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Guy Fawkes Night: Bonfire Brownies

Guy Fawkes Night, aka Bonfire Night, is an annual celebration, primarily in Great Britain, traditionally held on the evening of November 5. Festivities are centered on the use of fireworks and the lighting of bonfires.

Historically, the celebrations mark the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot of November 5, 1605. Guy Fawkes Night originates from the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a failed conspiracy by a group of provincial English Catholics to assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and replace him with a Catholic head of state. The survival of the king was first celebrated on 5 November 1605, after Guy Fawkes, left in charge of the gunpowder placed underneath the House of Lords, was discovered and arrested.

During the Celebration, an effigy or "guy" representing Fawkes is ritually burnt on the bonfire. There are special foods associated with Guy Fawkes Night, none of them Chocolate, so I was thrilled to find this wonderful recipe on eParenting.co.uk for Bonfire Brownies. This fabulous bonfire stack is built of chocolate brownies, Wall's Cream of Cornish ice cream, chocolate sticks and butterscotch sauce for the fireglow. Because this is a UK holiday, I didn't convert the measurements in this recipe, but you can find several converters on the web. You could always make your own brownies and get your own ice cream and butterscotch sauce! I definitely can't get Wall's Cream of Cornish ice cream, so Haagen Daz will probably have to do! I just found this so charming, I wanted to share it!

Bonfire Brownies

Ingredients for chocolate brownies – makes 6” square – 4 x 3” round or 9 x 2” round
100g plain chocolate – 70% cocoa solids
125g unsalted butter
175g light brown sugar
3 medium eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
 80g plain flour
Preheat oven to 140C (fan) gas 3. Melt chocolate and allow to cool. Grease a 6” square deep cake tin and line with non-stick baking parchment. All ingredients should be at room temperature. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
Add the eggs a little at a time until all incorporated. Pour in the melted chocolate, beating all the time. Stir in the vanilla and fold in the flour. Spoon into the lined tin and bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from tin. Cut out rounds with 3” cutter or 2” cutter

Ingredients for butterscotch sauce
50g unsalted butter
50g granulated sugar
75g soft brown sugar
150g golden syrup
1tsp vanilla extract
110ml double cream

Melt the butter, sugars and syrups together in a saucepan until melted. Continue to heat for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and double cream and heat for 2 minutes until completely smooth.

To serve, place some of the chocolate brownies on a large white plate. Top with a rounded scoop of Wall’s Cream of Cornish ice cream or alternatively Wall’s Soft Scoop Vanilla ice cream. Surround the bonfire stack with 8 chocolate sticks. Pour the hot butterscotch sauce over it all. Insert an indoor sparkler, light as the dessert is brought to the table and serve immediately.

For variations on Bonfire Brownies, go HERE.

Photo: eParenting.co.uk

National Sandwich Day: Chocolate Sandwiches

Today is National Sandwich Day. According to Punchbowl, it is no coincidence that November 3 is also the birthday of John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich. This 18th-century English noble wanted to eat his meal with one hand during a 24-hour gambling event, so he instructed his servants to serve him his lunch meat between two slices of bread. In celebration of this occasion, November 3 is now celebrated as National Sandwich Day!
 
Chocolate is no stranger to the Sandwich. Here are  links to some of my favorites:

Nutella & Mashmallow Fluff Sandwich
Grilled Chocolate Cheesecake Sandwich
Grilled Chocolate Sandwich
Panini with Strawberries and Chocolate 

Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Sandwiches
Easy Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

S'mores (in several variations)

We're having very warm weather today, so here's a recipe straight from Starbucks for Peppermint Mocha Ice Cream Sandwiches. I've tried these. Easy and delicious, and I like the look of the white chocolate drizzle on top. Want to get even fancier? Roll the finished sandwiches in min-chocolate chips. Yum!

Photos: King Arthur Flour, Starbucks

Day of the Dead: Pasilla Chile Chocolate Cake, Mexican Hot Chocolate

Day of the Dead, November 1-2, focuses on gatherings of family and friends who pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar and chocolate skulls, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Many cultures and countries celebrate Day of the Dead, but in Mexico and parts of the U.S and Canada it is tied to an historic Meso-American holiday that originated with the Aztecs 3000 years ago or earlier. When the Spanish Conquistadors landed in what is now Mexico 500 years ago, they found the natives practicing this ritual that seemed to mock death. It was a ritual the Spaniards tried unsuccessfully to eradicate. Although the ceremony has since merged with Catholic theology, it still maintains the basic principles the Aztecs intended, a view that death is the continuation of life. Life was a dream and only in death does one become truly awake.

