Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-29 Thread Julia Thompson

Gary Denton wrote:

On 12/18/05, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:


Gary Nunn wrote:


2005/12/12, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:



I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)


One of my favorite winter drinks is a mug of hot chocolate, made with milk,
that has marshmallow peeps floating in it instead of standard marshmallows.
I find that the Christmas tree peeps work best... Or for the politically
correct on the list, I mean the Holiday Tree peeps work the best.  :-)


On a pagan-centric list I'm on (long story), someone posted about
finding a really cool artificial "Yule tree".  (At Dollar General, no
less)

  Julia


I went to a couple Solstice parties a few years ago that had a  yule
log with natural decorations.  I see now yule logs are more often cake
desserts.


The Statesman had directions on how to make one, with pictures, no less. 
 :)  I've never actually eaten any of one.  (Not sure I've been to a 
function that had one -- the one I was going to most regularly that was 
likely to have that sort of thing, I last went to in 1997)


Julia



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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-28 Thread Gary Denton
On 12/18/05, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Gary Nunn wrote:
> > 2005/12/12, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> >
> >>I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)
> > One of my favorite winter drinks is a mug of hot chocolate, made with milk,
> > that has marshmallow peeps floating in it instead of standard marshmallows.
> > I find that the Christmas tree peeps work best... Or for the politically
> > correct on the list, I mean the Holiday Tree peeps work the best.  :-)
>
> On a pagan-centric list I'm on (long story), someone posted about
> finding a really cool artificial "Yule tree".  (At Dollar General, no
> less)
>
>Julia
I went to a couple Solstice parties a few years ago that had a  yule
log with natural decorations.  I see now yule logs are more often cake
desserts.


--
Gary Denton
http://www.apollocon.org  June 23-25, 2006
"Intelligunt Desine Rulez!"
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-21 Thread Deborah Harrell
Much snippage throughout-

> Mauro Diotallevi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Deborah Harrell wrote:
> > > Mauro "the gourmand" Diotallevi wrote:

> > > ...Think mango and chipotle peppers
> > > together, for an example, or papaya and cayenne.
 Or
> > > the mixture of chocolate and various peppers in
mole.

> >   Sorry, I have tried mole several times
and
> > found it very unpalatable...But mango-chipotle
salsa sounds
> > delicious!
 
> Mangoes are one of my favorite foods in the world,
> but mole comes in a close
> second. ...But certainly, everyone's tastes are
different.  For
> example, despite their
> similarities, I enjoy a good haggis but am not much
> fond of menudo.

Some friends brought traditional and vegetarian haggis
back from Scotland - I enjoyed both, but the veggie
was nicely spicy, so I preferred that.

> > ...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.

Guess I'll have to get some.

> > > 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... 

[Aside: eeeuuw!  !Ronn!  :P]
I do prefer C&H brown sugar to the less expensive ones
that are essentially white sugar with molasses added
back (waves to Julia).

Debbi
whose cat prefers vole tartar, but would probably
enjoy mole that way as well

>From the "Song of Bashir"-

Mousies fleet are quite a treat
To chase around the barn-o;
And when they've done their bestest run
They make great mouse tartar-o!

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-18 Thread Julia Thompson

Gary Nunn wrote:

2005/12/12, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:


I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)




One of my favorite winter drinks is a mug of hot chocolate, made with milk,
that has marshmallow peeps floating in it instead of standard marshmallows.
I find that the Christmas tree peeps work best... Or for the politically
correct on the list, I mean the Holiday Tree peeps work the best.  :-)


On a pagan-centric list I'm on (long story), someone posted about 
finding a really cool artificial "Yule tree".  (At Dollar General, no 
less)


Julia

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-18 Thread Julia Thompson

Dave Land wrote:

On Dec 17, 2005, at 10:42 AM, Jean-Louis Couturier wrote:


2005/12/12, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:



I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)



And it's just the time for it.  One of my favourite seasonal treats
is hot chocolate with a candy cane suspended from the rim of
the cup.  Stem goes inside, smallcanes are more practical.



If you permit yourself alcohol, peppermint schnapps is a fine
addition to hot ccocoa.


Ooo, yes.

