Fairchild Garden Chocolate Festival

It will be a #chocolate #heaven this weekend at #Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Chocolate Festival.   Hortoculture Director Richard Campbell talks about how chocolate  is grown and Chef  Allen Susser tells us how to choose and use chocolate on Food News and Views @WLRN NPR 91.3 FM 1:30-2 PM ET.  Streamed live and archived at www.wlrn.org.

Chef Allens’ Caribbean Chocolate Tea

Ingredients to Serve- 6

1 cup bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon lime zest

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon  mace

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 whole bay leaf

2 whole star anise

1 whole vanilla bean, slit in half

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

To prepare the Tea: In a medium saucepan warm the milk. Add the zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cayenne, bay leaf, star anise, vanilla bean, and sugar. Bring to a simmer.  Ladle 1 cup of the warmed milk into the bowl containing the chocolate, stirring until melted. Then pour the chocolate mixture into the simmering milk. Separately mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water to dissolve into a slurry. Whisk into the chocolate mixture, stirring occasionally. Simmer the Chocolate Tea for 20 minutes until slightly thickened and rich.