Chocolate Pasta

I know, I know. You're thinking I've gone off my rocker now. If it makes you feel any better, the chocolate pasta isn't even really bad for you. I mean, it's got a fraction of the calories of steak cake. Honest! I'm willing to admit that I got a little obsessive about chocolate pasta after I read something online about it. I even bought some wildly expensive hazelnut (gianduja) chocolate from Valrhona because a) Valrhona, and b) Hazelnut chocolate. That's it, really. No other reason. Well, that and I love trying some off-the-wall recipes because food is all about the fun. Yes, yes, we HAVE to eat, but we don't have to eat the way we do. We don't have to make it such a production, such a sensory delight. And yet, we do. Because it makes us feel good.

Chocolate pasta is weird and wacky and kids are all about that. It's like a trip to a wild and wonderful candy factory, only better—they have their parents' permission! What more could a kid ask for?

Two of my classes this week were lucky enough to make chocolate noodles. The Young Epicureans, who, by the way, I was delighted to see again because, just look at these faces, were the first:

They are happy to be there and I feel privileged to spend this time with them. It's like taking a trip back in time; only I don't have to go through the teenage angst thing again, I just get to enjoy them enjoying each other and their night out creating something beautiful and tasty. A keen observer may be noticing right now that the pasta they're enjoying isn't chocolate. I did make them do a batch of regular noodles first. We kept it simple and added some roasted red peppers, fresh basil, parmesan, and sundried tomatoes.

And then we indulged in some fantastic chocolate ravioli with hazelnut chocolate filling.

I'm not sure they even realized it, but they learned to make pastry cream that night and were treated to some of the best chocolate in the world.

For my Sunday Kids Café class I had originally intended to do the chocolate ravioli again, maybe with a nice strawberry banana sauce, but realized on Friday night that the whole operation would be too much for them, so I stepped it down a notch and went for fettuccine.

They made a nice, light chocolate sauce and cut some fresh fruit to decorate their plates. Xavier created a beautiful plate.

Some had enough time to sneak in a few forkfuls before their parents arrived. Others took it to go and shared it with their families. I've been advised that chocolate fettuccine is best served hot, so if you ever get a wild hair and crank out some of your own chocolate noodles eat them fresh out of the pot.

So that's it! A great week in the Highfield kitchen. You might think we are all aboard the Crazy Train with steak cake, fruit pizza, and chocolate pasta, and at this point you'd be well advised to not even bother asking what comes next. I mean after chocolate ravioli and fettuccini, there's no telling what could happen. Vanilla bean spaghetti? Five-spice fusilli? (Anybody else thinking about "The Fusilli Jerry" Seinfeld episode right now? Happens to me every time I hear the word fusilli. Anybody? Just me? Yeah, well, go ahead and Google fusilli and see what comes up.)

See you all next class!