Extract will do in a pinch.  (That, too, contains alcohol.  Wintergreen 
had the highest concentration last I looked, with 91%.)


Julia
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-18 Thread Dave Land

On Dec 17, 2005, at 10:42 AM, Jean-Louis Couturier wrote:


2005/12/12, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:


I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)


And it's just the time for it.  One of my favourite seasonal treats
is hot chocolate with a candy cane suspended from the rim of
the cup.  Stem goes inside, smallcanes are more practical.


If you permit yourself alcohol, peppermint schnapps is a fine
addition to hot ccocoa.


Jean-Louis "Hasn't even out up the tree yet" Couturier


Our tree outed itself years ago.

Dave

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Re: Menudo [was: Cocoa additives]

2005-12-18 Thread Doug Pensinger
On Sun, 18 Dec 2005 17:25:45 +, Alberto Monteiro 
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:



Gary Nunn wrote:


Menudo? Wasn't that one of those smarmy, really bad, Boy Bands in the 
late

80's or early 90's?


In my former work, we once hired an intern who claimed having been
a big fan of Sting, with Sting pictures all over her bedroom. When we
were preparing to mock her, she told us to hold a minute, and explained
that _all_ her girl friends were big fans of _Menudo_. So we forgave her.

AFAIK, Ricky Martin is a former Menudo.


Isn't menudo a (Mexican?) soup or something made with pig intestines?

--
Doug
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Menudo [was: Cocoa additives]

2005-12-18 Thread Alberto Monteiro
Gary Nunn wrote:
>
> Menudo? Wasn't that one of those smarmy, really bad, Boy Bands in the late
> 80's or early 90's?
>
In my former work, we once hired an intern who claimed having been
a big fan of Sting, with Sting pictures all over her bedroom. When we
were preparing to mock her, she told us to hold a minute, and explained
that _all_ her girl friends were big fans of _Menudo_. So we forgave her.

AFAIK, Ricky Martin is a former Menudo.

Alberto Monteiro

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RE: Cocoa additives

2005-12-18 Thread Gary Nunn

2005/12/12, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)


One of my favorite winter drinks is a mug of hot chocolate, made with milk,
that has marshmallow peeps floating in it instead of standard marshmallows.
I find that the Christmas tree peeps work best... Or for the politically
correct on the list, I mean the Holiday Tree peeps work the best.  :-)

Gary

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RE: Cocoa additives

2005-12-18 Thread Gary Nunn
 
>Menudo is supposedly comfort food for hangovers.

Menudo? Wasn't that one of those smarmy, really bad, Boy Bands in the late
80's or early 90's?

Gary

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-17 Thread Jean-Louis Couturier
2005/12/12, Julia Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)
>

And it's just the time for it.  One of my favourite seasonal treats
is hot chocolate with a candy cane suspended from the rim of
the cup.  Stem goes inside, smallcanes are more practical.

Yummy.

Jean-Louis "Hasn't even out up the tree yet" Couturier
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-13 Thread Reggie Bautista
Debbie said:
> >  Sorry, I have tried mole several times and
> >found it very unpalatable; maybe it just wasn't
> >prepared correctly.

Ron replied:
> A cat keeps them out of the garden, but AFAIK they generally eat them
> raw (whatever part of them they do eat).  I don't know how to prepare
> them so humans will enjoy them.  I suspect that the first step would
> be to remove the dirt . . .
>

Ronn, I realize you are kidding here (please tell me you are kidding?), but
as the list's token Latino, I feel obligated to at least post a link or
two

http://www.texascooking.com/features/aug2004molerecipes.htm

http://www.tenspeedpress.com/inside/page.php3?ftr=192

Reggie Bautista
Relurking Maru

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-13 Thread Gary Denton
On 12/12/05, Mauro Diotallevi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On 12/12/05, Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> > > Mauro "the gourmand" Diotallevi
> > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >   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...

I have been wanting to try the 888 Chinese restaurant in Houston that
has Mango Shrimp and other mango dishes.  Part of the revitalized
Gulfgate retail area.  Last night I went to the Boudreaux near there
and had gator for the first time.  Their blackened gator is delicious,
they also have a good etouffee.

