chocolate truffles recipe

Delicious and Easy Cappuccino and Espresso Recipes

By Lisa Parker

While coffee-based beverages remain as popular as ever, more Americans are looking for a do-it-yourself way to enjoy high-end coffee bar style cappuccino and espresso drinks at home. Fortunately, there are many affordable products on the market to assist the home brewing enthusiast in their quest for the ultimate coffee concoction. Regardless of which product you choose, there are endless recipes and combinations of ingredients to literally spice up your daily infusion.

First you need choose the basis of your beverage: coffee or espresso. Coffee can be drip-brewed, percolated, instant or cold-pressed. Any of these methods are very inexpensive. An espresso-based beverage is more likely to satisfy the sophisticated palette of the coffee connoisseur. To do this at home however, requires more of an investment in the brewing equipment. Real espresso machines cost upwards of $1,000. An affordable and popular alternative are the single-serving type of machines such as the Tassimo, where you invest in the machine and purchase pre-portioned packages of espresso varieties to brew a serving at a time. Still confused about the difference between coffee and espresso? Espresso is a method, first originated in Italy, of extracting flavor from the heart of the coffee bean. The technique employs a pump-driven machine to force hot water through the ground coffee beans at high pressure in a short time frame — usually between 20 and 35 seconds. The amount of water used is only about ¾ of an ounce, and the resulting taste is described as smooth, thick, rich or sweet. So the obvious differences between coffee and espresso are 1) the amount of water used and 2) brewing or pressing time. Coffee is generally brewed for 4 to 6 minutes depending on the method and individual preferences.

Cappuccino is espresso mixed with equal parts of steamed and frothed milk. If you don’t purchase an espresso machine with milk-steaming capabilities, you will have to steam and froth your milk the old-fashioned way — on a stove. The frothing process involves skimming and stirring the hot milk. To layer the milk and espresso, allow the freshly frothed milk a moment to rest and separate (foam on top and milk on the bottom). Pour the steamed milk into your cup first, then pour in the espresso, and top it with the frothed milk using a spoon. The creative possibilities go on from there. One of the most popular twists on the cappuccino is adding a sprinkle of powdered cocoa or cinnamon. Other combinations take their inspiration from favorite foods such as traditional desserts or candy bars. Try these super-easy recipes or experiment with making your own!

Milky Way Cappuccino– 2 shots espresso, 1 shot chocolate syrup, 1 shot caramel
Java Chai Espresso — 1 shot espresso, prepared chai concentrate, steamed milk, ½ ounce almond syrup
Cafe Corretto — 2 shots espresso, 1 shot brandy, cognac or flavored liqueur
Cafe Romano– 1 shot espresso, served with a twist of lemon or lemon peel
Rocky Road Cappuccino — 1 serving of your prepared cappuccino, 1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce, 1 teaspoon of marshmallow crème and ¼ teaspoon finely chopped nuts
Butterscotch Creme Cafe — 1 serving coffee, 3 tablespoons butterscotch syrup, 2 tablespoons of half-and-half cream
Ginger Spiced Coffee — 1 serving coffee, 1 small piece finely chopped crystallized ginger, 1 cinnamon stick
Cafe Borgia — 1 cup coffee, 1 cup hot chocolate, 1 shot cream, sprinkle of grated orange peels
Chocolate Mint Truffle(for the non-coffee drinker) – 1 cup hot chocolate, 2 chocolate coated mint candies topped with 1 tablespoon whipped topping and 1 fresh mint sprig
Espresso Martini — 1 shot espresso cooled to room temperature, 1 shot premium vodka, 1 splash liqueur in flavor of your choice (try amaretto, Irish creme, Godiva chocolate or any favorite), garnish with 3 whole espresso beans
Mexican Coffee — your favorite brewed coffee, 2 cups whipped topping gently mixed with ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
French Vanilla Coffee– your favorite brewed coffee, equal portion of milk heated to scalding temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cinnamon stick, sweetener to taste

If you are hosting a winter party and feeling a little adventurous, you may want to try a festive twist on the usual coffee and eggnog choices. Try this Betty Crocker recipe for 16 servings of Cappuccino Eggnog:
Ingredients — 6 eggs, slightly beaten; 2/3 cup table sugar; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 5 cups milk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups hot espresso; 1 cup coffee liqueur or brandy; 2 cups heavy whipped cream; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; ground cinnamon
Directions — Stir together eggs, granulated sugar and salt in a Dutch oven pan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over low heat 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, just until mixture coats a metal spoon; remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Stir together coffee and liqueur. Gradually stir coffee mixture into egg mixture; keep warm. Just before serving, beat whipping cream and brown sugar in chilled large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Gently stir 2 cups of the whipped cream into egg mixture. Pour into mugs. Top with dollops of remaining whipped cream. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve immediately!

recipe for chocolate fondue

Easy Fondue Party — Types of Fondue Pots, Number of People to Invite and Fondue Recipes

By Sandee Lembke

Hosting an Easy Fondue Party is easy. First you have to decide what type of fondue party to have. You can either do a sit down party where everyone gathers around a table or you can do a buffet party where fondue pots are set up in various locations around the house. If you decide to host a sit down fondue party, limit the number of guests to 8 or 10 as everyone needs to be able to reach the fondue pots. If you want to host more people, choose the buffet party and set up pots around the house. Once you determine the type of party and the number of people you will invite, it is time to organize your fondue equipment and select your recipes.

