chocolate demo & breakfast for dinner

What a week!

Super Bowl, more snow days and pre-Valentine fun all packed in to one!

Have I got some comfort foods for you...

It all started on the chilly Sunday of the Super Bowl.

Although I'm not too interested in following football, I simply like watching the games and enjoying the food and drink that accompany the occasions.

After a trek for supplies, I spent the entire day preparing a Super Bowl feast for 30 fit for a king!

Chicken, Sausage and Pulled Pork Gumbo

When I said I was making a huge pot o' gumbo, I wasn't kidding.

I started by making a dark brown roux

(this was at "peanut butter" stage).

8 bell peppers, 4 red onions, 3 jalapenos, 2 pounds of rice, 8 pounds of chicken, 2 pounds of sausage, 3 pounds of okra, 2 pounds of pulled pork, 3 gallons of stock, 6 cans tomatoes, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, file powder and 7 hours later...

I was in business.

I cooled the gumbo down about 30 minutes, then we served it straight from the pot with homemade cornbread muffins crumbled right in the bowl.

Cornbread Muffins

Aunt Patti's 7-layer Dip

This dip is always the first to go at my family functions.

It begins with a layer of refried beans (use vegetarian if you please) + salsa + guacamole + sour cream + shredded cheese + black olives + sliced scallions.

Chill then enjoy with tortilla chips--

make sure to dip from the bottom!

Brisket & Hoisin Taquitos with three dipping sauces:

Jalapeno Ranch, Soy Ginger Reduction, Guacamole

Braised brisket tossed with hoisin sauce, fresh cilantro and scallions made a delicious taquito filling! I softened my flour tortillas in hot vegetable oil, rolled them with brisket mixture then baked them on sheet pans to crisp up.

Mexican Brownies with a Cinnamon Ganache

A dash of ancho chile powder in the batter and a sprinkle of cinnamon in the glaze added a kick of flavor to these luscious brownies.

These babies disappeared instantly.

After some brews, punch and camaraderie,

the party was one to remember!

On a later lazy evening alone,

I was craving breakfast for dinner and settled on some fluffy, buttermilk pancakes with ice cold milk:

Buttermilk Pancakes with Orange Marmalade Syrup

yields 8 pancakes

1 and 1/2 c AP flour

1 T sugar

1 t salt

2 and 3/4 t baking powder

1 egg

1 and 1/4 c buttermilk

1 t orange zest

3 T unsalted butter, melted plus additional for griddle

for syrup:

1/2 c orange marmalade

1 T lemon juice

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of dry mixture and add remaining ingredients. Whisk from the center slowly incorporating the batter.

Let sit for 10 minutes.

Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Melt 1 T butter and scoop 1/4 cup increments of batter into rounds. Let pancakes cook on first side approximately 2-3 minutes until bubbles arise.

Turn heat down slightly then flip. Store first batch in a warm oven and repeat with remaining batter.

Meanwhile, heat marmalade and lemon juice in the microwave until warm and loosened approximately 1-2 minutes.

Serve atop hot pancakes with butter and a glass of cold milk.

Valentine cheer and the smell of cocoa were in the air after a festive Linguine and Dirty Martinis demo for the Junior Woman's Club of Fort Worth.

I arrived prepared for a three-pronged chocolate showing of simple techniques to use at home.

My demo included:

Chocolate & Toasted Almond Covered Cherries

Fleur de Sel Truffles

Cupid Chocolate Bark

before:

after:

The gals were given recipes and were full of great questions!

We simmered chocolate over a double boiler, made ganache, dipped cherries, rolled truffles and talked flavors.

There was fun had by all.

Many thanks to JWC for having me!