Okay, this was new and even a little weird and strange for me. One of our customers sent me a recipe for a Chocolate Frosting made out of, get this, avocados—yes, those beautiful little green, pear-shaped fruits that grow on trees and don’t begin to ripen until they are off the stem. It was the name, Stone Age Chocolate Frosting that got to me. What the heck does this mean? Okay, I was off to the internet to look up the words Stone Age and Diet. Here’s what I discovered.

It comes for the Paleolithic Diet—Paleo Diet or popularly known as the caveman or hunter-gatherers’ diet. It is assumed to be a modern nutritional plan based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic period—about 2.5 million years which ended around 10,000 years ago with the development of agriculture and grain-based diets. While this diet claims to provide a healthier lifestyle, it should be noted, however, that the lifespan of the Upper Paleolithic (Late Stone Age) man was only about 33 years from birth.

This diet is centered on commonly available “modern” foods, consisting mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots and nuts. It excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar and processed oils. I guess I could live on that.

The Paleo Diet was first popularized in the mid-1970s by gastroenterologist Dr. Walter L. Voegtlin. I found that this nutritional concept has been promoted and adapted by a number of authors and researchers in several books and academic journals. Paleolithic nutrition is based on the premise that modern humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors and that human genetics have scarcely changed since the dawn of agriculture and therefore it is an ideal diet for human health and well-being and is one that resembles this ancestral diet.

The avocados and coconut oil give this Paleo-inspired chocolate frosting a healthy dose of plant-based fats (instead of butter or Crisco) creating a tasty new way to top cookies and cupcakes which do have to be made out of grains. Oh, there goes another fad diet.

Okay, it tastes a little different. It only takes minutes to make and it’s good for a lot of around-the-table dinner conversation. Try it and let me know what you think.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 10 minutes
Yield: 10 Servings

Ingredients:
2 ripe medium size avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup Choclatique Natura Cocoa Powder (Un-alkalized, I’m getting into the spirit of the diet)
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:
Blend avocados, cocoa powder, honey, coconut oil, vanilla extract and salt together in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

Chocolate Doctor

Here’s a train that’s always on time! Chocolate artist Andrew Farrugia spent over 700 hours constructing his masterpiece—a train made entirely of chocolate. This chocolate sculpture set a Guinness World Record as the longest chocolate structure in the world—112 feet long weighing over 2,800 pounds.

Located at Brussels’ busy South Station, Farrugia claims to have come up with the idea for a chocolate train sculpture after visiting the Belgian Chocolate Festival in Bruges last year.

“I had this idea for a while,” he said. “What do you think if we do this realization of a long chocolate train, you know, because make a train as long as you like.”

The original plan was a more modest size train, but it just kept getting longer, car after car after car. Farrugia had previously built a smaller 12-foot train for an event in Malta, which he said gave him insight about how to build this larger version.

There are two parts to the train. The first seven cars are modeled after the Belgian trains of today, and the rest of the train is modeled after older train cars, including the bar and restaurant car. I’ll bet they serve chocolate mousse for dessert.

Three days before the event, Farrugia transported the chocolate train by truck in 25 wooden boxes from Malta to Belgium. After measuring the length of the train and confirming no material other than chocolate was used, the officials from the Guinness Book of World Records added a new category to the collection of world records and declared the train to be the longest chocolate structure in the world.

Chocolate Doctor

This is definitely going to become your go-to chocolate pie from now on. It is simple to make and Mmmm…yummy to eat! It is sky-high and simply scrumptious—one of the best fluffy chocolate delights to serve for a fall or holiday dessert. You can put the pie together in a wink and a nod and it will disappear just as fast! You can substitute a store-bought chocolate or graham cracker crust and just mound the filling within and let it cool. As a bonus, add a couple of tablespoons of Choclatique Chocolate Curls or Decoratifs as a fancy sprinkle on top.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Cool Time: 5 hours
Ready In: 6 hours
Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients:
20 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces Choclatique Dark Chocolate Chips
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
2 tablespoon of orange liqueur (Grand Marnier)
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together crushed cookies, almond extract and softened butter and press mixture evenly around the bottom and edges of the springform pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes; allow to thoroughly cool.
5. In a microwave-safe bowl combine 1 cup cream, chocolate chips, vanilla extract and salt; heat in 15 second burst until chocolate is fully melted and mixture is smooth. The chocolate chips will not change shape until you mix. Do not burn.
6. Set the chocolate mixture aside to cool completely to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
7. In a large bowl, beat 2 cups chilled cream with 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture. Gently spoon the blended chocolate mixture into cooled crust.
8. Chill the pie at least 5 hours before serving.
9. Just before serving, beat remaining 1 cup chilled cream with orange liqueur and 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form.
10. Before serving spoon a dollop of whipped cream on top of each piece.