Fondue Pots – There are many styles to choose from but basically it comes down to the heating source and the size of the pot.
Electric Pot — Rival Fondue Pots are reliable and work well for any kind of fondue party. They are convenient and easy to use because you do not have to worry about the heating source and their non-stick interior makes clean up a breeze.
Sterno Pot — You will find several sterno fondue pots on the market. Rachel Ray, the Food Network host, has a series of sterno pots in various colors which work especially well when you do not want to worry about people tripping over electric cords. The sterno units last for several hours too.
Tea Light Pot — I especially like fondue pots that use a tea light for the heat source. You can buy a huge bag of tea lights very cheaply at any craft store and you can find the pots in varying sizes so they work well with savory and dessert fondues.
If you are going to host fondue parties regularly, it is a good idea to have several different pots available so that you are ready for any situation. Next, you need to choose your recipes. For a party of 8, serve 2 or 3 savory fondue recipes and 1 dessert recipe.

Savory Recipe — Garlic Cream Cheese Fondue

1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Canola oil
2-8oz. packages cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup milk
8 oz. sour cream
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Dippers such as Italian bread, apples, broccoli, steamed potato chunks

In a heavy saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until translucent.

Add cream cheese, milk, sour cream and mustard and stir until melted.

Pour mixture into a fondue pot set to low and serve with dippers. This one is fantastic served with bread and potato chunks.

Dessert Recipe - Chocolate Caramel Fondue

12 Turtles or another chocolate caramel candy
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Dippers such as pound cake, strawberries, shortbread cookies

Coarsely chop Turtles and place in a microwavable bowl. Add whipping cream and cinnamon.
Microwave on medium heat for about 1 minute, stir and then cook another 30 seconds or until candy is completely melted.

Pour into a fondue pot and set to low. Serve warm with dippers.

The most important thing to remember about hosting an Easy Fondue Party is to keep it casual. That is what fondue parties are all about. It is what your guests expect. Good food, good company, casual environment.

chocolate desserts recipes

Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes - A Celebration
By Emil Raal

People now days have little time to cook decent meals for themselves and their family let alone find the time to make a dessert of any kind. There is however nothing better than enjoying a home-made dessert and what with the huge selection of dessert, especially chocolate dessert, recipes to choose from it is easier than you think. Although a lot of them are quite tasty, we are not talking about boxed cake or cookie mixes here. Home-made chocolate dessert recipes will take some time to prepare and a little more time to perfect but the effort will be well worth it. Just take a quick look at some ideas you may never have even thought of before.

• Apple Chocolate Chip Dessert Pizza
• Black & White Chocolate Tartlets
• Chocolate And Peanut Butter Filled Peanut Butter Blondies
• Black and White Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
• Chocolate-Almond Ice Cream Roll
• Chocolate Fudge Squares with Mocha Glaze
• Chocolate Waffles With Coffee Syrup
• Chantico Chocolate Cake

There are hundreds of chocolate dessert recipes and they will have all your taste buds begging for sweet release. It’s a dieter’s worst nightmare and once your appetite is satisfied your teeth will be left aching with mischievous pleasure. You will find chocolate recipes for every occasion, from simple, quick dessert recipes to elaborate treats that will have everyone eating out of the palm of your hand. Whether you are planning for your next dinner party or want a simple recipe the kids will enjoy, nothing says decadence like a chocolate dessert.

Working with Chocolate

Did you know different types of chocolate require different methods for cooking, and when melting chocolate it is best to use a metal spoon as wooden and plastic spoons retain moisture that will cause the chocolate to seize? Many dessert recipes will require you to melt chocolate in a double boiler. This is really easy to set up. All you need is a glass bowl big enough to hold the chocolate and at the same time fit into the top of a sauce pan without touching the bottom. In the sauce pan you simply boil water and then place the bowl of chocolate pieces on the top of the pan, stirring constantly until the chocolate is smooth.

Fresh fruit can be a perfect and light ending to any meal. You can give it that little something extra and have melted chocolate on the table to dip the fruit into. Satisfy everyone’s taste buds. If you want delicious dessert recipes as well as the quickest and easiest way to make them without spending hours in the kitchen, just type ‘chocolate dessert recipe’ into your preferred search engine.

You may want to check out my other guide on valrhona chocolate and callebaut chocolate