I am absolutely thrilled about this post! I usually don’t publish blogs linked to special celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or 4th of July. However, this Valentine’s Day will receive special attention from the Bewitching Kitchen. I was invited by Jamie (who hosts the great blog “Cooking in Red Socks“) to write a collaborative series of posts to celebrate it. So here is the deal: we will both be blogging three days in a row to cover the appetizer course, dinner, and dessert. My posts will center on a romantic meal for two. Jamie will blog on the same courses, but her posts will be about Valentine’s Dinner for Friends. Her posts are made super special as one of her best friends, Allie, celebrates her Birthday on V-day. How cool is that? 😉 Make sure to stop by her blog and marvel at her choice for the appetizer course: Sun-Dried Tomato Palmiers… WOW!
To start the day on a great note, I offer a perfect Valentine’s Day breakfast bread: Chocolate Currant Sourdough. A slice, slightly toasted, and a cup of hot cappuccino: heavenly!
CHOCOLATE CURRANT SOURDOUGH BREAD
(from Farine’s blog, original recipe from How to Make Bread)
Recipe overview: This bread takes a regular sourdough starter, at 100% hydration. The starter is incorporated into a final dough containing white flour, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and currants. After a series of foldings, the dough is shaped, either as two small loaves (as shown in Farine’s blog), or as a large round boule (as I did). My shaped loaf fermented for 4 hours in our bread proofing box, temperature set to 78 F. I baked it inside a covered clay pot for 30 minutes at 435 F, then removed the lid, and baked for 15 more minutes.
For the detailed recipe, visit Farine’s site or get your copy of Emmanuel Hadjiandreou’s book. Both links are included underneath the recipe’s title.
Comments: Even though this bread contains a good amount of chocolate and currants, it is not overly sweet. The cocoa powder and the sourdough starter act together to counteract excessive sweetness. We loved it, in fact I did not expect to like it as much as I did. If you have a starter going on in your kitchen, add this bread to your “to bake soon” list. And don’t keep it there for too long…
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Now, let’s move on to the appetizer course of our romantic meal for two… I wanted something light, and red. Hummus is a favorite in our home, so I went with a twist on this classic, turning it into a shockingly red dip. Food coloring? No way! This is a Roasted Beet Hummus, and it was absolutely wonderful…
ROASTED BEET HUMMUS
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)
1 medium beet
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (15 ounces) of chickpeas, drained, rinsed, peeled
1 lemon, zest and juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cold water to desired consistency
sesame seeds and lemon zest for decoration
Peel the beet, cut it in quarters, coat with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting dish covered with foil, and roast at 400 F for 30 minutes or until fully cooked through.
Place the roasted pieces in the bowl of a food processor, and process it for a few seconds. Add all other ingredients, up to olive oil. Process until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and adjust consistency with water if necessary. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Depending on the acidity of your lemon and your personal taste, a little more lemon juice right before serving might be a good idea. Sprinkle sesame seeds and lemon zest on top, and…
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: Phil is not too fond of beets, so I took a risk by choosing it for a Valentine’s Day menu. But the flavor of this spread is very complex, and the beets stay mildly sitting in the background, their presence big in color but mellow in flavor. Perfect for those who don’t jump up and down with joy when such bright red beings are found in the middle of the groceries. Serve this spread with crackers, or for a lighter appetizer course, celery or carrot sticks.
Make sure to visit Jamie’s site for her appetizer course on a Valentine’s Day Party for Friends! Stay tuned for the dinner course tomorrow…
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ONE YEAR AGO: Sesame and Flax Seed Sourdough
TWO YEARS AGO: Spanakopita Meatballs
THREE YEARS AGO: Saturday Morning Scones
FOUR YEARS AGO: Pain de Mie au Levain
Bewitching Kitchen 
Gosh, you are pulling out all the stops for this Valentine’s Day ! I love the strong bright colours of your Opening Act! Wow! I might make a beet dip as I have some organic beets from the farm in my box this week. I confess I have never made a chocolate sourdough, or any bread with chocolate all the way through. I am not sure how well it would go down with salami on top 🙂
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He, he, he… chocolate sourdough and salami might JUST be pushing it a little far… 😉 Mortadella, maybe? 😉
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Both the hummus and bread look and sound amazing!
Cheers,
Rosa
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Thank you, Rosa! Nice to “see” you here…
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Aww this is pretty fun! I know I would love a slice of that chocolatey loaf, smeared with some good salted butter. Or smeared with the beet hummus! Now THAT would make for a pretty color combo with the dark against the hot pink.
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Like humans and dinosaurs on Earth, I should divulge that those two concoctions were not present in our kitchen at the same time… I would definitely have joined them together, I think it could be a pretty wild, but tasty combination
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Hmmm. This might be a good way to try beets. You know I can’t stand them, but if they aren’t center stage…and I do love hummus. What a fun way to blog about Valentine’s Day! Your chocolate bread would surely make the kids swoon – especially if it was served at breakfast. Looking forward to the rest of the meal!
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Yes, I know you and beets have not quite made peace yet… but maybe in this recipe you could enjoy it… just a little? 😉 However, I suspect you will really like the main dish….
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The chocolate sourdough bread is a great start to a Valentine’s day meal but, even though it’s really ‘pink’, I can’t get my head around the beet hummus. 🙂
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Skip the hummus. Double choc sourdough for you! 😉
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What a wonderful collaboration! And I don’t think Valentine’s Day could start any better than with a big chunk of sourdough bread! Thank you for sharing Sally. And thank you for all your sweet words on my blog. Your comments make my week brighter!
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So nice of you to stop by! I have to say that chocolate sourdough was something! Really spectacular take on bread….
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Oh gosh, you chocolate sourdough bread looks wonderful! 🙂 I bet it is delicious, especially warm from the oven and I bet your kitchen smells wonderful! I have never had chocolate sourdough 🙂
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It was my first time having this type of bread, I somehow did not think it could be so tasty… but, it is!
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Well, I always say, when it comes to sourdough bread, I’ll get my fiber elsewhere 😉 — uncompromised goodness. But look at this version you’ve made for us with chocolate and currant… crazy!! I would absolutely love a slice of this heavenly loaf with my morning café au lait :). And so beautiful too Sally. I’m also admiring the colour on your roasted beet hummus. I wish beet would bake with that same colour… in loaves, muffins, breads… imagine how spectacular that would be? Happy Valentine’s Day Sally!! xx
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I hear ya! I control the indulgence level by eating ONE slice and sharing the love… or the loaf with co-workers. everyone is happy, and my waistline is kept the way I like it to be 😉
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Chocolate bread sounds amazing, never used a starter before. Also your beet hummus look incredible, love the color!
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Sourdough baking is addictive… a lot of fun, even if it seems intimidating at first…
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I can’t decide if the bread or the roasted beet hummus should be made first. They both sound amazing. I am SO hungry right now I can’t stand it.
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That bread was very well received by our department next day 😉
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What a fun idea for a Valentine’s Day series! I love what I see so far and bread making from a starter has long been on my list of recipes to make.. about a year I’d say. When you say 100% hydration, what does that mean??xx
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Hi, Barbara! 100% hydration means same amount (by weight) of flour and water. So, if you need 200g sourdough starter, that would be 100g flour + 100g water (plus any amount of sourdough to feed it, usually a couple of teaspoons)
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Thanks.. it’s starting to make sense now!xx
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