Chocolate World

Monday, April 9, 2007

Wareham Woman's 'Triple Chocolate' Holds Recipes of 3 Generations

by Joanna McQuillan Weeks

A Slice of Life

You might think this weekend is for chocolate bunnies and eggs, but it will be about all things chocolate when Kristine L. Hastreiter holds a signing for her new cookbook Saturday at Bev Loves Books in Rochester.

The Wareham woman is author of "Triple Chocolate: Three Generations of Chocolate-Inspired Cooking," newly released by Rock Village Publishing of Middleboro.

The softcover book, illustrated with photographs by the author, costs $13.95.

Ms. Hastreiter is familiar to shoppers who frequent the Rochester and South Dartmouth farmers' markets, where she sells preserves, artisan breads, biscotti, scones and dog biscuits under the Gourmet & Gourmand name.

After working for years in the museum field, Ms. Hastreiter decided to take a "creative sabbatical" and turn to her passion, cooking and baking. Combining formal culinary studies at BCC with the cooking experience she had gained from her mother and grandmothers, Ms. Hastreiter launched her career as a food entrepreneur. She still keeps her hand in the museum world by working seasonally for the Bourne Historical Society as an interpreter at the Aptuxcet Trading Post.

"The goal for this cookbook was to assemble a well-rounded selection of doable, delicious, chocolate inspired recipes," she writes in the book's introduction.

"I felt the need to write a cookbook to pull all the family recipes together, or they would get lost," the pastry chef explained in a phone conversation Monday.

"It was fun to try to standardize those recipes," she said, making them foolproof for home cooks. "It was a trip down memory lane," Ms. Hastreiter added, pulling out the old, handwritten recipe cards from family members.

While "Triple Chocolate" is her first cookbook, some of her recipes — apple-blueberry jam, fruit chutney, and blueberry truffles — appeared in publisher Yolanda Lodi's "Blueberry Cookbook."

In "Triple Chocolate," Ms. Hastreiter explores the uses of various forms of chocolate in sweet and savory dishes, as well as providing some historical background on the seductive ingredient.

The three dozen or so recipes range from Chocolate Scones to Chili with Cocoa and Coffee to Chocolate Walnut Fudge to Grilled Pork with Chocolate Vodka Barbecue Sauce. All are laid out in clear detail, and include lists of needed equipment.

A short introduction for each explains "where the recipe came from, or a tidbit about its history ... that was the museum person in me," the author said.

This summer, Ms. Hastreiter plans to sell her wares at South Dartmouth Farmers' Market on Fridays, Provincetown on Saturdays and Carver on Sundays. She also is in the midst of negotiating for a full-time kitchen/retail space in Wareham; currently, she rents a shared-use kitchen in Buzzards Bay to prepare her stock.

This fall, she'll be returning to BCC to teach a course that draws upon both her skill sets. Ms. Hastreiter will be teaching "Art for Culinarians," which develops food presentation technique and teaches students to make an effective digital photo portfolio, which they will need for job interviews.

In addition to Saturday's event at Plumb Corner Plaza in Rochester, Ms. Hastreiter will hold a signing at 6 p.m. April 19 at the Wareham Free Library, 59 Marion Road (Route 6). A reception and signing is set for 4 to 7 p.m. May 5 at Sail Away Studio, 177 Main St., Wareham. For the latter, the author will prepare some of the recipes, and wine and cheese will also be served.

The following sample from "Triple Chocolate" is a recipe from Ms. Hastreiter's maternal grandmother, Jane (Kirgasser) Tober.

Jane's Tannies

Makes 12 large tannies.

3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
2 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Equipment:

Small bowl
Small saucepan
Standing mixer with paddle attachment
Rubber scraper/spatula
Metal cooling rack

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- by 13-inch baking pan and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.

Melt margarine in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat.

Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla extract, mix to combine, and let cool to room temperature. Transfer cooled margarine mixture to the bowl of a standing mixer.

Using the paddle attachment, beat in eggs one at a time. Mix well after each addition, scraping mixing bowl as necessary.

Add sifted dry ingredients; mix to combine. Add chocolate morsels and walnuts; mix to combine. Scoop mixture into greased pan; spread evenly into the corners.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and place on metal rack.

Allow tannies to cool completely before slicing into bars.

Store tannies at room temperature in a tightly sealed container.

Joanna McQuillan Weeks is food editor of The Standard-Times. Send her e-mail at foodedit@s-t.com
from http://www.southcoasttoday.com

posted by All About Home @ 10:09 PM

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