Chocolate or Vanilla?...that's the question!

There are two kinds of people in the world. One is either a chocolate person or a vanilla person...one is rarely both.

Upfront, I must admit  that, originally as a child, I was a vanilla person...I didn't even like chocolate (don't faint!), refused to eat it, plus was the only kid at birthday parties that wanted vanilla ice cream and cake. This was a sure sign that I was headed for tons of therapy later on in life.

Many, many years and tons of therapy later I am now (and have been for a very, very long time) a solidly chocolate person. That's not to say that I don't like vanilla. I like it well enough, but usually covered in chocolate fudge sauce, chocolate sprinkles or chocolate crunchies of some sort (preferably Valhrona 60%). I have rarely (if ever) met a dessert that couldn't be improved upon with a bit of chocolate therapy so to speak.

There is just something so decadent, so delicious, so devilish about chocolate and its many forms and textures. Whether it's a cake, a cookie, a torte, a tart, a galette, a pie, a sauce, a candy, a muffin, a scone, a pancake, a waffle, a croissant, a covered nut, a brownie, a chewy fudge bar, a quick bread (oh, I could go on and on) chocolate is one of life's dark golden treasures...one of life's purest joys, one of life's reasons to get up in the morning.

Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate...that's all I really wanted to say this week! Now, if you insist that you are a vanilla person, and there are some of you out there, like my friend, Cheryl Alpert, and her daughter, Caryn, plus my niece, Isabel...I understand...but I implore you to take a walk on the wild side from time to time and indulge in the wondrous world of chocolate...you will not be disappointed I promise!

To entice you, try Racine's Cake (from the Parisian restaurant of the same name)...it will delight you and tickle your taste buds in the best way ever...to go completely crazy make some of Dorie Greenspan's sinfully yummy chocolate whipped cream to go on top (see recipe below). And if you absolutely insist on being a stubborn vanilla person try Alicia's Blondies substituting butterscotch or peanutbutter chips for the chocolate chips.

Whichever way you lean (or if you are one of those rare people that go both ways) revel in your passion and savor every bite of every treat you eat!

xo Nanci

DORIE GREENSPAN'S CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM:

Ingredients:
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons sugar, to taste

IN A HEATPROOF BOWL large enough to use for whipping the cream, place the chocolate.

STIR THE CREAM AND SUGAR together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream over the chocolate. With a whisk, beat the chocolate and cream together vigorously - you want to make sure you've got a smooth mixture.

COVER the cream once it is cool to protect it from foods with strong odors and REFRIGERATE for 24 hours. With a whisk or electric hand mixer beat the cream until it is almost thick; this will happen quickly so pay attention! You want the cream to be just firm enough to spread but not so firm that it loses its lightness and creaminess. The cream is ready to use as soon as it is whipped. It can be covered and refrigerated for 3 hours.