Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Homemade S’mores

Last year, I attended a chocolate tasting event where I learned about chocolate production from growing the beans to making bars. The event was hosted by Slow Food Austin, and the presentation was about farmer-owned, organic Kallari chocolate. Because Kallari is a cooperative of owners in Ecuador, they’re able to pay themselves a living wage. They are “committed to community viability and economic growth, through knowledge sharing, the preservation of Kichwa cultural traditions and natural resource conservation.” They make the highest quality chocolate by choosing the heirloom cacao domesticated by their ancestors. “Our unique cocoa varietals permit Kallari to make a world-class chocolate with less than half the sugar, a shorter roasting time, and minimal refining compared to standard chocolate.” It’s been a year and a half since I attended that event, but I remembered how delicious the chocolate was. It has a smooth, fruity flavor and lacks the bitterness common in other high cacao percentage chocolates. So, when Kallari contacted me recently about receiving some samples, I was thrilled to accept. I was also thrilled to learn that they are now planning to make chocolate chips. They just completed a successful Kickstarter campaign to begin this new part of their business, and I can’t wait to find the bags of their chocolate chips on store shelves. The chocolate I received was 70%, 75%, and 85% cacao, and those are the types of chocolates they’ll use in the chips. Next, I had the tough job of deciding how to use those lovely chocolate bars. I turned to my copy of Chocolate Obsession by Michael Recchiuti for inspiration which has page after beautiful page of decadent, gourmet chocolate confections. And, what did I pick? I skipped over all those stunning, fancy treats when I saw the Homemade S’mores. 

The graham crackers are made with a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, and I had some graham flour on hand and used that. The dough was rolled and cut into squares, and the squares were dusted with cinnamon sugar to which a pinch of cloves and a little salt were added. I made the marshmallows vegetarian, as I’ve done before, by using xanthan gum rather than gelatin. The first time I tried that, I thought the marshmallows were a little softer than ones made with gelatin. So this time, I added a tiny bit more xanthan gum, and they did set up a little firmer. Another difference I’ve found with marshmallows made with xanthan gum is that they don’t keep quite as well. They seem to get softer each day. You’ll want to use them within a few days whereas marshmallows with gelatin will last well for about a week depending on the humidity. I cut the marshmallows just smaller than the graham cracker squares and broke the chocolate into similar-sized squares. Although they’re just s’mores, they are kind of dressed-up s’mores since they’re assembled in the kitchen. You could stack the chocolate and marshmallow on one cracker, place it under the broiler to toast, and then top with another cracker. But, I pulled out my trusty kitchen torch. I waved the flame over the chocolate to warm it before setting the marshmallow square on it. Then, I toasted the marshmallow and sandwiched it with the second cracker. 

Over the course of a few days, we rigorously tasted (another tough job) all three chocolates in the s’mores. They were all fabulous. We couldn’t pick a favorite. And, I’m not even a huge chocoholic. My preference is usually for a medium-level of cacao percentage in a chocolate, but the Kallari 85% bar is delightfully smooth with hints of vanilla. When their chocolate chips become available, the cookies I make will be on a whole new level. 

I am a member of the Amazon Affiliate Program.

22 comments:

  1. Lovely and surely a billion times better tasting than when made with store-bought ingredients.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  2. The high cacao chocolates are usually not too my liking but I am intrigued by your description and hope this company comes to Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Someone has to taste all that chocolate!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow, these homemade s'mores look great Lisa...I sure would love to have a couple of them...
    Have a lovely week :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. I tried making smores when I made my vegetarian marshies. They are so good! But not very common in AUS unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I see Graham Crackers popping up in a lot of recipes but we can't buy them here. It does look like a yummy dessert with all those marshmallows xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love these smores, full of delicious dessert flavour :D

    Cheers
    CCU

    ReplyDelete
  8. The chocolate tasting event sounds heavenly! Buried in melted homemade marshmallows and surrounded by graham crackers makes for such a stunning dessert! S'mores heaven!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You know it's funny. I'm not a huge chocoholic either but yet a recipe like this makes me understand why it's usually voted most popular. I mean how could you resist? Looks DIVINE. Such a good idea. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm a little obsessed with s'mores :) Love this!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am amazed that you made your own crackers, although that reminds me: after your recommendation of the book on crackers I ended up buying it - haven't made anything from it yet

    Also intrigued by a high cocoa level chocolate that would not be bitter - that definitely calls my name, I hope some day I have a chance to buy some of this product

    ReplyDelete
  12. what? you didn't make your own chocolate? i'm disappointed in you, lisa! :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. oh these s'mores are to die for,so addictive and what we really liked is they have come out so clean,but they will be soon messy when we will be devouring them tonight,thanks for this beautiful inspiration :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Leave it to you to make these guys from the ground up! Yum. Have you ever gone as high as a 90%+ chocolate with something like this? Chocolate in the 70s is preferred for us, but people who can handle that sharp, rich cocoa flavor would love your pairing.

    ReplyDelete
  15. These smores are looking so gorgeous! These chocolates sound so good! I wish I had these here in India. YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Although I've seen the name pop up, I actually didn't know what s'mores are. Surely something I have to try in the future as they look delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  17. These are the most perfect S'mores -- ever! I've had that chocolate, too. Incredible tasting with such complexity.

    ReplyDelete
  18. These are smores are a beautiful thing. Delicious. More importantly chocolate ( like some other foods) when produced with labor that is provided a living wage and good working conditions, it is just that much better.

    Thanks for sharing.


    Velva

    ReplyDelete
  19. With all of the s'mores now out on all the blogs made from industrial cookies and marshmallows, how fabulous to see home made! I bow down to you, Lisa. And don't they look better than all the rest put together? Your graham crackers and marshmallows are perfect and with a great quality chocolate I may even be willing to do a bit of Girl Scouts all over again!

    ReplyDelete
  20. You made S'mores from scratch and I nearly missed it??? Beat me with a wet noodle or just pass me s'more:)

    Very interesting about the chocolate Lisa. How wonderful that you got to sample it. I bet those s'mores were mighty special!

    Thanks for sharing...

    ReplyDelete

Blogging tips