Food and Drink

If I Could Eat Right Now

Without feeling queasy in the extreme, I’d run right out andget me some of this:

I, my taste buds, my waistline, and my wallet all salute those artists who have gifted the human race withbanana-curry, champagne, balsamic strawberry and rosemary-caramel fine chocolates.

Still, Escazu is a single-origin dark chocolate, which to me is at its best when at its purest. Thechocolate is sold in bars,
a format which conveys clarity, and I do think that the pure dark bar
is a serious accomplishment. The chocolate is clean and true, with a
dusky characteristic I can best liken to a medium-roast Guatemalan
coffee. Among the flavored bars, Escazu is at its best when true to the
aesthetic of Latin American flavors: the troika of dark chocolate,
chili and pumpkin is rendered with a true artist’s touch, as is the
deft duo of chocolate with coffee beans. Of other flavor pairings, sea salt
was the one I liked best. I was surprised to find tiny bursts of
velvety salt crystals not at odds with the chocolate. I can’t say that
I think salt enhances the taste, but it doesn’t tussle with it.

Chocolate, chili and pumpkin? OM NOM NOM.

A.

9 thoughts on “If I Could Eat Right Now”

  2. About a year ago chocolate started triggering migraines and I have been destitute ever since…
    But I have learned to take some solace in cheesecake.

  3. Athenae, I recommend heating about 2c of water until it’s hot, then mixing in about 4tbsp of honey and 1tsp of salt. Mix about a shot of that with a glass of water and drink it. It rehydrates you, keeps your blood sugar from crashing, and seems to soothe a lot of the intestinal distress. I just had that nasty bug from Saturday afternoon until yesterday, so that’s what I “ate” on Sunday. Get well soon!

  4. Seriously, darlin’, G.A.T.0.R.A.D.E.
    Yeah, it tastes like $h!t. but you can live on it.
    Failing that:
    2 tbsp good honey
    1 tsp lemon juice
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp “Nu-Salt” all dissolved in 12 oz hot water. Sip it, but don’t let it get cold (it’s homemade, sugar-free, gatorade).
    If lemon ain’t your flavor use 1/4 tsp any unsweetened Kool-Aid/Wylers’ ™ flavor you like.
    (In the 2nd cup you can add a shot of your favorite bourbon, to help you sleep.)
    Hydration, warmth (for your throat), some nutritive value, stomach-calming.

  5. Pumpkin chili chocolate cupcakes (Abuelita’s is ok — you can use German Bittersweet if you prefer dark, or if you’re really serious about dark chocolate, get a bar of Ghirardelli 70% cacao) — recipe, from here:
    http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2008/01/pumpkin-chili-with-abuelita-two-ways.html
    The Cupcake Recipe
    adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
    2 C canned pumpkin
    2/3 C vegetable oil
    2 C sugar
    1/4 C soy milk
    1 t vanilla extract
    2 1/2 C flour
    1/4 t black pepper
    1/4 t oregano
    1/4 t cumin
    1/4 t chili powder
    1/4 t ground paprika
    1/4 t ground chipotle pepper
    1/4 t cinnamon
    1/2 t baking soda
    1/2 t baking powder
    1/2 bar Abuelita
    In a medium bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour. In a separate bowl, combine all the spices. Add spice, baking soda, and baking powder. Do not over-mix. Melt 1/2 bar of Abuelita and stir in.
    Bake for 20 min at 350 F.
    Makes 20 cupcakes.
    The Frosting Recipe
    1 pkg of cream cheese
    1/4 C butter
    1/4 C pumpkin
    1 t vanilla extract
    4 C powdered sugar
    1/2 bar of Abuelita
    Mix cream cheese and butter well. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract. Add powdered sugar. Split frosting in half. Add melted Abuelita to 1/2 of the frosting. Note: If you plan to heavily frost the cupcakes, you may need to double this recipe.

  6. Hey, A., way OT, but theKane County Chronicle out here west of the lake has decided to try something really wild and crazy: They’re going to cover local news! Yes, I know it’s a daring break with newspaper tradition, but in troubled times you’ve got to take big chances if you expect big gains.
    You will note some guy by the name of Don T. Bricker “wrote” the piece I linked to, although how come no copy editor sent it back for rewrite after reading the first ‘graph, I do not know. Well, okay, it’s because he’s the publisher, but still.
    Unfortunately, their new way forward looks a lot like the old way backward with the exception that they’re actually talking, in a place or two, about local news coverage along with way too many feature crap bullet points.
    Now, on topic, you can’t go wrong with a nice mug of high-end hot chocolate, mixed with half and half, and stiffened with a full shot glass full of coconut Malabu rum. Top with whipped cream and toasted coconut bits. It tastes like an Mounds Bar, but after a couple of them, you feel LOTS better than after you eat a Mounds Bar. Trust me on this…

  8. TOS, that recipe looks DIVINE.
    flory, nom nom nom.
    RAM, I have to check that out. The Kane County Comical was my competition, once upon a time. Glad to see they’re still kicking.
    Gatorade has been helping. Still don’t have much of an appetite but I have stopped throwing up, so that’s good news.
    A.

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