Claire Whitley | Crumbs
Valentine’s Day is all about love, gushy feelings and of course, chocolate.
There are chocolate flowers, hearts and lips, heart shaped boxes, bouquets of candy bars and chocolate kisses.
However, many people seem to forget there are a myriad of ways to use these mounds of sugary goodness in food. Yeah, actual food. Of course, there isn’t anything wrong with chocolate on its own, but using chocolate to make a significant other a three-course meal at home? Best date ever.
The easiest way to use chocolate is to melt it. There are so many things melted chocolate is good for, and don’t even let your mind slip into a gutter.
The biggest trick to melting chocolate is knowing how to use the “double boiler” method. There are actual pots and pans specifically used as double boiler pans, but a simpler method is to use a metal mixing boil and a quart-sized saucepan.
Fill the saucepan halfway with water and place the bowl onto the pan. The bowl needs to be big enough to sit on the rim of the pan. Once this is done, turn the burner up to medium heat. The chocolate needs to be in the bowl, and whoever is cooking needs to keep a keen eye on it, because chocolate can burn quickly and it melts even quicker. Stir it with a spatula at least every 15 seconds.
With melted chocolate, cooks can dip their favorite fruits, such as strawberries, cherries, apples, bananas and so on into the substance. If the chocolate is allowed to harden, left on the tray are chocolate covered fruits. It is possible to use a fondue pot, or any other kind of pan, and treat the melted chocolate like dip, too.
For less sweet people, there are still plenty of options like almonds, peanuts, pretzels and coffee beans which can be coated individually or in a cluster. They make easy, simple candies that are probably more expensive than buying a box of chocolates at the store, but nothing says “I love you” like homemade chocolates.
Melted chocolate can also be used to drizzle over top of other foods. I’ve seen steaks with chocolate drizzled on them, as well as bread, scones, cake, you name it. There is nothing that can’t be made better with chocolate. Except maybe ketchup.
Drizzling chocolate is just one form of using the cocoa and sugar mix as a garnish. Another simple method of making things look pretty is to use chocolate shavings. All it entails is a potato peeler, a piece of chocolate and something to put the shavings on. I’ve used chocolate shavings on top of cheesecakes, peanut butter sandwiches and even milkshakes. It definitely ups the classy scale by quite a bit..
There is also a surprisingly large number of foods chocolate pairs well with. I’ve seen hot chilies and chocolate turned into a marinade for meat, usually seafood. People use chocolate syrup in their milk as well as their coffee, and some ultimate pairs are with caramel or peanut butter. Or both. Both is good.
Despite all of these little tips, there is still the best kept secret of chocolate — chocolate frosting. Yes, it can be used for covering cakes, cupcakes, cookies or crackers, but there is an even better, little known, use for chocolate frosting. It is easily made into ganache. Which, for those who don’t know, is basically shiny frosting made from chocolate and cream. All it takes is about 30 seconds in a microwave and poof. Ganache. Instead of spreading it with a knife or spatula, it is easiest to just dip stuff into it.
The thing I strongly encourage is to try using a non-milk chocolate flavor. Andes mints make for excellent melted chocolate. I’ve used them to make cheesecake several times. There is also white chocolate, orange and raspberry flavored chocolate, which would be really good with pork, chicken or even bacon-flavored chocolate.
What I’m trying to say is, branch out. Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if you’re trying to impress someone over dinner on Valentine’s Day. Everyone needs to do some experimenting at least once in their life. If it turns out to be a disaster, there is always McDonald’s.
Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected]