#thetarttart

[cranberryflavor]

Tempura Asparagus Tart Tart Satisfy your craving for both crunchy and tart flavors with our Asparagus Tempura, exclusively at The Tart Tart. Experience the perfect harmony of taste and texture.

[georgeceline]

Tart Tart >> Korean Fried Chicken

Calling all foodies: it's time to elevate your Korean Fried Chicken game with The Tart Tart. Experience confidence on a plate, as you savor our English-inspired take on this classic dish. Prepare to be blown away.

[hoardingrecipes]

Melty Chai Ice Cream with Honeycomb

[linda-xiao-blog]

[cardamomcollective]

Rich, spanish drinking chocolate warmed by exotic spices and enjoyed with delicious pastries if you're lucky enough to have them on hand!

Have I gotten your attention yet? It all started with the top picture, part of a gorgeous spread from the blog The Tart Tart, via A CUP OF JO. (recipe below)

In the recipe the author mentions spanish drinking chocolate served with churros, a decadence I obsessed over pre honeymoon and had almost completely forgotten about since! We never did get the churros, and we never did make it to El Quatre Gats a historic mecca for said churros and chocolate in Barcelona, but we did have plenty of amazing dulce and this single photo sent me searching for pictures, stories and recipes for an hour! I ended up flipping through all of our honeymoon photos ( yet to be officially catalogued over a year later!) and found one to share with you. 

I have also always been a big fan of mexican hot cocoa or mexican mochas, though good versions of this can be hard to find for some reason...someday when I open my dream spice shop with tea and espresso service we will make SURE to have an amazing spiced hot cocoa on the menu!  ( I would also sell lovely wooden molinillos! Which I have just discovered! Still looking for the owner of the photo above, will find and site, but here 's a great blog post on them!)

But I digress... Mexican hot chocolate ( still world away from the almost unrecognizable concoction the Aztecs and Mayans used to imbibe, but more on that later) is quite different from the rich, European style drinking chocolate featured here. I am realizing even as I write this I'll need to do a whole other post on the commercial varieties out there on the market...please remind me!

I have included another recipe, one I found from Saveur, along with a short and sweet ( literally ) video.

All this was  a huge sidetrack on my spice trail today BUT, I do plan to feature Ras El Hanout next week, and the spice master who mixed it himself Sameh Wadi recommended i try it with dark chocolate,e so I plan to experiment with my very own version of Ras El Xocolatl!

For now, enjoy these photos and video. And Please let me know how your own experimentation goes!!

Here are a few recipes!

FIrst, one for the amazing little nibble I'm holding in the photo above, torrone, also seen as turon. I lived in Italy for a Summer but never once saw it, only when we were in Venice at the end of March so I'm curious to do more research. here is a recipe from someone who seems to know her stuff, hers does not include dark chocolate, it's very likely they vary regionally as many things in Italy do. Hers is for a Sardinian version. Mine would DEFINTLEY include the dark chocolate!

http://food52.com/recipes/25223-torrone-sardo-sardinian-nougat

I'll be honest, I've hear it is no small feat to make it in your kitchen, but here's a great glimpse into the work of an Italian artisan!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/6700010/Antonio-Carluccio-watches-them-make-torrone.html

A great list of places to find chocolate and churros if you are lucky enough to be traveling to Spain anytime soon!

Two delicious looking hot cocoa recipes, along with the marshmallow to top it off!

VERY DECADENT HOT CHOCOLATE 

Serves 2

Ingredients: 4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped 2 cups whole milk 2 tsp corn starch about 2 Tbsp sugar generous pinch sea salt splash vanilla extract

Directions: In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the dark chocolate with a splash of milk over medium-low heat. Stir. Whisk corn starch with rest of milk (vigorously or else you’ll end up with clumps of corn starch in your drink) and slowly add it to the melted chocolate. Add sugar to taste. Keep stirring until it reaches a low simmer and becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in salt and vanilla.

Divide between two cups. Top with giant marshmallows (see below).

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/06/springy-fluffy-marshmallows/

Mexican Hot Chocolate (Chocolate Caliente) Via Saveur

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS

4 cups whole milk or water 2 tablets (3 oz. each) Mexican chocolate, broken into chunks

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine milk or water and chocolate in a pot and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil, about 10 minutes. Stir continuously to completely dissolve chocolate. Remove from heat. Using a hand blender, mix liquid until foamy, about 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Great video of Mexican chocolate being made, from Saveur.

Another video of chocolate and churros!

[hoardingrecipes]

Tartine Croissants