Chocolate Stumbling in Midtown - L.A. Burdick

En route to a local Thai restaurant I happened to stumble on this treasure that I was first introduced to last Spring in Boston. I vividly remember trudging through snow, rain and slush to take a quick tour of the Harvard Business School grounds. We were cold and tired when we finally navigated to the recommended L.A. Burdick and that dark hot chocolate with a shot of espresso spread warmth and rich goodness through every thawing extremity. I had locked away this memory with my wintry Boston nostalgia until this past week! My excitement was overwhelming and after devouring a full plate of Rohm Thai noodles I could not resist a chocolaty concoction for the commute back home. After asking for a dark recommendation, I went with Madagascar which elegantly carried subtle notes of vanilla beneath the strong melody of pure chocolate.

Since then I ventured back post work to celebrate the end of the week and shared a Grenada single origin hot chocolate with a side of cannele (this selection fell into the 70's range of cocoa while Madagascar was in the milder 60's). I managed to snap a few shots during my indulgent excitement...

Introduction in Boston

Intro with espresso...

Single Origin Menu (Manhattan)

Grenada with Cannele

L.A. Burdick Handmade Chocolates

 5 E 20th St, Manhattan, NY 10003

Gluten-free Mango Plum Galette

Strawberry Cucumber Scented Water

The plan was to splash in mint tea ice cubes that would seep mint into the water as they melted but the cucumbers and strawberries were gone before the ice cubes had a chance to form. I will just have to make another vibrant cup to add some color to my study sessions...

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e.e. cummings

Creamy Frozen Banana Treat

This is not the first time the overripe bananas in our dorm fruit bowl have incited my creativity in a desperate attempt to be resourceful. The last banana-saving episode resulted in banana flax muffins made with a haphazard mixture of Trader Joe's pancake mix and garnished with chia seeds for crunch.

This time when they gazed at me from our coffee table, brown and imploring, I recalled Jen's beautiful chocolate banana bombs from Use Real Butter. In an attempt to catch the flavors, if not the beautiful shape, I mashed the sweet and soft bananas with a fork in a round container. Luckily, I had a half-eaten bar of Valrhona 85% which I melted with a chunk of milk chocolate with short bursts in the microwave. I spread the melted chocolate over the top and added some raw pecan chunks as well as a smattering of organic pumpkin granola that had been neglected in the cupboard. Covering it up tightly, I stuck it in the freezer and forgot about it until some subsection of the Algorithm Analysis chapter where my mind wandered to the asymptotic "best case" of the problem of overripe bananas. The corresponding algorithm is written above - enjoy!

Honey Roasted Oranges

Inspired by Joy the Baker's Roasted Winter Citrus post, with the addition of a drizzle of honey instead of the sprinkle of sugar. It was a new experience for my taste buds that are so used to cold juicy oranges, but I must admit that it is a pleasant variation for a winter dessert.

Raw Zucchinni Carrot Salad

Zucchinni and carrot shavings, tomatoes, and Bulgarian feta cheese dressed with lemon, olive oil, chia seeds, black cumin and a sprinkle of salt.

Quinoa Sweet Potato Kale Cakes

From Cannelle et Vanille, with the substitution of kale that I had on hand instead of fresh herbs, and due to the limitations of cooking in a dorm kitchen I swapped the coriander for cumin and Turkish oregano and omitted the parmesan cheese.

If, like myself, you end up with extra grated sweet potato, saute them with onions in a small pot, add some vegetable broth and boil until the sweet potato pieces are tender. Puree with a hand-held blender and season with salt, pepper, and desired herbs.

Pair the creamy portion of soup with some quinoa cakes, and enjoy a wholesome study break with your suitemates.