Twas the day of the Chocolate Experiment
And all through the Bell House
Chefs busily prepped their stations
With hopes of obtaining some ”wow’s”

 

Savory creations led the way
Their aromatic flavors filling the air
Succulent, tasty, and umami
They fearlessly challenged and dared

Yours Truly

Bonnie Suarez's Umami Chocolate Black Beans with Roasted Cauliflower & Pork Belly (My personal favorite)

Jill Strominger’s Ole! Mole, (And the sweetest "neighbor" I could ask for!)

The sweet and scrumptious treats

Each more decadent and sinfully rich

They lured you with their siren song

And your tastebuds they bewitched

 

Roopa Marcello's Winning Thai Chili-Lime Chocolate Ice Cream (Sadly, I didn't get to sample this!)

Jordon Goldstein's Mango Sticky Rice Lolipops (sweet and slightly tangy, and delicious filling)

Pervaiz Shallwani and Rebecca Marx’s Chocolate Hush Puppies (My personal sweet favorite – just the right amount of sweetness with a satisfying crunch!)

Lily Olive’s PB & Hot Chocolate Truffles (A nice dude brought these over in exchange for samples of my dish. The cayenne really gets you at the end and I found that to be a pleasant surprise)

Attic Sugar Bakery’s Hazelnut Brownies (Again didn’t get to taste this, but who am I to contest Andrew Knowlton & judge’s 3rd place pick?)

The voracious chocoholics came streaming in

Seeking the holy chocolate grail

The chefs didn’t disappoint

The chocolate poured in without fail

 

 

With a beer in one hand and plate in other

The crowd casted votes on a chocolate high

The judges sniffed, tasted, savored and licked

All the chilis, cookies, cakes, and pies

 

My plate of goodies brought over by one of my gracious helpers. Too bad it was knocked over before I could finish it all

The judges deep in deliberation

The vivacious hosts Nick and Theo

Charmed the crowd with banter and cheer

The winners were announced

And congratulated with prizes and beer

 

 

An afterparty followed

Of which the Experimental Chef missed

Tired from the long long day

And a sick sous chef at home to kiss

 

So ends another Experiment

Hope you had your fill of cocoa craze

“Oh chocolate, how do I love thee

Let me count the ways”

 

Winners:

Judges Award
3rd – Attic Sugar Bakery – Hazelnut Brownies
2nd – Bonnie Suarez – Chocolate Black beans with cauliflower and pork belly
1st – Roopa Marcello – Thai Chocolate Ice Cream

Honorable Mention Sweet – Alyssa Lees – Deconstructed Truffles
Honorable Mention Savory – Lei Takahashi – “Pig in Drag”

Nick and Theo Prize – Pervaiz Shallwani + Rebecca Marx – Chocolate
Hush Puppies

Audience Award
3rd -  Team Peanut – Chocolate Chipotle Chili
2nd – Lei Takahashi – “Pig in Drag”
1st  – Roopa Marcello – Thai Chocolate Ice Cream

*Photo credits: The Lovely Irene, and The Effervescent Aurelia

Serendipity ~ luck, or good fortune, in finding something good accidentally

For someone who likes to be creative and experimental, I am actually quite the control freak. That is, I don’t deal well with things that “don’t go as planned”. I pack for trips 3-4 days in advance; I factor in Plans B and C for my vacation itineraries; heck, I even write down notes before I type my blog posts!

So you can only imagine my chagrin when I came home from Trader Joe’s before the chocolate cookoff to discover that the 10 cans of whole pinto beans I meant to buy were actually refried pinto beans. What was I to do with mushy beans in a chili dish? I was also too lazy to make that trek back downtown to return the refried beans, so in my pantry they sat.

Then yesterday, I tuned in to an old episode of Top Chef and watched Lorraine Bracco make this amazing Panko-Crusted Portabella Bun, and thought: That’s IT! I’m going to make this with a Pinto Bean Burger! So there it was – my serendipitous revelation turned my useless cans of refried beans into a tasty, hearty meal!

Earthy, slightly sweet PINTO BEAN BURGER
paired with
Citrusy AVOCADO TOMATO RELISH
sandwiched between
Two blissfully crispy & meaty PANKO PORTABELLA BUNS

Ingredients:

• 1 can (15oz) pinto refried beans
• 1 cup breadcrumbs, seasoned with herbs of your choice (salt & pepper, basil, parsley, etc)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 4 large portabella mushrooms, stems removed
• a couple cups flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
• a couple cups of panko bread crumbs, seasoned with salt & pepper
• 3 Tbsp dried basil
• 1-2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup agave nectar

Stumbling Upon Serendipity:

