Grown-Up Chocolate Wafers

Yesterday, when I was done making chocolate-coated bacon, I used the leftovers of the chocolate to form a giant 1-inch thick chocolate bar in a bread pan... That was a HUGE mistake, as it became almost impossible to cut and break once it hardened. So today I melted it back down, and created a new treat, a treat I wish to share with you all.

2 pounds of Hershey milk chocolate chips

3 100% Cocoa Ghirardelli Tiles

1 TSP Ancho Chili Powder

1 TSP Chinese Five Spice Powder

1/2 Cup of chopped Walnuts

20-30 Paper Muffin Cup Wrapper Things

In a double boiler, or a metal pan placed atop a pot of simmering water, combine the milk chocolate and 100% cocoa tiles. Melt these down, stirring them together thoroughly. Add in the chili powder, five-spice, and walnuts. Continue stirring until all the ingredients are combined evenly. Using a scoop, pour the chocolate-walnut mixture into the paper muffin cups. Fill each cup with about 1/2 inch of chocolate. Keep filling the cups until all the chocolate mixture is used.

NOTE: Before I filled them, I lined the cups up on a cookie tray to make it easier to carry them later on.

After the cups are filled, place in a cool, dry place to chill and harden. I use the refrigerator. After a good 45-60 minutes, check on the treats, they should be hardened, if not, continue to chill them. Once they are hardened, you can serve them as-is, or package them up and give them to friends and family.

Other ideas you could use with this: you could take out the five-spice powder and add in a little ginger and nutmeg for a different change in flavor. You could swap the Ancho Chili Powder for a Chipotle Powder for a stronger kick and smokier pepper-flavor.  Maybe try changing out the walnuts for Heath toffee bits or chopped pecans, keeping the crunch but changing the flavor profile slightly. This is an easy dish to modify.

Serve this up and enjoy with friends and family!

~Bon Appétit~

Druid's Dragon Toes

This is a recipe not for the weak-willed or those who value their stomach. This recipe is about heat and flavor, and it will not forgive those who dare to attempt the eat the results. This recipe, is for my famous Dragon Toes, Fire Bombs, or Belly Burners, depending on what you decide to name them. This can be turned into an appetizer or a game-day treat for those brave enough to digest them.

Dragon Toes:

6-8 Whole Habanero Peppers (Or Ghost Chilis if you are really looking for a punishing dish)
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, finely shredded
1/2 Cup Medium Cheddar Cheese, finely shredded
1/2 LB of finely chopped cooked bacon
1 Whole Red or Green Jalapeno (just pick your favorite color)

Cut the stem off the habanero peppers and remove the seeds from inside, leaving the outer shell of the pepper intact. Remove the stem of the jalapeno and run the jalapeno (Include the seeds if you are brave enough) through a electric chopper to get it as finely diced as possible. Mix the Jalapeno with the cheese and bacon, mixing it all together in a small bowl until everything is well blended. Stuff each habanero with the cheese and bacon mixture and set aside.

Wet Batter:

1 Cup of your favorite beer
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 TSP Baking Power
1 TBSP Worchestershire Sauce
2 TBSP Corn Meal
1 TSP Red or Yellow Curry Powder (Red for Mild, Yellow for not-so-mild)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, using either an electic mixer or a hand-powered whisk to blend the ingredients into a decent wet batter. Set this aside as well.

Dry Dredge:

1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1/2 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 TSP Ancho Chili Powder
1/2 TSP Salt
1/2 TSP Ground Black Pepper
1 TSP Chinese Five Spice Mix

Pour all these ingredients into a shallow bowl and use a fork to mix them together.

Prepare your deep fryer according to the directions, you want the oil to be between 350 and 360 degrees, so this is definitely not a child's recipe. Remember, ujse caution when working with hot oil!

Dip the stuffed habanero peppers into the wet batter, coating the entire surface before rolling them in the dry dredging mixture. Carefully place the breaded peppers into the hot oil and lower them into the deep fryer. Let them fry for a good 5-7 minutes, or until the breading turns golden brown and crispy. Remove the cooked peppers from the fryer and drain off the excess oil before plating.

I would recommend either a nacho cheese sauce or sour cream for a dipping sauce to accompany these delicious fiery treats. Use these a sinus-clearing appetizer at your next dinner, or serve them as a snack during the big game. These are not a treat for the timid, the weak, or those who might be watching their weight. These little peppers come with high flavor, satisfaction, and enough heat to melt your insides. Dragon toes could be made with any pepper, but the habanero is great because of it's thin skin and sweet flavor, and if you go the ghost chili (Naga Bhut Jolokia Pepper) route, you might want to have those eating it sign health waivers before consuming them.

So make these for your friends and family, but be sure to warn them before hand, unless you are sick and twisted and enjoy watching people in pain. Change the cheeses and maybe use a type of sausage instead of the bacon, turn these into your next favorite snack. I might suggest making a bunch of these and storing the extra in the freezer for future uses.

Again: Hot oil and hot peppers, use caution... and don't rub your eyes after handling the peppers. Make sure to remove any pepper oil from your hands before touching your face or other sensitive areas.

~Bon Appetit~

...and good luck.

Firecracker Shrimp

This is a recipe for crispy, sweet and spicy shrimp and the dipping sauce I make to go with them. They are VERY simple to do, just takes a bit of prepping ahead of time.

For Shrimp:
1LB of small cooked shrimp, deveined and cleaned
1 Package of Panko Breading
1 Package of shredded coconut
2 Cups buttermilk
1/2 Cup Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/2 Cup dried red chili flakes
1 TBSP Ancho Chili Powder
1 TSP Garlic Powder
1 TSP Salt

1: In a mixing bowl, stir together buttermilk, hot sauce, and chili powder. Add in the shrimp and allow to soak, covered in the fridge for 8-10 hours. This can be done in the morning, and left at home in the fridge while you go to work or school.

2: Mix together Panko, shredded Coconut, pepper flakes, garlic powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

3: Remove the shrimp from the milk mixture and coat each shrimp completely in the Panko-coconut breading.

4: Carefully lower the shrimp into a 360 degree deep fryer (you can also pan-fry, if you wish) and cook for 7-10 minutes until breading is golden brown, but not overcooked.

For Dipping Sauce:
2 Cups fresh raspberries
1 Cup Corn Syrup
1 TBSP Ancho Chili Powder
1 TSP Franks Red Hot Sauce
1/2 Cup Clover Honey
1/2 Cup Mango Juice

This is REALLY simple. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and mix into a slightly coarse texture. That is all. Nothing complicated to it. Nothing fancy. Just throw it in a blender and press the button.

Plate the shrimp and put the dipping sauce in a small dish such as a sauce bowl, sometimes referred to as a bullet. Serve, and enjoy!

This makes a great meal if paired with a salad or lightly seasoned couscous, or even a mid-day snack while watching the game on TV. A cold beer, some fresh hot Firecracker Shrimp, and your favorite sports team winning their game, what could better than that?

~Bon Appétit~

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