Tweet Sweet

I ran across an article doing a search recently in a local newspaper in Bloomington-Normal Illinois about s’mores. Here’s a quote: With a mouth full of graham crackers, melted marshmallow and warm chocolate, try asking for “some more.”

Today, s’mores are appearing on the menus of some of the hottest restaurants and a few have added a twist, including Oreo cookies, peanut butter cups, even bananas.

The article goes on to list a few recipes for s’mores and s’more-like treats (just scroll down after viewing the article) But also mentions a restaurant called Cosi’s that’s well known for serving s’mores as a dessert. I could only find their franchisee website located here, but it has a copy of their menu and some pretty tasty looking pictures.

What’s cool about this dessert (which is also a fantastic idea for Tweet Sweet) is the way they let you roast your own marshmallows at your table. (Another fondue-like-experience for eating and sharing food). Here’s a picture of one in action:

Looking for more pictures? See all sorts of random people enjoying this delight at Cosi’s compliments of Flickr.

The website also allows you to buy these s’more-making kits to use at home for parties. For $40 plush shipping you’ll get the wooden s’mores platter, a s’more hibachi/ marshmallow skewers, marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers and some Cosi branded matches. The fuel for the hibachi is avaiable at most hardware stores. Pretty cool hu?

So I ran across and article written by Deborah Markus (BellaOnline’s “Chocolate Editor”… what a job!) on drinking chocolate when doing a search on Yahoo. So how does Drinking Chocolate vary from Hot Cocoa? Deborah explains that Hot Cocoa is and instant powder that produces a “sickly over-sweet” drink by adding either hot water or hot milk as required. But “drinking chocolate” is “thick, slow, and luscious, and it must be made from solid chocolate.”

Want a more technical explantion of the difference? Check out this tidbit from 101cookbooks.com: “Some are confused about the difference between hot cocoa and drinking chocolates. One of my Seattle-based readers kindly offered up this well articulated explanation for the difference between cocoa and drinking chocolates:”Cocoa is derived from chocolate liquor - the professional term for unsweetened baking chocolate. Cocoa powder is chocolate liquor that has been pressed to remove half to three-quarters of its fat and then pulverized. A hydraulic press, designed by the Dutchman C. J. Van Houten in the 19th century, removes fat while leaving solids behind. Cocoa has a strong chocolate flavor and is easy to incorporate into other ingredients.” Cocoa will give you difference texture, taste, and mouth feel.” Check out the whole article entitled Drinkable Chocolate List. The writer, Heidi Swanson rates 18 drinkable chocolate brands, and votes Couverture the best overall. (“No doubt about it.” she says.)

Markus ran across an old recipe in an old cookbook: “Break a one-ounce square of unsweetened chocolate in half. Put half of it away; break up the other half with a butter knife and put the fragments into a small, heavy-bottomed pot (or the top of a double boiler, if you’re nervous). Add two tablespoons hot water; cook and stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture is smooth.

Stir in a generous tablespoon of sugar; continue cooking until this is completely dissolved. Lower the heat, then slowly add one measuring cup of hot milk, stirring constantly. When this is smooth, add a quarter to a half teaspoon of real vanilla. Let this cook about five minutes over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently.”

Here’s another recipe from Drinksmixer.com that uses a vanilla bean and cinnamon in cream: Drinking Chocolate First cold day that comes along, I’ll report what I think. Yum!