The Price of Experimentation

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a well, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." - Robert A Heinlein.

I've never read any of Heinlein's novels, but I did stumble across this quote today, and it got me thinking that I should probably go out and find one of them to read, perhaps one of his libertarian-themed novels (since that's a subject matter I'm not much able to define). I like the idea that men and women should strive towards being multi-capable, to try and excel in multiple disciplines, regardless of gender. I wonder if that's a common theme in science fiction. Anyways, in today's world, especially the ones linked to academia, specialization seems to be the norm. It's kind of a shame.

Nothing heavy in thought today...it is a Monday, after all. Just a quick little hello with a fairly easy recipe. These were supposed to be an adaptation of Nanaimo Bars, but they morphed into their own thing entirely. Not that I'm complaining - the cookie base of this bar is ridiculously delicious and addictive, and the salty chocolate on top adds another dimension of flavor. Hurray for experimentation. This is a good recipe for when you have a lot of random knick-knacks in the pantry you'd like to consolidate (in this case, the rest of a box of Golden Grahams, a jar of maraschino cherries, and the last of the sweetened shredded coconut).

So here I give you Coconut-Chocolate Ganache Cherry Bars. They take a bit of time to make, what with three different components, but they are "no-bake," so you don't have to turn on the oven in the hot summer weather.  In terms of flavor, this dessert is sweet, but not too sweet, and has lots of delightful texture and chocolaty goodness. The flaxseeds and wheat germ give it some crunch, while the dates and nuts give it a subtle caramel-molasses flavor that pairs well with the chocolate and cherries. Word of warning though, the chocolate layer on top of this bar is a little gooey, so it is best to store the bars in the freezer until they can be served (actually, I like to serve them frozen). Keep things cold - otherwise, working with the ganache might be a bit of a mess. 

Otherwise, have a Happy Monday! Hope it's a productive one.

Coconut-
Chocolate Ganache Cherry Bars

16 bars

Base
5 Medjool dates, chopped fine

6 oz. maraschino cherries, chopped

1/2 C unsalted butter

1 extra large egg, beaten

1/2 C wheat germ

1/4 C flax seeds

1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 C crushed golden grahams

1/2 C roasted walnuts

Pastry Cream

4 TB flour

1 C unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 C granulated sugar

3 large egg yolks

1/2 C sweetened coconut flakes

Chocolate Ganache

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 C coconut milk

6 TB granulated sugar

1 TB instant espresso powder

sea salt, to serve

Day 1. Prepare the pastry cream. Bring the coconut milk to a simmer on the stove and then turn the heat off and let the milk cool. Gather the egg yolks in a small bowl. In another bowl, sift together the flour and granulated sugar. Using a whisk and while whisking continuously, sift the flour/sugar mixture into the egg yolks slowly. Keep beating until a thick lump-less batter is formed. Now, add the hot milk mixture to this thick egg batter, also while continuously whisking - you want to keep beating because you don't want the hot milk to cook the eggs. Once the milk has been incorporated into the egg batter, strain to remove any lumps (a.k.a. cooked egg) and fold in the coconut flakes. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap right onto the pastry cream (this will prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate overnight.

Day 2. Line a pan of desired size with non-stick parchment paper. Use a 9 x 9" square pan if you like a thick cookie base for your bar, larger if you like a thinner cookie base.

Here are the instructions to prepare the base of the bar. First, melt the butter in a large bowl. I did this on a make-shift double boiler (a Pyrex glass bowl on top of a pot of simmering water). Then, add the chopped dates to the bowl and stir until all the date pieces are evenly coated with melted butter. Finally, add to this wet mixture the remaining ingredients, which include the chopped cherries, the wheat germ, the flax seeds, the cocoa powder, the crushed golden grahams, roasted walnuts, and beaten egg. Fold all of these ingredients together until everything is wet. Pour this wet mixture onto the parchment paper in the lined pan and, while using a spatula, spread it around until it forms an even layer across the bottom of the whole pan. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and let warm up a bit while you are preparing the chocolate ganache.

Heat the coconut milk on the stove until it is simmering, then turn off heat. Add to it the chopped chocolate, sugar and instant espresso powder. Let sit for a bit, then turn on low heat and stir to mix - keep stirring to prevent burning the chocolate. Eventually, the mixture will become thick and almost frosting-like. Once that happens, turn off the heat and add all the pastry cream to the chocolate ganache, stirring until a smooth chocolate mixture is formed.

Remove the pan with the base-crust from the refrigerator and pour this chocolate ganache-pastry cream mixture on top, lightly shaking the pan until the chocolate ganache-pastry cream mixture is smooth and evenly distributed. Place the whole pan back into the refrigerator or freezer, and let the bars firm-up/cool until ready to but cut and served. Serve with a little salt sprinkled on top.