Monthly Flavors for August – Light it Up!
August is here, and it is HOT! Here in the Bay Area we are dealing with heat waves, and I am about ready to melt.
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May is here, and ain’t it grand! The sun is out, the fruit are ripening beautifully, and you get wonderful new chocolate flavors. Hard to be too mad at that, right? I love the beginning of summer in the air and the onslaught of new produce coming in. Cherries are succulent, apricots are starting, and rhubarb stalks are juicy. It is a time of tangy freshness, and the sweet mellow of the start of summer.
In May, we have many fun holidays! In this month’s flavors, we are celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, and Harvey Milk Day. Cinco de Mayo (May 5) honors the Mexican victory of the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mother’s Day (May 8) is pretty self explanatory: we toast to mothers! Harvey Milk Day commemorates Harvey Milk, a San Francisco politician who had a huge impact on the gay rights movement.
Apricot Paste with Vanilla Black Pepper White Chocolate Ganache
At my parents’ house, we have two large apricot trees. I remember eagerly watching the blossoms turn to fruit as a child. The trees would be laden with the fuzzy little fruit slowly turning to a beautiful light orange, and we were certainly not the only anticipatory parties. We were lucky to get thirty fruit from the 30 pounds of fruit each tree grew. The birds and the squirrels were so much faster! Here, I cook down the apricot into a paste to get the most concentrated apricot flavor. You get a wonderful tang and brightness, mellowed and softened with the sweet yet spicy vanilla black pepper ganache.
Yerba Buena and Cilantro White Chocolate Ganache
Cinco de Mayo marks the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. The French had eyes on the independent country, and were testing to see if they could colonize Mexico. Today, many Americans mistakenly call Cinco de Mayo Mexican Independence Day. That is actually September 16, and at the Battle of Puebla the country had been independent for more than 40 years. Cinco de Mayo is mostly celebrated in the United States, and is more a celebration of Mexican- American culture. Yerba buena is a native mint variety that grows from Alaska to Mexico. It is used for sweet and savory dishes, much like other mints. With the citrusy brightness of cilantro and the earthy and herbal taste of yerba buena, this ganache is so lovely!
Miso Caramel
If it isn’t already, miso should be a staple in your kitchen. Made from fermented soybeans, this paste adds saltiness and a wonderful umami to any dish! Try it in brownies and cookies or even with fish, you will be amazed. In this chocolate, it smooths out the bitterness of the caramel and adds an almost nutty note. SO tasty!
Hazelnut Praline with Coffee Dark Chocolate Ganache
My mom has always loved praline. It is a ubiquitous flavor in France, used in pastries and chocolates all the time. She requests it for pretty much any dessert I make for her. It has also been a long time favorite of my maternal grandmother. She loves the combination of hazelnut and chocolate, and used to keep chocolate bars studded with hazelnuts stashed away. They both love any coffee flavored pastry, too! Therefore, it seemed like a very obvious choice for Mother’s Day this year to combine the two. They are made for each other, and this chocolate is just delicious.
Rhubarb and Chokecherry Ruby Chocolate Ganache
Chokecherry is another native, growing across the US and in parts of Canada. The fruit grows in grape-like clusters but tastes quite like their Eurasian cousins. They are actually part of the rose family! Cherries are in season right now, but I wanted a sharper flavor to pair with the sourness of rhubarb. With the ruby chocolate, this ganache is bright and tangy, sweet and juicy.
Malted Strawberry Milk Chocolate Ganache
Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, becoming the first openly gay person to win an elected seat in California. His first act once elected was to introduce a bill outlawing discrimination based on sexual orientation, which was quickly signed into law. He was assassinated the next year, but has been described as “the most famous and most significant openly LGBT official ever elected in the United States.” HIs legacy lives on, and his influence helped push gay rights forward even today. Malt powder adds an unexpected depth to this ganache, a mellow nuttiness that brings out the freshness of the strawberries.
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All you Star Wars nerds will of course know that this month is Star Wars month. So, I decided to make the sweet-sand cookies from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook. From Chrisophsis, these cookies are adorned with crystallized sugar as a nod to the crystalline structures all over the planet. Made with almond flour and orange flower water, these cookies are light and nutty. May the Fourth be with you!
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Another sweet for Mother’s Day, these cookies are for my tea loving mom. She has loved Earl Grey tea since we lived in England and she discovered real tea. When Trader Joe’s discontinued her favorite brand of the tea she went on a hunt for several years to find the same taste, finding ever more obscure places to look (they have since brought it back, and now she hoards boxes just in case). These cookies are buttery and chewy with a texture similar to earthquake cookies. The light floral citrus flavor of the tea shines beautifully, and hopefully makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift for my mom!
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August is here, and it is HOT! Here in the Bay Area we are dealing with heat waves, and I am about ready to melt.