Many people believe that during the Day of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living. People go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Skulls are a major symbol of the cycle of death and rebirth. The Aztecs and other Meso-American civilizations kept skulls as trophies and displayed them during the ritual to honor the dead and exalt the sphere of death and rebirth.

Although sugar skulls are more common, chocolate skulls and coffins have become de rigueur. Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with three solid chocolate skulls sparkling with black salt eyes, in 3 chocolate flavors: Barcelona, Red Fire & Blanca. Day of the Dead Chocolate Skulls from Vosges.

Want to make your own? Mexican Chocolate Skulls sells skull molds. Their chocolate molds can be made with tempered chocolate, candy coating wafers, melted chocolate chips. Their mold designs were inspired by the famous Mexican woodcut artist, Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852 -1913). Here's a link for recipes using candy coating wafers, chocolate chips or tempered chocolate with these molds.

Mexican hot chocolate is one of my favorites. In Oaxaca during the Day of the Dead (and at other times), the many chocolate shops serve hot chocolate that is a mix of cocoa beans, cinnamon sticks, almond and sugar ground together into a paste, then grated down and mixed with steaming milk. You can make a similar version easily at home. As always use the very best chocolate.

Day of the Dead Hot Chocolate

 
2 teaspoons good-quality ground cocoa
1 teaspoon sugar, plus extra to taste
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground almonds. You can add more if you want a thicker texture
1 cup milk

Mix all the ingredients, except the milk, together in an empty, clean glass jar. Shake until completely combined.
Heat the milk in a pan and add the chocolate mix. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat.
Simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly; use a small whisk to froth the milk. Serve hot.

And, for the Bakers out there, Sunset Magazine has a wonderful Pasilla Chile Chocolate Cake recipe for The Day of the Dead.

PASILLA CHILE CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 1/2 ounces dried pasilla chiles (also called chile negro) or 2 1/2 ounces dried ancho chiles plus 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (see notes)
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (6 oz.) butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
5 large eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar or finely crushed piloncillo sugar (see notes)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1 tablespoon coffee-flavored liqueur such as Kahlúa

1. Lay chiles in a single layer on a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Bake in a 400° oven just until pliable, about 2 minutes. Wearing rubber gloves, break off stems, shake out seeds, and break chiles into small pieces, dropping into a small bowl; discard stems and seeds. Cover chiles with warm water and let soak until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain chiles and put in a blender with 1/3 cup water; whirl until smooth, adding 1 more tablespoon water as needed to make a thick paste. Push purée through a fine strainer; discard residue. You need 1/3 cup chile purée. If using ancho chiles, stir cayenne into the chile purée.

2. Line bottom of a 9-inch cake pan (sides at least 1 1/2 in. tall) with baking parchment.

3. In a large bowl nested over a pan of simmering water (water shouldn't touch bottom of bowl), combine chocolate and butter. Stir occasionally just until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 8 minutes. Remove from over water and whisk in 1/3 cup chile purée, the egg yolks, vanilla, and flour until mixture is blended.

4. Pour brown sugar into a small bowl and stir or whisk to break up lumps and loosen. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until very frothy and foamy. Gradually add brown sugar to whites, beating until stiff, moist peaks form. With a whisk, fold a third of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture until well incorporated. Then fold in remaining whites just until blended. Scrape batter into prepared pan.

5. Bake cake in a 425° regular or 400° convection oven until it appears set and center barely jiggles when pan is gently shaken, about 15 minutes. Let cool in pan on a rack for about 15 minutes. Run a knife between cake and pan rim, then invert onto a serving platter. Lift off pan and peel off parchment. Let cake cool about 30 minutes, then chill until firm and cold, at least 4 hours; cover cake once completely chilled.

6. For best texture, let cake come to room temperature before serving, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Sift powdered sugar lightly over cake (for a pattern, lay a stencil on cake before sifting the sugar, then carefully lift it off).

7. In a bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Stir in vanilla. Cut cake into wedges and serve each with a dollop of whipped cream.

NOTES: Dried long, dark, skinny chiles labeled pasilla or chile negro give this dark chocolate cake a subtle fruit flavor with a hot finish. If these are not available, use dark, blocky chiles labeled ancho, which are sweet and fruity with little heat, and add cayenne to boost spiciness. Both pasilla and ancho chiles are available in Hispanic markets. To use piloncillo sugar (also available in Hispanic markets), put it in a heavy zip-lock plastic bag, cover it with a towel, and pound it with a mallet or hammer until finely crushed. You can make this cake up to 2 days ahead; chill airtight.