the Friday Feeding; VOL. 65

Melted, chunked, slurped or slathered, February is chocolate month! 

We can’t help it.  We love chocolate not only because of its addictive flavor but believe it or not, it is a very versatile ingredient in savory dishes as well as sweet.  For the next several weeks we will be featuring a new way to enjoy chocolate with a recipe to make at home. Come buzz with us :)!

Thinking about chocolate…

There are those of us who love chocolate-flavored foods like ice cream or cookies, and then there are those who love chocolate solo in all its bitter or even sour glory; the darker the better.  It’s a bit like those who prefer sour cherries over sweet ones and who also enjoy rhubarb, tart raspberries and sucking on lemons.

Chocolate in its natural form is quite acidic on the pH scale. Depending on the botanical variety and its processing, it can be as low as 5.4 pH.  This acidity lends a sour taste and doesn’t allow chocolate to dissolve easily. So most chocolate is treated with the alkali potassium carbonate to raise the pH to a more flavor-friendly and user-friendly profile. This treatment just after the cocoa beans are roasted, called Dutch Processing, darkens its color and harmonizes its solids and fats rendering a smoother texture.  If you have purchased natural cocoa powders you will notice that they are a little clumpy and more red in color whereas Dutched cocoa powders are brown to black in color.  

Baking is science so pH matters especially when using chocolate.  In order for baked recipes to rise properly when using cocoa powders, follow the directions correctly without substitution.  If you use a natural cocoa powder you will need to use Baking Soda because of its higher pH to balance the lower acidic pH of the non-alkalized cocoa.  Most cocoa powders are Dutched so Baking Powder is called for because it is already neutralized so will not change the pH of a recipe.

If you want to read more about how the origin of chocolate and how it is made click here to read a full article I posted last year about this time.  Scroll down to “A bit about chocolate”. There is a great recipe there for a cocoa dry rub too!

Chocolate attacks.

Sometimes I am just Jonesing for a freshly baked melty chocolate-chip cookie when I don’t feel like baking.   I came up with this fair substitute that really hits that craving.  5 minutes from start to finish and kids love this too!

Chocolate Chip Cookie oatmeal

In a glass microwaveable bowl place:

• 1/3 cup thick cut rolled oatmeal
• 2/3 cup water

Microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Remove and stir in:

• 1T maple syrup

Serve it up and sprinkle over it while hot:

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I am a milk chocolate gal)
• 2T chopped walnuts

NOTE: it is the thick cut oatmeal that really makes this. It turns out chewy, like you are munching on a cookie, instead of pasty like thin or instant oats.

We love this special thick cut oatmeal grown in Maine. Check it out in our baking section next time you are in. Read about Maine Grains story here…

Click here to see next weeks Plan Ahead Specials Menu.

Have a great week-end,

Jane and Dave