old dark chocolate

[thegenia]

Came upon a couple of bars of nice dark chocolate that went somewhat stale. :( I am thinking of trying to cook with them. Not a huge fan of cooking sweets, so I am thinking of trying a meat dish, although maybe not something quite as complex as mole. What are your favorite uses for chocolate in savory dishes?

[thegenia]

mmm, but between the chili, the red wine sauce and the brownies i should be quite set, thank you everyone. and those ibarra disks look great and it is beginning to seem that mole sauces aren't quite as difficult to make as i had imagined!

[ali patts]

I put a few squares in my red wine sauce that goes with venison. But that doesn't use much of your chocolate up!

[Kelli2006]

Dark American chocolate is not the proper kind to make Mole with. I learned how to make Mole's from a 1st generation immigrant and she always used a round disk of chocolate that had Mexican cinnamon and other ingredients in it.

Thegenia, you said that you aren't a great fan of cooking sweets, but scratch brownies are very easy to make.

6oz. of melted chocolate and 1 stick of butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C. white sugar
1 1/2 cup of AP flour
3 eggs

1 cup of chopped pecans(optional)

Combine in that order until well blended and place in a 9x9 greased pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F.
I like to ice them with chocolate chip pieces dumped on the top while warm, and spread with a spatula after they have had a chance to melt.

[Chris VR]

That round disk of chocolate you describe sounds a lot like the Nestle "Abuelita" chocolate I've got on hand. Hmm, I'll have to hold on to this recipe, thanks!

[Kelli2006]

ChrisVR, The recipe I gave was originally meant for American dark chocolate in bar form, but I would be interested it how the brownies would taste if made with the Mexican chocolate disks. I never thought of using a disk chocolate for Brownies, but you might be on to something.

Thanks for the inspiration.

[ballulah]

I have a box of Mexican chocolate discs, brand name Ibarra, I believe they are a competitor of the Nestle brand. Before you make the brownies, try making hot chocolate with a piece of it, and you'll get a sense of what it will taste like (use milk, not water). It's almost not like chocolate at all, it's not bad by any means, but it's very unusual.

[pitu]

not only do those discs for hot chocolate have cinnamon, they are also made with ground almonds

[ballulah]

Ground almonds, you say? That would explain the texture that never seems to melt! I knew about the cinnamon, and Mexican cinnamon makes it even more unusual as it quite a distinct flavor to regular gringo cinnamon.

[pitu]

you don't need pounds of chocolate for mole . . .

super easy and impressive molten cakes do tho
search Nigella Molten Babycakes, and make a batch in muffin tins
I don't usually cook sweets either, but these things are impressive

[ballulah]

I put a few squares in my chili! But shhhhh! I compete with my recipe so I can't divulge anything else! haha.

[Pondering]

Dark chocolate is REALLY good in chili. Highly recommended.