Sunday, January 27, 2013

Crema de cacao con cacahuete

One of our favorite things to do when visiting Spain is go to the most amazing chocolate shop Cacao Sampaka. They not only sell the most amazing chocolates but also have a cafe to taste their amazing chocolates in all sorts of other forms. One of our favorite items is a chocolate and peanut butter sandwich. So simple, yet so delicious. 

I had a jar of the wonderful chocolate spread, but it is no more. Yesterday we took the kids to high tea and they served a Nutella sandwich. I then realized that I could make my own. 

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I used this recipe, substituting the hazelnuts for peanuts and left out the sugar.

Crema de Cacao con Cacahuete (Chocolate Cream with Peanuts)
2 cups (heaping) roasted peanuts (I used half salted)
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature
1 cup heavy cream



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Grind peanuts in food processor or blender until paste forms. 


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Place chocolate in a medium metal bowl. Set bowl over a large saucepan of simmering water; stir often until chocolate is melted and smooth. 

Remove from heat and add the butter. Stir to completely incorporate. 

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Add the chocolate mixture to the nuts and blend a few second to fully combine.



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With the motor running pour in the cream and blend a few seconds to fully combine. 

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The paste will be very thin at this point, as it cools it will thicken. Place into jars for storage and cool, or spread directly on toast. Enjoy!

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Friday, January 25, 2013

This may be the best easy pizza ever!

Serious... this was supper easy and delicious!!

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2013/01/foolproof-pan-pizza-recipe.html?ref=box_latest

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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Left Over Chili

I recently noticed that I had a lot of left over beans in the refrigerator that needed to be consumed. What better way to use them than a nice chili, particularly on these bitter cold days. 

Any beans will work, I like a combination of several, here I used red, white and left over refried black beans. 



Left Over Bean Chili

oil or butter
onion, green, white and/ or red, diced
carrot, diced
bell pepper, diced
2 -3 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs oregano, Mexican if available
1 tsp cayenne 

can tomato

beans, red, black, pinto or other cooked beans






In a large pot (cast iron) warm butter or oil and add onion and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium until softened for about 5 minutes.



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Add the pepper and garlic and cook another few minutes.

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Add spices and stir to combine.

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Add beans and tomatoes. Cook over medium seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Add water to thin and keep from getting too thick.

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To serve, top with hot sauce, cheese, guacamole and rice. 

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