A good etouffee recipe is here:
http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/091102/fea_ship1.shtml

>
> But certainly, everyone's tastes are different.  For example, despite their
> similarities, I enjoy a good haggis but am not much fond of menudo.

Menudo is supposedly comfort food for hangovers.

> > > 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.  ;)
> >

Often a bit of pepper - a good black pepper or hot pepper - enhances
other flavors.

Also a sweet fruit - jalapeno glaze on meats can be very good.  Sweet,
tangy and really goes well with pork and turkey.

I used to think that black pepper was just black pepper until I tasted
black pepper from Watkins.  (Unless it was Adam's black Malabar I
tasted first? Damn it,  now I am going to have to do a taste
comparison.)

> > 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?

I really like chai.  When refiling my glass at a restaurant a year ago
I  noticed the coffee fixings were out and I added half and half and
brown sugar to their iced currant tea.  Now I always do that there.

This seems to have been all odds and ends on food,  I suppose skipping
breakfast and lunch can do that to your train of thought.

--
Gary Denton
http://www.apollocon.org  June 23-25, 2006
"I need some eggnog"
Easter Lemming Liberal News Digest -
http://elemming2.blogspot.com
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Dave Land


On Dec 12, 2005, at 10:56 PM, Ronn!Blankenship wrote:


At 12:54 AM Tuesday 12/13/2005, Dave Land wrote:

On Dec 9, 2005, at 5:28 PM, Mauro Diotallevi 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.


Funny how things go in circles...

10 years or so, when Kevin was diagnosed, I was on a mailing list
called Cancer-L for cancer patients and caregivers. A number of
recipes for cayenne candy were given to help people suffering from
chemo-induced mouth sores. Evidently, it takes *lots* of cayenne
to be effective.

If you're interested in the recipe, Google "Cancer-L cayenne". You
may want to ignore the advice given in the FAQ to use a quarter
cup of cayenne: it might be more than you can handle.



How does it work on ordinary canker sores?


I have no idea, but you can try it for yourself with the recipe
in the 10-year-old Cancer FAQ:

http://www.faqs.org/faqs/cancer-faq/

It's at the very bottom.

Dave


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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Ronn!Blankenship

At 12:54 AM Tuesday 12/13/2005, Dave Land wrote:

On Dec 9, 2005, at 5:28 PM, Mauro Diotallevi 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.


Funny how things go in circles...

10 years or so, when Kevin was diagnosed, I was on a mailing list
called Cancer-L for cancer patients and caregivers. A number of
recipes for cayenne candy were given to help people suffering from
chemo-induced mouth sores. Evidently, it takes *lots* of cayenne
to be effective.

If you're interested in the recipe, Google "Cancer-L cayenne". You
may want to ignore the advice given in the FAQ to use a quarter
cup of cayenne: it might be more than you can handle.



How does it work on ordinary canker sores?


-- Ronn!  :)

Someone asked me to change my .sig quote, so I did.




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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Dave Land

On Dec 9, 2005, at 5:28 PM, Mauro Diotallevi 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.


Funny how things go in circles...

10 years or so, when Kevin was diagnosed, I was on a mailing list
called Cancer-L for cancer patients and caregivers. A number of
recipes for cayenne candy were given to help people suffering from
chemo-induced mouth sores. Evidently, it takes *lots* of cayenne
to be effective.

If you're interested in the recipe, Google "Cancer-L cayenne". You
may want to ignore the advice given in the FAQ to use a quarter
cup of cayenne: it might be more than you can handle.

Dave

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Dave Land

On Dec 12, 2005, at 10:39 AM, Deborah Harrell wrote:


But mango-chipotle salsa sounds delicious!


I'd like to cast a vote for mango salsa. It is amazing.
Even the store-bought stuff from Trader Joe's is quite
nice.

Dave
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Ronn!Blankenship

At 05:40 PM Monday 12/12/2005, Mauro Diotallevi wrote:


>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.




Is that more or less than the FDA-allowed maximum percentage of 
animal hairs, insect parts, and rodent droppings?



-- Ronn!  :)

Someone asked me to change my .sig quote, so I did.




