For the Love of Chocolate

We had passed the month that full of love and chocolate; February.
For me personally, this is the special time to remember how blessed I am as a wife and mother in my family. Having a wonderful husband and funtastic children are the biggest happiness in my life.

On the first week of February, we celebrated our son's 8th birthday. He grows up very fast. We are proud of him and feel so blessed for having him in our family. He's a very active boy, who is addicted to soccer (both playing and watching the match), and still very excited to learn badminton and swimming. A talkative boy, who never get lost to have an idea to talk but like to argue. An easy boy, for eating, making new friends and sleeping. A smart boy, who is strong in math and easy to memorize a new story. Last week, he told me a traditional Indonesian story about 'Padjajaran Kingdom' without a note, very detail, and he remembered all the 'unusual' names in that story *I was amazed.
He is coloring our family life. We are hoping all the best for his future.
*He really needs to learn to control his emotion, to learn to be a patient boy and be more organized.

The second week of February, we celebrated Valentine as a memorable time when my husband and I started dating. It was 17 years ago !
Up and down marriage life we have passed already, and it's still long way to go. We enjoy it, and thanks to God who always guides our marriage and helps us during difficult time.

I didn't cook something special during those special time (Indonesian Food always become our favorite for our family dinner), but I showered my family with chocolates! The most favorite one is the Molten Chocolate Cake. I got the recipe from Martha Stewart Website.
At least I bake it 3 times for the last 2 weeks. Then I tried another cookie recipe from Martha Stewart Magazine (Dec 2010, Christmas edition); Ganache Thumbprint.
Hhhmm... Chocolate goodies never fail to spoil my family tongue!

Molten Chocolate Cake

It was the Valentine's day. In the morning, I was browsing a chocolate dessert recipe, and found this recipe in Martha Stewart website. I decided to bake this individual chocolate cakes for our dessert after dinner. I imagined how delicious it would be.
The result is perfect! The preparation is very simple.

The critical part is the baking time and the oven temperature. Once you bake it too long or the temperature is too hot, it'll produce overbaked cakes, there will be not chocolate melting found inside the cake (but it still okey to be served, as a chocolate cupcake :)).

On the other hand, if the baking time is too short, or your oven is not hot enough, it'll produce cakes with the 'structure' that not strong to 'hold' the melting chocolate liquid, and it'll be hard to take it out from the mold. Too much liquid part, and the shape will not be too good.

So, just be careful. You're the one who know about your oven's performance, so you know exactly when the perfect time is to take it out your cake :)

Ingredients
Serves 6.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tins
1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for muffin tins
3 large eggs
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Whipped Cream , for serving

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter 6 cups of a standard muffin tin. Dust with granulated sugar, and tap out excess. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined. Beat in chocolate until just combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
3. Place muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until tops of the cakes no longer jiggle when the pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.
4. To serve, turn out cakes, and place on serving plates, bottom sides up. Dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

This delicious dessert recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake comes from Everyday Food's book, "Great Food Fast."

Ganache Thumbprints

This is another hint in our chocolate season.

There is no special note for the cookie making. It's very easy to make, with delicious result. Make the chocolate dough, make the ball with the well on it, and bake. Later on just put the ganache and serve. As easy as one, two, tree!

I decided to spoon the ganache in the cookie while it still a bit 'liquify', to produce the flat on top cookie. So it'll be still nice while I stack it.

Check this Martha Stewart Website, you'll find lots of variant of the thumbprint cookies.

Ingredients
Makes about 5 dozen.
1 batch Chocolate Cookie Dough
Ganache

Directions
1. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in crushed candies, if using. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing each 1 inch apart.
2. Press a well into the center of each using your finger. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, and press well again with handle end of a wooden spoon. Bake until firm, 7 to 9 minutes more.
3. Let cool completely. Spoon ganache into thumbprints.

Chocolate Cookie Dough
Ingredients
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking powder (omit if making thumbprints, ball cookies, or spritz cookies)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Beat butter and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, and beat until combined.

Ganache
Ingredients
Makes 1 1/2 cups (enough to fill 5 dozen Thumbprints).
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
Directions
Pour gently simmered cream over chocolate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Let stand until mixture is spoonable, about 15 minutes.

Untuk teman-teman yang merayakan,
'Selamat Hari Raya Nyepi, Tahun Baru Saka 1933'