In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.
When I came across a recipe for "Swiss Squares" in my family's cookbook, I got excited. Although the dish seemed like a basic chocolate cake recipe, it used sour cream for leavening. As this is a pretty uncommon choice, I wanted to see its effect on the product.
Overall, I found that the bars were a bit richer than expected, with a nice moist crumb. In my finished version, I massively increased the chocolate and dolled up the frosting. Still, at its heart, this is a recipe for a rich chocolate cake. Then again, even the simplest cake can be pretty profound!
As we've noted, it's iced coffee time, folks. While we can all agree that the best version is that which is freshly brewed, sometimes you've got to make do with what can be grabbed out of the convenience store fridge. Starbucks' Frappuccino is a perennial favorite, and we're fans of their Doubleshot Energy Drink (especially the new Cinnamon Dulce flavor) when caffeine alone isn't quite enough.
Behold, however, a challenge to Starbucks supremacy from Pom Iced Coffee. Far from an unpleasant mix of joe and pomegranate juice (though it does feature a touch of the antioxidant-laced fruit extract), this is one smooth-blended iced coffee drink. The cafe au lait version is delightful, but it is the chocolate that may soon boast the title of best bottled iced coffee, with an addiction-inspiring taste reminiscent of a blend of Yoo-Hoo and chocolate Nestle Quik.
The only problem with this cooling nectar? It's only available at select stores and Whole Foods in the Northeast (though bottles have been spied at 99-cent stores on the west coast). If anything were to make a convenience store crawl or a trip to a pricey specialty grocer worth it, it is Pom Chocolate Iced Coffee. So stock up.
Note:Slashfood does not accept compensation of any sort in exchange for reviews.
Barbie, as you may know, turned 50 earlier this year. If this slightly belated bit of promotional whimsy is any indication, plenty of you still want a piece of her.
To celebrate the doll's 50th, Dylan's Candy Bar created "Barbie Loves Dylan's," a line of chocolate and candy outfitted in colorful graphics befitting the belle's pop-art and pop-cultural legacy. We love the way these chocolates are packaged, with through-the-years pix inspiring affectionate memories of both "The Brady Bunch" and yearbook photos of days (and unfortunate hairstyles) gone by.
It's rare to come across chocolate whose packaging wouldn't look out of place next to a Warhol, and we applaud whatever graphic design genius was behind this. But if Barbie taught us anything, it's that beauty is skin deep, and that lesson unfortunately applies to the chocolate bearing her name. It tastes as plastic as Barbie herself or, in the words of one judge, "like drugstore Easter candy." Like Barbie herself, this chocolate could last 50 years ... in the back of a pantry.
For $14, a better move might be to pop the candies into a frame on the bedroom wall. 'Cause Barbie also taught us that when substance fails, style triumphs.
A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.
We all have our vices: Some live for libations while others pine for sweets. In St. Louis these two groups can merge in one ecstatic, sugar-fueled pit of sin at Bailey's Chocolate Bar. A lengthy menu of treats includes dramatic desserts, award-winning cocktails and sometimes the two in one beautiful bite (Irish Cream cheesecake, anyone?).
Beer is another of Chocolate Bar's specialties, as it boasts one of STL's most highly-regarded draft lists. A few selections seem obvious (such as Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Arcadia Cocoa Loco) but the bar also boasts a namesake brew, Bailey's Chocolate Bar Chocolate Ale. Of course, a great beer bar can't just stock stouts, and general manager Gene Bailey says they strive for "good enough variety where everyone can find something they like." Many of the current taps come from one brewery: "We're big fans of the New Belgium [Fat Tire] people," Gene admits. Beyond pure pints, Bailey's happily mingles sugar & suds: The Stout Beer Shake, blending chocolate stout and cinnamon ice cream, is a favorite.
Check out Bailey's Chocolate Bar's complete draft list after the jump, tell us if you've got a favorite chocolate beer and get your indulgence on in person next time you're in St. Louis.
It's easy to be mesmerized by decadent, complex flavors. Sometimes, though, the sweetest surprise is one that basks in simple, nostalgia-inducing basics.
Peanut butter Chocolate Eggs are a staple of the classic Easter basket. Nestled amongst the malted milk balls, cream eggs and bunnies, they are also a mystery: Seemingly innocuous chocolate conceals a treasure of nutty, buttery flavor. Some might take these treats for granted -- especially in their store-bought incarnation -- but we reckon once candy-lovers taste this incredible homemade variety they may not be able to go back to the bag.