Chocolate Doctor

This is a gluten-free cake that uses ground almonds or almond flour to replace the wheat flour usually found in sponge cakes of this kind. You can find almond flour in many supermarkets, Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. If you are preparing the almonds yourself using a food processor or blender, chop only a half cup at a time as electric food processors tend to separate too much of the oil from the nut meats. Do not pack the ground nut down when measuring.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 50-55 minutes
Cooling Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients:
Non-stick baking spray
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 ounces Choclatique Private Reserve Dark Chocolate Pastilles (64%)
10 large eggs, separated
7/8 cup granulated sugar
2 cups ground blanched almonds (skin off) or almond flour.

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 350º F.
2. Coat the inside of a 10-inch Bundt pan with baking spray and coat the bottom and sides with 3 tablespoons of sugar; set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate in a microwave oven or on the top of double boiler; set aside.
4. Beat the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in the sugar and blend well.
5. Add the chocolate and almonds to the egg yolks.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into chocolate batter.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
8. Bake for 1 hour or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Remove from oven, invert pan on a bottle (wine or ketchup bottle work well), and cool about 40 minutes before removing from pan.

ChefSecret: Finish it off and crown the top with your favorite cream cheese or butter cream frosting.

Chocolate Doctor

Sharing a hot cross bun with someone is supposed to ensure friendship throughout the coming year, particularly if “Half for you and half for me, between us two shall goodwill be” is said at the time. Because there is a cross on the buns, some say they should be kissed before being eaten. If taken on a sea voyage, hot cross buns are said to protect against shipwreck. If hung in the kitchen, they are said to protect against fires and ensure that all breads turn out perfectly. The hanging bun is replaced each year.

Dress up your buns for Easter! We’ve glamorized the traditional Hot Cross Bun by lightly sweetened with cocoa, cinnamon and tender dried cherries strewn throughout. The egg yolk wash gives these buns the signature browned, glossy finish, making a canvas for the namesake cross, a painting of milk, cocoa and sugar icing.”

Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Bake Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
Servings: 12

Ingredients:
3/4 cup warm water (110º F)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon instant powdered milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Choclatique Rouge Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup dried and sweetened cherries, small dice
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons water

For the icing:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 teaspoons whole milk (use a little more or less depending on how fluid the mixture is)

Directions:

1. In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the warm water, butter, skim milk powder, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, egg, egg white, flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and yeast. Mix for about 7 minutes until the dough begins to cling to the dough hook. Roll it into a ball and cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and let it rise for the first time in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until the dough ball doubles in size.
2. Punch down the dough down on floured surface, add cherries and cinnamon. Knead for 5 minutes and shape into 12 balls and place in a greased 9 x 12 inch pan. Cover and let rise in a warm place till double, about 35-40 minutes.
3. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water. Brush on balls.
4. Bake at 375º F for 20 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.
5. To make decorative crosses: mix together confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Pipe a cross on each cooled bun.

ChefSecret: You can also make chocolate only or two-tone decorative crosses. For the chocolate crosses, mix together 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 tablespoon Choclatique Rouge Unsweetened Cocoa Powder , a drop or two of almond extract and 3 teaspoons of milk. Pipe a chocolate cross on each cooled bun or atop the white cross previously piped and set. After all, you can never have enough chocolate.

If you have the time, soak the cherries in a little port or brandy for about 30 minutes for additional flavor. It also helps the cherries from scorching if on the outside edge of the bun when baking.

