The proof is in the Darcie Hossack pudding
Darice’s recipe for Vanilla Bean Arborio Pudding
Vanilla Bean Arborio Pudding. Photo: Darcie Hossack.
By Darcie and Dean Hossack
Dear Darcie Hossack;
Thanks for the very flattering story about my shop [Choklat].
How did your cupcake turn out?
Just make sure to use at least a 70% dark chocolate, and not a cocoa powder. The fat in the chocolate replaces the fat that most cupcake recipes call for (actually vegetable shortening… yuck!), and the cocoa solids in the chocolate replace the cocoa powder (also yuck).
Good tasting chocolate, and then the whipped ganache on top are the tricks to a smokin’ good chocolate cupcake!
Cheers, and thanks again for spreading the good word!
Respectfully,
Brad Churchill
President & CEO
FTCG Enterprises Inc. / Choklat
Dear Brad,
All I can say is I should have chained myself to your conch machine until you parted with that cupcake recipe!
But I understand. Proprietary recipes are hardly the stuff one inks down on a napkin for everyone who comes in, wanting to share it with a hundred thousand friends.
After much sleuthing through the bakebooks in my, and other peoples’, collections, though, the recipe I used and adapted (so as not to trod on copyright) turned out rather nicely, I thought. Alas, as you saw, the batter was made using cocoa powder, not dark ribbons of chocolate. Chocolate there was in the ganache. Erringly, just not in the cup.
Who knew?
It’s been too long since I was in Choklat for a real side-by-each comparison. And yet I remember the original well. Too well! I have daydreams about that cupcake. I’ll be sure to come back in the fall when I’m next in Calgary. In the meantime, if there are any pastry chefs or chocolatiers out there who’d like to share a recipe for chocolate cupcakes baked with real chocolate, you know where to find me.
Hi Darcie and Dean
Enjoyed the Q and A in Bliss May 27. I would be very interested in the web site you found that does nutritional analysis, it sounds very informative and useful. If you would share that it would sure be appreciated.
Thank you
Deborah
Dear Deborah,
This has been a repeated request since May 27th. It seems that there are those out there, like yourself, who are not afraid of an honest inventory of their recipe box.
Cringingly, I’m opening mine for a dose of reality, too. And even though I’m under the temptation to enter ingredients from my lentil recipes alone and congratulate myself for all the vitamins and roughage I irregularly eat, there are easier ways to practice self delusion.
So, for my first example, I confess that two bites of a ganashed, itty bitty, mini cupcake (mentioned above) nets 95 calories with 5g of fat and not a fleck of fibre. My Three Cheese Spinach Artichoke Dip from Christmas, if divided among six snackers, supplies 350 calories per serving before crackers. It’s loaded with 28g of cheesy fat and a respectable, but comparatively irrelevant, 5g of fibre.
Since there were not six snackers any of the three times I made said dip in December, I require no further explanation for why I spent January in workout wear.
On the other hand, the Easy Egg Dhal from a couple weeks ago supplies 9g of fibre in a 238 calorie meal, before ladled over cooked rice.
And the makings of some rice pudding, just because that’s what I happen to be hankering after today? Well, if you really want to find out for yourself, go to http://www.nutritiondata.com/ and click on Analyze Recipe. Personally, I don’t want to know just yet.
Vanilla Bean Arborio Pudding
1 cup arborio rice, rinsed
8 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 cup sugar
pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup whipping cream
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine rice, milk, vanilla pod and seeds, sugar and salt. Over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, bring to a boil. Continuing to stir frequently, reduce heat and simmer 35-40 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. Remove pod, stir in cream and transfer to a shallow glass baking dish (the greater surface area will allow quick cooling and prevent early spoilage). Cover with plastic wrap, making contact with the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Cool for half an hour then transfer to the fridge to chill before serving.
Optional: For chocolate rice pudding, stir in 3 oz of good-quality chopped dark chocolate along with the cream, stir until melted and combined.
Category: Food
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
