Chocolate cranberry sandwich

Chocolate crackle cookies with a cinnamon cranberry compote and candied mint

By: Chef Josh Green

Ponti's Seafood Grill

This is a fairly simple recipe that all the components can be made in advance and assembled right before you need them. The chocolate crackle cookie has the perfect texture to accompany a rich cinnamon cranberry compote. The bittersweet chocolate is a perfect background to the cinnamon in the almost tart compote. The candied mint adds a nice edible garnish, which truly makes this a sandwich.

For the cookie

Bitter sweet chocolate 8 oz

Dark cocoa powder ½ C

All purpose flour 1 ¼ C

Baking powder 2 t

Coarse salt 1 t

Butter ½ c

Brown sugar 1 ½ C

Eggs 2 ea

Vanilla beans ½ scraped

Whole milk 1/3 C

Granulated sugar 1 C

Confectiors sugar 1 C

Preheat an oven to 350 and place the chopped chocolate in a double boiler to melt. Start to cream the sugar, brown sugar and the seeds form the half vanilla bean, on medium speed until it is pale and fluffy, this should take approximately 4 minutes. Sift together two times the Cocoa powder, AP flour, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs to the butter mixture and allow to mix until it is thoroughly combined. Alternate between the milk and the flour and allow to mix on low speed until it just mixed completely. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours and divide into one-inch balls. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar, and then the powdered sugar and bake giving the cookies a little room to spread out during baking.

For the Cinnamon Cranberry compote

Cranberries 1 #

Water 1 C

Simple syrup

Water 2 C

Granulated sugar 1 ½ C

Cinnamon true ½ stick

Washed and drain 1 # of your favorite cranberries and place them in a heavy bottomed saucepan with 1 C of water, over medium heat. Allow the cranberries to pop and cook approx 45 minutes, stirring and reducing the heat if needed to keep from burning. Once the cranberries are finished cooking remove them from the pan and allow to cool. As the cranberries are cooking begin to make the simple syrup by placing the water and granulated sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan over med-high heat. Once the sugar has dissolved add the cinnamon stick and bring to a slight boil. Reduce the heat and allow to cook simmering for 15 minutes. Strain the cinnamon out of the syrup and allow the syrup to cool. Add ¼ C of the syrup to the cranberry mixture and mix until well blended. Place the compote in the refrigerator and cover until you go to assemble the cookies.

Candied Mint

Large Mint leafs 24 each

Canola oil 2 C

Granulated sugar 3 C

Pick the mint leaves off the plant while leaving a small portion of the stem on to make a sort of handle. Wash and pat dry the mint leaves and begin to heat the oil till it shimmers. Fry the leaves two or three at a time until they just begin to change color, and remove them from the oil. Once they have drained for 30 seconds grab the stem and place them hold them while sifting the granulated sugar until both sides are coated. Place them on parchment paper and cover them gently and save until assembly of the cookie.

Assemble the sandwich as if the mint were red leaf lettuce and the compote was the meat with two of the crackle cookies as the bread.

TIP:

* Sift dry ingredients twice to evenly distribute leavening ingredients.

* Use melon baler to portion cookies.

Paired with Washington Port.