Food

Peppermint Bark Hot Cocoa

~ Paris
On a wintery, December day during my freshman year of high school, one of my friends brought homemade peppermint bark for everyone. I had never tried the holiday treat before but needless to say I became obsessed with it instantly. Naturally, when I discovered Ghirardelli’s Milk Chocolate Peppermint Bark Squares a few years later, I fell in love. After making the best homemade hot cocoa several Christmases ago {I had based it off of an amazing cup of hot chocolate I had in Paris in December 2003 that tasted like pure, melted milk chocolate}, I decided to try my hand at a peppermint bark version. To be completely fair, they ended up being rather similar simply because I typically add a candy cane to the milk chocolate hot cocoa that gives it a pepperminty flavor. But, nonetheless, it was rich, creamy, and absolutely decadent. I chose to have it without any alcohol, but with a touch of Baileys or a peppermint twist vodka, it would be the perfect, festive holiday cocktail.

 

Ingredients:


1/8 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Cup Milk {I used 2% so that it was creamy but not too calorie-heavy}

 Ghirardelli’s Peppermint Bark Squares {I used approximately seven squares for one cup}

 Candy Cane {Optional for garnish and to add a stronger peppermint flavor}

Recipe:

1) Break the chocolate squares into small pieces.

2) Since I don’t own a double boiler, I create a makeshift one by adding a small saucepan into a larger, flatter pot that is filled with water {as pictured in photo #3}.

3) Add the chocolate pieces to the double boiler and turn on the lowest flame.


4) Once the chocolate begins to melt, add in the splash of cream and mix it in until it’s blended. After that add in the milk while stirring the chocolate.5) Pour into your mug and garnish it with a candy cane.

 

6) Enjoy!

 

x Paris

Vanilla Persimmon Cupcakes with Candied Persimmons + Persimmon Buttercream

~ Paris

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I first discovered persimmons back in college and have been obsessed with them ever since. While summer is the season best known for fruits {berries, mangos, passion fruit}, I’ve always had an equal passion for winter’s version of nature’s candy, such as pomegranates and the aforementioned persimmons. I recently decided to combine my two favorite aspects of winter – baking on chilly mornings & the fresh, seasonal produce – to create these vanilla persimmon cupcakes. Using a vanilla cake recipe with one cup persimmons + a fresh vanilla bean, it made for a buttery cake with just the subtlest hint of fruit. And to add to the fruit flavor, I cored the cupcakes and filled them with candied persimmons before topping them off with a persimmon buttercream. The end result was something sweet, fruity, and the perfect indulgence on the coldest of days.

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Candied Persimmons
Ingredients
1 Persimmon, chopped
3 Tablespoons Granulated Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoons Butter

Recipe
1. Over a low flame, melt the butter.
2. Next, add the chopped persimmons and mix it into the butter until it fruit softens.
3. Finally, add in the brown sugar and coat it over the fruit.
4. Allow the fruit to simmer in the butter and sugar for five minutes, or until it’s softened and golden in color.
5. Enjoy!

Persimmon Buttercream
Ingredients
1 Cup Butter, room temperature
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Persimmon, chopped
1 Vanilla Bean

Recipe
1. Blend the butter, sugar, vanilla bean, and persimmons on high until whipped into a frosting.
2. Top over cupcakes.
3. Enjoy!

x Paris