Chocolate Sandwich: Blondie's Cookbook

Today is National Sandwich Day, and although I've posted several Chocolate Sandwiches over the years, I turned to my "Tie-In" Cookbook collection and Blondie's Cook Book for today's recipe. Dagwood is the iconic King of Sandwiches.  My Dad used to make Dagwood Sandwiches... those were the sandwiches that contained every thing but the kitchen sink.  My father never added chocolate.

Dagwood Bumstead, in case you don't know, is a main character in comic artist Chic Young's long-running comic strip Blondie. He first appeared in the U.S. sometime prior to February 1933.

According to What's Cooking America, the Dagwood Sandwich  is a multi-layered sandwich with a variety of fillings. The term is used to denote a sandwich put together so as to attain such a tremendous size and infinite variety of contents as to stun the imagination, sight, and stomach of all but the original maker. Dagwood sandwiches is a term so well-known that it's in the Webster's New World Dictionary.

According to the creator of the comic strip, Murat Bernard “Chic” Young (1901-1973), the only thing that Dagwood could prepare in the kitchen was a mountainous pile of dissimilar leftovers precariously arranged between two slices of bread. Dagwood became known for his huge sandwiches he created on evening forays to the refrigerator. The comic strip is produced today under the direction of the creator's son, Dean Young, the strip has continued to keep up with the times.

Blondie's Cook Book: Chic Young's Classic Cook Book with New Comic Art Selections by His Son Dean Young (Gramercy Books, New York 1947, 1996)

This Comic says it all:

CHOCOLATE SANDWICHES RECIPE: Not sure how many sandwiches (or layers) this is supposed to make, but that's a lot of sugar. I've never made this recipe, so I'm thinking it might be a mistake.

Chocolate Stuffed Figs: National Fig Week

It's National Fig Week. I love figs--fresh and dried.  I've posted recipes for Chocolate Covered Figs and Chocolate Fig Bread Pudding. Another thing to do with dried figs is chop them up and use them in brownies or chocolate cookies. Figs and Chocolate make a nice contrast in flavor and texture. Here's an incredibly decadent recipe for Chocolate Stuffed Figs. Since the stuffed figs are eventually dipped in chocolate (which makes this a perfect recipe for this blog), as an alternative, you can stuff the figs with marscapone. Heaven!

Want to buy Chocolate Stuffed Figs? Rabitos Royal: Chocolate Truffle Filled Figs. Each box contains 9 Chocolate Truffle Filled Figs. There's even a bit of brandy in the truffle filling! I've bought them at Trader Joe's, but they're available in other places, too. Rabitos are made in Almoharin in the Spanish region of Extremadura, an area that is traditionally known for its delicious figs. Artisans make these Rabitos. The Chocolate Covered stuffed truffles are made with a variety of fig called the Pajarito. The Pajarito fig is unique to this area of Spain due where the warm climate enables the fig to ripen in a short period of time. This results in a very small fig that is mild in flavor but full of concentrated sweetness. It also means the hundreds of seeds inside are tiny, so it has a different texture than you might expect. You'll love these.

But for those of you who want to make your own Chocolate Stuffed and Dipped Figs, this is a great recipe. Add tbsp Grand Marnier to the ganache for 'special' flavor.

Chocolate Stuffed and Dipped Figs
Recipe from Pure Chocolate by Fran Bigelow and Helen Siegel (2004: Broadway Books)
The very best, extra-fancy dried figs are in the markets now. Look for moist fruit with supple texture and full shape for stuffing. Makes 24 to 36.

Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
24 to 36 dried Calimyrna figs, depending on size
1 1/2 pounds semisweet chocolate
9-by-13-inch or quarter sheet pan lined with parchment

Directions
1. In saucepan, heat tcream over medium-high heat just until begins to boil. Remove from heat. Add finely chopped chocolate. Stir until smooth with rubber spatula. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the top, and let set for 6 to 8 hours at room temperature.
2. Prepare figs for stuffing by gently rolling between your thumb and fingers to loosen the seeds and soften the flesh. Insert wooden or metal skewer in hole in bottom of the fig and wiggle it to enlarge the hole slightly for stuffing.
3. When ganache is set, gently stir with a rubber spatula a few times. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with small round 1/4-inch tip.
4. Hold each fig's stem gently between index and middle fingers, using thumb to support plump fruit. Insert tip of pastry bag into fig's bottom. Gently squeeze, stuffing until the fig is plump and full. Do not worry about leaks in the fig's skin. They can be fixed later.
5. Place filled figs on parchment-lined pan and allow to set at room temperature for at least 2 hours. 6. Using a sharp knife, scrape excess filling from each fig's exterior. Stuffed figs can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Remove and return to room temperature for eating — or dipping, if desired.

