Chocolate Beet Cake

There are a lot of great things about having a CSA share. When you sign up for a weekly share you're supporting local farmers and sustainable farming; you get quality produce at a cheaper price than you could find in a grocery store; and each week you get to bring home delicious foods like seedy whole wheat breads, raw cheese, and sweet corn, that might not have found their way into your kitchen otherwise. For all the wonderful things that come with it, the one drawback of a CSA share is that you also can get stuck with produce that you really don't want. And then you have to find ways to use up all of the fresh fennel, or the eggplant, or the stalks of edamame that you signed up for.

For us, the greatest challenge has been finding ways to use the steady supply of red beets we've received this summer.

As a kid I had the shock of mistaking roasted beets for slices of my beloved canned cranberry sauce at a Thanksgiving dinner - that night some part of my subconscious was forever scarred by that alien root. But when they started popping up in our vegetable drawer this summer the trauma had faded from memory and I really had no aversion to trying them again. I topped a pizza with caramelized onions, walnuts, chèvre and small wedges of the roasted beet; we quickly decided that none of us liked the beets and had to pick every one of them off just to salvage our dinner. 

As beets continued to come in each week it became evident that the only way to swallow a beet was in very small portions smothered by other, better flavors. I enjoyed the same pizza with a sprinkling of grated beet and found that golden beets are nicely camoflauged inside of a muffin. So I hatched a plan to take down this weeks store in a chocolate (red beet) cake!

Chai Hot Chocolate

My first encounter with spiced chocolate was over the summer when a mysterious bag of chocolates showed up on our doorstep kitchen counter. When it appeared I waited a few days to see who would claim the small bag of individually wrapped squares of chocolate. I assumed that is was a gift for someone, so I waited, and I eyed the chocolates longingly each time I passed through the kitchen. This went on for a few days until one morning I came downstairs for my early bird 10 o'clock breakfast and glanced over at the bag of chocolates to see that it had been untied.

Inside were two types of chocolates: dark chocolate with espresso bean and masala chai spiced chocolate. The squares were melt-in-your-mouth thin and just enough to satisfy a craving. The espresso squares were a bit too bland for my taste so I took to the masala chai spiced squares. I was hesitant at first, having tried a variety of unconventional flavors paired with chocolate -jalapeño, chili pepper, and orange with crushed peppercorns- none of which I enjoyed. But the delicate harmony of the chai spices with the complexity of the masala left a dimensional and delightful flavor in my mouth. I began to wonder what I could do with this beautiful relationship; this harmony of chocolate and spice.

Non-Erupting Chocolate Lava Cake

When I was younger, we lived in Maine for a couple years as my mom finished up her residency.  While she was working, from time to time my dad would take my sister and I on special lunch outings.  The trips were always fun; he would take us to the coolest little restaurants and cafés.  One of the restaurants that I loved, and that we went back to again and again was The Last Unicorn: a charming, aromatic (it had a rich cheesy, herb smell), little restaurant, that had the best cheese fondue.  Every time we went there, my dad would order the fondue plate; it came in a hot pot with sliced almonds and fresh bread and fruits on the side.  Delicious!

On one such outing, with just my dad and I, we stopped at The Last Unicorn in the late afternoon - past lunch, and too early for dinner - so my dad suggested I order something off the dessert menu.  I was happy to oblige. 

There must have been only four or five options to decide between but, being a kid and a lover of all things sweet, I couldn't pick just one!

But I must have taken a fair amount of time trying to, because I remember the waiter came to offer her suggestion: a chocolate lava cake... how could I say no?

At that age I had done my fair share of baking soda, "volcanic" experiments, so as I awaited the arrival of my exotic new dessert, I had a few expectations. And so, when the small cake was placed in front of me - a drizzle of melted chocolate on top - and I dug my fork into the soft cake, the warm chocolate lava slowly pouring out, it was delightful, but not what I had expected.  I was a bit disappointed at the absence of a fountain of chocolate streaming from the top.... But then again, how disappointed can you be with a warm, chocolate, heaven sitting right in front of you?

The answer of course is: not even a little. 

Soft and light on the outside, and warm and smooth inside, a lava cake is one of the most delightful, sweet desserts; and since that day the little cake has been top on my list.

Despite my love for these precious little things, I hadn't eaten another one since; so I was very excited to make these.  And this time around there was no disappointment at all; they came out wonderfully and I knew not to expect any chocolate geysers.