Homemade All-Natural Chocolate Syrup

I would love to excuse my brief shall-we-say hiccup in updating with a clever post about how absence makes us appreciate what we have.  I would tell you that it heightens every sense, that it enchances our enjoyment of food, relationships, blah-blah-blah.  Thing is, I’ve done that once before, and I’m no one-trick pony.  So, quite honestly, I was in my beautiful hometown of Chicago for two weeks for the holiday-I really did enjoy myself, AND I’ve developed a clever plan for keeping current with this blog when I’m away, so I daresay you shouldn’t see too many more lapses from me.  Did you all enjoy your holiday?  Your food?  Your persons?  Any fantastic new holiday recipes for me?  Did you eat anything that you’d like me to try to recreate?

In other news, congratulations to Peter of FotoCuisine for winning my panko challenge  with his recipe, New Mexico Chile Three Cheese Mac and Cheese!  As promised, I’ll be sending Peter a free bag of panko as his prize.  Stay tuned for more fun contests to come!

You know, the other day, as I watched the Boy cook, I thought about how individual each person is in the kitchen, and the ways that manifests itself in the food we create.  For example, when he cooks, the Boy is, as in life, pretty fearless, always willing to throw in one more ingredient, never consumed with fear of failure, never worrying that he’ll push it one step too far and ruin the whole thing and spend the rest of the night crying and OH GOD, WHY didn’t I just leave GOOD ENOUGH ALONE, who the HELL puts soy cream cheese in CURRY!:::sob:::… Because he’s not afraid to add multiple layers and unusual flavors, and isn’t intimidated by dishes he’s never made before or new techniques, his style lends itself beautifully to rich, complex, spicy dishes, cuisines such as Indian or Thai, curries and stews, marinades and salsas, and the like.  No measuring, no second-guessing, no stressing.

As for me, I can, at times, be a perfectionist.  While I love to experiment with new dishes and techniques, I frequently run the recipe at hand past a few trusted online sources and watch how-to videos to make sure I’m headed in an authentic (or at least, non-catastrophic) direction before I do my own thing.  I am frequently lured into a recipe by words such as “best,” “perfect,” or “flawless.”  I invent my own newer and better methods every time I make a dish.  Because of this, I know the gold standard methodology or reasoning behind just about anything I’ve attempted or ever wondered about: the best way to roast a chicken, how to cut a pineapple with no waste, the science behind using ice water in pie dough, etc.  In the kitchen, I am experienced, quick, and confident.

Now, there are certainly a number of inherent pitfalls in our respective cooking styles (“Boy, could you try to never mix watermelon with corn, barbecue sauce, and pasta ever again?”  “Gen, you frightened me when you cried for two hours about your bread that never rose.”)  But that’s not what matters.  The thing is, I’m in awe of the Boy when I see him throwing spices into an ambrosial pot with a confident swagger.  And I’ve seen his eyes glued to me as I temper eggs with hot pasta water for my carbonara.  The point here is that cooking is one of those arenas where it’s imperative to appreciate another’s style and use it to supplement your own.  I know that this is abundantly clear to me when I read the blogs of other foodies, check their comments on one another’s recipes, see notes of encouragement or gentle (or in all honesty, not so gentle) criticism.  In food, as in life, he who is unwilling to learn a new trick from his neighbor will be left behind. 

In that vein, I’d like to leave you with a recipe for Homemade Chocolate Syrup, which I tweaked from this version on RecipeZaar (mostly to indicate the quality of ingredients, make it darker, and expand on the vague directions).  I used all-natural ingredients (conspicuous absence of high fructose corn syrup, hallelujah) and less sugar, and was stunned at how effortlessly this came together (dare-I-say, “foolproof”?).  This recipe is very dark, thick, and rich, and lends itself so well to ice cream, chocolate milk, peanut butter…the list goes on.  I used vanilla extract in this recipe, but I could see trying it with mint, raspberry, orange, or even with a little espresso powder stirred in.  Heck, this would even make an adorable gift in a little jar with a ribbon on it.  Give it a try-I challenge you old dogs out there to not learn a new trick.

All-Natural Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients:
1 cup 100% cocoa powder
1 cup raw cane sugar (this yields a darker syrup-add more if you prefer a sweeter chocolate)
1 dash high quality salt (think Celtic or Himalayan)
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon Bourbon Vanilla Extract

Directions:
Put all ingredients into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk everything together until well combined. Turn the heat to medium, whisking constantly. When it begins to boil, watch it carefully, continuing to whisk constantly and quickly, being sure not to let any thick syrup collect on the bottom of the pot.

Allow it to boil for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the desired thickness is achieved.

I may have let mine go a little further than the original recipe’s author intended-no complaints here, though. I ended up with a thick, fudge-y sauce that I prefer to the thin, lifeless stuff in the brown plastic bottle. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool at room temperature; store, covered, in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups.