Chocolate Orange Pudding Cups

Saturday marked The Kitchen Prep's 5 year anniversary. Five years of stories, recipes, eating and tasting. Two hundred-sixty weeks {give or take} of meeting new friends, going to conferences, attending dinners and covering food events. One thousand eight hundred twenty five days of molding this space, and being enamored with this space, and detesting this space, and wondering if it's worth all the work, and knowing that it's the only work I've ever truly loved.

If it were a kid, I would be packing its lunchbox and sending it off to Kindergarten, though sometimes I feel like it's been around long enough to have earned its Ph.D.

This space means an awful lot to me. It has been the cause of many tears, but even more smiles, and it has given me the chance to make some dreams that I couldn't imagine coming true become realities.

All from sitting here typing my thoughts. From being candid about my life and sharing personal things, ridiculous things, and things you shouldn't wait another minute to take a bite out of. {Oftentimes, while using terrible grammar and horrendous sentence structure.}

And though I would continue to do it for myself even if no one else read one word, it's so nice to know that you are out there on the other side of this screen letting me take up a second of your life so that I can add some purpose to my own.

That's a pretty big deal.

Until about 3 years ago, I didn't even know this could be the kind of thing it's become. To be honest, I am in a constant battle with myself, contemplating going full-steam ahead so that I can potentially become as successful as some of the other bloggers I have come to know, or keeping this a sacred place and "doing it my way." {I wish it could be both. It can't. Or at least I haven't figured out how to make that happen.} I've had to practice "staying in my lane" and avoiding constant comparison to others I admire. I'm sort of the toughest boss I've ever had.

I've sold out a little bit in the past year because diapers are expensive and so are college funds. I've made myself feel bad enough about it sometimes, so I'm thankful that you haven't. {Note: There's never been a time when I've tried to sell you on something I think is gross. Nothing is worth that kind of deception.}

While the past five years have been full of all kinds of changes, adjustments, ups and downs... this blog has been a constant, slowly becoming a bigger and bigger part of my identity.

So, I guess what I'm saying is thanks for getting to know me while I continue to figure out who I am. Or at the very least, thanks for letting me share a meal with you, because few things make me happier than chatting and sharing food with people.

Except maybe chocolate. Chocolate makes me pretty happy, too.

Chocolate Orange Pudding Cups
Adapted from Food Network 

3 cups whole milk
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

1. In a medium pot, heat milk until steaming over medium-high heat. Stir in both kinds of chocolate and whisk until completely incorporated.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, corn starch and cocoa powder until smooth. Add about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture, whisking the whole time, to bring the egg mixture up to temperature. {Otherwise you'll get scrambled eggs.}

3. Pour the heated egg/milk mixture back into the pot with the remaining milk. Reduce the heat to medium-low and whisk continually until the mixture has thickened. {It'll be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, but will continue to thicken in the refrigerator as it chills.}

4. Remove the mixture from the stove. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the pudding to ensure a super-smooth texture a little at a time over a large, clean bowl.* Whisk in vanilla extract, orange zest and orange liqueur.

5. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the mixture to cover the bowl, {this will keep it from forming a "skin."} and refrigerate until chilled, about 3 hours or overnight.

Serve in individual cups topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Garnish with extra orange zest and a slice of orange if desired.

*This isn't absolutely necessary, but I like to do it to make sure there aren't any lumps or scrambled egg bits in the pudding.

Boozy Mint Chocolate Mousse Brownies | BrancaMenta

If there's any time where getting a little spiffed up is appropriate, it's the holidays. Bust out the little black dresses, sequins, sparkles and red lipstick -- it's party time.

My own closet has been an adventure in appareling lately since I'm finally fitting into the last of the pre-baby outfits that were still a bit snug. I may or may not have done a little happy dance a few weeks ago when I was able to {comfortably} zip up a pair of {extremely non-stretchy} pants that I had all but given up hope on. So, for the first time in a while, I'm looking forward to exploring my closet with new found excitement for oldish attire.

Getting dressed up doesn't have to stop at your full length mirror -- this is a great time of year to give a stylish new appearance to classic favorites in your kitchen, too.

With just a few special touches, you can turn a modest bite into something with a little extra holiday pizzazz.

Take the basic brownie, for example. Maybe the plain, fudgy squares you'd find in a cafeteria aren't something you'd think to add to a gorgeous holiday spread, but with a splash of boozy mint liqueur, a dollop of mousse and a surprisingly easy-to-make chocolate flourish as its crowning finish, brownies can move to the grown up table this year.

Since today is "National Brownie Day", I thought I'd give these classic treats a chance to shine with a little holiday makeover.

BrancaMenta, a cousin to the herbaceous, bitter digestive Fernet Branca {which totally brings to mind Alfred from Batman in The Dark Knight Rises}, is the key to creating these sophisticated brownie bites. Without being overpowering, the addition of the minty liqueur gives the rich, chocolatey brownies a certain festive flair. The slight bitterness of the aperitif is balanced well by the sweetness of the chocolate and the creaminess of the tuft of mousse that tops the bites. And just like you might don your "good jewelry" for a special occasion, these guys break out their best with an elegant chocolate embellishment that will make guests take notice.

So, let brownies join the festivities this year, even if they show up a little tipsy! 

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by The Baddish Group. I was provided with payment as well as a bottle of Brancamenta for use in this recipe. As always, the opinions here are all my own!

Boozy Mint Chocolate Mousse Brownies
Brownie base adapted from Nestle Tollhouse

1 1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup {1 1/2 sticks} butter, melted
2 tablespoons BrancaMenta
2 eggs
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate or milk chocolate chips, depending on your preference

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 inch pan with foil overlapping the sides for easy removal or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, butter, Brancamenta, eggs and vanilla extract until smooth.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

4. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, mixing until just combined. The batter will be stiff and sticky. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Try not to over bake.

Remove from oven and cool brownies for about 15-20 minutes in the pan before lifting out the brownies by the foil flaps. Cool completely before proceeding to next step.

For Mint Mousse:
1 cup cold heavy cream
3 tablespoons Brancamenta
2 heaping tablespoons powdered sugar
Approximately 3 ounces good quality dark chocolate {I used 65% cocoa}, melted and cooled

1. Combine heavy cream, Brancamenta and powdered sugar in a bowl. With a hand mixer, beat until you have stiff peaks. {You can also use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.} Set aside.

2. Add about half of the whipped cream to the bowl with the cooled, melted chocolate and carefully fold together. You want to do this gently so the whipped cream doesn't lose its "fluffiness".

3. Add the remaining cream and fold until fully combined -- you'll want most of the streaks of chocolate to be gone and the mixture to me mostly uniform.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

For Embellishment:

You'll need: A few squares of good quality chocolate and a silicone baking mat or a sheet of parchment paper.

Break chocolate into pieces and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring until completely melted. Cool completely.

Spoon the chocolate into a zip top bag and snip the tip to create a small opening. Create a squiggly "flourish" by drizzling the chocolate onto the silicone baking mat or parchment -- get creative! Pop it into the freezer for a few minutes until the chocolate is completely set. When ready to embellish the brownies, carefully remove the chocolate from the baking mat or parchment -- it should come right off.

For Assembly: 

When you're ready to assemble the brownie bites, you can either cut the cooled brownies into squares or diamonds, or use a cookie or biscuit cutter to punch out circles or other shapes.

Spoon the chilled mousse into a piping bag with a round tip or a zip top bag with the tip snipped off. Carefully pipe a dollop onto the top of each brownie bite.

Dust with some powdered sugar and top with a chocolate embellishment.

Chai Spiced Brownies

When you blog for a while, people start wanting to send you stuff for you to write about. As great as that sounds, it gets a little overwhelming when you are an honest kind of gal who wants to give everyone a shout out, but doesn't want to turn her sacred space into one giant ad.

