hot chocolate #2

Lisi's Kitchen

Ok, this is hot chocolate number 2.  Sylvie’s favorite – rich, thick, chocolaty goodness!  As you know we had a hot chocolate tasting and this one was also delicious.  What else can I say?   Enjoy –

italian hot chocolate:

5 tablespoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar
6 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70%), finely chopped
2 cups milk

In a saucepan, combine the cocoa powder, sugar, and milk.  Mix and heat to a low boil.

Slowly ladle the hot milk mixture into the chopped chocolate and stir as you go.  Continue until all is combined.

Enjoy –

hot chocolate #1

We were lucky enough to go to Paris and to Angelina’s Cafe this summer.  We arrived at the hotel, decided to grab a quick snack and ended up at Angelina’s day one.  Well…four hot chocolates later (we shared four for 5 of us) we were very satisfied, full, and buzzing. Each day we visited many bakeries and chocolate shops – but after each macaron, fruit tart, beignet or pain au chocolate, the kids insisted that their favorite treat was Angelina’s.  So…we went back and again, enjoyed ourselves immensely – and again, felt full of chocolate goodness.  When we came home, Rob researched Angelina’s hot chocolate recipes and we decided to have a tasting.  I made 3 different hot chocolates – choosing what I thought would be the best of what he gathered.  Well – #1 is the hot chocolate recipe below.  I think we liked it most as it was full of rich flavor – not watery yet not overwhelmingly thick.  #2 I will post later – and that one was thick!  Thick and rich and like eating liquid chocolate.  It was a little much for us as a drink (except for Sylvie who loved this most) – but I think as a dessert – or in a small cup, it would be great.  The 3rd one was awful and watery – not worthy of discussion.  I will try more as time goes on, but for now – try this — soon the kids will be in the snow and you can be ready.

Enjoy –

3/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon confectioners sugar
4 oz bittersweet chocolate 72% – chopped (we all felt that the chocolate could have been semi sweet or a little less bitter than 72 percent.  Maybe 70 percent.  But up to you and your families taste.)
freshly whipped cream

Chop the chocolate.

Combine and heat the milk, heavy cream and sugar.  Heat over medium high heat until it bubbles around the edges.  Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate.  Let sit for 30 seconds, then stir until melted.

Serve with cool whipped cream.  You can make a sweeter whipped cream if you keep your chocolate very bitter.  Or you can omit sugar in the whipped cream if your hot chocolate is sweet enough.

Enjoy!

raspberry crisp

Raspberries, raspberries, raspberries.  If you like them – you will LOVE this.  This one speaks summer.  Tasty, simple, and not too sweet this is a perfect ending to a summer dinner.  Serve with barely sweetened freshly whipped cream and swirl any leftovers into vanilla ice cream for a berry streusel ice cream.  Yum!  Really, yummy.  I made 3 crisps/cobblers this week and although all were tasty, the raspberry crisp was the only one that is truly a bit more special and blog worthy.  I found this on this on the Taste of Home website.  The directions are so easy – so I have no extra tips.  Just follow the recipe from the link.  Oh, the only thing I did was to add a bit of kosher salt to the crumb topping.  Enjoy –

raspberry crisp:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Raspberry-Crisp

remember to add a 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the crisp topping (if you want) — brings out the flavor a bit more.

apple cinnamon muffins (very healthy – made with almond meal)

Andy came into the kitchen and said omgoodness what is that smell?  It smells sooo good!  I told him I was making muffins but didn’t mention the healthy part of the description.  Hot out of the oven Andy asked if he could have one – I said sure and his eyes lit up with joy and disbelief because he usually does not get to eat a muffin close to dinner.  He mmmmed and mmmmed and declared these AMAZING!  I said you know these muffins are healthy and he smiled and said, “good, I can have them for breakfast!”  I will say that he said (on his second one) that the consistency was a little soft and that they were best when hot and fresh out of the oven.  And yes, all that is true – but my thought is that if you have a kid like him – who loves muffins and loaf breads, it is awesome to have a treat that is full of protein and apples and cinnamon!  Unfortunately, Sylvie didn’t love them as much.  The consistency bothered her a bit more and Greg too – thought they were ok but not memorable.  So – well – after reading all that you can decide whether you think your family (or a member of your family) might enjoy.  Oh and btw, I did!

