Cocoa Almonds Food

COCOA BLACKENED STEAK WITH MARCONA ALMOND ROMESCO

Steps:

• For the leeks: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• Put the whole leeks on an unlined sheet tray and bake, flipping halfway through, until completely charred, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool to the touch.
• For the cocoa blackened steak: Combine the smoked paprika, cocoa powder, onion powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked salt, sugar and coffee in a bowl. Divide the mixture between the each of the rib eyes and let sit for 15 minutes.
• For the leeks: Once the leeks are cool to the touch, remove the outer layers, revealing the soft leeks inside. Finely chop the leeks and add to a bowl. Add the cocoa nibs, olive oil and red wine vinegar and season with the smoked sea salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• For the Marcona almond romesco: Blend the peppers, olive oil, white chocolate, tomatoes, sherry vinegar, smoked paprika, salt and garlic in a blender until smooth. Add the almonds to a food processor and pour over the blended sauce. Pulse until coarse, not smooth.
• Heat a 14-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons cooking oil and the steaks and cook on both sides until evenly charred, about 7 minutes per side, searing in batches if needed. Remove from the skillet and put on the rack on the sheet tray. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
• Serve the steak alongside the romesco and the leek condiment.

COCOA ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a large bowl combine almonds, agave syrup, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to mix together, fully coating almonds.
• Spread almonds in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, stirring twice during baking.
• Remove baking sheet from the oven. Quickly return almonds to the bowl, add cocoa powder, and toss to coat. Store in an air-tight container.

COCOA ALMONDS

Steps:

• Stir all ingredients, except cocoa, together. Spread evenly on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. After nuts have cooled a bit, pour them into bowl and toss with cocoa to coat.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE WITH CAJETA AND COCOA DUSTED ALMONDS

Steps:

• For the ganache: Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Set a heatproof bowl over the water (don't let it touch the water). Add the chocolate and stir occasionally until melted. Take the bowl off the heat and whisk in the heavy cream. Allow the mixture to cool slightly while you prepare the creme chantilly.
• For the creme chantilly: Add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high until the cream begins to froth. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on medium speed until soft peaks start to form, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and continue to beat until stiff peaks form, about 1 minute. Remove 1 cup of the whipped cream and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
• Fold half the remaining whipped cream into the ganache. (The chocolate should be slightly warm still.) Gently fold in the remaining half of the whipped cream. Fill 6 or 8 ramekins two-thirds of the way with chocolate mousse (I like to use a pastry bag to fill the ramekins). Refrigerate until ready to top.
• For the cajeta: Stir together the goat's milk, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a large saucepan. (Make sure the liquid only comes a quarter of the way up the sides of the pan as it will froth up to several times its original size.) Add the cinnamon sticks, vanilla seeds and pods and the salt to the pot.
• Bring the milk mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, add the baking soda and continue to whisk vigorously. The mixture will froth and rise significantly, continue to whisk until it returns to its original volume.
• Keep the mixture at a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to turn golden brown and starts to thicken, about 30 minutes. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure the milk is not burning. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cinnamon sticks and vanilla pods.
• Keep stirring until the mixture is rich brown and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes.
• Remove the ramekins of mousse from the refrigerator and spoon a 1/2-inch layer of cajeta on top of each. Return to the refrigerator to chill and set.
• For the garnish: When ready to serve, top each ramekin of chilled mousse with a dollop of the reserved creme chantilly. Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of cocoa powder and a few cocoa-dusted almonds.

SPICY COCOA ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the almonds in a single layer on a rimmed baking tray.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes. Stir and continue baking until fragrant and toasty, about 5 minutes more. Let cool on tray for 2 minutes; pour into a bowl.
• Add cocoa powder, sucralose, and cayenne pepper. Stir with a spatula until well coated. Pour almonds back onto the baking tray to cool completely.