Chocolate Doctor

I was at a famous Italian restaurant in San Francisco last month where Tiramisu was described on the menu as “a traditional classic Venetian dessert created in the 1800’s.” While there is some debate regarding the origin of Tiramisu there is no question the earliest mention I could find was in the Washington Post on December 24, 1969. The dessert was first made in Via Sottotreviso at Treviso, near Venice. The recipe was documented in Giovanni Capnist’s 1983 cookbook, Dolci del Veneto.

White this dessert is neither traditional or a classic I felt safe that I could take the liberty of expressing my own personality and preferences to this Tiramisu Swirl Cheesecake.

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Bake Time: 60 minutes
Ready In: 3 hours (best overnight if you can wait that long)
Yield: 1 9-inch cheesecake

Ingredients:
1 (7-ounce) package ladyfingers, dried
4 tablespoons butter, melted
6 tablespoons strong cold coffee
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ounces Choclatique Midnight Unsweetened Baking Chocolate, melted
3 tablespoons Choclatique Dark Chocolate Curls

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Place a roasting pan of water on the bottom of oven filled about one third of the way.
3. Prepare an 8- or 9-inch springform pan by covering the bottom with aluminum foil to seal out the water.
4. In a small bowl crush the package of ladyfingers to fine crumbs. Mix the melted butter into the crumbs. Moisten with 2 tablespoons of the coffee. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a prepared springform pan.
5. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar until very smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla extract and the flour; mix SLOWLY until just smooth. The consistency of the mascarpone can vary. If the cheesecake batter is too thick, add a little cream.
6. Using two separate bowls divide the cream cheese mixture in half.
7. Add the melted chocolate and 4 tablespoons coffee to the half the cream cheese batter and mix thoroughly. Pour the chocolate cream cheese batter into crust followed by the remaining cream cheese batter. Using the broad side of a knife or spatula swirl the two batters to marble.
8. Place springform pan into the roasting pan of hot water. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until just set. Open oven door, and turn off the heat. Let cake to cool in oven for 20 minutes.
9. Remove from oven, and let it finish cooling.
10. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or, better yet, overnight.
11. Right before serving sprinkle with chocolate curls.

ChefSecret: The literal translation of the Italian name tiramisù (tirami sù) means “pick- me-up” or metaphorically, “make me happy.” This may refer to the caffeine in the coffee and effect of cocoa used in the original recipe.

Chocolate Doctor

We had to go to the vault for these less-than-golden coins. These are homemade chocolate coins that will bring back lots of growing-up memories. As a kid I remember getting gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins in a little mesh bag. The only little piggy bank these went into was me. I remember the excitement of peeling off the shiny foil and stacking them up like poker chips on the kitchen table. The foil-wrapped chocolate coins may be for kids, but the flavor combination of dark chocolate, caramel and sea salt is all grown up.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 32 Coins

Ingredients:
6 ounces Choclatique Private Reserve Dark Chocolate, broken into small pieces
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon Choclatique Rouge Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, for dusting

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
2. Pour about 1 inch of water into the bottom of a saucepan and place over medium-low heat; bring the water to a simmer and turn off the heat.
3. Place a stainless steel bowl over the saucepan. Put the chocolate and the butter in the bowl and soften over the hot water.
4. Place the sugar in a small skillet over medium-low heat and cook until it forms a dark liquid and begins to bubble, 7 to 9 minutes. Carefully pour the cream over the caramelized sugar. Cook and stir the mixture until the caramelized sugar is dissolved into the cream; immediately remove from heat.
5. Quickly pour the hot cream mixture over the warmed chocolate; stir quickly with a spatula until completely incorporated.
6. Drop the mixture by the teaspoon onto the prepared baking sheet. Top each with a sprinkle of sea salt. Cover with plastic wrap. Gently press a second baking sheet onto the chocolate coins to flatten. Chill in refrigerator until firm.
7. Dust with the cocoa before serving.
8. Store in a cool spot. You can always wrap the chocolate coins in gold foil if desired.

Chocolate Doctor