February 4, 2010
Posted by Melody Kramer, January 13, 2010 at 5:45 PM
"I've tried several recipes from the Pennsylvania Farm Show and I keep coming back to the same one."
These brownies are sinfully rich. [Flickr: ginnerobot]
am not a country girl, but I make an exception for farm shows. A farm show, if you're not familiar, showcases a state's agricultural community in a big expo center. There are square dances and cow beauty pageants and big tractors. There is also food.
Food at a farm show is made for people who spend their days constantly tending to their farms. It is packed with calories, fat (the real stuff), and flavor. It is, as you may imagine, unbelievably delicious.
This week, the Pennsylvania Farm Show is taking place in the state's capitol, Harrisburg. Out of the many statewide food competitions, one stands out for me: the cocoa cookie contest. Pennsylvania, after all, is the home of Hershey's. We know our chocolate.
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Posted by Melody Kramer, December 30, 2009 at 3:30 PM
The chocolate sauce is like a creamier cake batter. [Photograph: Somebody's Mother]
I thought I had some semblance of willpower. And I did—until I tasted Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce. By the weekend, three days after I opened the container, all of the chocolate sauce was gone.
The best chocolate sauce I've ever tasted.
I'd like to tell you this is because I shared it with other people—but such was not the case. Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce is the best chocolate sauce I've ever tasted. It was like chocolate fudge cookie dough without the raw-eggs-guilt-complex. I didn't even heed the directions to scoop it on something else; I ate it directly by the spoonful.
Somebody's Mother's chocolate sauce is made by somebody's mother: Lynn Lasher, who started making chocolate sauce in her kitchen with her kids. The kids are out of the house now, but luckily for us, the chocolate sauce remains.
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Posted by Melody Kramer, December 23, 2009 at 11:30 AM
An Oompa Loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. [Photograph: Melody Kramer]
My family celebrates Christmas the way most Jewish families do: by going to the movies to see a film and then coming home to eat a ton of Chinese food. Over the years, I've seen everything from Jumanji to Michael to Rocky V—but sadly, none of these movies featured even a hint of chocolate.
For this week's Serious Chocolate, I thought I'd round up three of my favorite chocolate-themed movies to watch on Christmas Day or at some point in the future. Enjoy, and Happy Whatever-You-Celebrate!
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Posted by Erin Zimmer, December 21, 2009 at 7:30 AM
[Flickr: El Gran Dee]
We recently asked Lindt Master Chocolatier Ann Czaja some basic chocolate questions, like what tasty pairings she recommends and of course, how she got her amazing job.
But this time around, we turned to the Serious Eats community to do the question-asking. Thank you to everyone who chimed in with so many great questions! Without further ado, we bring you Ann's answers.
What are your chocolate trend predictions for 2010? —PinkCupcake
I believe dark chocolate will remain popular and we will continue to see interesting savory-and-sweet combinations using salts and spices. Sea salt, for example, comes in many varieties and textures and partners well with chocolate. Chili chocolate is another exciting pairing (provided that the ratio is balanced). Anytime a spice is added to chocolate, it shouldn't overwhelm—it should be a marriage of flavor.
What wines do you recommend drinking with chocolate? —hungrychristel
Red wine and dark chocolate make a great pairing but most recently, I've been pleasantly surprised by more unusual pairings. I tried a very buttery chardonnay with milk chocolate bar which was delicious. The Excellence A Touch of Sea Salt chocolate bar with a Cabernet Franc ice wine is extraordinary as well. If you can't find a Cabernet Franc ice wine, try another ice wine that's more readily available.
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Posted by Melody Kramer, December 17, 2009 at 4:00 PM
I don't celebrate Christmas so I turned to my best friend Will to find out what his parents put in his stocking when he was little.
"Socks." he said. "Socks and something really sweet, usually."
I'm not about to buy Will socks for Christmas but something really sweet, I can do. Specialty chocolates, in particular, make for great stocking stuffers because they come in assorted sizes, provide a morsel of decadence, and allow the recipient to taste several new brands he might not otherwise try throughout the year.
I recently received an assortment of chocolates from Antoine Amrani, a master chocolatier, who developed his own line while working as the executive pastry chef at Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia. Amrani uses all natural ingredients and 70 percent cocoa, but my favorite part is that his smaller boxes of chocolates are designed (and priced) perfectly for someone's stocking. Check out a few, after the jump.
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