Sweet Plantain and Chocolate Empanaditas

On Sunday night, while enjoying a slight reprieve from the intense Indianapolis heat (it was only 89 degrees Sunday, as opposed to 99 during the earlier week), your intrepid intern sat down to watch"The Motorcycle Diaries". This biopic movie is the tale of 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara--the man the world would eventually know as iconic Marxist leader Che Guevara--his friend Alberto, and their dream to see as much of the South American continent as they can in 4 and a half months. The two climb aboard Alberto's rickety old motorcycle, dubbed "The Mighty One", and quickly find themselves in a ditch on the side of the road. The Mighty One unfortunately doesn't last long (the title is slightly misleading; I apologize to all of you hoping for lots of motorcycle action shots) and the two friends must find other ways of travelling across the country side. Along the way, Ernesto encounters the extreme poverty and ignored classes of the Latin American world that would ultimately influence his revolutionary ideals. No matter what your politics are or what your opinion of Che is, the movie is undeniably inspirational, beautiful and thought provoking, with a heart wrenching soundtrack. So what does all of this have to do with chocolate? Since the movie has filled my head with the sights, sounds, and history of Latin America, I thought it would be an excellent chance to present this sweet plantain and chocolate empanaditas recipe. Empanaditas are sweet or savory pastries that are popular throughout Spain and Latin America in case you are wondering--it's okay, I didn't know what they were at first either. Perhaps after making this succulent dessert, you yourself will be inspired to hop on a rickety old motorcycle, travel the world around you, and fight to change injusticse you see along the way! Or you can take your empanaditas, pop in a DVD of "The Motorcycle Diaries", plop down on the couch, and enjoy Che's adventures instead. No motorcycle required!

Sweet Plantain and Chocolate Empanaditas

Prep time: 40 minutes Cook: 28 Minutes

1 cup (1-inch-thick) sliced soft black plantain (about 1/2 pound)

2 tablespoons fat-free sweetened condensed milk

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

6 tablespoons ice water

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

Cooking spray

5 teaspoons 2% reduced-fat milk, divided

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate mini chips

1. Cook plantain in boiling water 10 minutes or until tender;drain. Combine plantain and condensed milk in a bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Set aside.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with knife (this is important because you need to get as close to the exact amount as possible). Combine 1/2 cup flour, ice water, and vinegar, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add slurry, tossing with a fork until moist.

3. Slightly overlap two sheets of plastic wrap on a damp surface. Place dough on plastic wrap. Gently press dough into a 4 inch circle; cover with two additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll covered dough into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle; freeze 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

5. Remove plastic wrap; place dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 24 circles using a 3-inch round cutter. Place circles on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray, and lightly moisten edges of dough with water. Spoon 2 teaspoons plantain mixture into each circle. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges together to seal. Brush tops of dough evenly with 1 tablespoon 2% milk; sprinkle evenly with granulated sugar.

6. Bake at 400 degrees F for 17 minutes or until lightly browned.

7. Combine chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons 2% milk in a small bowl, and microwave at HIGH 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Drizzle melted chocolate over empanaditas. Serve warm. Makes 2 dozen (serving size: 1 empanadita).

"Let the world change you and you can change the world"-Che Guevara

Since we're talking about Snickers....

Since we were just talking about Snickers, I got a little bit of a taste for them. Sorry, Cassandra, but now I've really got the taste for them! So, I recently found this recipe for homemade Snickers bars on a website called Lynn's Kitchen Adventures and it looks quite delectable. Although a bit time consuming (each of the layers needs to refrigerate for a bit), this is a completely easy recipe that is anyone and everyone will enjoy....unless that person happens to be allergic to peanuts, in which case you should probably make something else.

And don't worry about the calories. First off, you deserve it for having to wait for the layers to set. That takes a lot of patience. Secondly, you can use that time while you are waiting to do some jumping jacks or jog in place. It will all balance itself out.

Homemade Snickers Bars

1 teaspoons butter

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Filling

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped salted peanuts

Caramel Layer

1 package (14 ounces) caramels

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Icing

1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup butterscotch chip

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Line a 13-in. x 9-in. pan with foil; butter the foil with 2 teaspoons butter and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set.

For filling, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add sugar and milk; bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; boil and stir for five minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the marshmallow creme, peanut butter and vanilla. Add peanuts. Spread over first layer. Refrigerate until set.

