Big Bend Eats
By Carolyn Brown Zniewski. Illustration by Avram Dumitrescu.
Chocolate, Theobroma cacao, the very
best product of the Americas, is in my
opinion second only to water as the
most perfect food on this green earth.
The oldest chocolate found was the
remains of fermentation discovered in
the bottom of a pottery jug excavated
in a South American archeological dig,
dating to 4,500 BCE. The Latin name
for chocolate does mean “food for the
gods.” The Inca reserved it for priests,
kings, high-ranking officials and people
to be sacrificed. Archeologists surmise
it was to make the victim feel better
about dying.
Turning the chocolate seeds into the
delicious treat we enjoy is an involved
process. First the seeds are fermented
for several days in a mash of the seed
pod pulp and water. Next, the liquid is
squeezed out of the seeds, which are
then dried in a process first developed
by a Dutchman. This powder is very
bitter, and so an alkalizing agent is
added. This Dutch processing allowed
chocolate to be more than a beverage.
Now we have hundreds of chocolate
bars, chocolate candy, cakes, cookies,
and the perennial favorite, brownies. It
is still “food for the gods” and we use it
for all kinds of celebrations, as well as
eat it just because. I was one of the
many folks who celebrated the
announcement by nutritionists that
chocolate was good for you.
Before I wrote this column I asked
around to see what were peoples’
favorite ways to eat chocolate. That
has lead me to give you the following
selection of recipes. I hope you enjoy
making them. My taste buds are
already humming.
Easy Peasy Chocolate Cake
(gluten free)
3 eggs
Chocolate bars totaling 5.8 oz.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a small
(6") cake pan with parchment paper.
Melt the chocolate over hot water.
24
Cenizo
While it is cooling separate the eggs.
Beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir the
yolks into the chocolate. Fold the
whites into the chocolate mixture in 3
parts. Pour the batter into the cake
pan. Bake 40 minutes (+ or -). Let cool
about 5 minutes, remove from pan and
cool on cake rack. Sprinkle with pow-
dered sugar. This makes 4 – 6 servings.
I use a mix of both milk chocolate and
dark; you can use any chocolate bar
you like. I haven’t done so as yet
because this is a new recipe for me, but
I thought next time I’d use a bar with
ginger in the chocolate.
My mother didn’t like to bake. She
would make every family member a
cake on their birthday and that was it,
except for these brownies. Anytime she
was called upon to bake cookies, cakes,
cupcakes or any other treat, she made
these brownies. I think they are the
very best. Leave them plain or frost
them with a butter cream frosting.
Becky’s Brownies
½ cup butter
6 Tbls cocoa
1 cup sugar
½ cup flour
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350°. Melt butter
over low heat. Stir cocoa into butter.
Mix sugar, flour and salt together in a
separate mixing bowl. Add eggs and
vanilla and mix well. Pour
butter/cocoa into batter and mix well.
Pour batter into a buttered 8"x8" bak-
ing pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.
Do not over-bake. They are done
when a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean. Try to let them cool
before you eat them. These are the
best brownies ever. Mom got away
with only baking brownies because of
how delicious these are.
Make brownie sundaes. Put a nice-
First Quarter 2017