1. Saute onions in a pan with some light butter until carmelized. Add in the chopped bell peppers and cook for another couple minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix the refried beans, bread crumbs, 1 egg, chopped cilantro, and the onion/bell pepper mixture. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
   *While burger mixture is chilling, make the mushroom buns:
3. Thoroughly brush the portabella mushrooms with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and dried basil.
4. Dip the portabella mushrooms in this order until well covered: a) flour b) 2 eggs, beaten c) panko bread crumbs
5. Stick the panko-crusted mushrooms into the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes
   *Now make the avocado-tomato relish
6. Combine the chopped tomatoes, avocado, and some cilantro. Squeeze in lime and add the agave nectar until desired sweet-sour balance is achieved
7. Take the pinto bean burger mixture out of the refridgerator, form into golf-sized balls, dip them into flour, flatten them, and fry in a pan, flipping constantly until they are crispy and golden brown.
8. Remove the portabella buns from the oven and assemble this delicious burger.

Variations:

• Don’t have pinto beans? Try using black beans for a more traditional black bean burger. Garbanzo beans would also work beautifully (almost like falafel burgers!)
• Substitute the relish with your favorite salsa – maybe a pineapple salsa or maybe even marinara sauce!
• If you’re not in the mood for citrus flavors, try some leafy steamed spinach or kale instead of the relish
• I almost didn’t want to suggest this, because that panko-portabella is absolutely divine, but it can be more filling than the usual buns, so if you’re not looking for a filling meal, you can replace with 2 pieces of whole wheat toast, or 2 sesame buns.

If you recall the previous prelude in Chocolate Confessions, I took my experimental culinary pursuits to the Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment this weekend! And what an experience it was – 24 talented amateur teams showcasing their best culinary chops, 6 impressive & intimidating big-name judges, and 1 experimental chef (that’s me!) tasting the experience of cooking for 300 for the very 1st time!

My sous chef and I were fired up for this challenge for weeks, but alas at the 11th hour, Brian was hit with a nasty cold and banned from getting anywhere near my food. But as they say, “The show must go on”, so I chopped, diced, sauteed, simmered, baked…and called in for reinforcements! My awesome baby brother, along with 3 lovely ladies, came through on my last minute request,  driving in from New Jersey to carry my dishes to Brooklyn, then working furiously behind the counter as I fed 300 hungry chocoholics and presented my creation (with a very shaky hand) to the judges.

So to cut all the suspense…dum dum DUM…I did not end up winning (insert your “awwws” here).  But to be 85% honest, win/loss does not matter I saw this mainly as a fun opportunity to push my limits with a challenge. I was actually more upset that my partner/sous chef was not there to lose (I mean “experience”) with me!  Nonetheless, I had tons of great friends who came to cheer me on, and many wonderful strangers stopping by for 2nds (and 3rds!) and telling me how much they enjoy my dish.  I think I had some executional issues with the dish, but I’m just getting warmed up here; you can be sure that I’ll be back with my newly acquired experience and pearls of wisdom!

I promise you a full recap with pics of all the delicious decadent dishes, but to tide you over I present you the recipe for my entry: “Cornfed Chocolate Chili Casserole“!!

Me basking in all the chocolate excitement. PS that "vegetarian" text was added last minute when people were passing me by mistaking this dish for a meat one!

Ingredients:
For the Chili:

• 2 tomatoes, diced (or 14oz can of diced tomatos) – with all the juices
• 1 can of pinto beans, not drained
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1-2 bell peppers, finely chopped
• 1/2 pkg of portabella mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1-2 cups of corn
• 6 oz of shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, or pepperjack)
• 2 oz/half a bar of Decadent Dark Chocolate (I used a 83% cacao)
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• chili pepper flakes
• cayenne pepper
• paprika
• cumin
• salt & pepper to taste

For the Cornbread:

1 stick of light butter

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup agave nectar, or if you must, 1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 heaping tbsp of 100% bittersweet cocoa powder

Get ready for Chocolatey Savory + Sweet

1. In a pan, saute the onions in a little butter + a little salt & pepper until cooked. Add the bell peppers and saute for a couple more minutes.
2. Transfer the onions and pepper into a pot. Add in mushrooms, tomatoes, beans, corn, jalapenos and bring to a boil.
3. Bring back to a simmer and slowly add in chili powder, cayenne, paprika, cumin, salt & pepper to taste. Consistency should be pretty thick.
4. Slowly stir in the dark chocolate until melted in.
5. In a separate frying pan, melt the stick of butter for the cornbread. Slowly whisk in milk, eggs, agave nectar. Remove from heat.
6. In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, salt, baking soda, cocoa powder. Add the wet ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix well.
7. In a 9X13 pan, layer in the Chili on the bottom, cheese in the middle, and pour the cornbread mixture on top.
8. Bake at 375 for around 30-45 minutes until cornbread is fully cooked

My experiment with the yellow (non cocoa) cornbread

The delicious cocoa cornbread I ended up going with!