Spinach, Pear & Cacao Nib Salad

I love this salad! It was served at my wedding, and this was my first time having it since then. I borrowed the Scharffen Berger cookbook from my mother's house, and when I saw the recipe for the salad I knew that I had to make it. The salad is very tasty and pretty healthy. The crunch and flavor of the cacao nib in the salad is amazing. Chocolate works well in everything! Enjoy.

Recipe for Spinach, Pear & Cacao Nib Salad
INGREDIENTS:

Chocolate, in a salad? YES! 

For the salad

8 Cups of Baby Spinach Leaves
1 Ripe Red Bartlett Pear, sliced
1 Ripe Bosc Pear, sliced
1/3 cup of chopped toasted walnuts
1 Tablespoon of cacao nibs
Coarse Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

For the Cacao Nib Vinaigrette
1 Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. of cacao nibs
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Put the vinegar into a small bowl and stir in the cacao nibs. Slowly pour in the olive oil and whisk.
Place the baby spinach leaves, sliced pears, toasted walnuts, and cacao nibs into a large salad bowl. Pour on the vinaigrette and toss well. Season the salad with a pinch of coarse salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Divide amongst bowls. Serves 3.

Recipe Source: The Essence of Chocolate, Recipes for Baking & Cooking with Fine Chocolate

NOTE: Do you love the crunchiness of cacao nibs? I think you'll love this recipe for fudge...!

Easy Fudge with Cacao Nibs

Happy Election Day! I hope you voted or plan to vote. I vote this fudge for president - it will not disappoint you!

I love this fudge recipe. Not only is the fudge delicious, but it is SO easy to make. I like the fact that I can make the fudge without the use of a candy thermometer. Whenever I try to make something that requires a reading on a candy thermometer, I always lose patience and figure that 5 - 10 degrees lower should suffice. And it never does...

This fudge has a subtle coffee flavor with a hint of cinnamon. The texture is smooth and creamy, and you will love the slight crunch from the cacao nibs. I shared some of this fudge at work yesterday, and it was quite the hit. My coworkers also vote yes to this fudge, and I hope that you will too. Enjoy!

Recipe for Easy Fudge with Cacao Nibs

INGREDIENTS:
4 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
1 7-oz. jar of marshmallow cream
2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp. of instant ground coffee
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of salt
12 ounces of semisweet baking chocolate (62% cocoa), very finely chopped
1 - 2 tsp. of SCHARFFEN BERGER cacao nibs

DIRECTIONS:
Carefully fit a piece of foil into the bottom and on all four sides of an 8 x 8 pan. Very lightly grease the foil in the pan with the end of a stick of butter.
Put the baking chocolate into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until the chocolate is chopped very finely. Set aside.
Place the butter, marshmallow cream, heavy cream, sugar, ground coffee, cinnamon, and salt into a medium sized saucepan. Set it over medium heat. Stir to combine the ingredients and allow it to come to a boil. Once it boils, stir it constantly for about 4 - 5 minutes. Then remove the saucepan from heat and immediately pour in the chocolate, and stir until the mixture is completely smooth. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the cacao nibs on top of the fudge mixture. Cover the pan with foil and store in the fridge until it hardens, about 4 hours.
Carefully remove the foil from the fudge. Use a long sharp knife to cut it into desired size pieces. Store fudge in the fridge in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from: Annie's Eats

Chocolate Mint Ice Cream with Cacao Nibs

I am still thoroughly enjoying my automatic ice cream maker. One of the best ice cream flavors I have made is chocolate mint ice cream with cacao nibs. I had gotten some chocolate mint leaves from a friend, and at first I had no idea what to even do with them (this was before the ice cream maker). I used the chocolate mint leaves to make a refreshing beverage, and then after I got the ice cream maker I realized that I needed some more of those chocolate mint leaves. I begged for some more, and I got them!

I think the cacao nibs in this ice cream add a really nice touch. This ice cream can definitely be made with regular mint leaves too - the chocolate mint leaves just makes it extra special. Greg said it was the best ice cream he has ever tried. I really want to make this ice cream again, so I guess it's time to hit up my chocolate mint dealer...

See the dark chocolate pieces on the top of the ice cream?
Those are the cacao nibs!

Recipe for Chocolate Mint Ice Cream with Cacao Nibs

INGREDIENTS:
25 chocolate mint leaves (or regular mint leaves)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of whole milk
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. or less of peppermint extract
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup grated SCHARRFEN BERGER bittersweet chocolate
1 Tbsp. of cacao nibs

DIRECTIONS:
Put the mint leaves in a small saucepan. Pour the cream over the mint leaves. Set the pan over medium heat and stir constantly, until the mixture begins to simmer. When the mixture begins to slightly bubble, remove the pan from heat.

Stir the cream mixture with a spoon. Pour it in to a heat-safe container, stir again, and cover. Set aside to cool.

While the mixture is cooling, combine the milk and sugar in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer on low speed. Mix for about 1 minute. Add in the vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and salt. Beat the mixture again on medium-low for several seconds.

Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl with the milk and sugar. Pour the cream mixture into the sieve. Press down on the mint leaves with a fork to extract as much flavor as possible into the mixture. Discard the mint leaves. Beat the mixture again on low for a few seconds. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge to chill for a least 1 1/2 hours.

Once chilled, make the ice cream according to ice cream maker manufacturer directions. About 5 minutes before ice cream is finished mixing, add in the grated chocolate and cacao nibs. When ice cream is finished, pour it into a freezer-safe container and stir it to better incorporate the chocolate and cacao nibs. Cover the container and put in the freezer. Ice cream will be ready to serve within an hour or less. Yummy!

Recipe Inspired by/Adapted from: She's Becoming DoughMesstic

NOTE: Wondering what cacao nibs are? Cacao nibs are the broken chunks of the cocoa bean that are used in making chocolate. Cacao nibs have a like texture to coffee beans and taste like a coffee bean with a subtle chocolate flavor. They are intense and delicious (and it has been said they are nutritious)! You can buy them from SCHARRFEN BERGER or you can also find some on Amazon.

*I've made this basic vanilla ice cream three times since getting the ice cream maker. It's also very delicious! To make it even more basic, leave out the vanilla bean & add in an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract.*