For caramel layer, in a small heavy saucepan, combine the caramels and cream; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Cook and stir 4 minutes longer. Spread over the filling. Refrigerate until set.

For icing, in another saucepan, combine chips and peanut butter; stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cutting. Remove from pan and cut into 1-in squares. Store in an airtight container. Yield: about 8 dozen.

These can be made in advance. They hold up in the refrigerator for about a week and a half.

We've all got one we don't like

I think if you're reading this blog you will agree with me when I say that chocolate is pretty darn awesome. I will assume that you, like me, will eat almost anything as long as its coated in sweet cocoa-y goodness. However, even the most devout chocolate lovers have their persnickety moments. For example, I could devour an entire bag of Hershey's Miniatures in the same amount of time as it takes a lion to take down a gazelle, but you couldn't pay me to eat a Babe Ruth (it's a textural thing). So, let's all be honest here and admit that even though we're all confessed chocolate nuts, there are just those chocolates that make some of us say "No thank you!" (I mean seriously, Babe Ruths have the texture of sand paper. Chocolate and sand paper does not a delicious treat make). Here's one such story from our very own Cassandra about her own chocolate arch-nemesis: Snickers.

As a child, I can remember the candy bar that everyone couldn't get enough of: Snickers. I knew people who would fight over a Snickers candy bar; it was that big of a deal. Kids would stop at the neighborhood candy store, which was oh-so-conveniently located on our way to and from school, and spend their lunch money on as many Snickers as they could afford. I could not stop my baby sister from spending all of her money on candy, all the while trying to practice constraint myself. The candy store was not an actual candy store; it was a house that sold candy to the frequently passing school children (probably something that would be frowned upon in this day and age). I can't imagine how much money they made off us throughout the years. While my peers grubbed and grabbed for Snickers, I was tempted by other candies first thing in the morning. Honestly, I just didn't like Snickers at all. The first person I told that to wondered if something was seriously wrong with me. I don't think I told anyone else my Snickers secret after that. I just didn't understand every one's obsession. In my young self's opinion, a snickers candy bar was too big, distastefully thick, not very rich or creamy, and unpleasantly bumpy with nuts. Everyone I knew seemed to be able to gulp down a Snickers in 3 bites, but I struggled to get each bite down. I was a tiny child and can remember thinking: this candy bar is for bigger people and it's just too big for me! To this day, even as a grown up, I believe a Snickers is still way too big for me. Hungry for a Snicker Bar? I can wait, thanks!

-Cassandra

So what's that one chocolate that you really don't like? And no...you can't say chocolate bugs. That doesn't count unless you've actually eaten them! Hopefully, you'll find plenty of chocolates that you DO like at Young Audiences' Chocolate Fest on September 15th!

Low Fat Frosted Chocolate Cookies (otherwise known as Brownie Cookies)

Another tasty chocolate recipe brought to you from the staff of Young Audiences!

My husband and I prefer these cookies without the icing. We didn't think it really added anything but more sugar (although if you're into that...feel free to add as much icing as you could possibly want!). They are brownie-rich and yummy all by themselves. The recipe is in my box without the icing instructions, and we renamed it Brownie Cookies. I waited until after he'd eaten 3-4 cookies before I told my husband that this is a low fat recipe. He was already hooked and couldn't turn up his nose by then.

Low-Fat Frosted Chocolate Cookies (or Brownie Cookies)

3/4 cup all purpose Flour

1/2 cup dutch cocoa

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup sugar

4 egg whites

For Frosting

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups confectioner's sugar

2-3 tbsp milk

Extra cocoa for Dusting

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Mix together the oil, sugar, 1 tsp of the vanilla, and the egg whites. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Chill the dough for about an hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray your favorite baking sheet. Using a 1/2 tablespoon measure, scoop dough onto the sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies (they really spread). Bake 8-9 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool completely. Mix the powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and just enough milk to make a paste. Spread a little icing on each cookie and dust lightly with cocoa.

Recipe comes from Diane Mott Davidson's caterer-mystery, Killer Pancake.

-Angela

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Chocolate!