From chocolate bunnies to bright, chipper Peeps, certain candies stick with us from childhood. That doesn't mean an Easter basket has to be free of adult-friendly, finger-licking flavor though. Why not parry the chocolate onslaught with bright and delicious citrus?
En route to a sugar coma this holiday, consider lemon: These white-chocolate lemon truffles are light, bright and fit well within the holiday color scheme. Though a tad time-consuming, they're well worth the effort. Just imagine biting through a bright, thin layer of silky white chocolate to get a tart burst of lemon -- it's our sprightly homage to the decadent Lindor truffle.
Dense, rich Humboldt Fog goat's-milk cheese topped with a river of sweet cocoa-and-fig jam? Are you guys drooling too?
We saw this photo over at The Kitchn last week and immediately canceled our existing Friday-night plan, instead summoning four friends to eat cheese and sip beer with us.
One word of advice: Certain fromage freaks might ignore the cracker entirely to try a hunk drizzled with fig compote sans cracker. Messy? A bit. Worth it? Oh, yes.
Wine and chocolate? Blech. At least that's my usual ho-hum reaction when I read (yet another) Valentine's wine-and-chocolate pairing story. If you ask me, pairing wine and chocolate is usually a futile exercise in taking two perfectly delicious things and ruining them by forcing them together. They bring out each other's worst qualities: overharsh tannins, weird flavors and aromas lurking beneath the surface, personality quirks that don't come out when they're alone.
But then I tried Brix, a line of chocolates made especially to go with wine, and I changed my tune. Brix is made from a single-origin chocolate from Ghana blended with Belgian chocolate. Each of the three blends (milk, dark, and extra-dark) was developed to complement different varietals and styles of wine. The darkest is good with Cabernet Sauvignon and other powerhouses; the middle complements Syrah and Zinfandel, and the milk chocolate is good with dessert wine and Pinot Noir.
My husband and I decided to go all out experimenting with the chocolates. We lined them up with a bunch of wines, and added some Dove dark chocolates and Lindor milk chocolate truffles to the mix.
Throwing an Oscar party? Need a party activity to keep guests entertained during all the boring awards? How about a movie-themed cupcake decorating contest? For this idea, I'm taking a page from my friends Jamie and Sarah's playbook: For their Super Bowl party, they mixed up buttercream icing tinted with Steelers and Cardinals colors, and during halftime we festooned delicious chocolate cupcakes with helmets, logos, and footballs. Some particularly artistic examples are pictured.
This idea would translate easily to an Oscar party. Options abound: you could ice one with an Oscar statuette, or you could decorate one with a best- or worst-dressed star. Give Mickey Rourke a facelift! Better yet, take inspiration from the movies nominated. Make sure to mix up black icing for the nuns' habits in Doubt (not to mention Richard Nixon's suit). Gooey icing should allow for an evocative interpretation of Two Face in The Dark Knight. And even though the Academy didn't give it the props many think it deserved, Wall-E ought to inspire some stellar cupcake art. One tip I learned from Jamie and Sarah: provide toothpicks for the fine detail work, like getting the Joker's makeup to bleed into his facial creases just so. And then eat up!
As a dedicated Slashfoodie, you've already noticed that for Valentine's Day, we at Slashfood wrote a lot about such expressions of romantic appreciation as were appropriate for general readership. We introduced you to chocolate from Askinosie, Dagoba and Green & Blacks. Hopefully you're not too chocolated-out after the weekend for just one more bite. Because if the chocolate is Escazu, you will want to make room.
Escazu is a town in Costa Rica and a chocolatier in Raleigh, North Carolina. According to the Escazu website, chocolatier Hallot Parson formed Escazu Artisan Chocolates after travels through Venezuela and Costa Rica, including visits to the cocoa farms. Thus was born -- perhaps more accurately bloomed -- the vision of artisinal chocolate executed with respect to chocolate's Latin American heritage.
Just getting that out of the way first, as it's proved nigh on impossible to mention this event to anyone without their invoking Roald Dahl's tale of confectionary hedonism. Pastry chef Laurent Richard has crafted a carnival-themed, all-you-can-eat chocolate dessert buffet at New York City's Ritz-Carlton's 14th floor Rise Bar, and for the price of admission, one receives the privilege of sticking one's face into the endless treat plates borne by spinning ferris wheel, carousel and roller coaster, and not coming up for air until every last Nutella crepe, haute faux Twix (Chef Ricard calls it a Raider Bar), chocolate financier, Valrhona-slathered strawberry and morsel of Black Forest griotine has been gobbled up. Don't worry -- he'll make more.