So a lot of times, I end up saying, "Hey, thanks for wanting to send me your cookbook/food product/kitchen gadget/recipe idea/fill-in-the-blank! It's so nice of you to think of me. I'm happy to share a picture of it on social media {if it's something I like and would actually use}, but I can't pay my bills with artisan crackers so I'm can't promise that I'll have time to write a whole post singing your product's praises."

Ok, maybe I don't say it exactly like that, but that's essentially the message that I send back. And then we might talk a little bit about working together in a business sense, which is when you'll see me mention that a post is "sponsored". {So, THAT'S what that means!}

But every once in a while {though less and less lately because, hello, baby's college fund}, I get an email and I'm like, "Heck yeah, send your chocolate/wine/cheese/awesome little-known fancy condiments right on over!" Then I try really, really hard to highlight the product in a post or use it in a recipe so that no on thinks I'm ungrateful or sneaky, trying to bum delicious things off of generous companies who are trying to promote their products. No one likes a mooch.

It's a fine line to keep this whole blog business both genuine and profitable!

Anyway, I get so much stuff in the mail that my mailman and UPS delivery guys probably think I have a major food hoarding problem. One day I'll have to invite them all in for a feast made out of all the products they've delivered to my door so they can see for themselves what's going on.

But yeah, from time to time someone sends something for you to check out and it gets lost in the shuffle. And then you're cleaning out your pantry one day and you go, "Whoa, this looks like a fancy little tin of chai tea that I probably wouldn't buy for myself, where the heck did it come from??" And then you remember and you feel bad for not doing what you said your were going to do {back in February! eek.} because you've been busy writing and cooking and raising a baby and having a life and keeping your head above water most days. Sigh.

I'm really glad I found this tin of Palais des Thes Chai Imperial because it is a perfect transitional flavor between the pumpkin spice season we're leaving and the turkey/apple/peppermint season we're entering. Really, it's a flavor you can enjoy all year long, but it's such a nice, cozy blend of aromatic ingredients that I think it's most appreciated when it's a little chilly out. {Not that it is here, but you know what I mean.}

Since we are nowhere near sweater weather in these parts, I decided to bake the flavors of chai tea into a brownie. Because I can get down with brownie-eating no matter what the temp is outside.

Chocolate and chai go together swimmingly with the warm, spicy notes of cardamom, pink peppercorn and ginger balancing the sweetness of the chocolate. If brownies and warm spices don't sound like pure comfort, then I don't know what does!

Phew! I feel way better now that this little tin of chai goodness has been unearthed from the depths of my pantry and had its day in the sun. Having a pan full of brownies is a nice perk, too! ;)

Disclosure: I received Palais des Thes Chai Imperial to try for this post. As always, all opinions here are my own. 

Chai Spiced Brownies
Makes 9 large brownies, or 12 decent sized brownies

1/2 cup milk, divided {I used almond milk}
3 tablespoons Palais des Thes Chai Imperial loose tea
1/2 cup {8 tablespoons} butter, melted
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare and 8x8 inch baking pan* by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with foil for easy removal.

2. In a small saucepan {or in a microwave safe cup}, heat milk until steaming. Add loose Chai Imperial and allow to steep for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, coconut oil, vanilla and eggs until fully combined.

4. Using a strainer, pour milk/tea mixture into a small cup or bowl, pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible-- discard tea solids. Whisk 1/4 cup of tea mixture into the wet ingredients. Set remaining 1/4 cup aside for use in glaze.

5. In another bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

6. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture and stir until just combined and no dry spots are left. Fold in chocolate chips.

7. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs.

*You can also make this in a 9x13 inch pan. The brownies will be thinner and may bake a bit faster, so check on them after 18-20 minutes.

For Glaze: 

4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup remaining chai spiced milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1. In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until dissolved.

2. Remove from heat and add chai spiced milk and vanilla extract.

3. Beat in confectioners sugar until smooth.

Quickly pour glaze over cooled brownies and allow to set, about 20 minutes. Slice and serve brownies.