With the premiere of the long awaited and much anticipated final Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2) only days away, your beloved summer intern is squirming with excitement like a hippogriff at an all you can eat stoat buffet. So, I decided that in honor of this joyous event, I would write a post all about the extensive, tasty, and sometimes bizarre world of Harry Potter chocolate and candy! For those of you who are rolling your eyes and saying "Pssh, this Harry Potter nonsense is such rubbish. Why should I care?", I respect your opinion. However, before you poo-poo this post and the strange delicacies within, remember you could one day be on a trivia game show and one of these things could come up! Knowing what Honeydukes is or what the side-effects of fever fudge are could win you a million dollars. Plus, many of the candies listed below are actually available for sale and can make awesome presents for the Harry Potter love in your life or simply make a delightful gag gift! So, solemnly swear that you're up to no good and discover some of the delightful treats of Harry's World!

Chocolate! Let's begin with the most appropriate--this is a chocolate blog after all! Like muggles, wizards love chocolate! Not only is it a delightful treat, it also serves practical purposes as well. Chocolate has a place in any hospital or wizarding first aid kit as it is the perfect cure for a run-in with a dementor. According to J.K. Rowling, she was inspired to create the dementors after battle severe depression before her success with Harry Potter. Chocolate curing depression? Who'd have thought. As Remus Lupin tells Harry in the third book, "Chocolate. Eat. It will help". Popular Wizard Chocolate:

Chocolate Frogs: Frog shaped chocolates that are enchanted to hop and jump around like the real thing. Includes a famous witch or wizard collectible card. It was a chocolate frog card of Albus Dumbledore that led Harry and his friends to discover the story of Nicolas Flamel and the sorcerer's stone in the first book. Want to buy some for yourself? Click here!

-Chocoballs: Filled with strawberry mousse or clotted cream filling! Can be found on the Hogwarts Express Trolley or in Honeydukes candy shop in Hogsmeade.

-Chocolate Cauldrons: Cauldron shaped chocolates filled with firewhisky.

-Chocolate Cake: Well....the name says it all. Nothing too magical here except for the yumminess that can be found in any chocolate. My favorite appearance of the tasty dessert is the chocolate cake Hagrid made for Harry for his 11th Birthday. It was sweet in more ways than one!

-Fever Fudge: A sweet created by Fred and George Weasley. Charmed to give the eater a high fever within seconds of eating the chocolate. Would be the perfect device for skipping class, except the side effects include large pus filled boils in "places unmentionable in public". Probably won't have these at Chocolate Fest.

-Cockroach Clusters: Cockroaches covered in a chocolate coating. After looking up so much information about chocolate covered bugs, these really don't seem too far fetched.

-Cornelius Fudge: Not exactly chocolate, although I suppose he is technically edible. In fact, he was the Minister of Magic until he was dismissed for failing to acknowledge that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (aka Voldemort for those of you living under a rock) had returned. I just thought his last name was appropriate.

Candy!

Chocolate or not, Young Audiences and the Wizards of Hogwarts both have a sweet tooth. Here are some notable candies from Harry's World:

-Acid Pops: Will burn a hole right through your tongue if you're not careful!

-Blood Flavored Lollipops: Hermonie briefly considered buying one of these for Harry as a gift, but then decided they were only for vampires.

-Canary Creams: Created by George and Fred Weasley. Have the appearance and taste of ordinary custard creams, but transform the eater into a giant canary. The effects wear of quickly and after molting, the eater returns to his or her state. Best not to eat anything offered to you by George or Fred Weasley.

-Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans: These infamous and popular jelly beans have been a wizard and muggle favorite since the very beginning! Flavors range from the normal everyday (blueberry, cherry, cinnamon, watermelon) to the weird and downright disgusting (think grass, dirt, rotten egg, booger, and vomit). Proceed with caution! Only for the most daring Harry Potter Fan or makes an excellent gift. Click here!

-Ton Tongue Toffee: Another invention by Fred and George, these toffees first made their appearance in the Fourth book when Harry's gelatinous cousin greedily devours one and moments later finds his tongue swelling up like a giant slug. Again, probably should avoid these.

And of course I couldn't write about the delectable treats in Harry Potter without mentioning everyone's favorite wizard drink: Butter Beer! It can be served cold or warm (as most Hogwart's students prefer to drink it on a cold winter's day) and can be highly addictive to house elves. Want to make your own? Here's a sugary sweet recipe!

Just as in the muggle world, the wizarding world has hundreds of different varieties of candies, chocolates, and sweets. I would need some sort of Reducio charm to fit everything in here! Alright, yes I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd, but even those of you who aren't have to admit that some of these magical treats look pretty good! So, grab your wand and a couple of galleons, and we'll see you at Hogsmeade....or maybe just Chocolate Fest (the next best thing)!

Mischief managed.