp almond extract
½ cup chocolate syrup (I used 1 cup)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 12 cup Bundt pan.
In a mixing bowl (I used my food processor) combine cake and pudding mix, liquids (except the choc syrup) and eggs at low speed until moist. Beat for an additional 3 minutes at medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally until well blended.
Pour about half the batter into the Bundt pan. Add the chocolate syrup to the remainder of the batter. Mix well.
Pour over the batter in the pan. Run a knife through it to marbleize it.
Bake for 1 hour.
Allow cake to cool in pan for 15 minutes. Loosen it with a blunt knife, Invert on serving platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
If you enjoyed this recipe then consider trying out sweet Hannukah Jewish recipes, sweet parve Jewish recipes or other delectable Jewish recipes. Your taste buds will thank you!
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Whether it is for dipping, coating or drizzling, nothing completes a Jewish dessert like a good chocolate sauce. In addition to tasting great, it also offers several health benefits like making you feel better and making your skin glow. This is primarily due to the special chemicals found in chocolate that replicate the chemical conditions in your brain that occur while you are in love, and due to the high concentration of anti-oxidants in the chocolate.
If you want to take advantage of the emotional, physical and taste bud benefits offered by chocolate then try out this great recipe for chocolate sauce that I recently received from Win Dickson, a fantastic travel agent with Graham Travel. The following recipe is simple and delicious. Try it out and taste the love!
Chocolate Sauce
1/2 c butter (not margarine)
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
2 squares semi sweet chocolate melt above in 2 quart sauce pan over low heat stir constantly – do not burn
Remove from heat & add alternately:
3c powered sugar
1c evaporated milk
Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Cook & stir until thickened & creamy, which should be about 15 minutes
Remove from heat & add:
2t vanilla, mix in well
Pour into 1 pint canning jars. Recipe makes approximately 2 pints. Store with lids in refrigerator.
1T=32 carbs : 112 calories : 23 grams salt
Try this chocolate sauce drizzled over Hannukah Jewish recipes like soofganiyot or over other favorite Jewish dessert recipes. Find the best free Jewish recipes by going to Jewish Recipes right now!
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