Aztec Chocolate Syrup

First, today is Nick's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!  And birthdays call for dessert, right?

I wrote about how easy it is to make your own chocolate syrup at home recently.  Once we had used up that first batch of syrup, I wanted to experiment a little, and try a new flavor twist. Spicy chocolate syrup, inspired by Mexican or Aztec style hot chocolate was at the top of my list. I like the grown-up twist of spicy flavors in ice cream - it is unexpected and delicious.  For this version, I reduced the amount of sugar, because it seemed the spicy flavor would be better if less sweet (and a bit more intensely chocolate-y).

The issue that arose after I made and cooled the syrup was this: it came out very thick - more like fudge sauce than chocolate syrup, and pretty difficult to work with. It didn't drizzle thinly like the regular syrup - it was too...goopy (yuck.). This problem was pretty easily solved by simply using a bit more water to thin out the sauce. If your sauce cools and is thicker than you would like, you can stir in an extra tablespoon or two of hot water to adjust the consistency.

Both this recipe and the original chocolate syrup recipes are vegan. Most store-bought chocolate syrups seem to include some milk products. However, the vegan-ness depends on the type of sugar used. A natural, unbleached sugar is vegan, but some vegans don't consume bleached white table sugar. If you're vegan, you probably have a favorite sugar product - if you're cooking for someone else who is vegan, ask them what sugars are okay with them. (Also: it is definitely not vegan if you eat it atop regular ice cream, like I do!)

This sauce, like the original, blends nicely into a hot chocolate drink; all the spices add a really fun, gourmet twist. It is also great on top of ice cream - the spiciness is largely masked by the sugars from the ice cream, but the flavor of the chilies shines through. If you want it to make your ice cream really spicy, use more cayenne.

Aztec Chocolate Syrup
This sauce is mild to medium spicy; increase the cayenne if you want spicier sauce, or omit it for mild sauce.
Yield: about 2 cups syrup

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 3 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
1. In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar and cocoa powder. Stir together, breaking up any clumps of cocoa. Add the water and salt, and stir.
2. Place pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and boil for a minute until the mixture thickens slightly. At this point, it will coat the back of your spoon and look like you expect chocolate syrup to look.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Let it cool about 5 minutes, then stir in the vanilla extract and spices. (If you add the vanilla before it cools, it will evaporate and not flavor your syrup!). Adjust the heat level to your preference.
4. Pour into an airtight container, let cool, then store in the fridge.

I'm loving our warm weather this week - although I had to photograph this ice cream fast so it didn't melt (too much) on me! I've been getting out for runs with Cooper and Nick, and I'm loving how late it stays light.

I've been doing a lot of planning work for our outdoor container garden, and I'll be telling you all about that soon! With this warm weather, it looks like we might start things off quite a bit earlier than I thought. 

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Steak Piadini with Gorgonzola and Creamy Horseradish Sauce

Today I have a special treat for you - a post from Nick! 

Although it took some initial convincing, my wife quickly relented and allowed me to purchase our first grill.  So, soon after we were married and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, I purchased the grill.  Although I would have loved a Weber Performer charcoal grill, we live on the second floor of an apartment complex, so a gas grill made more sense for us.  After some research, I settled on a Char-Griller Grillin’ Pro gas grill for around $160.  After nearly five months of use, I have been happy with the grill and would recommend it to anyone on a budget. 

Although I have always been capable of grilling the basics, I recently began to attempt more complicated recipes.  Tonight marks my first foray into preparing a complex entrée on the grill.

Steak Piadini with Gorgonzola and Creamy Horseradish Sauce

This is a combination of two recipes, the steak sandwiches with grilled onions and creamy horseradish sauce and the steak and gorgonzola piadini, from Weber’s Way to Grill by Jamie Purviance.

Yield: 4 Piadinis

Piadini dough

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups warm water

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

2 ¼ cups whole wheat flour

2 ¼ cups bread flour

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

In a stand mixer bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast.  Allow to sit until a thin frothy layer forms, approximately five minutes.  Add the flour, oil, and salt and mix on low speed using a dough hook until the ingredients combine, approximately 1 minute.  Increase the mixer speed to medium and continue to mix until the dough is slightly sticky, smooth, and elastic.  You may need to add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time to get the correct consistency.  Form the dough into a ball and place in an oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 1 ½ to 2 hours.  The dough should double in size.

Punch down the dough in the bowl.  Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and cut into 4 equal sized pieces.  Roll each dough piece into 8 to 10 inch float rounds.  Lay each round on an oiled piece of foil and lightly oil the top of each round.  I like to use our Misto oil sprayer for this.  Stack the rounds and set aside.

Marinade

INGREDIENTS

2 cups red wine (I used a malbec)

1 cup soy sauce

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon baking soda

Steak of your choice – I used rib-eye, but New York strip would work as well

2 red onions, sliced into ¼ inch rings

8 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese

DIRECTIONS

Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until the oil combines.  Pull out 1 cup and place in another bowl.  Add the onions to the 1 cup of marinade and gently stir to coat them.  Pour the additional 3 cups of marinade into a non-reactive baking dish and add the baking soda.  Put the steaks in the baking dish and turn to coat the steaks.  Allow to marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes, turning once.

Creamy horseradish sauce

INGREDIENTS

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup prepared horseradish

Thyme

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl.  Cover and place in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld.

GRILLING DIRECTIONS

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat on one side and direct cooking over medium heat on the opposite side.  Grill the steaks over direct high heat until done, approximately 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare, turning only once.  Remove the steak and allow to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.  Slice the steaks on the bias into thin strips.  Grill the onions over direct medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, also turning only once.  Remove the onions from the grill and return to the bowl of marinade. 

While the steak rests and onions marinade, prepare the grill for direct medium heat.  Lay two dough rounds on the rill with the foil side up and remove the foil.  Grill until the rounds are golden brown on the bottom side, 2 to 3 minutes.  Flip the rounds and spread ¼ of the gorgonzola on the cooked side of the round.  Continue to grill until the round is crisp and the cheese is melted.  Repeat with the remaining dough rounds.

To assemble the piadini, pile onions on one half of the round and layer with steak.  Top with arugula.  Using a spatula, spread the creamy horseradish sauce on the other half of the piadini.  Fold the piadini in half and cut in half using a serrated knife.  Enjoy!