Food of the Gods

What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate. Katharine Hepburn

There are many things in this world that make me sublimely happy, and surprisingly, not all of them have to do with my love of food, but then again, most of them do. Beyond food, watching the rain over the ocean at dusk realizing just how small I am, catching a whiff of freshly cut grass on a balmy summer morning, the long hard embrace of a friend who has been absent for many years, the silent moment of prayer before the first hymn sounds, the look of pride in your parents eyes the moment they know they succeeded at the world's hardest job, feeling a sense of total accomplishment as an event unfolds beautifully makes me feel unbelieveably content and absolutely satisfied. But, when it does comes to food, I can't imagine life without my daily indulgence of rich and velvety dark, milk or white chocolate.

The chocolate plant's botanical name is Theobroma cacao, which literally means "food of the gods." How appropriate, right? In my opinion, chocolate is the exactly that. Luckily, I have the opportunity to feel the higher power everyday when I drop a piece of chocolate in my mouth and let it melt into a creamy liquid that shoots through my body like a powerful drug. It is, thankfully, a powerful substance, and, when eaten in moderation, can be good for you. I'm sure we have all heard that dark chocolate is good for the immune system, and I'm also sure all of us, at least once in our lives, used these medical findings as an excuse to gorge ourselves in the glory of the food of the gods. No wonder the Aztecs and Mayans used it as currency and drank it's precious liquid from golden cups.

Much to my surprise, there are people on this earth who claim to dislike chocolate. I honestly don't have patience for these people. I've always believed that people who don't like coffee or chocolate are traitors to the human race. Sorry, but I do. I suppose that's why I feel it's my duty to convert these haters into lovers. I'll now share with you a true success story: My friend Janna never liked chocolate. She was a sugary, fruity candy person (which completely grosses me out, but I'll save that for a later post), and a piece of chocolate would send shivers down her spine though not in a good way. I was convinced I could change her mind and her confused tastebuds. We started out small, a fun size Snickers here, a miniature Twix there. Then, after a few weeks, I brought out the big guns. We made our first excursion to La Bonbonniere, makers of fine Belgian chocolates by hand using old-world techniques. After careful consideration, I decided Janna should sample a white and milk chocolate seashell with a chocolate and hazelnut cream filling. It was apparently a jolt to her senses as we have been regular customers since that momentous first bite. These days, I'm proud to say, Janna is a chocolate lover, not quite a chocohaulic, but we're making progress.

I'm not much of a baker, but a few days ago I caught the brownie bug, and just had to bake a pan. I'll admit, I'm not a fan of pre-packaged mixes. I don't feel like it's real baking, and I figure if I'm going use a good deal of my daily intake on dessert, then it better be made from scratch and worth every calorie. So I searched for the perfect brownie recipe, one so chocolate-laden that at first taste makes your mouth beg for milk. After all the precise measuring, slow additions of ingredients, and toothpick testing, I savored my first square of a perfectly rich, fudgy brownie. It doesn't take much to win me over, but I knew I'd made the ultimate dessert when Janna took one bite, closed her eyes, and said, "Ooh, now this is a brownie."

Kahlua Brownies
Adapted from Elise at Simply Recipes

2-11.5 oz bags good quality 60% cacao chocolate
1 cup butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
6 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. and 1 tsp. Kahlua
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease an 8x12.5 glass baking pan with Pam. To a microwave-safe bowl, add chocolate and butter. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals stirring between each interval being careful not to let the chocolate burn.

Beat the eggs, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add chocolate mixture, Kahlua, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

Sift the flour onto a piece of wax paper. Slowly add to the bowl, mixing well after each addition.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Invert brownies onto a wire rack and let cool. Cut into small squares; they are very rich. Serve with ice cream and a big glass of milk.