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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Ronn!Blankenship

At 12:39 PM Monday 12/12/2005, Deborah Harrell wrote:


  Sorry, I have tried mole several times and
found it very unpalatable; maybe it just wasn't
prepared correctly.




A cat keeps them out of the garden, but AFAIK they generally eat them 
raw (whatever part of them they do eat).  I don't know how to prepare 
them so humans will enjoy them.  I suspect that the first step would 
be to remove the dirt . . .





  But mango-chipotle salsa sounds
delicious!

> 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?




I like ginger, and I like milk, but I have never tried mixing them.


-- Ronn!  :)

Someone asked me to change my .sig quote, so I did.




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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Mauro Diotallevi
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.
>
>   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 MMmm...
> (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
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Julia Thompson

Deborah Harrell 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.



  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!


How about salsa made with peaches?  (Nicest use of peaches I can think 
of -- I'm very much un-fond of them in cobbler, frex!)



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?


Well, the thought of candied ginger plus milk is revolting.  (I've eaten 
a lot of candied ginger for medicinal purposes -- it can help with 
morning sickness, and I had that in spades with my second pregnancy.)


Ginger snaps with milk are delightful.

I'll extrapolate that it would work better with powdered ginger.  :)


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...


I'm with you on ginger vs. cocoa with all that!


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 MMmm...
(But not appropriate before heading out to the barn. 
Trust me.)


I like having something minty in my cocoa.  :)


And of course, any sweetener added to any of these
should be pure cane sugar.  



Why?  Sucrose ought to be sucrose, whatever the
source.

Debbi
Apparently Less Discriminating Tastebuds Maru   :)


1)  Someone might [shudder] add non-sucrose sweetener.

2)  Maple sugar or brown sugar is going to add flavor overtones that you 
probably don't want with your cocoa.  (Maple sugar in coffee is another 
matter entirely.  Not that I've done it, but I've read about it, and the 
person who tried it liked it, at least.)


Julia



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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Julia Thompson

Deborah Harrell wrote:

Gary Denton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:




Why is allspice not good in cocoa?



 


On 12/9/05, Deborah Harrell wrote:
Not so good: allspice.



I didn't think that the taste enhanced that of cocoa -
not sure why; you might decide differently.  I didn't
like molasses in it either (I was out of sugar, and
desperate for chocolate...won't do *that* again!).


Oh, dear, if I'd thought about it just a minute I could have told you 
that molasses doesn't work with milk and chocolate


I'd much sooner try Karo.  (Even then, I shudder.)

(We use molasses for various things, and so have considered what it is 
good with and what it would probably be atrocious with.)


Juila

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Jim Sharkey

Deborah Harrell wrote:
>Kahlua. Frangelica. Bailey's MMmm...

All good apertifs.  Though my favorite topper is Grand Marnier.  
However, that's not booze for the faint of liver or of wallet.  ;-p

Jim

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Deborah Harrell
> 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.

  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!
 
> 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?

>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...
 
> 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 MMmm...
(But not appropriate before heading out to the barn. 
Trust me.)

> And of course, any sweetener added to any of these
> should be pure cane sugar.  

Why?  Sucrose ought to be sucrose, whatever the
source.

Debbi
Apparently Less Discriminating Tastebuds Maru   :)

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-12 Thread Deborah Harrell
> Gary Denton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Why is allspice not good in cocoa?

 
> >On 12/9/05, Deborah Harrell wrote:
> > Not so good: allspice.

I didn't think that the taste enhanced that of cocoa -
not sure why; you might decide differently.  I didn't
like molasses in it either (I was out of sugar, and
desperate for chocolate...won't do *that* again!).

Debbi
Just A Few Hundred More Posts To Peruse Maru  :P

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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-10 Thread Gary Denton
On 12/9/05, Mauro Diotallevi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On 12/9/05, Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> > I didn't intend to be lurkish, but so it appears...
>
>
> I sympathize with the feeling.  It doesn't matter how much I intend to
> become more active; it seems I always find other things taking up more of my
> time.
>
>
> > Anyway, the recent frigid weather here has had me
> > experimenting with flavors in my cocoa; nutmeg,
> > cinnamon and mint are well-known, but a dash of the
> > following is good too:
> > mace (the spice, not the canned spray!)
> > cardomom
> > clove
> > Not so good: allspice.
>
>
> 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.
>
> 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 :-)   
> I hope that helps!
>
> Mauro
> "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."