One of the many reasons we love Pinkberry is because of its many fabulous toppings, such as daily cut fresh fruit. Now, they've added white and milk chocolate shavings. Unlike many yogurt places that use stale chocolate chips, Pinkberry cuts shavings of fresh Belgian chocolate. The chocolate perfectly balances Pinkberry's three tangy flavors: Original, Pomegranate, and Green Tea.
The timing of the addition of this topping is perfect! Just in time for Valentine's Day, chocolate lovers can take their significant others to Pinkberry for some rich chocolate mixed in with smooth luscious yogurt. Pinkberry doesn't gratuitously add new flavors. When you try the chocolate, one of the first things you'll notice is its amazing quality.
A combo that I recommend is the original flavor topped with chocolate shavings, strawberries, and blueberries. Or, if you feeling like escaping to the Caribbean, try the original flavor with both white and milk chocolate shavings and coconut. If you've tried these new chocolate shavings, what were some of your favorite combos?
Don't find yourself scrambling on Valentine's Day for a good gift for the chocolate lover in your life. Get them half a dozen of Green & Black's chocolate bars in the knowledge that happiness is assured when you come with good chocolate in hand. Green & Black's makes a wide variety of high quality, organic chocolate. It's available nationwide and I can even pick several different kinds up at my local corner store (making it perfect for last minute hostess gifts).
If you want something a little more elegant than a simple bar, Green & Black's also individually-wrapped chocolate coins that come packaged in tall, slender boxes.
Next in our series of good chocolate for Valentine's Day is Dagoba's baking chocolate. Since 2001, Dagoba has been making a variety of organic chocolate products in their Ashland, OR factory (they were one of the very first organic chocolate producers). I'm a sucker for their Mint-Rosemary Bar, but recently, I've also become a total convert to their line of baking chocolates.
These chocolates turn a standard brownie recipe into something revelatory. If you're planning to bake something special for your sweetheart this year, instead of reaching for your regular baking chocolate, get yourself some of this Dagoba goodness. If you're on the hunt for the right recipe to romance your chocolate-loving Valentine, consider this flourless chocolate cake (I'd recommend the bittersweet chocolate for that cake, not the unsweetened variety pictured above). Pair it with raspberry sauce and freshly whipped cream for a dessert that says, "I love you."
Studies reveal that certain sweets, like chocolate activate the libido. Just last week, The Times of India had an article reporting on the aphrodisiac effects of chocolate particularly on men. Food scientists tracked down a specific ingredient responsible for these effects - Eurycoma Longifolia Jack.
Chocolates have long been associated with romance. As far back as the eighteenth century, food enthusiasts, like Brillat Savarin, raved about chocolate's corporal effects. So, when thinking about sweets for Valentine's Day, I often think of various chocolate confections and cakes.
Below are 8 chocolates I highly recommend this Valentine's Day:
Dozen Box of Roni's Roses - These chocolates are flavored with rose petal jam, powdered rose petals and exotic rose liqueur. If you're in NY, I highly suggest that you check out Roni-Sue's in the Essex Street Market in the Lower East Side.
Poco Dolce Burt Caramel Tiles - Everything made by Poco Dolce is phenomenal. They have truly mastered the delicious combination of salt and sweet.
We can change the way we make eggs -- scrambled, poached, fried -- but what about changing the eggs themselves? Mix up your scrambling routine with quail eggs.
In this weekly series, home cook Bruce Watson works his way through a decades-old family cookbook, adapting the best recipes exclusively for Slashfood.
As we've noted, it's 
It's easy to be mesmerized by decadent, complex flavors. Sometimes, though, the sweetest surprise is one that basks in simple, nostalgia-inducing basics.
As a dedicated Slashfoodie, you've already noticed that for Valentine's Day, we at Slashfood wrote a lot about such expressions of romantic appreciation as were appropriate for general readership. We introduced you to chocolate from 
Second Helping of Slashfood - June 19
Competitive-Eating Contest to Pit Humans Against Elephants
The Backyard Boom - The Hungry Bride