To dip in chocolate: Holding individual fig by the stem, dip bottom half of each fig in dark chocolate. Place tdipped fruit on parchment-lined pan and let tchocolate set. With  pair of sharp scissors, snip off the very tip of each stem, which is too tough to be eaten, before serving.

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Ways to Use Leftover Halloween Candy

When I was growing up Halloween was one of the most important nights of the year. I'd choose my costume early and make sure my seamstress grandmother had time to make it.  I didn't go for store-bought costumes. I wanted an original. I would design it, and Bubby would sew it. Project Runway contestant in the making?

On Halloween night, all the children on my block were out. We didn't worry too much about what we'd get because we knew every single house on the block would have good candy. After we moved to the suburbs the ante went up with whole candy bars and more expensive loot. Needless to say, there was always a lot of candy left over. I mean, how much could a child eat? We weren't allowed to keep our stash in our rooms (to protect against bugs and mice--as if they would appear in my mother's superclean house), so all the candy was relegated to the kitchen. My sister and I noticed it being depleted, but usually too late. Most of it found its way into my pediatrician father's waiting room. Other kids who didn't walk those mean streets, knocking on doors, and yelling 'trick or treat' ate of the fruit of our labors.

Now as an adult, I buy candy for trick or treaters. Every year that candy sits in a bowl by the door--unloved, uncalled for. We don't get a lot of Trick or Treaters where I live. Maybe it's the times; maybe it's the Hills. Several years ago, I started buying only candy that I liked. Who wants to be stuck with candy you'll never eat? Well, maybe if you're dieting. So there's always a lot of leftover candy at my house. I'm sure there is at yours, too, particularly if you have a few goblins and ghosts who made the Halloween pilgrimage. Here are several ways to turn that left over candy into culinary delights or needed donations.

1.  Use chopped candy corn or chopped candy bars in place of chocolate chips in cookies or brownies.

2. Chopped up candy and candy bars can also be used as toppings for ice cream sundaes or over yoghurt.

3. Freeze it for another time when you get the munchies.

4. Make homemade flavored vodka. It needs some time infuse, but experiment with different flavors.

5.  Make trail mix with chocolate candy, raisins, peanuts and any other soft chewy candy.

6. Mix up a batch of biscuits and fold in some chopped tootsie rolls or peanut butter cups.  

7. Add chopped candy corn to candied yams.

8. Make a Cookie Dough Pizza. Betty Crocker recipe: Mix 1 pouch of peanut butter cookie mix with 1/3 cup vegetable oil and an egg until soft dough forms. Press dough into ungreased 12-inch pizza pan. Sprinkle with your choice of toppings such as candy corn, candy bar pieces and nuts. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle 1 cup miniature marshmallows on top. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until marshmallows are lightly browned and cookie is set at edge. Cool completely in pan.

9. Pudding/Candy Parfait: Layer instant pudding with candy.

10. Use the candy to decorate your Holiday Gingerbread House.

11. Keep some in the car or your purse for emergencies (probably not chocolate which melts)

12. Donate: Nursing homes, doctor's offices, women and family shelters will take wrapped candy. Check first.

13: Donate: Operation Gratitude ships candy to U.S. troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East for Christmas time. (chocolate is more perishable)

14. Donate:  Ronald McDonald House will accept donations of wrapped Halloween Candy in many locations. Check first.

And two more recipes in case you haven't baked enough for Halloween:

1. BUTTER FINGER CAKE

1 angel food cake, crumbled
1/2 cup sweet butter
4 egg yolks
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
16 ounces Cool Whip, thawed slightly
8 large Butterfinger candy bars

Freeze candy bars in wrappers for at least two hours.
Crush bars (while in wrappers) using a rolling pin.
Cream butter, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla and add Cool Whip.
In a 9 x 13 inch pan layer half of the angel food cake; a layer of half of the Cool Whip mixture; then a layer of half of the crushed candy bars; repeat.

II. MILKY WAY BAR CAKE
Adapted from M&M/MARS. You can substitute other candy in place of Milky Way Bars.. depending on what you have left over.