I kept the muffins unwrapped and out so that they wouldn’t get even softer.  You could slice and toast the next day to recreate the warm flavor.

apple cinnamon muffins (from elana amsterdam’s book The Gluten-Free Almond Flour cookbook):

2 cups blanched almond flour (almond meal)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/2 cup agave nectar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4 inch cubes

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin cups with paper liners.  Peel, core and dice apples.

In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, salt, baking soda, arrowroot powder and cinnamon.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, agave, egg, and vanilla extract.

Next, stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix fairly well  then fold in the apples.

Bake for 30-35 m – until the muffins are golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

These are best warm outta the oven or soon after.  Remember though – they are soft,  so you might need a spoon when hot!

Enjoy-

cinnamon almond snack cake (made from ground almonds – no flour) healthy!

Sylvie LOVED this cake.  Rob and I did too.  The cinnamon topping is soo very full of flavor and the cake is dense, moist and satisfying.  Really!  Again from my almond flour cookbook that I’m having so much sweet success with.  About a month ago I was convinced that Greg had a gluten sensitivity or Celiac so I quickly ran out and got a few gluten free cookbooks – this being one of them.  I like this cookbook because the ingredients are familiar and healthy.  Greg’s been tested and now I’m 95 percent sure that he doesn’t have it – but he does need to gain weight – and best in a somewhat healthy way.  So I figured that baked goods made with almond flour would be somewhat caloric – but healthy and full of protein.  And really, a good snack for all of us.  Unfortunately, Greg (and Andy) didn’t love it – but i think it was just the slivered almonds on the top.

Try it – I don’t think you will be disappointed.  Oh, I added the chocolate chips to the recipe (had to!) although the recipe called for nuts and currents.  I’ll include both options in the recipe.  Enjoy!

You will need agave nectar and grapeseed oil which you should be able to now find in the supermarket.  Or buy agave nectar online for better price.

cinnamon almond snack cake (slightly adapted from The Gluten-Free Almond flour cookbook by Elana Amsterdam which was inspired by lucyskitchenshop.com):

cake–
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts (or not — here I added chocolate chips!)
1/2 cup dried currents or raisins (I didn’t – just used the chocolate chips)
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 large eggs

topping–
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch baking pan with grape seed oil and dust with almond flour.

Combine the almond flour, sea salt, baking soda, chocolate chips (or walnuts and currents!) in a large bowl.  Whisk and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, stir together the grape seed oil, agave nectar and eggs.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until thoroughly combined – and then spread into the prepared pan.

Make the topping by combining the cinnamon, grape seed oil, agave nectar and almonds together…and then sprinkle the topping all over the batter.

Bake for 25-35 minutes — a tooth pick should come out just clean.  Keep checking.  Cool and serve.

pumpkin choc chip muffins (healthier side)

We all just LOVED these muffins!  So did Sylvie’s new camp friend Kate who came by to meet us — oh, and her mom and her sister too!  Verrry successful.  I froze a bunch of these to save for another day, but throughout the day (and next day) Andy continually defrosted them one by one.  Once defrosted he heats for 5 seconds enjoying the gooeyness of the chocolate with the fresh pumpkin flavor.  He especially loves it when I bake things that are on the moderately healthier side because he thinks he can chow.  I try to dissuade him from overeating but he smiles his sweet smile and well, it is a loosing battle.  I know it is not the season for pumpkin loving, but I had a can of puree that won’t make it to the winter and well – these really are good anytime of year.  Enjoy them!

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins:

I found these on The Very Best Baking Recipes and followed the directions to the T. So I’m just going to send you the link to make my life easier. 🙂

pumpkin muffins (click on that and you will be redirected)

Enjoy!

gluten free banana cake

Another recipe that is gluten and dairy free…and protein packed, and very tasty!  Rob, Alisa and I enjoyed in the morning as it is a healthy way to start the day.  Eggs, bananas, almond flour…dark chocolate.  All good!  The kids didn’t love this one I think because I used bitter chocolate, but I imagine semi-sweet chips would change that a bit.  Just don’t expect a buttery rich cake.  Obviously.  But it is good, and fits the bill especially if you are sensitive to gluten.  I have to make next time John is over and truly see if it passes the test.  I’ll keep you posted…in the meantime, enjoy!

chocolate chip banana cake (from The Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam):

3 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped dark chocolate (she suggests 73 percent – but again for kids or for sweeter flavor go semi-sweet)
1 cup (2 to 3) very ripe bananas (mashed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch pan with grape seed oil and dust with almond flour – or use a parchment or foil liner.