Chipmunks Roasting On an Open Fire - Bob Rivers Band

(Parody of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) by
Nat King Cole)

Chipmunks roasting on an open fire
Hot sauce dripping from their toes
("Oh! That tickles!")
Yuletide squirrels fresh filleted by the choir
They poked hot skewers through their nose
("Ow! Wrong end, ya cowboy!")
...more

http://www.bobrivers.com/audiovault/tunes/tunestop30.asp
--
Gary Denton
http://www.apollocon.org  June 23-25, 2006

It's beginning to seem a lot like Xmas -  Santa Robot's eyes glowed a
bright red. "What do you want for Xmas, Leela?"

Easter Lemming Liberal News Digest -
http://elemming2.blogspot.com
Notebook - http://elemming.blogspot.com
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-09 Thread Mauro Diotallevi
On 12/9/05, Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> I didn't intend to be lurkish, but so it appears...


I sympathize with the feeling.  It doesn't matter how much I intend to
become more active; it seems I always find other things taking up more of my
time.


> Anyway, the recent frigid weather here has had me
> experimenting with flavors in my cocoa; nutmeg,
> cinnamon and mint are well-known, but a dash of the
> following is good too:
> mace (the spice, not the canned spray!)
> cardomom
> clove
> Not so good: allspice.


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.

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 :-)   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.

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!

You could also try mixing in a little almond powder or nearly powdered
walnuts, perhaps mixed with a very small amount of crushed clove.  I've
never tried this myself, but it would certainly be seasonal to add crushed
roasted chesnuts.  You could purchase a fancy grinder, but if your cabinetry
is solid then the traditional "hammer and towel" approach is just perfect.

Rather than seasoning the cocoa directly, you could experiment with using
the cocoa to season other items.  For example, try various sugar cookies and
spice cakes to dip into the cocoa.  Depending on your taste, carrot cake
might work well here, or a Swedish or Swiss basel brunsli -- a cookie made
from chocolate, cinnamon, egg whites, and almonds, with a little clove and
confectioners' sugar.  A nice tart cranberry oatmeal cookie would work
nicely too.

And of course, any sweetener added to any of these should be pure cane
sugar.  If you buy a package of sugar that doesn't say that it is made from
pure cane, then it probably came primarily from sugar beets.  The only
viable alternative to cane sugar as far as I'm concerned is stevia, although
it is a bit harder to find and I'm still getting a feel for how it reacts
differently than sugar when cooked.

I hope that helps!

Mauro
"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."
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Re: Cocoa additives

2005-12-09 Thread Gary Denton
Why is allspice not good in cocoa?


On 12/9/05, Deborah Harrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I didn't intend to be lurkish, but so it appears...
>
> Anyway, the recent frigid weather here has had me
> experimenting with flavors in my cocoa; nutmeg,
> cinnamon and mint are well-known, but a dash of the
> following is good too:
> mace (the spice, not the canned spray!)
> cardomom
> clove
>
> Not so good: allspice.
>
> Debbi
> Pretzels Are NOT For Dunking In Cocoa, Sir! Maru;)

--
Gary Denton
http://www.apollocon.org  June 23-25, 2006
"The budget should be balanced; the treasury should be refilled; public
debt should be reduced; and the arrogance of public officials should be
controlled." -Cicero. 106-43 B.C.
Easter Lemming Liberal News Digest -
http://elemming2.blogspot.com
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Cocoa additives

2005-12-09 Thread Deborah Harrell
I didn't intend to be lurkish, but so it appears...

Anyway, the recent frigid weather here has had me
experimenting with flavors in my cocoa; nutmeg,
cinnamon and mint are well-known, but a dash of the
following is good too:
mace (the spice, not the canned spray!)
cardomom
clove

Not so good: allspice.

Debbi
Pretzels Are NOT For Dunking In Cocoa, Sir! Maru;)

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