1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts
15 bite-size (mini) Milky Way bars
1 cup low-fat buttermilk, plain yogurt or sour cream, divided
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sweet butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon Madegascar vanilla
4 eggs
GLAZE
5 bite-size Milky Way bars
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12-cup Bundt pan or 10-inch tube pan with shortening. Sprinkle coated pan with nuts; set aside.
In heavy medium saucepan over low heat, melt candy bars with 1/4 cup of buttermilk, stirring often until mixture is smooth.
In medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. In large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add flour mixture alternately with remaining 3/4 cup of buttermilk, mixing just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Then, blend in melted candy bar mixture until thoroughly incorporated.
Spoon  batter into prepared Bundt pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Remove from toven and cool 10 minutes. Invert onto wire rack and cool completely.
To Prepare Glaze:  Melt candy bars with the butter and water until mixture is smooth. Drizzle glaze over cooled cake.

Still want to make something?  Cakespy suggests Deep Frying... be still my heart. Literally! I do have Reese's Peanut Butter cups left over. Do I dare?

Pets and Halloween Treats

Topper has his own Treats for Tricks

Here's an important post on Pets and Halloween Candy. It's a Q &A between Neenda Pellegrini and Dr. Sheppard Thorpe, an emergency veterinarian at Puget Sound Veterinary Referral Center in Tacoma about Halloween and Pets that appeared in the Seattle Times. Dark chocolate is always dangerous to pets, and candy in various forms is, too. Read the entire article HERE.

Question: This is that scary time of year again, full of ghosts, witches, pumpkins -- and sugary bags of trick-or-treat candy. A fun time for kids and adults can be a disastrous time for pets who share those bags of treats, landing them at the vet's office or emergency clinic. What kind of health emergencies do see most often during the Halloween holiday?

Answer: Around the trick-or-treating time, we see many dogs that eat chocolate and other Halloween candy.

Pet ingestion of Halloween treats can cause vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, pancreatitis, heart arrhythmias, seizures, liver disease, kidney disease, gastrointestinal obstruction and even death.

Dangerous or even fatal chocolate toxicity is rare because knowledgeable owners usually get their chocolate-eating pets into the clinic within a few hours of ingestion. Once the pet arrives, we do what is called "decontamination" -- vomiting is induced and then activated charcoal is administered.

We also see pets with general vomiting and diarrhea from gastrointestinal upset after they've eaten candy, wrappers and holiday decorations. This can be very serious if the pet develops pancreatitis or if the pet becomes very dehydrated.

A quick and timely response makes the treatment much easier on your pet and your wallet.

Question: Why is chocolate dangerous? Is some chocolate -- dark or bittersweet chocolate -- worse than others, such as milk or white chocolate?

Answer: Chocolate contains an active ingredient called theobromine, which is toxic to pets. Theobromine is a stimulant that pets are more sensitive to than people and can cause hyperactivity, elevated heart rate, twitching and tremoring, vomiting and diarrhea and, worst of all, seizures.

Dark chocolate is more potent, having a higher concentration of theobromine, and, therefore, is more toxic. All chocolate (cakes or brownies, milk chocolate, white chocolate, chocolate syrup, cocoa powder) is considered "rich." Although not as serious as theobromine toxicity, foods with high sugar and fat contents can cause serious stomach and bowel problems. Decontamination and quick treatment is key.

Question: What harm can one little candy bar do?

Answer: It depends on the size of your pet, the presence of any underlying conditions and the amount of chocolate your pet has ingested.

A Hershey's Kiss is safe for a 70-pound Labrador retriever to eat but harmful to a 3-pound Chihuahua.

Another problem with "just one little treat" is that dogs can develop a liking to chocolate and soon may be climbing on the table to help themselves to that whole bowl of Halloween candy.

The power of the dog nose can also help them find that wrapped box of chocolates under the Christmas tree or hidden away for Valentine's Day. I know one Beagle who learned to open the pantry, and he loved to eat the brownie mix.

Question: What should I do if my pet accidentally eats chocolate? What symptoms should I watch for?

Answer: Call your regular veterinarian or local emergency/referral veterinary hospital for recommendations.

It helps to have the candy wrapper with the list of ingredients and percentage of cacao or cocoa in the product.

Monitor your pet for hyperactivity, elevated heart rate, vomiting/diarrhea, tremors, twitches and seizures although preventive treatment long before any of these symptoms is the best approach.

If you have access to the Internet, check out www.veterinarypartner.com and look up chocolate toxicity. The website has an excellent chart comparing the number of ounces of chocolate a pet would need to ingest for toxicity.

Consider calling the National Animal Poison Control Center (1-800-548-2423; $65/call) or the Pet Poison Helpline (1-800-213-6680; $50/call) to speak directly with a veterinary poison specialist.

READ MORE HERE.