In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda, and salt.

In a medium bowl whisk together the grape seed oil, agave nectar, eggs and vanilla extract.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and gently stir to combine.  Fold in the chocolate and mashed bananas and then pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 33-43 minutes – but check often and try not to over bake as usual!

Let the cake cool in the pan then serve.

Enjoy-

pancakes (protein packed and gluten and dairy free!)

Yummy yummy yum!  I’m so happy these came out great the second time I made them.  Andy, Sylvie and Rob fight over these little guys and I love it because they are filled with goodness.  No flour, no dairy, low sugar, and packed with protein these are perfect if you (or your family or guests) suffer from Celiacs Disease or have gluten or lactose sensitivities.  Regardless, they are a hit with us and so healthy that I’m ridiculously happy to make them over and over again.  The first time I made these they had a pretty bad aftertaste and John my gluten free tester commented that they were fine but his mom’s gluten free pancakes from the box were better.  Well, that was tough to hear and a blow to my ego so I tried again this time using fresh almond meal (I think the first one was probably rancid – gross, I know!)  And I used agave nectar as recommended in the recipe and well, they were much much better.  Well, really tasty!  I made these with added cinnamon and tried one with raspberries which were actually the best.  I imagine blueberries would be delicious too.  But as usual, the kids like them with chocolate chips most.

Best to buy agave nectar in bulk from the health food store or online.  Amazon makes it easy.  You can find arrowroot powder at the supermarket but also great to buy in bulk at Penzeys.com or Amazon.  Lastly – you can find grapeseed oil at the supermarket.

Enjoy –

power packed pancakes (from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour cookbook by Elana Amsterdam):

I double this recipe as it yields only 12 smallish pancakes

2 large eggs
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (almond meal)
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more or less to taste)
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
chocolate chips, blueberries or raspberries to taste and as desired
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (for the pan)

In a bowl, whisk together the almond flour, salt, baking soda, arrowroot powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a blender, combine the eggs, agave nectar, vanilla extract and water.  Process on high for about a minute.

Add the dry ingredients to the blender and process again until thoroughly combined.

I like to use two skillets.  Pour a tablespoon of grapeseed oil into each pan and heat at medium low to eventually low.  Ladle 1 heaping tablespoon of  batter onto the skillet (then add a few chips or berries to each if desired) and cook until small bubbles appear.  Then turn over (this can be a little tricky) and gently cook the other side – being careful not to burn.

Repeat with remaining batter and serve 🙂

chocolate banana muffins

These were really yummy.  They are called muffins, but really more like mini chocolate banana cakes.  Moist and super tasty, these were a hit with all.  Even those who don’t love banana liked these little guys.  It took Sylvie a while before she could taste the banana, but my friend Suzanne said her girls knew it right away.  Andy loved these – and on day 2, 3 and 4 popped them in the microwave for 12 seconds to re-goo chips and cake.  This is a super simple treat – and just another idea when trying to eat up those brown bananas.  Enjoy!

chocolate banana muffins (from Nick Malgieri’s The Modern Baker):

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream
12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 large eggs
chocolate chips (to taste — maybe 3/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 muffin tins with paper.

In a smallish bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and chips.  Set aside.

In another bowl, stir together the smashed banana and sour cream.  Set aside.

With the paddle attachment of your mixer, beat the butter until a little lighter and fluffy – about 3 minutes.  Then add the white sugar and beat another 3 minutes or so.  Mix in the brown sugar, then the eggs, one at a time until incorporated.  Scrape down the bowl a few times during this process.

On the lowest speed, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 the banana mixture.  Scrape down and follow with the next third of the flour mixture, and last  half of the banana.  Again, scrape, then gently fold in the last third of flour and chocolate chips if desired.

Scoop into tins and bake until the muffins rise and are a bit firm to the touch.  A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs.

Remove from oven and 10 minutes later, remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.