On 12/12/05, Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Mauro "the gourmand" Diotallevi > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > My wife says that nutmeg goes with everything. But > > I personally have always > > enjoyed mixing sweet with hot and spicy. Think > > mango and chipotle peppers > > together, for an example, or papaya and cayenne. Or > > the mixture of > > chocolate and various peppers in mole. > > <shudders> Sorry, I have tried mole several times and > found it very unpalatable; maybe it just wasn't > prepared correctly. But mango-chipotle salsa sounds > delicious!
Mangoes are one of my favorite foods in the world, but mole comes in a close second. I believe turkey mole is more traditional, but chicken mole is made much more commonly these days. I've even eaten a nice pork mole. A recent contestant on Iron Chef America made a sauce that was more or less mole and called it "Aztec Love Potion." I believe there is a Colorado company that actually makes a Cocoa Mole food bar, with no meat in it but with raisins, almonds, walnuts, dates, chili powder... I'm missing an ingredient or two here... But certainly, everyone's tastes are different. For example, despite their similarities, I enjoy a good haggis but am not much fond of menudo. > > If you are adventurous, try a dash of Trappey's Red > > Devil Sauce in your > > cocoa. Or a mixture of green chillies, ginger, > > coriander, and cumin, like > > you might find in an Indian curry -- I would leave > > out the onions, garlic, tomato, and ghee :-) > > You *are* skating on the edge of sanity, sir; I wish > to _enhance_ the flavor of cocoa, not mangle it. ;) > > My years-ago trial of fresh ginger in tea with milk > was tongue-curdling; how do you mix ginger and milk > without that? Or is it a matter of amount, or using > powdered ginger instead of fresh? Definitely powdered ginger, carefully applied. > >If you are really > > adventurous, puree some soy milk, > > butternut squash, peanut butter, and curry powder > > and mix a little of that in with the cocoa. > > Hmm, interesting. That sounds like it would go better > with ginger instead of cocoa; perhaps I'm more of a > purist than I thought... The squash mixture also makes a pretty good base for a soup. > > Changing gears a little, if you're not planning to > > go anywhere, a splash (or > > more!) of a fruit-flavored mead would go nicely with > > the cocoa. A > > blackberry mead should work well, or a mead with a > > bit of oaky flavor. You > > might also want to try a good, sweet Canadian > > icewine -- the ones from > > Ontario are the best in the world. For an extra > > warming effect, try the > > mead or icewine without the cocoa! > > Kahlua. Frangelica. Bailey's.... MMmmmmmm... > (But not appropriate before heading out to the barn. > Trust me.) All of the above are much better for warming up after coming back in from the barn, I would think. :-) > > And of course, any sweetener added to any of these > > should be pure cane sugar. > > Why? Sucrose ought to be sucrose, whatever the > source. >From http://www.candhsugarcompany.com/Consumer/cane_vs_beet.html at the C&H website: "Cane sugar contains trace minerals that are different from those in beet sugar, and it's these minerals that many experts say make cane sugar preferable to use. As professional bakers have long noticed, cane sugar has a low melting-point, absorbs fewer extraneous and undesirable odors, blends easily and is less likely to foam up. And that can be very important when you're caramelizing a syrup, making a delicate glaze, baking a delicious meringue, or simmering your family's favorite jam recipe.... The San Francisco Chronicle conducted a blind taste test, testing cane sugar vs. beet and consistently found the foods made with cane sugar were preferable." Those trace minerals and other "impurities" can amount to as much as 0.2% of the contents of a bag of sugar, IIRC. Mauro _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
