Great Bites: A Holiday Adventure For The Palate

FOOD & DRINK

GREAT BITES A HOLIDAY ADVENTURE FOR THE PALATE

By Sean-Patrick M. Hillman y favorite time of year has always been the holiday season. Between Thanksgiving and

Christmas, there are so many opportunities to entertain, celebrate, and spend time with the people you love. Now, you are going to have to pardon me while I fanboy for a moment.

One of the reasons why I love food so much is attributed to a legend in the kitchen, The Godfather of American Cuisine, Chef Larry Forgione. My mother handled Larry’s publicity for most of my formative years, helping him to achieve the notoriety he deserved. As such, I spent a lot of time at Larry’s An American Place, often watching him and his team in the kitchen. I was always enamored by the way Larry combined flavors and ingredients to create an adventure for the palate and in what I can only describe as a symphony in the kitchen.

Every Christmas, Mom would make Larry’s incredible chocolate pudding. And I have continued that tradition throughout my life. I also find myself using Larry’s pudding in other recipes that I have made. This holiday season, I wanted to share one of my new favorites that uses this recipe. When I called Larry to ask him for permission to use his pudding recipe in this new dessert, he could not have been more gracious. He even gave me some tips, just like when I was a kid, to make my new recipe work well! Thank you, Larry, for the culinary adventures throughout my upbringing and the inspiration to keep cooking throughout my life!

Have a Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate during this incredibly delicious season! Here’s to a Happy and COVID-free 2021! Bon appetit! Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cream Pie

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CREAM PIE

Peanut Butter and chocolate are two ingredients that just scream to Place the egg and egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk be together. Throw in some graham crackers and you get close to a until blended. Add the remaining ¼ cup milk, ¼ cup sugar, S’mores-type dessert. However, the warm flavor from the graham cornstarch, cocoa, and salt, and whisk until well blended. Whisk cracker combined with the depth of the chocolate along the airiness the cocoa mixture into the scalded milk. Set over low heat and of the peanut butter buttercream in this recipe makes it a great way cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 4 to 6 minutes, until the to end a holiday meal. Enjoy! mixture thickens and comes to a low boil, causing large bubbles to form. Immediately remove from the heat, add the chopped Graham Cracker Crust chocolate, butter, rum, and vanilla, and stir until the butter and Ingredients chocolate are completely melted (the pudding will continue to 1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs thicken as it cools). Let pudding sit in pan for 15 minutes to cool. 1/3 cup of sugar 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (Reprinted with permission from An American Place cookbook by Preparation author) Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Add Peanut Butter Buttercream Layer (top layer) melted butter, continuing to mix well. You want the graham cracker Ingredients crumbs to appear moist. Press mix into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake until 1 cup butter, softened browned, 25 – 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. 1 cup peanut butter (best to use Peanut Butter & Co. Old Fashioned Smooth or Smooth Operator) Chef Larry Forgione’s Double Chocolate Pudding (bottom layer) 4 cups confectioner’s sugar Ingredients ¼ cup whole milk 2 ¼ cups milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract ½ cup sugar Preparation 1 large egg I use a Kitchen-Aid stand mixer for this recipe, but you can also 2 large egg yolks use a hand mixer. In a large bowl, vigorously beat butter, peanut 3 tablespoons cornstarch butter, and confectioner’s sugar until light and fluffy. Then add 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted milk and vanilla and mix until smooth. ¼ teaspoon salt 3 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped Building The Pie 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces After Double Chocolate Pudding mixture has cooled, pour into 1 ½ teaspoons dark rum pie crust (about ½ to 2/3 high). Place pie pan in the refrigerator 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract for 20 minutes. Using a spatula, spread Peanut Butter Preparation Buttercream across the top of the pie, careful to not apply too Combine 2 cups of the milk and ¼ cup of the sugar in a large much pressure to avoid mixing the chocolate and buttercream. saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until scalded. Remove Top with whipped cream and a dusting of espresso or chocolate from the heat and set aside. powder. •

aribel Lieberman’s passion for confections started when she was eight years old when she made candies and sold them to neighborhood children in her native Honduras. Years passed with a relocation to New York City where she enrolled in the prestigious Parsons School of Design. Here her love for fashion and design would take her on a journey in the fashion industry.

But it was the creating foods that remained at her core. Maribel soon found herself running her own elegant catering business—Maribel’s Gourmet Cuisine which paved the way for her lifelong passion—chocolate.

Maribel’s first foray into the world of chocolate was a New York City storefront, Lunettes et Chocolat. The shop focused on designer chocolates and glasses. Following this, Maribel’s entrepreneurial spirit led her to open her pride and joy, MarieBelle Chocolates in Soho. Her newest store can be found in The Kitano Hotel, NY.

New York Lifestyles recently had the pleasure of meeting Maribel to find out what makes this incredibly talented woman create beautiful signature confections.

Hot Cocoa

Tell us more about how you transitioned from Lunettes et Chocolat to MarieBelle?

September 11th happened but we continued with Lunettes et Chocolat. The area was horrible and certainly not a place to shop. That Christmas, I decided to take a new space, as a pop-up chocolate shop. It was an art gallery. I repainted it blue and called it MarieBelle. We opened on December 15, 2001. We’re still here.

Tell us how MarieBelle distinguishes itself from other companies?

I like to present all the products beautifully. Perhaps someone who likes modern design might not be comfortable here in my shop. But I think it attracts customers who feel the same way.

Do you think your Honduran heritage has influenced your success?

I grew up in the countryside, where cacao trees grew in the backyard. We drank cacao in hot water with sugar. When I read up on cacao’s history, I thought to myself—I need to bring back what America gave to the world. That became my passion.

What has inspired you to add beautiful designs to the ganache?

Because I come from fashion. Chocolate has three colors: white, milk, and dark. But I give it an extra twist. Although it doesn’t

MARIBEL UPCLOSE What is something we don’t know about you?

look like chocolate, you follow your senses—which makes me smile. Every design has a story.

Do you think all the latest healthier eating trends have impacted the luxury chocolate industry?

I continue to use everything natural. It’s not just about what you eat; it’s about how much you eat. necessarily trendy.

It’s the reason I serve my hot chocolate in a tiny cup. And that’s why I serve a ganache that is just 50 calories. My hot chocolate doesn’t have a lot of sugar; it has a lot of chocolate.

What is the best advice to give any aspiring entrepreneur?

Ultimately what’s going to sell is if you have a passion for the product you really love. It’s a passion that’s going to get you there. There are many working hours. You might not get a salary for a long

I love classical music.

Describe your personal style?

I like elegance and classic, not time. But persevere. It’s key. You’ve got to love what you’re doing. •

What is the motto you live by?

“Go for it!”