70% Dark Bonus Recipes

Mrs. Guidry’s Crawfish Pie

In 70% Dark Intentions, Felicity gets a new neighbor. Mrs. Guidry opens a café across the street from Greetings and Felicitations. When Felicity and Logan visit, even Logan is impressed with the crawfish pie. At our house, we like the 3-2-1 pie crust recipe from Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio, but you can use whatever recipe you want. You can also make a full batch of the recipe and put a top crust on the pie, if you prefer. If you don’t have the time to slow roast tomatoes, you can used diced fresh tomatoes, but it won’t have the same depth of flavor.

½ recipe pie crust (enough for one crust)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
¾ c. onion, finely diced
¼ c. shallot, minced
½ c. celery, minced
½ c. green bell pepper, finely diced
½ c. red bell pepper, finely diced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning
¼ c. flour
1 lb. crawfish tail meat
½ c. slow roasted tomatoes (see recipe), diced
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. Tabasco sauce
1/2 c. heavy cream
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 egg, beaten
¼ c. Panko breadcrumb

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Roll out dough and place in a deep dish pie pan. Use pie weights or a piece of parchment paper to weigh down the dough as you partially bake it. Place prepared crust in the oven for 7-10 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the butter and olive oil in the bottom of a large over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and Cajun seasoning. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and the onion turns translucent. Sprinkle the flour onto the mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes, then add the crawfish tails, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the cream. Remove from heat. Temper the egg with a little of the crawfish mixture, then pour the egg into the mixture and stir thoroughly to combine. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to combine.

Transfer the crawfish mixture into the pie crust. Bake until the filling is set and the crust is completely cooked through, 25-30 minutes.

Mateo’s Chicken and Chorizo Stew

In 70% Dark Intentions, Felicity interacts with an international team of researchers who have come to Galveston to research local plants and animals. One of them takes a job at her shop – and then promptly goes missing. But not before giving Felicity a bowl of this stew, with is a classic Spanish dish. Make sure you are using Spanish chorizo – which is a hard, sliceable sausage packed with paprika – rather than Mexican chorizo, which is soft. This does get a bit greasy as it cooks, so be prepared to skim the fat off the top.

6 bone-in chicken thighs
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. Spanish chorizo, sliced
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. dried parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 c. white wine
2 ½ c. chicken stock
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp. orange zest2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
3/4 c. green olives, pitted and sliced
Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the chicken thighs.

Place the olive oil in a large Dutch over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add half of the chicken thighs, and brown them, turning during cooking (approximately 8-10 minutes). Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.

Add the chorizo to the Dutch oven. Cook the chorizo until it releases a bit of the fat. Then add the onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bell pepper is softened and the onion turns translucent. Add the garlic, parsley, thyme, paprika, cumin, and bay leaves. Cook for an additional two minutes, then remove the chorizo and vegetables and set aside.

Add the white wine to the Dutch oven, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Cook until the wine has reduced by half, and then add the chicken stock, orange juice, orange zest, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir until the mixture is uniform, then return the chicken, chorizo and vegetables to the Dutch Oven.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then the heat to medium low. Cover the Dutch oven and cook for an hour, or until the chicken is tender, stirring occasionally.

If the sauce is still thin after, remove the chicken and increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the sauce thickens. Skim the extra grease off of the surface. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the sliced olives and stir to combine. Heat the stew through, then serve warm, either over rice or with a side of crusty bread.

Cinnamon London Fog

In 70% Dark Intentions, Felicity is throwing a party, and Carmen (Felicity’s barista and pastry chef) knows that the guest of honor is a fan of both cinnamon and lavender. So she creates this drink to offer at the party. I am a huge fan of London Fog, so this is one of my favorites too. If needed, you can use a dairy-free milk alternative, such as soy or almond milk. You will need some way to froth the milk. We used the frother on our espresso machine, but you can also use an electric milk frother that heats the milk at the same time.(Alternately, you can just use hot milk, but the drink won’t have the same texture. Heat the milk until it steams, but do not let it boil.)

1 c. whole milk
2 c. brewed Lavender Earl Gray Tea, hot
3 Tbsp. cinnamon simple syrup
Ground cinnamon, for garnish

Pour the hot tea into two large mugs. Add the cinnamon syrup stir to combine.

Froth the milk in a milk frother or using the steam attachment of an espresso machine.

Slowly pour in the frothed milk, so that the layer of froth floats on top, slowly pouring in the froth at the end. Garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon, and serve immediately.

Carmen’s Spicy Chocolate Rosemary Conchas

In 70% Dark Intentions, Carmen has been promoted to pastry chef at Felicity’s shop. She’s still using her signature cooking style – taking traditional pan dulce recipes and giving them a twist with spices and herbs. Here, she’s made conchas – but with a spicy chocolate-rosemary topping. The flavor of the topping itself reminds me of the Fireball candy from when I was a kid.

vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl
½ c. milk
3 ½ c. all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
½ c. sugar, plus 1 tsp. for proofing yeast
1 ½ tsp. active dry yeast
½ tsp. salt
½ c. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 batch chocolate herb topping

Heat the milk until it is warm, but do not allow to boil. Add the yeast and 1 tsp. of sugar. Set aside. Grease a large mixing bowl and set aside. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low, just until combined.

Add the butter and mix thoroughly on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing between each. Then add the vanilla extract and slowly pour in ¼ c. of the milk, slowly adding more and mixing between additions until you have a cohesive dough (you may not need all the milk).

Switch to the dough hook attachment and continue mixing about 7 minutes at medium speed, until the dough is soft and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the large greased bowl, rolling the ball to grease on all sides. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm spot and allow the dough to rest until it doubles in size (roughly 1-2 hours).

Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate herb topping and set aside.

Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface, and shape the dough into 16 equal-sized balls. Place them on the lined baking sheets. Use your fingers to generously grease the top and sides of each ball with shortening.

Place the topping balls one at a time onto a sheet of plastic and flatten them into discs. Peel each disc off the plastic and place it on one of the dough balls, pressing down firmly until the whole thing forms a dome shape. Use a knife or a concha cutter to mark the top with “swoop” shapes, to resemble a shell.

Place the baking sheets in a warm place, and allow the conchas to rise until almost double in size.

Preheated your oven to 325°F. Bake the conchas for 20 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Allow to cool completely, and serve with a strong cup of coffee.

NOTE: You can freeze shaped, topped conchas on a sheet tray before baking and store in a plastic bag in the freezer until ready to bake.

Chocolate Herb Topping

½ c. vegetable shortening, plus extra for greasing dough
1 c. confectioner sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2 tsp. dried rosemary, finely ground
½ tsp. cumin, ground
½ tsp. cayenne pepper, ground
¼ tsp. cracked black pepper

Place the shortening in a medium bowl, and whip it with a spatula or spoon until it becomes very creamy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Divide into 16 balls, and use to top the conchas before baking.

In 70% Dark Intentions, Carmen comes into her own as a pastry chef. This is a much-deserved promotion, since she was originally hired as a baking assistant. Customers find part of the charm of visiting Greetings and Felicitations in that there are no set baked goods on the menu. The get to choose from whatever Carmen has baked, which changes daily. These little crinkly bites pack a manageable kick. So adjust the habanero powder up or down, depending on your preference.

8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
¼ c. unsalted butter
½ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. cocoa powder
½ tsp. Habanero Powder
½ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. bergamot flavoring
1 tsp. orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl until most of the chocolate is melted stirring frequently. Let the mixture rest until needed, in which time the rest of the chocolate should be melted.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, habanero powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer using a whisk attachment, combine the eggs and sugar. Beat the mixture until it is pale and fluffy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Change to the paddle attachment. Add the chocolate mixture, bergamot flavoring and orange zest, and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and mix until completely incorporated. The batter will be thin but still fluffy and scoopable.

Scoop the batter out a tablespoon at a time into small mounds on the prepared baking trays. Bake for 13 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are cracked.

Allow to cool on the baking trays for 20 minutes. Carefully transfer the soft cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Felicity’s Hot Cocoa Bombs

In 70% Dark Intentions, Felicity starts experimenting with making cocoa powder – just in time to take a huge order for gift baskets that include hot chocolate bombs, which are a fun way to show off that water solubility of cocoa powder.

To make your own hot chocolate bombs, you will need a mold to create the half-sphere shapes (2 1/2″ sphere mold, silicone or acrylic. We used two molds with a total 12 cavities to create six bombs at a time, repeating the entire process twice to get a dozen finished hot cocoa bombs). You will also need a thermometer to make sure you achieve the appropriate temperature to temper chocolate. Other than that, you can use equipment you probably already have in your kitchen. In the book Felicity adds cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne to her cocoa mixture, but you can leave it plain or flavor it any way you want.

24 oz. dark couverture chocolate, chopped, melted and tempered (You will need to monitor the temperature of the chocolate as you work to make sure it stays in temper)
12 cupcake wrappers
3 c. mini marshmallows
12 Tbsp. Cocoa Mix (see recipe below)
Steamed milk, for serving

Polish your molds with a paper towel. If desired, add any decoration that will be part of the chocolate.*

Spoon about a tablespoon of chocolate into the bottom of one of the cavities. Using swift strokes, paint the chocolate upward, ensuring that you cover every bit of the sides and edge. Repeat, one at a time, with each cavity, making sure to maintain the temperature of the chocolate as you work. Refrigerate the completely painted molds for five minutes. Add more chocolate to one of the cavities and paint a second coat of chocolate, making sure to fortify the rim of the sphere half. Repeat with the remaining cavities. Refrigerate the completely second-coated molds until completely set, 5 to 10 minutes. **

Release the chocolate half spheres from the molds and place 6 of them rim side up in the cupcake wrappers. Fill each half sphere with 1 tablespoon of cocoa mix and ¼ c. marshmallows.

Wear gloves for the remaining steps to avoid getting fingerprints on the chocolate shells. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Take one of the remaining half sphere and place it rim-side down for a few seconds in the heated skillet. Immediately place it on top of one of the filled half spheres and press gently for a second or two to form a light seal. One at a time, place each cocoa bomb onto the rim of a glass or a tall round cookie cutter, or whatever you can find to stabilize it as you work. Brush a little melted chocolate around the joined edge to seal any cracks.

Decorate if desired, with sprinkles on the seal, or drizzles of white chocolate over the top, or any other edible design elements.

To serve: Place one hot cocoa bomb in the bottom of a large mug. Pour the steamed milk over the cocoa bomb and watch it melt open and the marshmallows pop up to the top.

* I used colored cocoa butter, painted in different patterns onto each cavity of the molds using a paintbrush, to add a pop of color. I chose pink because it reflects the cinnamon in the cocoa mix.

** If using acrylic molds, instead of painting on the chocolate, you can fill the cavities with tempered chocolate, and then pour it back into the bowl, leaving a coating on the mold. Set the mold upside down on waxed paper to continue draining, then refrigerate until set.

Cocoa Mix

Tbsp. powdered sugar
4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
A pinch salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. Ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper (or ½ tsp., if you like things spicy)

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.