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contest BEGIN! Savory Chocolate Throwdown

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"Andouille cocoa puffs"
 
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Hybrid Mode 01 said:
     Cocoa Gumbo with Chicken and Sausage
 
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     Andouille cocoa puffs:
 
- ~1.5 lb andouille
- 1T. chocolate habanero flakes
- 1.5T. cocoa powder
 
     -Mix meat and seasonings thoroughly.
     -Form into flat 1" balls and chill to firm.
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     -Fry in a hot cast iron dutch oven until nice and brown.
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     -Drain on paper towels and set aside.
 
 
 
     Fried chicken:
 
- 3lb. boneless chicken thighs
- ~2t. kosher salt for brining
-  1T. cayenne flakes
    
     -Trim thighs and rub in salt and cayenne. Let it sit for an hour or two to absorb salt.
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     -Combine in a ziploc bag:
 
- ~1 c. flour
- 1T. chimayo flakes
- 1.5t. ground marjoram
- 2T cocoa powder
- 1t. black pepper
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     -Add about a half cup of oil to leftover andouille fat and heat until just smoking.
     -Shake chicken in flour and fry in batches until sexy.
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(And I mean sexy!)
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     -Set aside.
 
     Gumbo base:
 
- 2c. diced onion
- 1c. diced celery
- 1c. diced green bell pepper
- 1/2t. ground thyme
- 1/2t. black pepper
 
     -Heat leftover oil until just smoking.
     -Add veggies to oil and cook on med/high heat, stirring occasionally.
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     -When veggies have browned and are soft, add 8c. chicken broth. Bring to a simmer.
     - Add a heap of okra and return to simmer.
     - Add andouille balls and (sliced) chicken thighs.
     - Return to a simmer and cover for an hour or so.
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     -Serve over rice with fresh homemade buttered bread.
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     So last week I was jonesin' for a new gumbo recipe to try out. Rajun Gardener came to the rescue and posted some for me to try. I was all set to make a regular, authentic Louisiana gumbo and then I got an idea. When I make gumbo, I like to use a really dark, flavorful roux. I decided to find out how well cocoa's dark earthy flavors would pair with it. Then I started to get creative drink lots of double IPA (throwdown juice).
     Mixing the cocoa powder with the andouille seemed like the place to start along with a big scoop of chocolate habanero powder. SCORE! The aroma of the chocolatey browning meat told me I was on the right track. :drooling: But the smell and taste of the cocoa, herb and chimayo breaded chicken was what really got my attention. I don't think I'll ever make fried chicken again with out a big scoop of cocoa powder. It sounds weird, but the browned chicken flavors and the smooth kind of creamy flavor of the cocoa were just spectacular together.
     I would've never thought to put those flavors together without the incentive of this TD. Just too weird sounding. But the end result speaks for itself here. The umami chicken cocoa flavor kind of melted into the soup and lent it a meaty, subtly sweet undertone. But the chocolate hab andouille cocoa puffs kept to themselves and gave an occasional burst of spicy cocoa sausage flavor. The cocoa and chinense flavors really complemented the overall savory, red annuum flavors of the rest of the soup.
     I know I seriously bastardized a Southern staple here, but it was worth it. My wife and I were very pleasantly surprised with this one!
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Well, you can pretty much throw anything into Gumbo. Just don't make it look like the tomato soup with 'a' shrimp in I got on Jekyll Island once.
 
Woooooooooooooooo 4.5 hrs get it in now!
 
My mouth watered that's a good sign right?
 
Spicy ChocoPasta with Roquefort cream
 
 
This is based on an idea I have wanted to try for a good 10 yrs .  Ever since a little side trip down a sketchy side street  on our honeymoon in Montreal , on our way to try Schwartz's deli.   We were walking over from the closest Metro station and happened on this little chocolate shop. It was the only place on our whole trip where we got the sterotypical Quebeqois freeze out , but it had to this day the best piece of chocolate I have ever tasted. It sounded so freaky I had to try it, a bluecheese ganache filled dark chocolate .  Awesome and an eye opener on how well blue pairs with dark chocolate. 

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Gremolata
1/2 a smoked scotch bonnet crushed fine
Dried heel of an Italian loaf grated
A Tablespoon of walnut pieces
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
Zest of 1 orange
2 tsp of evoo

Low heat in pan ,add olive oil, toast mixture until crispy and fragrant


Pasta

1 1/2 cups ap flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 smoke dried scotch bonnet crushed into fine powder in mortar and pestle
6 egg yolks
1 whole egg

Sift four and cocoa powder scotch bonnet together, form well in center. Whisk egg and yolks in bowl pour into well. Slowly incorporate egg with fork, then using hands knead into a dough. Add small amount of cold water if needed. Knead for 5 mins. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in fridge for at least 1 hr to hydrate. Roll and cut with pasta roller

Cook in salted boiling water for approximately 3 mins
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Roquefort cream

3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
25 grams Roquefort

Melt butter over low heat , add cream, crumble Roquefort into heat cream/ butter. It will probably break at first. Keep stirring and add a small amount more cream as needed until it turns into a smooth sauce. Reduce slightly. When pasta is cooked add to sauce , tossing gently. Use some pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Top with the gemolata  I added some extra roquefort on the pasta but I think I would leave that off  on a repeat.. It pushed the salt envelope over the edge. The Roquefort cream on its own was actually well balanced full blue flavour but subtle , and worked well with a tiny bitterness from the cocoa in the pasta. Gremolata added a crispy texture and an occasional cut thru of orange when you hit some of the toasted zest
 
good lawd these are killer!

The Hot Pepper said:
 
NEW: PM me the link to the final entry. You can get the link URL by clicking the post number.
 
Reminder: Send me the link to the final post or it will not be included in the poll. Thanks!
 
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So far everyone has done this (thanks!) but just posting for the late entries.
 
This is so easy for entrants but REALLY saves me a lot of time constructing the poll.
 
Thank you!
 
grantmichaels said:
i've managed not to say it, but ...

you guys call my shit weird? ...

ffuuuu ...

i'm NEVER taking that again ... ever ...
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Like always I just cooked what I wanted .  I don't really worry much about mainstreaming, which is fairly obvious  when you see bluecheese or black olives, anchovies , goat cheese etc in my various TD entries. 
I think the only ingredient I have ever specially  bought for a TD  is goat cheese.  :P
 
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