NIGHTCAP: Cocktail for cold winter nights!

It's actually snowing here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Quite a rarity. So to mark this momentous occasion, here’s a cocktail for cold winter nights (or days!) NIGHTCAP.

Thanks to Jessica Christensen for this cocktail recipe!

NIGHTCAP 

"Nightcap was created specifically as a dessert menu cocktail for the 630 Park Restaurant. I have always loved a boozy coffee cocktail, my mom used to make coffee with peppermint schnapps and Kahlua with creamer and whipped cream during the winter anytime we came over and visited. I always loved them, and it was always so comforting. Although hers were always extremely sweet, definitely a dessert in a cup! This one I wanted it to be sweet without losing the coffee flavor, and sophisticated enough to belong on a Steakhouse menu. This cocktail is a simple pour over, just adding each ingredient one after another, filling with coffee and topping it off with whipped cream and the chocolate shavings.” 

    --Jessica Christensen, lead mixologist at Graton Resort & Casino in Sonoma County, CA

THE NIGHTCAP

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Myers’s dark rum
• ½ oz. Mozart chocolate cream liqueur
• ½ oz. Frangelico
• Coffee
• Whipped cream
• Chocolate shavings, garnish

Directions

In a coffee mug (ours is a 12-ounce coffee glass) pour the Myers’s Dark Rum. Add the Mozart chocolate liqueur. Add the Frangelico. Fill with coffee and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings

Honey Truffles for a Sweet New Year

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, starts Sunday night. Apples dipped in honey are a traditional food for this holiday, but what about Chocolate and Honey? Honey Truffles are a pretty sweet way to start the New year.

I had some great honey truffles at BeeKind in Sebastopol (Sonoma County) last weekend. Honey does change the flavor of a 'traditional' truffle. See photo below.

Want to make Chocolate Honey Truffles yourself? Follow the easy recipe below. You can always add other 'flavors' including liqueurs, coconut, nuts, etc. These Chocolate Honey Truffles will also change their taste depending on the type of honey you use, as well as the brand of chocolate and amount of cacoa. Here's what I used the last time I made these.

Chocolate Honey Truffles

Ingredients:
4 ounces 70% Guittard dark chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon Sonoma County Spring Wildflower Honey
1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
Some unsweetened Dark cocoa powder
A pinch of salt

Directions
1. Melt the chopped dark chocolate with whipping cream in top of a double-boiler or a saucepan on top of saucepan of simmering water.
2. Continue to whisk mixture until chocolate is fully blended with cream.
3. Continue stirring as you add honey and salt.
4. Either transfer the chocolate mixture to a bowl or put pot you're using in the refrigerator for a few hours (or the freezer for a shorter time if you're in a hurry). Be sure and cover with aluminum foil.
5. Take out when chocolate hardens but is still soft enough to shape into balls.
6. Have shallow bowl or plate ready with the cocoa.
7. Using melon baller, shape chocolate into small balls.
8. Drop chocolate balls into powder and roll around until well coated.

Now make them again with a different type of honey and a different type of chocolate!

Chocolate Gravenstein Apple Pie: Topper's Apples

Topper retrieves Gravenstein Apples

I love Gravenstein apples. There really are no apples quite like Gravensteins. If you don't live in Northern California, you may not have had tasted Gravensteins since they have a short shelf life. They are tart and crunchy and sweet, all at the same time. Now's the perfect time to get some at the Farmer's Market or up in Sonoma county. They're great to eat, great for pies, and great for applesauce. Trader Joe's sells Gravenstein first press applesauce that's delicious.

Frank used to have a Gravenstein apple orchard in Sebastopol, so we planted 9 trees on our property here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and this is a banner year for apples!

Many of the apples fall from the trees before we can pick them, and our golden retriever, Topper, loves Gravensteins as much as we do. He's always retrieving the ground apples and eating them. When there are no apples on the ground, he's learned a very smart trick to remedy the situation. He jumps up against the tree, shaking it, and causing the apples to fall. He's one intelligent dog. The photo above is of Topper with a Gravenstein Apple in his mouth.

So what's my favorite apple for baking? Gravensteins, of course! Here's a recipe for Chocolate Gravenstein Apple Pie.

CHOCOLATE GRAVENSTEIN APPLE PIE

Ingredients
Pastry for a double-crust 9-inch pie, unbaked
8-10 tart Gravenstein apples (peeled, cored and sliced thinly)
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup 70-85% dark chocolate fair-trade organic, chopped into smallish pieces

Directions
1. Apples: Peel, core, and slice thinly.
2. Combine cinnamon & sugar = cinnamon sugar. (you may need a tiny bit more).
3. Place 1 layer of apple slices on bottom crust. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar.
4. Spread broken chocolate pieces over top.
4. Using remaining apples, make 3 more apple/cinnamon sugar layers.
5. Top with 2nd crust and seal edges. Make a cut on top--or prick with fork in a few places.
6. Bake in preheated 450 F oven for 15 minutes (until golden).
7. Lower heat to 350F and continue baking for another 25-30 minutes, or until apples are tender.

I tweaked this recipe a bit. I posted it on Apple Pie Day, but I like to use more chocolate and Gravenstein apples. It makes a difference. Adjust the number of apples in the recipe to the size of your apples. If you have any left over, eat them!

Gravenstein Apple Chocolate Bread Pudding

I'm a huge fan of Gravenstein Apples, and I've written about them before. See my recipes for Chocolate Gravenstein Apple Pie and Gravenstein Apple Chocolate Brownies.

One of the bountiful treasures of Sonoma County is the Gravenstein Apple. Yesterday I bought a box of apples to eat and another to make Gravenstein Apple Chocolate Bread Pudding (and applesauce). Gravs don't last too long, but they're so delicious--tart, tangy and sweet all at the same time. You might not be able to find these in your market if you don't live in Northern California. They don't travel well. You can substitute other apples in this recipe, but I don't. I love the tartness of the Gravs with the rich sweetness of the chocolate. So here's a recipe for Gravenstein Apple Chocolate Bread Pudding.

Gravenstein Apple Chocolate Bread Pudding

Ingredients
5 slices day-old sourdough or challah, diced (if you don't have stale bread, dry it out in the oven)
2 tablespoons sweet butter, melted
2 cups Gravenstein apples, cut in 1/4 inch thick chunks
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate pieces
5 whole eggs, beaten
1 (14 oz) can condensed milk
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 375
1. In mixing bowl, whisk together milk, condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and cinnamon. Beat until blended. 
2. Layer bread in 8-9 inch square buttered baking pan. Pour melted butter over bread. Let soak in for 5 minutes.
3. Layer Gravenstein Apple chunks on top of the bread layer. Sprinkle with dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate chunks.
4. Pour egg/milk mixture over bread and apples, making sure to cover completely. Make more egg mixture if you need to cover.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Bread pudding should be springy to the touch.