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By Nancy Ross Ryan
In a world seemingly driven by obsessions, one passion that almost everybody can empathize with (especially this time of year) is a love for chocolate.
Author Enid Futterman loves chocolate. She loves to cook with chocolate, and she loves writing about it, as she does in her book, Bittersweet Journey: A Modestly Erotic Novel of Love, Longing and Chocolate (Viking, $22.95).
Although Charlotte, the book's chocolate-obsessed heroine, is fictional, Futterman shares her character's culinary passion. She traced many of Charlotte's chocolate footsteps geographically and gastronomically, from Brooklyn to Munich, Zurich, Brussels and Paris, in search of the best chocolates in the world.
Futterman appeared at Zinfandel restaurant in Chicago recently to read from her book at a special "Chocolate Lover" dinner created by Zinfandel's chef-partner Susan Goss. The menu featured Hawaiian Vintage Chocolates, one of the chocolates mentioned in Futterman's book. It appeared in a blue cheese tart, a lobster bisque, in a mole sauce for pork tenderloin and in a rich chocolate cake.
Says Goss, "Quality chocolate is more than sweet. It has nuances of fruit, nuts, coffee and mint. Using chocolate in savory preparations, like the mole sauce, gives us a chance to enjoy these complex flavors."
Futterman declared that her favorite kind of chocolate is "dark and bittersweet, but not too bitter."
Jim Walsh, president of Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate, who shared the speakers' spotlight with Futterman announced that his chocolate, which has been only available to chefs, will soon be sold at retail. It is the only chocolate made from cocoa beans grown in the United States, on the Big Island of Hawaii.
"Bittersweet Journey" contains recipes that were derived or recreated from real chocolate devoured at the ports of call of her heroine's grand chocolate tour.
The author's advice to chocoholics: "I recommend you start eating only very good chocolate. The guide in the back of my book constitutes my idea of the best in the world. If you eat very, very good chocolate, that is pure and simple and close to its source, you don't need to eat a lot. And you tend to be satisfied much more quickly."
Plus, you'll be guaranteed a happy ending.
Chef Susan Goss served this sauce with grilled pork tenderloin. Look for juniper berries in the spice aisles of the supermarket.
1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onion softens and turns reddish brown in color, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic.
Nutrition information per serving:
1. Combine sugars, ? cup of the cream and salt in medium saucepan; stir to mix. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until sugar begins to melt, about 5 minutes. Add butter and chocolate; cook, stirring constantly, until both are melted.
Nutrition information per serving:
--Adapted from "Bittersweet Journey," by Enid Futterman.
An obsession for chocolate fuels author and her novel
SPECIAL TO THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
February 1998
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 32-35 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
? red onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
5 whole juniper berries
? teaspoon ground coriander
1 bay leaf
1 can (35 ounces) chopped tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14-1/4 ounces) chicken broth
1 tablespoon each: dried oregano, red chili powder, red-wine vinegar, honey
2 teaspoons kosher salt
? cup (2 ounces) chopped unsweetened chocolate
2. Crush juniper berries with back of chef's knife and coarsely chop. Add juniper berries, coriander and bay leaf to saucepan. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice, broth, oregano, chili powder, vinegar and honey. Heat to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cover. Simmer 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Puree in blender or food processor fitted with metal blade in batches until smooth. Pour into medium bowl; add salt and chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts. Adjust salt to taste. If smoother sauce is desired, strain through mesh sieve.
Calories 175; Fat 9 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 1,225 mg; Carbohydrates 24 g; Protein 5 g.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Standing time: 25 minutes
Yield: 64 squares
1 cup each: granulated sugar, whipping cream
Pinch salt
? cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces high-quality unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2. Cook just until mixture begins to boil. Stir in remaining cream. Increase heat to medium; heat to boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; let cool until no longer hot to touch, about 20 minutes. Add vanilla; beat by hand until fudge loses sheen, 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Put fudge in 8- by 8-inch pan. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate until firm. Cut into squares.
Calories 62; Fat 4 g; Cholesterol 9 mg; Sodium 5 mg; Carbohydrates 9 g; Protein 0 g.