From chocolatier to chocolate blogger
Photo by Dc Hayden
From staff reports
Folks around Leelanau County frequently ask what Mimi Wheeler has been up to since she sold Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate last spring to food conscious entrepreneurs Jody Dotson and Dc Hayden. The answer—she launched MimisChocolateBlog.com, where she writes about chocolate recipes, traveling the world (Mimi spent much of the recent grueling winter in Guatemala and Ecuador) and introducing her fine food to new friends, and grandkids.
“An epiphany came to me at age 60,” writes Mimi. “I realized that I was entering the last quarter of my life and that I should pay more attention to what’s important to me. Blogging as a way to communicate my passion for life and chocolate seemed exciting. Over the years I have made many friends through our shared love for chocolate.
“As a chocolatier, I have travelled to Ecuador and elsewhere in Latin America many times. In those indigenous communities I found wonderful chocolate that I was able to combine with flavors from herbs and flowers that grew in my summer garden, and with other local artisanal foods.”
“With more time on hands, my kitchen is now brimming with boxes of chocolate, cookbooks, and note cards with a growing stack of recipes that I enjoy creating. Friends and family serve as my willing guinea pigs, and I am endlessly asked: ‘Can I have the recipe for the granola with cocoa nibs … the chocolate lamb stew … or the Harissa with carrots, garlic, and (yes- you heard it) chocolate?’”
Chocolate, cocoa, cacao (the more inclusive Spanish word) are one of the most complex foods, and they add interesting flavor to both sweet and savory food. Here are a few of Mimi’s most popular recipes. Visit MimisChocolateBlog.com for more recipes, stories and ideas about how best to savor “the food of the Gods!”
Wild leek salad with cacao vinaigrette dressing
More photographs here.
Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup of chopped wild leeks, sautéed in 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 10 deep green wild leek leaves, chopped
• 1 cup of fresh arugula
• 1 cup of other mixed salad greens
• 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries
• 1.5 ounce of Greek Feta Cheese
Mix the well-washed greens and place in the serving bowl. Toss with the dressing and mix in berries and feta cheese. Sprinkle the sautéed leeks on top. Serve right away.
Dressing:
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of natural unsweetened cocoa
• 1/8 cup of a smooth and sweet balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of stone ground dijon mustard
Whisk together the ingredients.
Lamb Stew in Chocolate Sauce
Photographs here.
This is a delicate and lovely stew that will surprise and delight your guests. The sauce in the stew is slightly, and not at all overwhelmingly, chocolaty. Taste as you go to see if you want less or the suggested amount of chocolate.
Serves: 8 people
• 2-3 lbs cubed lamb of goat meat (I use leg of lamb)
• ½ cup of unbleached white flour
• 4 Tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• ¾ cup of almonds, lightly hand chopped
• 1 vanilla bean
• ¼ cup of white rum
• 3/4 cup of golden raisins
• 1 bottle of dry white wine
• ½ cup of water
• ½ cup of good quality min. 70% dark chocolate, lightly chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Place the flour in a bowl and lightly coat the cubed meat. Sautee meat in small batches in a non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Remove the meat and place in a Dutch oven. Wipe the pan with a piece of tissue. Slice the vanilla bean along the grain and scrape out the seeds. Retain vanilla bean. Transfer seeds and bean to the pan and warm on low heat for 2-3 minutes taking care not to burn. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the rum over the vanilla to deglaze the pan. Transfer bean paste and bean to Dutch oven. Add the vanilla bean you retained. Heat toaster (or conventional) oven to 350 degrees. Roast the chopped almonds for approx. 5-8 minutes until lightly golden. Transfer almonds to Dutch oven. Add the raisins. Add the bottle of wine, the water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for 1 1/2 hours until meat is tender. Remove pot from heat source. Add chocolate and stir to mix well. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. This dish goes well with mashed potatoes or maybe potatoes and root vegetables. Crusty bread would also be a good choice for sopping up the delicate sauce.
Avocado chocolate Mousse
Photographs here.
I first tasted avocado used in a dessert when I had Creme Brûlée in Antigua, Guatemala this last winter. I found the pudding-like dessert below the caramelized sugar tantalizing and I knew that I had to go home and experiment with avocado and chocolate. Here is what I came up with:
This dessert is literally one of the easiest you can imagine and from start to finish it might take you 10 minutes. I sprinkled lightly toasted pistachios on top for a fun contrasting crunch to the velvet pudding or mousse.
Ingredients:
• 2 medium ripe avocados
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup of 1/2 and ½
• 1/3 cup of chocolate chips or chunks 1/4 inch size (65- 80%)
• 2 Tablespoons of natural unsweetened cocoa
• 3 tablespoons of pistachios, lightly toasted and chopped coarsely
Pour half and half into a medium size bowl and add sugar. Heat in microwave and bring to a boil. Alternately heat on stovetop in a small pot. Whisk liquid to fully dissolve sugar. Add chocolate bits and place a lid/plate on top of the bowl to help trap the heat for the chocolate to melt.
Split avocados in 1/2 and remove the pits. See tip below. Cut the halved avocado into small chunks as illustrated.
Remove the plate from the chocolate ganache and stir with an immersion blender to fully incorporate ingredients. Add the cocoa and mix it in well. Scoop the flesh out of the avocado skin and into the chocolate using a rounded spoon. Re-place the immersion blender in the mousse and proceed to blend for a minute or two until incorporated. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving by scooping into individual dessert cups/plates or in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with pistachios for color contrast. This mousse can be made a couple of days in advance if placed in the refrigerator in a container with a tight fitting lid.
